Deep Water [OuterBanks]

19: the kids aren't alright

An orange dusk fell over Kildare shortly after they left the trailer park, and fast-dying rays of sunlight shifted inward through The Wreck's floor-to-ceiling windows. With closing time just around the corner, the satisfactory restaurant was void of any and all customers. Majority of the tables had been cleared in preparation for the next day, all except for one, in the very back corner, where Alana sat with the Pogue's and Sarah.

"Maybe I should go and find him." The blonde girl voiced to the group, her attention steady on her glass of fruit punch that was slowly being watered down by an abundance of ice cubes.

"No." John B disagreed from beside her, at the head of the circular table. "Look, he'll come around, all right? It's...he's doing a JJ thing." He assured.

"You think he'll go home?" Kiara asked expressionlessly.

"There's about a zero percent chance that JJ goes home." Pope stood near one of the lengthy windows, peering out at the fishing boats docked in the marina.

"I wouldn't say zero. Five, maybe." Alana added while twisting the stackable silver ring on her index finger. Although he would never admit it, even after years of being abused, of being told he was worthless, a part of JJ still longed for Luke's approval; for his father to be proud of him. For someone to be proud of him.

"You okay?" John B questioned, shifting his attention over to Sarah, whose facial expression conveyed nothing short of bewilderment.

"Yeah." The rich girl nodded nonetheless. Admittedly, their tight-knit crew was a lot to take in, and it was easy to underestimate the Pogue life when watching from the sidelines. Surely the Cameron girl had never faced off with an axe-murderer or been held at gun point. "Are you?" Sarah returned the question, seeing that John B had indeed been shoved around more than once today.

"I mean, I'm in one piece, so..." the Routledge boy grinned charmingly, earning a smile from his brown-eyed girlfriend.

"Okay." Pope exhaled briefly before breaking away from his position at the window. "It's too dangerous to pawn this thing off piecemeal." The gears in his mind turned rapidly with ease as he paced the wooden floorboards of the restaurant. "So our best bet is to go down there and get the rest of it. Bring it all up at once. Put it in—in a safe or a vault or something. I—I don't know. Just until we can find someone who won't rip us off." He explained, earning looks of uncertainty from both Alana and Kiara. "I can go figure it out tonight. I can get it all done, and we can be out there as early as tomorrow morning."

"All right, lets do it." John B nodded, outwardly in agreement with Pope's impetuous plan.

"Easy."

"What about that thing with my dad?" Sarah glanced over at John B, and now every pair of eyes were on the two of them.

"Shit." He cursed, raking his fingers through his chestnut curls.