EDEN didn't know what to say as the group of Pogues all sat in silence at John B.'s.  Surprisingly enough, they hadn't said anything about the boat—let alone anything at all to one another—since they returned back to home base.

She wanted to bring it up.  They needed too, at some point.  How could they not mention the fact that they'd found a dead man's boat, one that many other—and more experienced—people were trying to search for this very moment.   Heck, they could probably get a reward for this thing, but, her Eden was, twiddling her thumbs.

Pope then barged in the door, ending the silence with a concerned filled voice, "So, um, we didn't see anything.  We don't know anything." He pointed his fingers at everyone as he spoke, ending with them on John B. "We need to have total and complete amnesia."

"Actually, Pope's right for once." JJ responded, quickly getting up from his chair.  He crossed the room, coming up next to John B. "See, I agree with you sometimes.  Deny, deny, deny."

Kiara speaks up, shaking her head. "Guys, we can't keep that money."   

"Okay. Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara."

Eden really didn't like when they had to choose something that had to do with money, like right now.  She knew her and Kiara had the advantage, that they shouldn't have a say in this—both had the advantage of being semi-Kooks, giving them all the money they could possibly want—but, it didn't feel right stealing this cash, even if it would go towards getting Pope into college, or doing something good for John B. and JJ.

"We have to pass that off to Lana Grubbs." Kiara looks at Eden, who gives a slight nod with an apologetic look. "Otherwise, it's bad karma."

"Bad karma to be implicated in a felony, too." Pope huffed, leaning forward, "We gotta go dark."

"If that means we get to keep the money, I agree." JJ responded, turning to look outside the window of the Routledge house.

John B. shook his shoulder, "I don't agree."

"What? Why?"

"Just think about it." John B. responded, walking across the room to where Eden was curled up.  She watched as he spoke, taking in what he was saying. 

"This is Scooter Grubbs we're talking about.  Right? Same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the Porthole.  Shit, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas.  We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat, who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket, and all of the sudden, he's got a Grady-White? Just sayin'"

"I mean, you have a point."  Eden speaks up after a moment, giving a small look over at John B.   If Scooter was well a marina rat—as John B. had called him—then there was no way he could have had the money to buy some kook boat such as a Grady-White.  And, if he did, Eden was sure he would have used some of it to get him and Lana out of the cut, in a better home at that. 

"So, you think he was involved in something bigger?" Pope asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Think about it, Pope." John B. replied, "How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?"

Pope inhaled slightly. "Prostitution."

"Square groupers, bro. Okay, flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance.  They don't do that stuff during a hurricane." John B. looked back, pointing towards JJ, "What does that mean? JJ?"

"They were straight smugglin'."

"Smugglin'." John B. repeated, "And I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband in that wreck."

"I get your point, but how does Scooter smuggling drugs do anything for us?" Eden spoke up, looking up at the brunette boy for an answer.   He gave a small smirk, pointing a finger at her.

"Everything connects.  We just need the full picture."

The five then moved into John B.'s room, figuring if they were gonna talk about this, it should be more private.  It was rather crowded—the room was small as it was, having five teens in it didn't help—so everyone sat in their own cramped little corners.  John B. in the windowsill,  Kie and JJ in chairs, and Pope towards the bed's headrest, Eden at the edge towards the blonde.

"For the record, if that is a smuggling ship with illegal contraband on the inside of it, it probably belongs to someone else." Pope stated, playing around with the wad of cash in his hands, the one JJ had stolen.

"Minor details." Kiara shrugged.

"They could come looking for it—"

"—and if we take whatever's in the boat, we'd just be putting  a kick me sign on our backs." Eden finished, "It would be a stupid idea, even for us."

"Right." JJ replied, leaning over Eden to grab the money from Pope's grasp, "Well, stupid things have good outcomes all the time." He spread the money out, his eyes peeking out from the top.  He then tossed the money on Eden's thighs and continued speaking. "All we need to do is figure out a way to get into the cargo hold of that wreck.  Until then, we just lay low.  Act normal."

"Sure. But, what do you suppose we do to act normal?" Eden shuffled the money back up, putting it all back together before handing it back over to Pope, who took it.

Kie looked at her friends, breaking the small silence with her small grin. "Kegger?"

