002 — diver down

Adelaide brushed a lazy hand through her chestnut locks, her fingers getting stuck in the heavy nots that thrived in her mane. Ever since she could remember, her hair had always been an excessively chaotic space. When she'd peek at childhood pictures decorated along the ivory-painted walls of her home, her bundle of hair resembled a crown that framed the length of her face. In a strange way, the flagrant messiness wasn't unflattering at all. Actually, it was a reflection of the girl's soul; a beautiful, beautiful thing. Most of all, Adelaide liked the way her father would shake the top of her head, emphasising the mess, and consequently identify as his 'little lioness'. The nickname was adopted in the Simmons' family, and the child found it endearing as soon as it slipped out of her father's lips.

"With all the things your family can afford, you'd think brushing your hair wouldn't be too much of a luxury." John B snickered from the head of the boat as the engine fought against the water's undulations. 

"Hey! Eyes on the road asshole." Adelaide held her middle finger up, pressing her back against the side of the rusty boat. She was facing the two boys, her legs crossed over the ground.

"Do you mean eyes on the water, Simmons?" JJ humoured, holding firmly onto the metal ramp, peeking down his shades.

"Smart ass." the brunette sighed loudly, squinting her eyes against the soft rays of sun-light that radiated against her soft skin. The group of Pogues were determined to find anything that would convert the two months ahead of them into something unforgettable: weeks lapped with irresistible mischief. None of them particularly knew where they were heading, simply that they would trail along the marsh, on the search of anything that may gleam under the light.

"Look at this place." John B sighed as they reached the local port. Broken pieces originating from different boats floated over the water's surface, and many families could be seen attempting to reverse the chaos caused by the dreadful storm. "Agatha, what did you do?"

"She is a crazy lady." JJ noted at the mess surrounding them.

"I'd hate to wake up and find my boat drowning." Adelaide frowned, her eyes catching up on the numerous whines and complaints from Pogues as they attempted to retrieve parts of their damaged, un-savable, vehicles. "What a mess."

"Sorry we don't all own a million-dollar yacht safely preserved on Figure Eight." John B asserted,  the image of his friend's marvellous boat foaming in his mind. It was beautiful, with several guest rooms and twinkling jewels aligned amongst its walls. A marvel.

"I've offered taking it on a ride many times, boys." the brunette shrugged her shoulders, the hint of a smile spreading on her cheeks at the mention of her possession. It was named after her: navy painting inked the word NOBILITY -- the German origin of her name. Quite fitting, was it not?

"We wouldn't nearly be able to peacefully parade around the marsh with that gigantic thing, we'd be caught in less than a second." JJ said, slapping the girl on her arm lightly as she leapt up from her position, draping her arm over his shoulders. She was seconds way from mouthing another sentence when she noticed the focus of JJ's eyes suddenly switch, captivated by the next subject of interest. His lips smoothly rised and the girl swivelled her head the other way, until her gaze landed onto a blond woman, picking up trash from the floor.

"Hey Miss Amy, you guys get through it?" he called out for the woman in question to perk up at the shouting of her name, and her whole face relaxed when her gaze set onto the teenagers. Unintentionally, Adelaide enhanced her grip onto the blond boy, which only he himself seemed to register. He brushed it off in a second, instead waving his left arm childishly.

"Still here." she giggled, trash getting caught in her hands. Adelaide's nose wrinkled as the smell of garbage wafted above her nostrils. Yes, it did happen for the girl to miss the air of cleanness that thrived in her home, but  she told herself that didn't really matter. JJ caught sight of the layer of disgust that seemed to momentarily rise on her delicate features, and laughed as he buried her head against his own chest.

Miss Amy's adorable up-turned mouth dawned slightly, almost invisibly, at the image unfolding in front of her. The boat sped away, and soon enough the three were no longer next to her. "She totally looked at me, didn't she?" JJ cheered when she was out of reach.

"She totally did." John B nodded, feeding into his friend's desires, which Adelaide wasn't so keen to reciprocate.

"Please, her eyes were squinting so hard she was probably having a hard time separating you from the pile of trash." Adelaide laughed, teasing her friends with no remorse. "Oh, wait, maybe the immature wave told her it was the two creepy teens that stare at her all the time." she finally added, a proud grin latching her lips.

