"Ah, crap, the tide." Pope huffed as they pulled up to the once small water hole, seeing as though now it has risen and looked like it had been apart of the creek, "Oh, this doesn't look good."

"How deep is that?" Kie questioned, looking past Sky.

"I dunno. The roads gone." John B nodded his head, looking at the water.

"Yeah." JJ spoke from the front, "Tide rose faster then I thought it would. How high are the spark plugs?"

"They're good. We're fine." John B spoke hesitantly.

"No, how high are they?" JJ and Pope said on sync.

"Are they Bosch Platinum Plus spark plugs?" Sky spoke up in questioning.

"What?" John B looked back at her oddly.

"They can preform 25% longer then the previous ones." she said in return with a shrug. "Just saying."

"So, we need rich girl spark plugs, got it." JJ announced as he hit John B's arm, "How high are they?"

"Oh, just above the tail light." the curly haired boy gave a tight lipped smile.

"Okay, so that's, what, three feet?" Pope questioned.

"That's three feet. Yeah." JJ hummed with a odd look.

"That water can't be three feet deep." Kie shook her head.

"Then whats the problem?" John B rose his eyebrows.

"Not a problem. No, we're good. She'll make it." JJ nodded as he leaned back with a clear of his throat.

"Ladies and gentleman, fasten your seat belts. Hold on to something." John B announced. Kie wrapped her arms around Skyler again, the girl ducking her head onto her chest, the tires spinning but the Twinkie stuck in place. It suddenly flew forward, making it out of the mud and through the deep waters.

"Speed is your friend! Speed is your friend, John B!"

"We got it! We got it!" Sarah hollered as they made it to the end, the tires suddenly turning and bringing them into the creek.

"No, no, no, no." John B panicked.

"I think we miscalculated." Pope spoke up as Sarah gave a sarcastic look.

"It's more common then you think to miscalculate!" Skyler spoke up, muffled by Kie's jacket.

"Not the time, Sky!" Pope called back.

"I knew I should have driven." JJ shook his head.

As they climbed out, Pope took a look around, "Okay, maybe we can walk from here."

Kie held her hand out, helping Skyler out.

"What? And leave the Twinkie? The tides coming in." John B said, adjusting his jacket.

"So then what are we suppose to do?" Sarah questioned.

"Not stay here." JJ spoke up.

"On waterfiltersfast.com it says that, if you're stranded, to prepare a shelter when you realize you have no way out." Skyler said, all eyes turning to her. "I've been camping."

"Great, Skylers gone camping, all our problems are solved." John B hummed.

"Im trying to help you out here, John B!" Skyler gave him a crazy look. "It's a common fact that if a friend is in distress, fellow friendship support can help ease their nerves."

"You know what else is a common fact?" he tilted his head her way.

"I can take my dads truck." Kie sighed in disbelief, cutting the two off.

"Kie, are you sure?" John B asked with questionable eyes.

"How much worse can it get, you know?" she shrugged, Skyler looked her way, almost waiting for an invite.

"We need something to pull her out with. There's the winch at the Chateau." JJ went along with her words, a nod of his head, "That's like two miles."

"Yeah, good idea." Sarah nodded.

"If you're gonna do it, let's go, okay?" John B nodded quickly.

"All right." Kie nodded as she headed around.

"Tides coming in. Twinkies going underwater." John B panicked.

"Hey." Skyler walked around the Twinkie to catch Kie's arm.

She turned back with a questionable look. "Yeah?"

"Sorry you have to do this, that's all." Sky shrugged her shoulder, keeping her voice low. "If you still need a place to stay after this...i've got the room."

"Seriously?" Kie gave a faint laugh. "I have a lot of shit in my room."

"Me too." Skyler agreed. "And we can share clothes. I really liked that flannel you wore, the multi color one."

"Well, I really liked those brown boots you wore when we picked you up for Charlestson." she said in return with a shrug, holding back a grin. "We can work something out."

Skyler nodded, inhaling with a faint laugh. "Looking forward to it."

"Is there something going on with you and Kie?" Sarah asked as her and Skyler sat ontop or the Twinkie.

"What?" she laughed. "No."

"Seems like there's a vibe." she shrugged in return. "A gay vibe."

"There is no gay vibe." Skyler defended herself, kicking her legs. "We just get along good."

"Okay." Sarah hummed.

Skyler hesitated. "You and John B are still arguing?"

"He was totally flirting with that girl at the bonfire." the blonde rolled her eyes. "Right?"

Skyler shrugged. "I wasn't really around them. That fight was so unnecessary and dramatic, though. Boys are so weird."

Sarah laughed. "Aren't you the one who decked Scarlett in the face for flirting with Abby?"

"Abby was my girlfriend at the time, it's totally different." Skyler shook her head. "Topper and John B fought for themselves, plain and simple."

"Yeah." Sarah agreed with an eyeroll.

"Okay. Okay." Pope panted as he walked around the Twinkie. "So, here's something I think we can do. We can maybe find something to leverage the Twinkie, and you can drive it out."

"Let's do Driftwood." John B hummed.

"Driftwood will work." Pope agreed.

"Driftwood is a provider for animals." Skyler spoke up as the two looked up at her. "It's shelter for birds, fish, and other aquatic animals."

"And how do you know this?" Pope rose his eyebrows.

"How do you not?" she shrugged in return. "I'm just saying, check to make sure no babies are chilling in there and we come in like Wreck It Ralph, destroying their home."

"Got it. No Wreck It Ralph." John B hummed as he walked off.