Pope, Kie, JJ and John B.  looked at one another before looking at Eden, all with the same small smirk on their faces.  Eden was the mother, the decision maker.  She was the one who had to finalize this.  And of course her answer was, "Let's do it."

It only took an hour for them to set up everything needed.  Eden had decided they had the party on the part of the beach that was littered with driftwood and fallen trees—the boneyard—as it was bigger and could hold more people.  And that's what they were going for.  Lots of people.

And lots of people included Kooks.  Eden was usually against the idea of inviting any Kooks to parties—not like anyone else wanted too.  They would just show off their richness, comment on everything, and they'd drink up all the alcohol.  But,just like the Pogues had talked about, they needed to lay low, and the more people, the lower they could get.

After finishing the set-up, they all sat on pieces on some fallen trees, getting their fair share of drinking in before the party started.  John B. had already been sprayed in the face with the keg, and Eden's legs were all sticky from JJ having accidentally spilled a drink on her.  It felt great to have a care free moment with her friends, a party if you would call it that.  Eden loved when she could have care free moments with the Pogues.  It made her feel free. 

Until she wasn't.

Eden's phone vibrated in her pocket—at first, JJ had turned up the music so loud she hadn't been able to—and she grabbed it, a bright smile still on her face from the comment JJ had made. But, as she read the contact that was calling her, her smile dropped.

Isla Bexley.

"Shit." Eden muttered, biting her lip afterward.  She'd completely forgotten about the power outage, that service on her phone had been down for the whole day.  Her mother must have called her, spammed her, within the hours, and she was just now seeing it.  Oh lord, was she going to be pissed.  

Kiara noticed Eden's frown, and her smile slightly dropped as she looked at the brunette. "Everything okay, Eden?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah." Eden looked at Kiara, trying to brighten the look on her face. "It's just, uh, my Mom.  Service must be back up."

"Oh, shit.  She must be pissed." John B. replied.

"Yeah, probably." Eden stood up, handing her drink over to JJ with a stern look, "Hold this, and don't drink it."  With her lips in a straight line she walked further away from her friends, playing with the strands on fabric on the bottom of her shorts.  "Please don't do anything weird, my mom can hear!"

With another incoming call coming through, Eden sucked in a breath and swiped up to answer the call.

"Eden Brielle Bexley, where have you been?"

Isla's voice rang through the speaker and Eden cringed, holding the phone a little away from her ear.  Okay, she was pissed. Very pissed.  But, maybe Eden could try calming her down, at least until Eden was home.

Eden put the phone back to her ear, "Hey..."

"Hey? That's all I get from you? You've been gone, what? Two, three days and you don't bother to tell me where you've disappeared too.  You decide to let your parents worry that the worse has happened."

"I was gonna call when I woke up, but the hurricane knocked all the power down in the cut, and I couldn't reach—"

"Don't play that game with me, Eden.  There was a hurricane, and I didn't know whether you were safe or not. Do you know how that feels, honey?"

"I was at John B's. And, not to be rude, but you should know that." Eden tried to keep her voice as geunine as possible, tried to not like any sarcasm or attitude slip in. 

"Don't make this my fault, Eden." Isla huffed, "I want you home right now. We can finish this discussion when you enter this house."

"I'm not leaving, Mom." Eden replied.  She couldn't leave her friends, not with all these Kooks.  Isla would have to wait for a few more hours before she could yell at her daughter. "I'll be home in a few hours, just let me finish this party, and I'll get dropped off."

"Of course you and those Pogues are partying." Isla replied, in a snobby tone.  Eden hated when her mother spoke of the Pogues like that. Like they weren't real people, just dirt on the side of the road. "Anyway, I want you home now.  No arguments."

"Stop treating me like I'm ten. I'm sixteen and practically an adult.  Let me make my own choices for once in my damn life." Eden snapped back.

"I'll treat you like an adult when you start acting like one."

"I'll be back later." 

"Eden Brielle, if you hang up, I swear I will call the cops on this party—"

Eden had never been a mommy's girl, that was for sure. Isla had always been tough on her, even as a child.  Always making sure she was dressed neatly, or stayed pretty enough to find a boy.  She'd never been the kind and loving mother that Pope had, or the one that tried her hardest to make opportunity for her daughter, like Kiara.