"Ouch, Addie. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your insults will definitely be the one to kill me." John B joked, placing his hand on his chest, as if he'd just been stabbed. Adelaide, playing along, planted the fictional knife deeper down his body, twisting it firmly before a childish laugh kicked in and her head fell backwards.

"Anyways, you're just jealous." JJ said, catching the girl in a headlock, desperate to join in on the fun. "You know you're my number one, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Adelaide genuinely smiled, lacing her arms around the boy's neck. She was trying to desperately to ignore the hammering of her heart against her chest at the proximity of the two, instead replacing it with a quick wink as she detached herself. JJ's eyes stayed focused on the girl, and the flirty friendship they've had over all these years: meaningless jokes between two platonic friends, that was all! The sound that broke him from his trance was John B coughing twice, as if to replace the tension that seemed to be suddenly jumbled up in the air.

John B had always kept an eye on his two best friends, very aware of the their closeness that seemed to fizz ever since they were young. You had to be a blind idiot not to tell there was something going on between them; though no move seemed to be ever concretely made. Maybe they were both unaware of the other's feelings. Or maybe they were just both too scared to face whatever they felt.

"Look who it is! My favourite boy in the whole wide world!" Adelaide shrieked as the figure of a well-known Pogue grew bigger and bigger. Pope, currently collecting pieces of garbage from the ground with his father, Heyward. As the words rolled off her tongue, she sent a cocky smile towards the other two as they jokingly pouted.

"Pope, don't get too excited over that statement, it's a lie." JJ said, pushing Adelaide forward. She pushed him back, and from there the pushing seemed to be transformed into an ongoing loop. John B rolled his eyes, raising his hands to catch Pope's attention.

"We're having a safety meeting, attendance mandatory." he claimed, cupping his palms around his agape mouth, as if to make the sound travel faster.

"I can't. My dad's got me on lockdown." Pope shook his head and Heyward made a brief appearance from behind him, emphasising his son's words. Adelaide remembered the first time she met him, god was she intimated. Well, that was until she met him for the second time, and considered herself a firm Heyward-lover. Even her mother agreed, and she wasn't too keen on approaching the ones from the other side of the Island. Apparently, the two had been good friends throughout high school, and Heyward made repetitive comments about how similar the two were (though that was too hard to believe).

"Come on, man! Your dad's a pussy, over." JJ argued, finally undoing himself from Adelaide's hold. He didn't seem bothered by the visible presence of his friend's dad and the metamorphosis of his lips into a visible frown.

"Oy, I heard that, you little bastard." Heyward shouted, crossing his arms over his chest in disapproval at the blond boy, who just happened to be his son's best friend.

"Please, please let us borrow Pope." Adelaide began to equally plead, her eyes suddenly brewing with superficial innocence and her hands joined together, as if reciting a prayer. Most eyes fell on her, and it was transparent that Adelaide Simmons knew how to play. "Our motivations of spending time with him are purely educational! I promise I'll make sure he returns home in one whole piece, Heyward."

As the sentence, that drowned in masked honesty, drooped off her tongue like smooth honey, Heyward sighed for a second, eyebrows scrunching in thought, though no words of approval echoed through the air. "Educational purposes? I doubt that." he shook his head, reverting to sweeping his broomstick, choosing not to let himself get swept way by her soft words and accept.

"Well, educational or not, you can't ignore island rules. Day after hurricane is a free day." JJ added confidently, though his statement didn't weigh much credibility.

"And who the hell invented that?" Heyward asked, not believing a word that went out of JJ's thin mouth. No one usually did, anyways.

"Pentagon. I think?" he mumbled, before suddenly straightening, "We have security clearance, I have a card as well." It was evident his words were no help to the cause, and Adelaide peered at Pope in desperation, urging him though the language of her eyes to follow them and step in. It took him a second before his feet began to move their way and Pope had let go of the wooden broom. "Dad, I'll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow, I promise." he exclaimed as he had been obviously coerced by his friends.

"Hell no Pope! Come back right this second!" Heyward shouted, anger flowing in the tone of his voice. It was no mystery he thought Pope was surrounding himself with negative influences, but he couldn't truly blame the kid, could he? They were all he had. Pope didn't turn around and defied his father by jumping in.

