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chapter two | hurricane agatha
episode one | the pilot

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Olivia was furious — so mad that not even the weed laced within her cigarette could calm her down. The sky had shifted; dark clouds descending with rain hammering and winds strong enough to knock someone over. Yet, John B and Pope had been stupid enough to face the waves (and Pope was supposed to be the smart one).

"Calm down," JJ told her.

"Calm down?" Olivia repeated, shooting the boy a murderous gaze. "They're surfing the surge, JJ!"

The boy lounged on the sofa, uncaring about the fact that his two best friends were being ridiculously reckless. Olivia suspected he was jealous that he had missed the chance at joining them, but he wouldn't admit to that now with Olivia being angry.

Kiara had gone home to her parents for the storm; JJ's father was probably too high or drunk to even care about where his son was. Olivia had come home from work early, having helped prepare the restaurant for the hurricane. But she had come home to John B's note, informing her on where he was.

"This place is a tip, too," added Olivia, kicking an old beer can as it cluttered across the small space, hitting the wall.

"Just chill, Livia," JJ told her, offering her his freshly rolled blunt. "Do you want mine?"

"No, I don't," Olivia snapped at him. "And stop calling me that."

Huffing, Olivia collapsed on the sofa with her arms folding across her chest, missing the cocky smile that had vanished from JJ's face. Olivia hated how she felt: usually, she was calm, where she was so chill that not even a messy place would phase her. But the DSC was on her mind and now John B was acting like an idiot, proving that perhaps they did need an adult figure in their life.

Maybe Olivia was stressed. Maybe she was due to explode.

Two hours later and John B was brave enough to return home as he offered the happiest of smiles, wanting to smother Olivia's wraith before she started shouting at him. But that wasn't the case, of course.

"You idiot!" Olivia hissed at him, almost tempted to throw an empty can at him. "How could you be so stupid?"

"I was just surfing—"

"There's a hurricane going on, John B!"

"How was it?" JJ asked.

"JJ, don't encourage him," Olivia hissed at the blonde.

"It was pretty cool," John B answered his best friend before offering Olivia another bright smile. "Stop worrying, Liv. Pope and I are all good."

But Olivia simply shook her head, heading towards her bedroom as John B tried apologising, calling out for her to come back. The door slammed shut behind her with Olivia not wanting to talk to either of them.

☼

The next morning, Olivia's phone rang with the alarm going off but there was no signal as she checked her notifications. Then, there was no power as Olivia sighed, already hating the aftermath of the hurricane.

"Liv, you up?" John B called out, knocking on her door. "Am I forgiven, yet?"

"Clean up a bit and then I'll forgive you," Olivia shouted back.

"I will, I will," John B reassured.

But they both knew he wouldn't. John B was a mess — perhaps more than Olivia —and she couldn't blame him, but they couldn't carry on in this routine if they wanted it to be just the two of them. They needed to prove that they could live independently without acting reckless or immature.

Olivia got dressed for the day, wearing her high waisted shorts with a crop top. Then, she headed out to the front, spotting JJ from the balcony with the two outside, likely inspecting the damage.

"Morning, sunshine," JJ greeted her. "Feeling better today?"

Ignoring him, Olivia inspected the front garden herself as JJ burped next to her. Hearing it, her nose crinkled, walking away from the teenage boy. John B was clearing the HMS Pogue. Despite the mess, it didn't look damaged, which was a relief for the two. But, around them, the trees had been uprooted and branches decorated the once clear lawn.

And John B had surfed during it.

Her cousins' eyes fell on with a small smile on his face. It was a smile that told Olivia that he truly was sorry for how he acted. Shrugging, Olivia decided it wasn't even worth bringing up again — she wasn't one for drama nor could she bothered when John B wouldn't learn from his mistakes.

JJ approached the two as John B climbed onto the boat, reaching in to clean the area of debris. Giving him a hand, Olivia headed to the back of the boat, removing the branches herself.

"What you thinking?" JJ questioned.

"I'm thinking that storm surge pushed all the crabs out on the marsh maze," said John B, climbing onto the boat. "All those drum are gonna chase the crab."