"I'm gonna wreck it!" Skyler spoke in Ralph's voice, looking to an unamused Sarah with a giggle. "How was that?"

"Oh, you had it in the bag." Sarah confirmed with a hum.

"Hey, Pope?" John B called. "Hey, nothing smaller than three feet, all right? Big pieces."

"Got you. Yeah." Pope nodded, looking around.

"Should we help them?" Skyler looked to Sarah.

She pulled a thinking look. "Better not."

"A tidal cycle is about 24 hours and 50 minutes!" Skyler called out to the boys. "Any more goofing off and we could make it 51."

"That is not how it works!" Pope called to her in distress.

"Hey, Pope, come help me out!" John B called as he headed for a log.

The girls watched as John B flew under the water, the two sitting up. Sarah gapped. "John B?"

"Ah shit, the tide got him!" Skylers eyes went wide.

"Help!" he came back up.

"Pope! John B!" Sarah called, hoping off the Twinkie. Skyler went to the other side to get off.

"Alligators are social creatures and often gather in groups, so watch where you're going." Skyler called loudly, pulling a pocket knife from her pocket and hurrying toward John B. "I'm coming, John B!"

"Sky!" Sarah yelled.

"You gotta go for the eye!" Skyler yelled, lunging for John B as they both went under.

"Skyler, John B!" Pope yelled out as he tried to hurry their way.

After a second, the two swam up as Sarah screamed at the sudden splash. "I got em! I got em!"

"What! What!" Pope yelled as he gapped.

"We're alive!" Skyler yelled, holding the pocket knife up to reveal the gate eye at the end of it. "Go for the eye, that's how you survive."

"Jesus." John B gasped, his arms still around her after how she pulled him up. "I didn't even know that."

"Bet you won't mock me again, now will you?" Skyler slapped him in the side of the head with a grin.

"Come on." Pope encouraged as the four panted, going back to the Twinkie quickly.

"I'm pretty sure that's infected." Pope stared at the gash on John B's leg.

"Anyone got a lighter?" Skyler stared at the wound. "If we boil water, really hot, he can use that until we get proper sanitation supplies."

"Does that really work?" Sarah gave an odd look.

"It's not necessarily healthy or ideal, but it you're still in the wilderness, what else are you gonna do?" she shrugged in return.

"You're lucky it didn't cut into muscles too much." Sarah said honestly.

"Lucky I got bit by an alligator?" John B asked in disbelief.

"Lucky that Skyler saved your ass." Sarah shot back. "Are you gonna ditch that eye any time soon?"

"It's rewarding." Skyler defended herself, looking to the gator eye on the knife. "My first even gator death."

"Do you have something to wrap it with? Stop the bleeding?" Sarah asked John B as she looked for the exact source of blood. He hesitantly passed the bandana in his pocket to her.

The car heard as Pope looked up, "Oh, and speak of the freakin devil. Look who it is, the tortoise and the tortoise. Just a couple hours late. Where the hell were you guys?"

"Paternal complications." Kie sighed as her and JJ got out of the truck.

"Luke was at the Chateau." JJ said, avoiding looking at anyone.

Skyler held up her knife. "I caught an alligator eye!"

"What!" Kie shouted.

"Oh, great! While you were having family time with your pops, John B got bit by a gator and Skyler attacked it and took its eye out!" Pope announced, stressed as hell.

"What the hell happened?" Kie spoke up as she looked at John B's wound with crazed eyes.

"I got bit by a gator!" John B and Pope yelled her way.

"I dunno why i'm being yelled at. I put my ass on the line." Kie shouted back at him.

"You said twenty minutes!" Pope shouted.

"We got here as fast as we could!" Kie argued back.

"Oh- yeah, great, great-"

"Shut up!" JJ suddenly hollered over all of their yelling, making them look his way, "Seriously, guys, I can't take it anymore, all right? Everyone just cut it out for a second."

Skyler looked to Kie, meeting her eye for a second.

"Look, I just helped my dad leave this island for good. Like, he's not ever coming back. He straight up like the Spanish, just, Bon voyage." JJ waved his hands around, the pogues sharing a slightly odd look.

"That's not the right language." Sarah whispered.

"All we got... and I know for a fact all I got is you guys, okay? You're it." JJ announced as he looked around at each of them, "And I've come too close to losing you, all of you!"

He pointed at Kie suddenly, "I mean, shit, like you almost drowned."

He glanced Popes way, "Pope, you were kidnapped."

His eyes set on Sarah, "Sarah, you've been shot."

John B next, "John B, you were almost dinner for a freaking gator."

Finally he looked at Skyler. "And this new kook chick comes in, risk her life to save my best friend, multiple times, and now feels like freaking family. I don't know."

Skyler gave a faint smile, but let him finish his rant.

"So, this blaming each other is some Kook-ass bullshit, all right? We don't do that. Okay? We're pogues." JJ announced before throwing his hands up, "Sorry, that was a lot right now."

They all shared a look, clapping their hands together for him as JJ scoffed in disbelief, flipping them all off with a shake of his head.

"That was the best freaking speech you have ever given." John B announced his way, "Also, you should think about, like, a Rosetta Stone because your spanish and french are flip-flopped."

"We should bon voyage out of here." Sarah nodded.

"We'll pull." Skyler patted JJ on the back. "That's gonna be my graduation speech."

"Screw off!" he shoved her head, Skyler giggling as she headed toward Kie's truck with her.

•

kylie speaks

this one's def in top
three fav chapters