"I promise I'll do it tomorrow dad." he finally reassured, against his father's menacing and unwavering glare, looking at the three as if they were kidnappers caught in the act of taking away his son from his duties.

"I don't like your friends." Heyward stated clearly, loud enough for the entire group to hear. "Even you, Adelaide."

"I'm sorry, Heyward. We'll make it up to you!" the brunette yelled, grabbing Pope's arm to accompany her statement, an apologetic smile scribbled onto her face.

"You better." he sighed as they drove away, and the girl threw the man an optimistic thumbs-up, a wide beam currently etching her features, replacing the previous version.

"It's scary that my dad actually has respect for you. John B and JJ can't say the same." Pope said, having watched the interaction instants ago. Heyward surprisingly appreciated Adelaide, and didn't mind the idea of Pope spending time with her as much.

"What can I say, it comes naturally." Adelaide shrugged, her lips tightened into a sweet smile, her hair brushing against her neck. It was nearly impossible not to stare in awe at the girl that stood there. She was the embodiment of charm, with the face of an angel and a voice like the devil. Adelaide crouched down once again, resting her legs as she sat onto the boat's floor. Her lips unconsciously lifted when she noticed they were approaching Kiara's pick up spot, and the idea of seeing the girl brightened her thoughts automatically.

"Top of the morning to you." JJ exclaimed, trying his best possible to adopt a convincing Irish accent as Kie made her way towards the Pogues. Her mouth was contorted into a pearly smile, a large box in the palm of her hand.

"Good morning." she said, leaping into the boat in a second and finding her place next to Adelaide immediately, who looped her arms around the girl's neck.

"What you got? Some juice boxes?" Pope asked as his eyes set onto the unopened cooler that sat on the boat.

"Oh you know, just some yogurt and carrot sticks." Kiara joked, pulling the container open, Adelaide moving around to catch a peek of its interior.

"Addie, do you see my kind of juice boxes in there?" JJ questioned. Adelaide gave a firm nod of her head when her gaze set on a dozen beers sitting innocently in front of the teenagers. She grabbed two immediately, throwing one to JJ. His lips twisted into a satisfied grin when he caught the glass bottle, biting off the cap.

"Salud." Kiara chirped, clinking her bottle with Adelaide's.

"Skoal." JJ said, and everyone's focus fell on him as he advanced towards the front of the boat, the allure of his steps indicating that he was about to put on a show, that was doomed to end with a pang of failure. "Hey, guys, watch this. Bet you can't do this." he stated and Adelaide squinted her eyes, ready to watch the performance unfold.

"Watch this end as badly as his latest tricks." the girl whispered in Kiara's ear, triggering for a quiet laugh to escape her small mouth.

"Hey, Pope, can you go a little faster?" JJ asked, a childish grin dancing across his expression.

"We're moving." John B replied, one of his eyebrows raising when he glanced at his friend, a little curious about the next seconds.

"JJ, we've tried this like a thousand times, it's not going to work." Pope said, remaining unimpressed at his friend's apparent confidence.

"I've got this. Trust me." the boy nodded, holding his beer bottle up in the air, and sending an arrogant wink towards Adelaide Simmons. She pretended to gag at the sight of the gesture, but truly a smile was spreading on her pinkish lips. JJ adjusted one of his foot onto the border of the fragile boat, and placed his beer even higher in the air, inclining it towards his widely gaping mouth. The contents of the glass container were then flying out, and instead of landing into the boy's mouth, it attacked his friends. Adelaide put her palms in the air, trying to protect her body from the droplets of sticky liquid.

"JJ, what the fuck!" she shouted, yet unable to control the wafts of laughter exiting her lips (Even though she clearly felt beer sprinkling her face). She didn't know wether to let her amusement at the sensation of the drink covering parts of her skin show or complain about the discomfort of the situation.

"You're getting beer in my hair!" Kiara yelled, shielding the rest of her face.

"All right, stop it now." John B exclaimed, probably on behalf of the whole group.