Sometimes, she felt like her mother didn't exist.  Only Isla, a wicked reincarnation of the woman she wished she had.  

So, she hung up without a second thought. If she called the cops, she called the cops.

Maybe when she went back to her house—not her home.  The Bexley house had never been her home—she could pack a bag and just leave.  Write a note saying she didn't want to come home, and hang around with John B.  He wouldn't mind, and she was sure, eventually, her parents would just get used to it.

Well, maybe her mom would call the cops on John B. 

Eden turned off her notifications and shoved her phone back into her pocket, kicking sand on her way back to the group.  The music was still blasting, and they were all laughing and drinking.  And, surprisingly, JJ hadn't drunken any of her drink.

"Your mom is pissed, then?" John B. asked, looking up at the brunette girl.  Eden sat back down where she had been—next to JJ—and slightly nodded her head.

"Yeah. She wants me home, but I can't ditch this." Eden responded, "I really want to see JJ get shitfaced."

"Wow." JJ scoffed as if the words had offended him.  He then handed over the drink he'd been holding, a fake smile on his face as he slightly bowed his head. "Your majesty."

"Thank you, J." She replied, lifting the cup into the air. "To finding a Grady-White."

"To finding a Grady-White."

Thirty minutes later, the beach was jam packed with people of all kinds. Pogues, Kooks and Tourons—totally clueless teens who are here for a week of vacation with their families.  Shark bait as Eden liked to call them.   And surprisingly, all were seemingly getting along—if you ignored the fact that the Kooks were mostly staying on one side of the beach.

John B., Kiara and Pope were all flirting with some clueless Tourons—well, John B. was probably the only one actually flirting. Kiara was ranting about zodiac signs, and Pope was going off about dead bodies. 

Eden—who could care less about flirting with people—was hanging around JJ, playing drinking games of all sorts.  She wasn't a big drinker—unlike the blonde—and usually only drank with her friends.  And she rarely got drunk, surprisingly.  But, tonight.  Who cared?  

Kooks stepped in line to see who could drink faster, and most ended with a smirk on JJ's face, and a frown on the kook. It was enjoyable to see a Pogue win over something for once, to Eden, especially when it was JJ.

Eden eventually got tired of watching JJ beat people—even JJ got boring eventually—and she made her way over to Kiara and John B.  Kie's eyes were set on the girl who in her own little corner, climbing on top of an old alarm.

The Kook princess herself, Miss Sarah Cameron.

"What is she doing here?" Kiara asked, the smile dropping off of her face.

"And why'd she have to bring her simp of a boyfriend? At least Sarah allows herself to have fun." Eden replied dryly, watching as Topper rushed over to the blonde, holding out a hand and pleading with her to get down.   Eden slightly laughed as Sarah climbed down, obeying her boyfriend. "Oh come on, I would have loved to see her fall."

Kiara slightly laughed before walking off, and Eden followed.  Once they managed to get far enough away from the brunette boy, Eden stopped her friend, "Okay, serious question time. What is going on between you and JB?"

"What?"

"Y'know, the 'be oh so careful, John B.' stuff? You were all over him this morning, and you can't deny it.  I saw it with my eyes.  You like him, Kie." Eden replied, tilting her head at the brunette girl.  Kie slightly rolled her eyes, trying to deflect the question. 

"I was not all over him this morning." Kiara replied, crossing her arms over her chest, though she couldn't help but allow a small smirk on her face.  She wasn't denying the fact that she might like him, but she also wasn't revealing it.

"Are you admitting to liking him, then?"

"No, Eden. We're friends, and you know the rule. No Pogue on Pogue macking.  We set that up for a reason." 

"But, the fact still remains that you are technically a Kook." Eden responded.

"But I'm a true Pogue at heart, and that still counts." Kie replied, causing the brunette girl to pause a moment before slightly nodding.  Sure, Kie would never be a true Pogue —and neither would Eden—the way JJ, Pope and John B. were, but they'd always be Pogue at heart, whether their parents liked it or not—which they most certainly didn't.

