*⋅❀⋅*

The van came to a stop outside of the country club where JJ worked and Kailani's dad usually spent his weekends.

"Alright, keep a lookout. We're behind enemy lines." JJ spoke, pulling out the gun from the motel room.

"JJ, you can't be serious." Saylor sighed, causing the blonde boy to glance back at the girl.

"Come on, man. Just put it back." John B said. "JJ."

"You can never be too careful."

"Hey, I predict that bringing a weapon to a four-star hotel will likely cause more problems than they solve." Pope stopped at the passenger window.

"I swear to God, I'm going to throw that thing in the ocean, JJ." Kie called from the back of the van.

"Put it back." Saylor ordered as she popped her between JJ and John B, sending the Maybank boy a serious look. "Now. JJ."

John B quickly pulled the weapon from the blonde's hand before shoving it into the glove box.

"There you go. I knew you had some brain cells in there." Lani jokingly said, patting the boy's arm before climbing out the back door.

"You can't grab a gun like that." JJ told the Routledge boy as he went to climb out of the van but paused. "Can't forget my badge. Professional busboy."

"So, where are we going now?" Pope questioned as the five teens quickly followed closely behind the Maybank boy.

"We're getting on the internet because only rich people have electricity right now." JJ explained. "This way!"

The six teens made their way through the noisy kitchen before they hit the main hallway.

"See, they got the backup generators going?" JJ stated. "Kooks don't miss a beat."

"Sweet Lord, the internet!" Pope gasped as he rushed over to the computer as the others quickly piled into the room. "I've missed you."

"Let me get in there. Gotta check out my Insta models." JJ commented, causing Lani to snort.

"Please, like any girl would want to go near you with a 10-foot pole, JJ." Lani said, causing the Maybank boy to turn his attention to her.

"Plenty of girls would die to have a chance at all this, sweetheart." The blonde motioned toward himself before he sent the girl a wink, causing Lani to fake gag.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a little." Lani muttered, causing Kie and Pope to chuckle.

"Guys, we don't have time for your back and forth banter right now." Saylor spoke up from her seat on the other side of Pope, between him and the Routledge boy.

"Hey. Hey. Hey! I got the map." John B slid the piece of paper on the desk in front of the St. James girl, causing her to pick it up.

"Coordinates, please?" Popes said, hovering his fingers over the keyboard after pulling up the Earth search.

"We have 34" 57" 30" North." Saylor read, watching the boy quickly type before she read the other set of coordinates. "And 75" 55" 42" West."

The Heyward boy quickly hit the big blue search bar, causing the earth to pop up on the screen as it zoomed in.

"Boom, continental shelf right there." John B said once the coordinates loaded.

"Well, if it's off the deep end, it's not gonna be much of a treasure hunt, is it?" Pope asked, causing the Routledge boy to sigh.

"Come on, baby. Come on." JJ mumbled as the teens waited in anticipation.

"Shit, it's on the high side. It's only 900 feet." John B shrugged as if it were nothing, causing Saylor and Pope to turn to him with the same 'are you serious' look.

"That's not too deep." JJ added.

"Is that doable or something?" Kie asked, glancing around at the other confused.

"Yeah, totatall doable." JJ replied.

"And how do you suggest we do it, J? We all going to take your personal submarine down there?" Saylor asked, leaning back in her chair as she turned to face the Maybank boy.

"How do you know this, Mr. Dive Master?" John B questioned the blonde.

"The salvage yard. They got a drone that can drop 1,000. It has a 360 camera and everything." JJ explained, causing Saylor to share a look with Pope. "It's for, like, deep dives and stuff. It's exactly what we need."

"And can your dad get his grimy little hands on that?" John B asked.

"Well, my dad's grimy little hands got his ass fired." JJ admitted. "I guess the salvage captain frowns on showing up shitfaced, turns out. But the drone's there. It's in the impound yard out back."

"How much did you say was on the Royal Merchant again?" Kie asked.

"400 million." John B answered.

"400 mill." JJ replied.

"400 million dollars." Kie repeated.

"We gotta get that drone." Lani declared, pushing herself off the wall, making her way to the door that Pope was blocking. "Pope! Move."

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Pope!"

"No!" The boy held his arms out.

"Move." Kie pushed the boy out of the way before swinging the door open and walking out with Lani right behind her.

"Guys, that's too-." The Heyward boy started.

"Come on, Pope." Saylor said, walking past the boy with the blonde right behind her.