As much as Olivia wanted to force John B into cleaning the place up a bit, especially now that hurricane Agatha had caused her destruction, she also saw the opportunity in fishing crabs. It would be a meal for them without it costing much, but also a chance to make a little additional money if they sold what they caught.

"What about the DCS?" JJ questioned, glancing between the two with his eyes lingering on Olivia, having believed that was the main reason for her anger the previous night. "Wasn't that today?"

"Nah, they're not getting on a ferry," said John B.

"Thank God," Olivia muttered.

"Come on, think about it," John B glanced back at JJ. "It's God telling us to fish."

It felt like a lot more than that, particularly with how they managed to escape another visit from DSC. For now, they had the chance to continue doing what they wanted, but it wouldn't be long before DSC was breathing down their necks again.

They managed to get the HMS Pogue back on the water, debris free. John B drove as he told them about the boat he had spotted the previous night while surfing. During it, they greeted those around them, witnessing the destruction that Agatha had caused.

"Hi, Miss Amy!" John B greeted warmly. "You guys get through it?"

"Still here," she replied.

"She totally looked at me," JJ commented.

"I saw it."

Olivia felt the urge to roll her eyes. "I highly doubt that."

"Look at this place," John B pointed out.

In front of them, waste floated about, where everything that had been left outside had been caught up in the strong wind. Then, Olivia squinted her eyes, seeing the boats that had been knocked together, as well as the damage caused to the buildings that were near the water edge. To Olivia, it looked like a lot of time and money would be needed to repair the damage, which no one had along the Cut.

In response, JJ whistled. "Agatha, what did you do?"

"She is a crazy lady," John B agreed.

"Crazy like our Livia," JJ added.

Olivia shot him a look. "Do you want me to push you off the boat?"

"You wouldn't dare—"

"Oh, I will — trust me."

JJ smirked. "Go on then."

"Guys, come on," John B frowned at the two. "No bickering today."

Olivia averted her gaze, forcing her mouth to clamp shut. It was miraculous to how John B had gone almost a year, completely oblivious to what had happened between the two. But, neither wanted John B to know: Olivia didn't want to be known as another girl who fell for JJ nor did JJ want to risk the fury of his best friend.

"We'll be cleaning this all summer," JJ changed the conversation, though his eyes were on Olivia, surprisingly concerned.

"That is my nightmare," John B said.

"That's not a surprise when we live in a shithole," Olivia reminded her cousin, trying to drop another hint that they should clean the place. It had been Olivia who had constantly cleaned before with the place now a mess due to the young girl being on strike.

The boat finally reached the back of Heyward's with their eyes landing on Pope, who was busy helping his father.

"Well, look who we have here," said JJ, putting on a voice that followed with a matching ridiculous sound.

John B cupped his hand over his mouth, muffling his voice. "We have a safety meeting," he told Pope. "Attendance mandatory."

Then he mimicked static, cutting off as if he was done talking.

"I can't," Pope said. "My pop's got me on lockdown."

"Come on, man," said JJ, then mimicked a static sound again, copying John B. "Your dad's a pussy. Over."

"Oh, I heard that, you little bastard."

Olivia smiled sweetly at Pope's father. "Hey, Heyward, how are you doing?"

"I'll be just fine," he told her. "As long as my boy is helping out."

"We need your son," John B told him.

"Yeah, and island rules," added JJ. "Day after a hurricane's a free day."

"Who the hell made that up?" Pope's father questioned.

"Uh... Pentagon, I think. We have security clearance," JJ reassured. "I have a card."

"Think I'm stupid?"

"No, your son's brain had to come from somewhere, sir," Olivia complimented him, hoping that it'll give Pope the clearance he needed to join them.

The father and son duo argued about it with Pope's father adamant that his son was staying put to do his work right there and then. It didn't look like they could sway Pope's father, so it left them with the only option.

"Get in the boat," whispered John B.

"Make a run for it," said JJ, a little louder.

"Boy, if you get in that boat—"

But Pope had already dropped the hose as he was running, jumping onto the deck with his eyes falling back on his father.

"Go, go, go."