Yet, their grunts of disapproval towards JJ were quickly turned abrupt as an unexpected shock surprised the Pogues, sending them crashing against various areas of the boat and JJ immediately being thrown in the chilling marsh water. Adelaide's eyes shot up, whipping her head around, her confusion and surprise showing through her alerted movements. Her body found itself at the end of the boat, and she loudly gasped at the waves of pain surging through her body.

"I think my heals touched the back of my head." JJ groaned from beside Adelaide, submerged in the water. Her gaze set on the floating boy, and she couldn't help but snicker at his state. His face was contorted into pain and his head was barely floating across the surface, eyes screwed shut.

"That was probably God's way of telling you to never show us one of your tricks again." she muttered at the boy, heaving herself up.

"Not funny, princess." he groaned, silently swimming back towards them.

"I thought it was funny. And true." Pope added, ignoring JJ's burning glare. "Sandbar, the channel changed." he proceeded to explain to his friends, scattered around the floor.

"I saved the beer though." JJ stated happily, waving around the practically vacant glass bottle, only a few inches of yellow liquid sitting at the end. Adelaide advanced towards the surfacing boy, yanking the alcohol out of his hand and choosing to gulp down the rest of his drink.

"Not for long." she smiled, staring at the now completely empty glass bottle. As he jumped back on the boat, a puddle of water echoed around him, his hair drenched and forming various blond spikes at the top of his head. Adelaide couldn't help but let thoughts pop in her head, thoughts that went along the lines of how attractive he could be. Nevertheless, the functioning of her mind came to a quick stop when he flicked her forehead. Internally, she grounded herself, reminding her that she could not be having those type of ideas. After all, no Pogue-on-Pogue macking!

"Guys, I think there's something down there." Pope said suddenly, pointing to something under the water's gleaming surface.

"What? Seriously?" Adelaide piped up, eager to ignore the hammering of her heart.

"Yeah, I'm serious guys, there's a boat." Pope said convincingly, eyes trained on the water's cerulean cover.

John B and Kiara were the first to peer over the boat, their vision darling across the view of the marsh, trying to validate, or not, Pope's last sentence. Adelaide joined them quickly, attempting to find whatever Pope was talking about.

"Guys..." John B muttered. At the visible stun etching onto her friend's faces, the girl knew it was true, they had found something! Indeed, Adelaide's deduction was confirmed by the presence of an actual engine under the tricking surface, its alabastrine exterior catching her wide irises almost immediately.

"It is a boat!" Pope exclaimed, his index finger pointing towards the object.

A light smile graced Adelaide's features at this realisation, mystery performing an undeniable pull towards the girl, feeding herself through the surprise and suspense of situations. It had always been like that for the brunette, ever since her legs sunk into the earth for the first time. In a way, her thirst for adventures was an effective distraction from her worries, letting her appreciate the drumming of her heart against her chest and the ripples of her grins in the air.

"Holy shit, he's right. Let's go!" Kiara said, her mouth slightly agape at the group's discovery. It wasn't every day an entire boat was left abandoned in the middle of the marsh, and it definitely wasn't every day the Pogues actually found something interesting.

"What if there's a dead body down there?" Pope asked, his eyes brewing with worry.

"Pope, you don't have to imagine the worst case scenario all the time." Adelaide sighed, simultaneously grabbing the ends of her loose shirt and sliding it off her chest smoothly, a navy bikini draping over her soft skin. She jumped out of her denim shorts, and JJ was unable to avert avert his ocean eyes from her figure.

"Stop staring, perv." she joked, shooting him a quick wink. He barely had time to answer before the girl suddenly leapt into the water. John B sent JJ a knowing glance as Adelaide dived into the water, making practically no sound; as if she was one with it. She was momentarily overwhelmed by the marsh's engulfing embrace, her legs kicking repetitively under the water, bubbles forming around Adelaide. Her head plopped out, her agape mouth attempting to regain puffs of breath, her respirating coming in short gasps.

"Come on, guys! Jump in!" she yelped, a toothy grin stretched across her features, and she waved her hands, ordering the orders to follow her actions. There was also some sort of happiness that blossomed inside of her when she was being hugged by the ocean, or any sort of lake, river, marsh. 