As the party continued, the energy level dropped.  Now, instead of drinking games, most of the teens sat on pieces of fallen down trees, in front of bonfires, quietly talking.  Half of the party goers had left—mostly Tourons who'd snuck out, or had a curfue, but quite a few Kooks had called it a night as well.

The moon reflected on the ocean, casting a glow on the entire beach.  It was rather pretty, even if it got slightly covered by the brightness of the bonfires.  Eden would love to leave her household and camp out on the beach for the rest of her teenage years.  She was sure she could manage, especially if this was the view she'd get every night.

At the moment, Eden was sitting towards the water, not to far from all the drunk teens.  She was trying to enjoy the sound of the tide coming against her feet, but it was rather hard as JJ's loud voice sounded from behind her.

"Oh, wait, hey, hey,  hey! Sarah! Sarah!"

He was a little wasted, Eden could tell, and already sensed how well this conversation was going to go.  Both the blondes came in front of the boy, listening in on what he wanted.  "Can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?"

"No, thanks."

Eden stood up, coming to stand right next to JJ and across from Sarah and Topper.  She gave a glance towards Sarah, trying to defuse some of the tension that had JJ had begun.  That was her job—the peace keeper. "Hello, Sarah.  How was the party?"

"It was pretty fun, thanks for asking—" Sarah replied—and oh my god did her voice sound rich.  As if she spent thousands of dollars on just that—before her attention was turned back to JJ.

"Is it not fancy enough for you?"

"No, we were just leaving—"

"Hey, you know what?" Topper spoke up, his voice sounding rather annoyed with the blonde boy, or maybe Topper always sounded like he was pissed off.  He looked like that type of person, but now wasn't the time to comment about that. "I'll take it."  He put a fake smile on his face, reaching out for the plastic red cup, "I'll—Thank you, man.  I appreciate it."

"That's nice of you, Topper, but I didn't ask you." JJ replied, already starting to agitate the Kook with his slightly wasted words, "If you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't—"

"Oh, pretty please."

The two blondes, as well as Sarah continued to talk over each other until Topper slapped the cup out of JJ's hand, the drink going right up into his face—and a little on Eden too.  Eden wished Topper saw the look in JJ's eyes, because then, he could have avoided the shove he'd gotten afterwards, which would have turned into a punch from the blonde if the two brunettes didn't step in.

"No, no, no, no, no—"

"You're so funny, man—"

"J, you need to stop." Eden placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him from continuing any father with Topper or Sarah. But, that's when Topper let two words slip from his mouth, causing all three to dead stare him.

"Dirty Pogues."

Before Topper could even brace himself, John B. turned on his heels and shoved the kook back, causing the crowd to let out a gasp. 

"We're supposed to be incognito, remember?" Pope spoke up, walking over to where Eden was and placing both hands on JJ's shoulders, having seen that he'd started the whole thing up.

"John B. stop!" Eden yelled out, grabbing the brunette's hand and pulling him back towards where JJ, Kie and Pope were, out of Topper's beginning wrath from the shove he'd received.  God did Eden hate fighting.  It always ended badly.

And that's exactly why happened.

"We need to go—" Eden didn't  even have time to finish her sentence, as she was abruptly shoved to the side by John B., stumbling right into JJ's side.   She didn't even have time to process before Topper's fist met with the side of John B.'s face—something that would definitely become a black eye the next day.

"Guys! Guys!"

"Chill!"

John B. attempted at getting up, but was kicked down once again by Topper, splashing back down into the water.  The blonde leaned in close, "Hey, John B., don't make me drown you like your old man, alright?" He then kicked the soaking brunette down again.  Topper had always seen Pogues as lesser than him—lesser than anyone, for that matter.  And this scene was no different. He expected John B. to stay down, but the Pogue did the exact opposite.

As the crowd began to chant, 'fight, fight, fight, fight',  John B. caught an unsuspecting Topper around the waist, throwing him down into the water.  Eden was trying to think—really, really trying to think about what to do—but the was rather difficult with Sarah's screams to stop, and the crowds endless chants behind her, not to mention the random words they were yelling out to show who they supported.

"Topper, stop!"

The fight seemed to be going on for ages, both boys blindly punching each other wherever they could.  All the Pogues—as well as Sarah—stood in the front, hands running through their hairs and eyes wide with anxiousness for their friend—or in Sarah's case, boyfriend.