"Bring your ass back up here!"

"I promise I'll do it tomorrow, dad," Pope reassured him.

"I'll look after him!" Olivia called out since they were already driving off. "I promise!"

The poor man was already punishing Pope with numerous chores as Olivia felt for Pope. She couldn't help but feel bad for Heyward either, but they couldn't do anything without the full group.

"Love you, Pops," John B called back. "We'll bring him back in one piece," he continued, cutting off Heyward's rant. "I promise."

"And I don't like your friends!" Heyward finished.

"Damn," Olivia's eyes fell on Pope. "I thought your dad liked me?"

Pope shrugged. "Who knows with him?"

Olivia found her shoulders rolling too, uncaring about it. Sometimes parents liked her, other times they didn't. Usually, it depended on how much they knew about Olivia — if they knew a lot, then they tended to see her as another messed up kid from the Cut.

They then picked up Kiara, heading up to Kookville as they met their friend at a dock, where she spotted them with a cheery smile on her face.

"Oh, top o' the mornin' to ya," greeted JJ as the boat pulled up to the small dock.

"Good morning, boys," said Kira with her eyes flickering to her best friend. "Liv."

"Hey, Kie."

"Morning."

"Whatcha got?" Pope asked, spotting the cooler box. "You got some juice boxes?"

"You know, just some yoghurts and carrot sticks."

"Great," Olivia smiled. "I'm starving."

"How about my kind of juice box?" JJ questioned, offering a hand to help Kiara climb gracefully on board.

"Yeah," Kiara answered.

"Brace for impact," John B warned the group.

With the Pogues all together, the cooler box was opened with the bottles of beer being handed out amongst the five. There was food too as Olivia helped herself to a sandwich that Kiara had likely made (and her parents had likely moaned about).

"Bet you can't do this," said JJ, once the joking around and giggling had started to stop. The group clinked glasses, taking a sip of their beer. "You guys have gotta tell the world. Let me show you a party trick."

"Terrifying," Kiara told him.

"Don't do anything stupid," Olivia warned from where she sat next to Kiara.

"Hey, Pope. Can you go a little faster, please?"

"Oh, God, here we go," John B said. "I'm moving."

"It doesn't work," Pope told JJ. "We've tried this like six thousand times."

"I got this!" JJ insisted. "It's gonna work!"

Olivia shook her head, unimpressed. "It's your funeral!"

The blonde boy was stood at the tip of the boat with one foot on the bench and the other close to the edge. His head tilted back as he slowly lifted the bottle, trying to catch the contents with his mouth that was proven difficult with the speeding boat.

Both Olivia and Kiara scuttered backwards, trying to get further away from the splash zone.

"Oh my God," exclaimed Kiara. "You're getting beer in my hair!"

Olivia covered her face. "It's disgusting, JJ!"

"All right! All right!" Pope said, hand in the air to protect his face as John B turned away.

"All right, you're done," John B told him.

"All right, stop!"

Though, they did stop, but not in the way anyone had expected. The boat jerked to a stop, causing Olivia's body to fling forward with it, crashing into Kiara. She dropped the bottle with the glass smashing against the bottom of the boat as the liquid fizzled, soaking the deck. Then, there was a splash as Olivia's eyes darted from the mess to where JJ had once been.

"Jesus, Pope," Kiara complained.

She rushed to the edge, spotting JJ's head emerging from the water as he groaned. Seeing him eased her concern, but it must have hurt being flung like that.

"You okay, JJ?" John B called down to his friend.

"I think my heels touched the back of my head."

"Well, hopefully, that knocked some sense into you," said Olivia.

John B's attention fell on the two girls. "Kie, Liv, you okay?"

Glancing away from JJ, she gave John B a reassuring smile as Kiara voiced that she was fine too. Yet, even though they were fine, the group were still moaning. Olivia's hand cupped her neck, rubbing the sore spot as she wondered if she would have whiplash.

"Pope, what did you do?" JJ asked, distraught.

"Sandbar," said Pope. "The channel changed."

"No shit," JJ replied, swimming back to the boat.