"Can't we do anything legal for money?" Pope groaned, following the duo with John B right behind him.

*⋅❀⋅*

"Pope, for the last time we're not stealing the drone. We're just borrowing it for a little while." Lani explained to the boy as he sat across from her with his arms crossed.

"Humans are the only animals that can't tell fantasy from reality." Pope muttered.

"Wait, did you come up with that?" John B asked, sounding impressed.

"No, an author named Albert Bernstein did." Saylor interjected from her spot beside Kailani, causing the others to glance at her. "What? I read more than just romance novels, you know?"

"It applies to this whole treasure-hunting thing." Pope continued.

"Oh."

"So, which is it?" Pope asked. "Fantasy or reality?"

"Why are you so weird, Pope?" JJ asked, causing Lani to chuckle.

"It's fantasy, but possible reality." Kie answered.

"Reality." John B said.

"Virtual reality." JJ muttered.

As the Maybank boy went to light up his blunt, Pope quickly took it from his mouth before he could light it, tossing it toward Saylor and Kailani.

"Keep the signal clear." Pope told the boy, causing him to angrily shut the lighter.

"You know what your problem is?"

"You." Pope answered, causing the two sisters to share a look before they climbed out the door.

"No! It's that you need to relax, man. You're always so tense!" JJ declared.

"I'm not too tense." Pope snapped.

"Hey, don't worry. You got this." John B told the Carrea girl as she stopped at the driver window.

"It's not me that I'm worried about." Kie said, motioning toward the back of the van where the two boys were still arguing.

"Ready?" Lani asked, approaching the Carrera girl.

"Yeah, let's do this." Kie said, causing the duo to make their way over to Kie's car as Saylor slid into the passenger seat.

"Let's hope this works." John B muttered, glancing over at the St. James girl, causing her to look at him before they turned their attention back over at the two girls making their way to the salvage yard.

⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾

"Follow my lead." Kie muttered to the Cruz girl as they made their way over to the gate. "Hello!"

Kiara started waving her hand, trying to get the man's attention.

"Excuse us!" Lani called, causing the man to glance back at them before he quickly stood up from his desk.

"Men." Kie scoffed, putting on a fake smile as the man approached the gate.

"Can I help you ladies?"

"Hi! Um, I actually have a flat tire." Kie said. "I was wondering if maybe you could help us out."

The man glanced between the two girls before glancing over his shoulder.

"Yeah." He nodded, walking backwards.

"Yeah?" Lani repeated with a smile.

"Yeah. Give me one second." He said before turning and making his way back into the building to open the gate.

"It's too easy." Kie muttered, fist bumping the Cruz girl as they glanced over their shoulder to where they knew the others were lying and waiting.

⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾

"How's it going with Kiara?" JJ spoke as the four teens peeked over a wooden beam, watching the scene from a safe distance.

"It's not awkward, weird, or anything." John B sarcastically said, causing JJ to snort.

"Yeah. Honestly, I did not think you were gonna actually listen to me."

"What?" John B questioned, glancing over at the Maybank boy.

"I was 100 percent sure she was into you." JJ admitted. "Pope and Lori would agree."

"Ehh..." The duo muttered together.

"So, like, Kie, she, like, definitely gave you the Heisman?" JJ asked.

"Oh, no question. Yup."

"Gotcha." JJ muttered, letting out a chuckle.

"Maybe she's just into somebody else." Saylor spoke up from the end, causing the three boys to turn their heads to her, making her do a double take at them. "I-I'm just assuming."

⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾

"It's just this back one right here." Kie said, leading the man to the back of the vehicle. "I mean, it must've been a slow leak or something."
"Probably just been sitting in the yard too long?" The man suggested.

"Yeah." Lani smiled. "Must have been."

"Yeah, I- I got this." The man declared, crouching down to the tire.

"Thank you." Lani noticed the four figures racing through the gate that was closing, causing her to glance over at Kie before the two girls looked back down at the man, causing them to shoot him another fake smile.

"Got it," Kie asked.

⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾

Saylor, John B, and Pope followed after the Maybank boy through the salvage yard, quickly making it to the back.

The girl watched as the boy fidgeted with the lock, attempting to unlock it with the code he took from his father as the other two stood watch.

JJ quickly yanked on the lock, but the door didn't budge.

"What? What is it?" Saylor asked.

"All right, so I might have the wrong numbers." JJ admitted, causing the boys to groan.