But, after one good tackle, Topper was on top of John B. in the water, holding his head down in the water so the waves crashed over it, and so his face was pressed against the sand, cutting off any sort of air supply.

Eden's eyes widened. Oh my god, he's gonna kill him.  Topper is going to fucking drown him.

"He's gonna fucking drown him!" Eden called out, looking at Kiara and Pope—JJ had run off.  "We have to do something!"

"I know." Pope fretted, eye's darting back to the brunette as the chant's continued on.

Eden—whose only thought was to save her friend at this point—grabbed Sarah's wrist rather harshly, but the brunette could care less. "Stop your damn boyfriend! Is it not obvious he's gonna kill him? Or do you just not care?"

"Topper!"

Eden found her attempt rather weak, what was yelling for him supposed to do? Snap off his murder mindset? She knew Topper would love to get a chance to over power a Pogue like this, and if this didn't stop, he was going to get it.

But, JJ then ran past the three concerned Pogues, and he quickly pulled out something black, placing it against Topper's head.

The gun.

"Oh, my god." Eden muttered, placing her hands against the sides of her head.  She almost felt hysterical.  Of course he'd brought the gun! Of course he'd decided to use it against Topper Thornton, who quite frankly, could put JJ in jail with one wrong look. 

"Yeah, you know what that is." JJ seethed through his teeth, pressing the gun right up against Topper. "Your move, broski!"

The crowd now begun to run from the scene, getting slightly concerned on whether or not the blonde would actually blow through Topper's head.  The only people who stayed with Pope, Kiara and Eden, who were yelling for JJ to put the gun down, as well as Sarah, who was also yelling for her boyfriend.

"Stop! JJ!" Sarah screamed over at the commotion, "Put the gun down."

"Did you say something, Princess?" JJ responded, not bothering to look up from Topper's head.

Sarah looked towards Eden, gesturing to the two blondes, "You gonna do anything to stop him?"

"Oh, because  you put in such a nice attempt at trying to save John B." Eden seethed back, almost feeling the urge to shove Sarah back. "I'm sure you would have loved to see him drown."

"What? That's so horrible—"

"You didn't deny it—"

"Wait till this is over, Eden." Kiara grabbed her arm, pulling her back to the scene ahead.  Topper was now trying to stand up, realizing he truly had no choice but to comply with JJ.   He kept on muttering the words, 'We're good! We're good!', trying to get the gun off his head.  

"Just—one of you check out your psycho friend, please!" Sarah actually sounded desperate, but there was still a snap to her voice.  Eden let out a sigh, about to walk over to grab JJ, but was stopped as he yelled out to everyone still watching from afar.

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" JJ walked forward, gun-a-blazing, "Get the hell off our side of the island!" He then shot the gun up in the air, Eden—as well as everyone else, if she was honest—flinching back at the sound.

"JJ, stop!" Eden put a hand on his forearm, scanning over his face to meet his eyes.  She tried to sound as calm and content as possible, when in reality she wanted to shove JJ across the beach for what he'd done.  It was a stupid choice, whether or not it saved John B.  When she finally met his, she spoke again. "Please, just pocket the gun. You've done enough."

"Are you crazy? Idiot! Why would you do that?"

"Stop being so nice, Eden! Stupid. It's not worth it!"

As Pope and Kiara yelled their thoughts out,  JJ's voice rose over them again, the blonde slightly pushing Pope back. "I'm saving his life, okay!"

The three continued to scream back and forth to each other, and Eden probably would have joined in too—despite the calm and content demeanor—if her eyes weren't trained on the boy this all started for. 

He'd been on his hands on knees for a few minutes since Topper and Sarah made a run for it, and he'd managed to kneel for a few seconds before collapsing right back into the water, head going straight under the tide.

"Well, shit." Eden muttered, quickly leaving her friends and running towards the ocean, where John B.'s body was getting splashed over as if he wasn't even there.  Without even caring for her jean shorts, she ran right through the incoming tide—which would probably mess up her shorts—and kneeled right next to where his body was, lifting his head up against her thighs to allow some air.  "Guys! Will you shut up and pay attention for five minutes?"