The two girls dropped to the deck, picking up the shards of glass as Kiara reached for an old carrier bag to put them in. Then, with a towel, Olivia started to wipe up the sticky beer.

What a waste.

"Ugh, this is probably gonna mess the whole place up," John B added.

"Hey, I saved the beer, though," JJ told them.

"I didn't," Olivia mumbled.

"Congrats, JJ."

"Guys..." Pope caught their attention. "I think there's a boat down there."

"Shut up."

"No way."

"Seriously?"

"No, no, guys," said Pope, pointing to the water. "I'm serious. There's a boat down there. For real."

Olivia and Kiara abandoned the mess as they stood, walking towards the edge to have a look for themselves. There, under the murky waters, was a sunken ship that caused Olivia's eyebrows to rise in surprise.

"It's a boat!"

"Holy shit, he's right," Kiara realised too. "Let's go."

No one needed to be told twice. Reaching for her top, Olivia pulled it over her head before removing her shorts. Underneath, she had worn her peach bikini to be prepared for situations like this.

"You think there's a dead body down there?" Pope questioned.

"I hope not," answered Olivia.

Then she dived into the water, causing a splash as the warm water welcomed the sixteen-year-old. Upon emerging, she pushed the loose strands of hair behind her ears as her head turned, witnessing Pope finally jumping into the creek.

Kiara and Olivia exchanged a look, where the two beamed at each other before they pushed their bodies back under the water. It was hard to see through the thickness of the water, but Olivia could make out the white body of the boat easily.

Her fingers gripped the top of the boat, very aware of the others doing the same too. Using the roof of the boat, she pulled her body down further into the water, peering into the sunken boat as her eyes squinted, trying to find a dead body. There was nothing dead — fortunately — but Olivia couldn't see anything out of the normal either, which was disappointing. Yet, the boat screamed money, so it was a little odd for it to be sunken.

Following her friends — and needing air — the teen pushed her weight upwards with her legs kicking, aiming to reach the surface. Her head broke through the water, along with the others as she gasped.

"You guys saw that, right?" JJ questioned.

"Yeah!"

"Yeah, I did!"

"What the..."

"A new one of those is like five-hundred Gs, easy," JJ informed them. The group swam back towards the boat, pulling themselves back on board. "Okay! That's a primo rig."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," agreed John B. "That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge."

"Then why..." Olivia's voice trailed off, confused.

"Maybe it hit the jetty or something," John B thought out loud.

"You surfed the surge?" Kiara realised what he had said.

"Yeah," John B confirmed.

"That's my boy," JJ grinned, still finding the situation funny. "Pogue style."

"What the heck?" Kiara questioned, looking at Olivia.

"I shouted at John B last night when he got home," said Olivia, shooting her cousin a glare. "But now, that reminds me."

Then she smacked Pope on the back of his head in a playful manner as the boy protested, turning to look back at Olivia. His hand touched the spot, frowning at her. "What the hell, Liv?"

"Don't be a fucking idiot," Olivia told him. "You're smarter than that."

Kiara was shocked at that. "You too, Pope?"

"What?" Pope sighed. "Can we focus on what matters? Like, do we know whose boat that is?"

"No, but we're about to find out," John B told them.

"Dude, it's too deep," JJ warned, where even he saw how stupid of a risk it was.

"Oh, for the weak and feeble, JJ."

The group watched as John B pulled out the anchor from below deck that didn't make Olivia feel any better about the situation. She shook her head, wondering if her cousin truly had a death wish.

"Well, I'm not resuscitating you," JJ told him. "I'm just making that clear upfront."

"That's fine," John B replied.

"That's fine?" Olivia blinked, shocked at her cousin.

Kiara looked just as concerned. "John B?"

"Please—"

"What?" John B chuckled, staring at the two girls.

"Diver down, fool," said Pope.

John B sighed, saluting the group. "Diver down."

"Yeah, he is—"

"No—"

Olivia had reached for him, refusing to let John B act so carelessly. But there was no chance of stopping him as JJ had pushed John B over the edge with the anchor pulling his body downwards. The four hurried to the edge with Olivia staring at the water, unable to locate her cousin.