"Ah, damn it!" Pope exclaimed.

Loud barking filled their ears as a German shepherd came racing toward them barking, causing JJ to push the St. James girl behind him.

"Oh! Hey!" JJ spoke.

"That's a cougar." John B said, taking off.

"Hi! No, stay there! Good boy. No, you're okay!" JJ pulled the brunette girl with him.

"Pope!" Saylor shouted. "Run!"

The Heyward boy picked up a pipe and began swinging at the dog.

"Back off! Back off! Back off!"

"I got a toy, boy!" JJ grabbed a red rag, gaining the dog's attention. "Wait, no. I was just kidding. Shit! Come on, Lori!"

The boy gripped onto her hand as they took off through the yard.

"JJ, up there." Saylor pointed to the boat, causing the boy to glance over his shoulder before looking at her.

"Go! Go! Go!" JJ said, causing the girl to quickly climb up the ladder with the boy right behind her just as the dog got to them.

The duo dropped down as they pressed their backs against the side of the boat.

⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾

The sound of barking caught the trio's attention, making the duo share a worried look as the man glanced over his shoulder before looking up at them.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kie asked.

"Oh, Tebow's got somethin'." The guard said, standing up from the ground.

"It's probably just a small animal like a racoon or squirrel or something. You know how dogs get." Lani suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

"Nothin' to worry about." Kie added.

"Yeah." The man smiled as he crouched back down.

Kie quickly disappeared around the other side of the boat.

A loud hissing sound caught not only Kailani's attention but also the security guard's.

"Hey, where'd your friend go?" The man asked.

"Um, she had to make a quick phone call; she'll be right back." Lani lied, but clearly the man didn't believe her as he rushed around the boat. "Sir!"

"What are you doing?" The man asked, watching Kie quickly stand up from the tire.

"This one looks a little low too."

The man glanced between the two girls before taking off toward the yard.

"Shit!" Kie exclaimed, causing the duo to quickly get into Kie's car.

⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾

"What's that, huh? What's that, Tebow?" A voice called from the bottom, causing Saylor to squeeze her eyes shut.

The girl felt the Maybank boy's hand slip into hers, causing her head to snap over to him.

"Whoever's up there better come on out!"

"I'm gonna go down." JJ started whispering, causing the girl to quickly shake her head.

"JJ, no."

"Look, Lor, I'll be okay, alright." JJ spoke lowly, placing his hand on the girl's face, looking her in the eyes. "I'm gonna go down there and lead him away. I want you to wait a few minutes and make sure the coast is clear, before you climb down and go out around the back."

"JJ." Saylor whispered.

"Whoever's up there better come on out!"

"Do you got me, Lori?" JJ asked, glancing between the girl's eyes.

"Y-yeah." The girl nodded quickly, glancing at the boy's face. "I got you."

"Good." The boy pressed a kiss against the girl's forehead.

"Don't make me go up there and get your ass!" The guard yelled.

"Wait, Bobby! Don't shoot." JJ called, holding his hands up over the edge of the boat before he slowly stood up. "It's me, JJ. Luke's kid?"

"What are you doing?" The man asked.

"I swear, okay? I didn't want to, okay?' JJ said. "My dad made me."

"Don't you lie."

"He told me Captain Leo kept his cutting torch. You know, after he got fired. He said if I didn't get it for him, he was gonna... he was gonna hit me again."

Saylor's head quickly shot up to JJ, but the boy didn't dare look down at her.

"Son of a bitch!" the man muttered.

"I'm sorry." JJ apologized.

"Come on down."

JJ made his way down the ladder, leaving the St. James girl alone in the boat.

Their voices got quiet, and all Saylor heard was her heartbeat.

Like she promised, she waited for a few minutes before peaking over the edge of the boat to make sure the coast was clear before quickly climbing down the ladder.

The girl quickly raced to the back of the salvage yard, where she saw the Twinkie waiting.

"Lori, let's go!" JJ exclaimed, waving the girl over to the opening, causing the girl to sigh in relief before she rushed toward the boy.

"I must say, J, you're a really good liar." Saylor said as the boy wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leading them over to the van. "You had me pretty convinced back there."

"What can I say? It's one of my many talents." JJ smirked, sliding the back door open. "My lady."

"Why thank you ." Saylor smiled, climbing into the van as the boy jumped in after her before slamming the door shut.

*⋅❀⋅*