At those words, all three of them stopped yelling and perked their heads to the scene ahead, quickly leaving all their anger at the beach and rushing to help.  Within seconds, John B. was on the shore, Pope, Kie and JJ all crowded around Eden, watching as she checked for any kind of responses from him. None.

"Okay, he's totally out." Eden muttered to no one in particular," She then placed her fingers against his neck, trying to find something.  But, he wasn't breathing. "Oh my god, I'm going to kill Topper." 

There was only one more option.  Eden was going to have to start CPR.

"Alright, uh..." Eden knew what she had to do, but for some reason her hands suddenly felt shaky, and her chest felt tight.  But, she had to keep going with this.  So, she put her hands on John B.'s  chest and began, hoping that he'd come back to his senses.  "Come on, John B."

And he did.  After a few emergency breaths, John B. was coughing up sea water with his friends standing relieved around him.   But, he was still rather out of it, so the group pulled together their strengths to haul him back to the van.   Pope began driving with Kiara right beside him, as JJ and Eden sat with John B. keeping an eye on him.

"Eden, do you want to be dropped off?" Pope spoke up, breaking the silence that had unfolded.  She hesitated a moment, thinking over her choices.  Obviously, she'd rather stay at John B.'s, but she did tell her mother she'd be home that night.  But, then again, why did she care about what she said? "Uh.... no. I'll stay at John B.'s place, watch over him."

"Alright."

Once they pulled into the boy's house, JJ and Eden got out, hauling John B. with them—one arm slung over each of their shoulders.  Pope and Kiara offered to help, but Eden shooed them off, saying she'd text them if anything else happened. 

So, the two Pogues listened and went their own ways, leaving the blonde and brunette to themselves.  It didn't take long—well, it did take a few moments to actually get John B. walking—before JJ and Eden got the boy into his room, allowing him to completely crash for the night.

Walking back out to the living room, Eden crossed her arms. "That was stupid, y'know.  Pulling a gun on Topper like that."

"What else was I supposed to do?" JJ responded, looking over at her. "That piece of shit was gonna drown John B., what would you have preferred?"

"Literally any other way, J." Eden threw a hand up, taking in a breath. "I just don't want you to get hurt, or get in trouble for your actions, J.  You could be in a jail cell tomorrow if Topper spills."

"Do you think I give a shit about going to jail? He deserved it."

"I care, JJ." Eden's voice slightly rose.  She didn't one any of her friends going to jail, or something worse because of their stupid actions, and JJ was always her biggest worry.  He didn't give a second thought to his actions,  he did them just like that.  "You don't have the money for a lawyer, and hell, what would your father even say?  You just can't do shit like that, especially to a Pogue."

"My dad wouldn't care and you know it." JJ responded quietly. 

"Yeah, I know." Eden walked over and wrapped her arms around him. She'd felt bad for the blonde ever since she learned about his home life.  Even if the gun was a dumb choice, the other two Pogues had already yelled enough. "I'm sorry for bringing this up. You have a point about John B."

"And so do you." JJ replied. Pogues rarely ever stayed mad at each other, and Eden honestly can't remember the last time any of her friends stayed mad at each other for more than a few hours.   He slightly pulled away, "You need any help with him?"

"No, I think I'll be alright." Eden responded, lightly smacking the side of his head. "I'll see you tomorrow, J."

"Bye, your majesty." JJ replied, saluting with his hand, a small smile back on his face.  He then left John B.'s—to where, Eden wasn't so sure.   Letting out a small sigh, she walked back over to John B.'s room, looking through to see if he was alright.   The brunette was still knocked out, but he looked more peaceful than he had.  Eden was sure he'd be alright—minus the black eye that was already forming.

So, with that, Eden turned off all the lights and curled right back up on the couch, just as she had been this morning, falling asleep without bothering to text her mother.

mara's misc!

hellooooo

i actually loved writing the whole john b./topper fight for some reason, i hope it turned out okay.  

also, don't ask why eden knows cpr, she just does. it saved john b. so no questioning.  

anyway, there will probably only be a chapter or so left for episode one, (god is this episode long to write. i've never written so many chapters per episode), and then we'll be starting off with all the full mystery.

also, you'll get to meet eden's parents in the next chapter...

hope you enjoyed! <333