"If he dies," said Olivia, bitterly. "I will kill you both myself."

"Both?" The two boys questioned.

"Yes — the two of you," Olivia snapped, turning her head to glare at the two. "The three of you act like idiots together."

"Liv's right," Kiara supported her friend. "This was a stupid idea."

And it proved to be a stupid idea as John B did not return. The seconds ticked by with the time stretching, overwhelming Olivia.

"Should we go get him?" Pope questioned, realising it was getting too late.

But at those words, John B appeared as Olivia sagged in relief, head tilting downwards as her eyes closed temporarily. The boy coughed, wiping the water from his eyes as he focused on catching his breath.

"Oh my God," said Kiara. "That took forever!"

"Any dead bodies?" Pope asked, far too eagerly.

"Looting potential?" JJ added.

"No, no," answered John B then held up a key. "I found this motel key."

"A key," Pope didn't sound impressed.

"Yes, a key, Pope," said John B.

"Great! We salvaged a motel key!"

"A motel key in a boat like that?" Olivia questioned, finding that a little odd.

"Liv's right," John B realised. "It's a little odd."

Still, even if it wasn't much, it still piqued their curiosity enough for the crabs to be long forgotten. They headed back, already debating about what to do with the boat they had discovered.

"Guys, we should report the wreck to the coast guard," Kiara suggested. "Maybe we'll get a finder's fee."

"Yeah, and not work all summer," JJ added. "Thanks, Agatha, ya bitch."

☼

Of course, they tried doing the right thing by turning the boat in, but the coast guard was overwhelmed with the aftermath of Agatha. Residents — those rich and poor — were concerned about their own boats, so the five teens were ignored.

"Well, that went well."

"Now what?" Olivia questioned.

John B held up the rusty motel key. "I think I know how we're gonna find the guy who owns the boat."

"We don't know whose room that is," Pope argued. "It could belong to anyone."

"And it's trespassing," Olivia added, eyes sliding to her cousin. "We really don't need any trouble right now, John B."

"I'm in," JJ announced, earning a stormy glare from Olivia, but he threw the keys to Kiara, choosing to ignore Olivia again.

"Come on," Kiara encouraged. "I'll be lookout."

Both Pope and Olivia shared an unimpressed look, which then resulted in Olivia shrugging, giving in far too easily. Seeing that, Pope sighed.

"Finder's fee. Just saying," John B told his friend, walking away before turning back. "And, hey, at least you'll only be an accomplice."

Maybe it was the possibility of money that made Olivia accept that they were doing this or maybe she secretly enjoyed their insane ideas. Usually, if it was beyond ridiculous, then Kiara was against it, so that kept Olivia chill for now.

That's how they ended up back on the boat, heading out to the location of the motel. Upon seeing it, JJ let out a long whistle. The motel looked a lot worse than it did before: Agatha had caused her destruction with the grounds torn up, trees uprooted and litter decorating the place. Then, the motel itself, looked worse for wear with the building paintwork faded, the wood splintered in parts, and it coming across as a dumping ground more than a place to stay.

And... the person who owned an expensive boat had a key here?

"I thought the Chateau looked bad," commented JJ.

"This place is a shitshow," John B added.

"Motel or meth lab?" Kiara questioned.

"You be the judge," Pope told her.

Olivia screwed up her nose. "It stinks, too."

"It doesn't look like a place somebody with a Grady-White stays," John B mentioned.

"No," Pope agreed. "Looks like a place someone with a Grady-White would get killed."

"Oh God, this is where we find the dead body, isn't it?" Olivia realised.

"Finder's fee," John B reminded her.

"All right, here we go."

"This is your captain speaking," JJ said, having cupped a hand over his mouth to mimic speaking through a microphone again. "HMS Pogue coming in for landing."

He let out a whoo! as he jumped from the boat, feet touching down on the grass bank as he secured the boat into place. Olivia's eyes were still on the motel, studying every crooked piece, as well as the few people that hovered about.

"We good?" John B questioned.

"Yeah, we good," JJ answered.

"All right," said John B. "Here goes nothing."

"Hey," Pope called out.

