{ LIVING THE POGUE LIFE }

{28}

Brie and JJ met the others at the Wreck the next day. It was early, so the place was completely empty, which allowed them to discuss their next move for finding the gold.

Out of sheer luck, John B had only broken his wrist and gotten a concussion, so he was released from the hospital after just an overnight stay. Talk about a freaking miracle.

"So you're living with Sarah Cameron?" Kiara asked him, clearly still holding a grudge.

Brie surpressed the urge to roll her eyes. Kiara had been really harsh on her last night, and she would be lying if she didnt say that she was still pissed off about it. She hadn't even bothered to apologise for all of the shit she had said.

"The only reason I'm living there is because her dad bailed me out," John B defended, "And it's way better than foster care, which, by the way, is the way I was headed."

"Hey," Brie grinned, eager to cut through some of the tension in the room. "You got a Kook outfit yet? You know, chino shorts, polo shirt? The full shebang?"

"Yeah," Pope said with a mischievous smile, "You get given a sweater vest, or do you have to actually buy one of those?"

"Oh, and what about the loafer shoes?" JJ added, taking a sip of his coffee with a smile.

"Yes!" Brie laughed, pointing at them both.

John B rolled his eyes at them and flashed them his middle finger. Brie's smile widened at that. She was really glad that he was okay. He was like a brother to her, and she didn't know what she would do if she lost him.

"You know, you promised you weren't with her," Kiara continued, making Brie fall back in her seat with a huff.

John B rubbed his eyebrows and sighed. Brie wasn't exactly happy when she found out that a Kook was involved in their big secret, but the fact that John B was happy with Sarah changed everything for her. She just wanted to see him happy, and if he was happy, then she was happy too.

"Bro, just own it, she got you," JJ said, resting his hand on Brie's shoulder.

She glanced up at him and he shot her a subtle wink as he continued to drink his coffee.

"Look, if you want to hang out with her, that's fine," Kiara said, "But I'm letting you know right now that I'm not doing anything with Sarah."

"Why is that not a surprise," Brie mumbled.

Shit. She didn't mean to even say that out loud, but the damage was already done. Kiara narrowed her eyes at her, and Brie could literally feel the heat of her stare.

"What's your problem?" Kiara snapped.

Damage was already done. Might as well let Kiara know how she really felt about how she was reacting to the whole Sarah thing. Although, she was pretty sure that she made her point very clear last night.

"You are my problem!" Brie argued, leaning forward in her seat. "You were a bitch to me last night, and now you're being a bitch to John B."

"Brie, hey," JJ whispered, squeezing her shoulder as he pulled her back into the chair. "Chill."

But she didn't want to chill. If Kiara had a genuine reason why they shouldn't trust Sarah, then she should be able to tell them.

"You don't understand," Kiara said, "Sarah is-"

"What?" Brie shouted, shrugging JJ's hand off of her. "A Kook? A bitch? Untrustworthy? You keep saying all of this, but you haven't actually given us solid proof for why we can't trust her. John B trusts her, so I do too. Why can't you just let this go?"