"Yeah?"

Then he pointed to JJ. "Don't let him do anything stupid."

"Oh, we will," JJ confirmed.

"Yeah, I know."

"No, seriously," Olivia's eyes fell on her cousin. "You better not do anything dumb, John B."

"I'm not making promises," John B told them both. "But, you know me, Liv. I'll be fine."

The girl frowned, though, doubting him.

"Uh, be careful," Kiara told John B sincerely as she handed him the key. "I mean it."

The two left as Olivia felt her heart stuck in her throat. She was calm; Olivia was the one that usually didn't batter an eyelash at what the boys were doing, but there was a line, and the three tended to cross it. Especially since Big John had gone missing...

...and the other boy she had an entangled history with.

"Wait—"

"Liv, come on," John B sighed. "You're usually up for stuff like this."

"Just please be careful, okay?" Olivia pleaded, unable to bear the thought of John B disappearing from her life. Without him, she would have no one — maybe the Pogues, but she only had her place because of her connection to John B. Then her eyes slid to JJ, laced with that same concern. "You too, JJ."

JJ winked. "Always, Livia."

Olivia flinched at the words, recalling a night many, many moons ago when those words had made her heart sore, reaching for the stars. Hearing them then, Olivia had thought that maybe she had been worthy enough to be loved.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Always, Livia," he had reassured her. "How can I not be when you're here?"

There was a split second that perhaps JJ had realised too as his eyes met Olivia's, a shift of emotions reflecting within his irises — regret, pain. But Olivia had looked away, choosing to ignore the surge of emotions.

John B's brows furrowed in confusion. "What..."

"Let's go," JJ told him, slapping him playfully on the back.

The two took off with John B being the only one to glance back at his cousin with questions forming at the tip of his tongue. Shaking his head, he decided to drop whatever had just occurred between the two.

Olivia walked back to the boat as Kiara offered a small smile of hope in that they would both be fine. There was nothing any of them could do to stop them anyway, so Olivia sat down, bringing her knees up to her chest as she wished she could smoke.

"Biggest pet peeve?" Kiara questioned, where the other two carried on engaging with conversation as Olivia had ignored them for the majority of the time while they waited.

"Yeah," Pope replied.

"Easy," said Kiara. "Giving one per cent to the environment."

"What's wrong with that?" Pope questioned.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed. "For a millionaire that's still like ten-thousand dollars, right?"

"We only have one earth," Kiara told them. "We should be giving it a hundred per cent, bare minimum."

"Right," said Pope. "That's not physically sound."

"Neither is destroying the planet we live on."

"I get that," Olivia said. "I get rich folks can offer a hell of a lot more too, but isn't any money better than no money?"

"Hey, hey, cops!"

The two girls spin around from where they sat, spying on the police vehicle that had just pulled into the motel.

"Shit."

"Fuck sake!"

"Call them!"

"I can't," Kiara told Pope. "Towers are down."

"If I lose my merit scholarship, I'm gonna kill someone."

The three snuck out of the boat as they kept low, hiding behind the knocked over sign as they spied on the cops. Could it be just a coincidence that the cops turned up or were they here to search the motel room the two boys happened to be in?

"Maybe they're not going up," said Pope. "Maybe... Maybe they're looking for a room."

"They're going up," Kiara confirmed.

"Shit," Olivia muttered. "They gotta get out of there."

Having not been caught, the three head to the side of the motel, where they looked up to the window of the room that they knew both JJ and John B were in. The blinds were shut with them unable to see what was going on inside.

"Okay, do something," Kiara looked to Pope. "Do something."

Pope decided to pick up a stone, warning the two to stand back as he aimed to hit the top window. The two encouraged him, believing he had the best shot out of the three but the stone didn't even hit the motel. Olivia watched, completely dumbstruck as it hit the ground with a thud.

Kiara rounded on him. "Didn't you ever play baseball?"

"God, Pope," Olivia groaned. "Thank God your scholarship isn't decided on your aim."

"Dude!"

"I was on the math team!" Pope told them quietly.

Sighing, Olivia searched the ground for a stone herself with Kiara doing the same. Time was running out, so they might as well all try getting the boys attention.

"A mathlete?"

"You know what?"

But Pope didn't say anything else as Kiara tried throwing her stone with it hitting the old gutter before bouncing off. Olivia tried next with the stone managed to get closer to their target but it still didn't make enough impact to alert the two inside.

Then, finally, Kiara's smaller stone hit the window.

And then, John B appeared from the blinds, witnessing the three pointing frantically and mouthing cops. They looked ridiculous, but they hoped it was enough for the two to realise that they were in trouble.

The three rushed back to the boat, ready and waiting for the group to get the hell out of there. Olivia's eyes remained on the motel, completely shocked at what she was witnessing.

"Should we peel?" Kiara questioned from the driver's seat.

"You never leave a Pogue behind," Pope told her.

"No, seriously, should we peel?"

"Maybe."

It didn't look good, though. John B and JJ were standing on the roof, where they had just been throwing stones at. The tiles were not stable enough with it being any moment that one step could cause the two to slip and fall.

"What are you guys doing?" Pope questioned quietly, flailing his arms about.

"Oh my God," Kiara whispered, horrified.

"They're screwed," Olivia realised. "They're going to jail and I'm going to foster care."

But JJ gave them an encouraging thumbs up with a grin that flashed his teeth.

Yet, watching them went from Olivia's heart squeezing tight in fear to dropping to the floor. She wasn't sure what she saw —and she hoped it wasn't a gun — but JJ dropped something with it hitting the roof before landing on the ground below them with an echoing clatter.

"For fuck sake, JJ," Olivia hissed.

Inside, the blind opened with Olivia sinking into her seat next to Pope, trying to act natural as she studied her nails. For once, she was relieved that she didn't have any cigarette or weed on her as then they'd truly be in trouble (all of that was hidden below deck).

"Yeah...um..."

"Hurricane Agatha, yeah?" Olivia encouraged.

"Brutal," Pope replied. "Absolutely brutal."

It was likely they had been spotted but the three simply hoped that they looked like teenagers just simply chilling together, enjoying their summer holidays. But... Pogues like them tended to be targeted, so who knew?

Then, finally, the cops were leaving.

☼

"Well that was fun," JJ summarised with a chuckle, once they were far away from the motel. He now lounged out on the boat, completely chilled out from the experience. "Could have warned us sooner."

"We would have, expect Pope was on the math team."

"You were on the math team?" JJ questioned.

"The cops took everything like it was a crime scene," John B cut in, informing the three that hadn't been there to see for themselves.

"Did you guys find anything?" Pope asked.

"Did we finding anything?" JJ repeated, a little too smugly for Olivia's liking as with JJ that was never good news. Then he proved Olivia's doubts as he held a gun in his left hand and a stack of cash in his right. "No, I don't think so. Oh, yeah, we did."

The satisfied grin on JJ's face didn't make the situation any better.

"What the hell?"

"Dude, what?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Olivia whirled around to face John B next to her, who was surprisingly silent since the reveal. So much for not being stupid.

"Dude, chill," JJ stood, walking towards Pope as if to show him. "Come on."

"Why would you take that from a crime scene?" Pope demanded.

"Better than the cops having it," argued JJ.

"You serious?" Kiara questioned John B.

Olivia folded her arms across her chest, glaring at John B.

But the boy was still silent.

"I'm gonna lose my merit scholarship."

"Hey, hey, hey," said JJ, holding the gun between himself and Pope as he shushed the boy as if promising that everything was going to be fine. "At least you have us, right?"

"I'm living the nightmare," Pope stated.

"You are a fucking idiot, JJ," Olivia told him honestly.

Then she moved the cooler box, opening the below deck as she reached for their hidden stash. It was Kiara who was brave enough to join Olivia as she lit up a blunt, hating the rage she felt.

Time was ticking — Olivia felt it deep within her bones that it was only a matter of time until she exploded. Either JJ or John B would be the cause — she was certain — but she was determined not to take anyone down with her.

Though, right now, that was proving rather difficult.

☼

Finally finished season three!! I can see how Olivia fits into it so easily!