The girl's head whipped around when specks of water came in contact with her face, blurring her vision momentarily. Part of her already knew JJ had joined her in her swim, taking a leap in the marsh. She answered his splash by vigorously throwing the water around her in direction of him.

"Hey!" JJ groaned, swimming towards the girl that had officially declared war.

"You started it, Maybank." the girl replied, kicking strongly and finding a tinge of enjoyment whenever something started between them.

"And I'm finishing it." John B interrupted, breaking JJ away from Adelaide, to prevent any further dispute. Pope was the last one to jump in, consecutively thrusting water into all of their faces.

"Nice going Pope." Kiara grumbled, before plunging her head underneath the surface, eager to guide herself towards their discovery. The group was quick to follow and dive further into the depths of the marsh, advancing towards the mystery. 

Adelaide made it first, and drew her fingers across the boat, her eyes widening as she peered at the engine. She blinked a few times before acknowledging the actual presence of a boat, that the Pogues had found by themselves. Soon enough, she redirected herself upwards, her lungs scorching, pleading for the sweet cool of oxygen.

In less than a second, the brunette was back up, a sweet smile quirking her lips. Her chestnut hair stuck to her skin, and her tongue swiped across her lips for a salty taste to cascade down her throat.

"You guys saw that?" JJ questioned as his head equally resurfaced, his eyes widened by the shock.

"Yeah!" John B and Pope said in unison, shock equally scribbled onto their expressions.

"That's a Gravy White!" Addie exclaimed, recognising the vessel in an instant. 

"A new one of those is like, 500 Gs, easy." JJ said, a smile blossoming onto his mouth at the mention of money.

The group, their fining triggering surges of energy, made their way back to their own boat, hoisting themselves up in an instant. Grins were planted onto each of their expressions, the luck of the situation sinking in. The last two that lingered a little longer in the marsh where JJ and Adelaide.

"Ladies first." JJ declared, pointing to the boat as Adelaide slowly swum towards it. The rest of the group was immersed in their own conversation, paying no special attention to the duo. The girl chose to not reply to the blond's statement, simply securing her palms onto the corner of the craft, taking a deep breath before she suddenly felt a hand circle her ankle, plunging her back into the marsh. She managed a mere yelp before drowning temporarily into the water. 

"What the fuck, JJ!" she shrieked as he pulled himself into the boat, letting his laughter echo in the air.

"I'm playing, princess. You were being a bit slow, anyways." he shrugged, pulling his lips into a tight line, trying to repress a satisfied laugh. In a second, Adelaide caught up with him, sending imaginary daggers through her stare.

"You can be such a pain in the ass, Maybank." she commented, plopping down next to Pope.

"Maybe you just don't get my superior sense of humour, Simmons." he replied, nodding his head. The girl threw out her tongue in his direction, before opening her mouth to bark back. "Your sense of humour consists of--"

"Okay, guys, I think we have more important stuff to discuss." Kiara suddenly interrupted, her tone of voice slightly snappy. Her eyes narrowed and switched to JJ to Adelaide in seconds.

"Sorry, Kie."

"That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge!" John B then said, catching everyone's attention by the statement. Surfing the surge was extremely dangerous, and probably the cause of a few deaths.

"You surfed the surge?" Kiara asked, audible surprise and disappointment brewing in her voice.

"Without me?" Adelaide echoed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah." John B validated, a sly grin accompanying his expression.

"That's my boy! Pogue style!" JJ congratulated, sending his friend a smile that oozed pride.

"Wait, wait, do we know whose boat that is?" Pope inquired, bringing logic to the group's thoughts.

"No, but we're about to find out!" John B uttered, placing his hands onto his hips in contempt.

"Dude, it's too deep." JJ retorted in a huff.

"When has safety ever been your concern?" Adelaide laughed, evidently mocking the boy.

"Since, uh, now." he snapped back.

John B ignored the pair, and made his way towards the front of the vessel, his toes skimming the engine. His gaze narrowed as it set onto the distance of their discovery, and a shaky breath seeped out of his cracked lips.

"John B." Kiara called out softly. Adelaide's eyebrows furrowed: her friend's doe-eyes were wide in worry and her voice was dwindling with interest for the boy. Kiara was never one to express too much concern, especially not for a simple swim in the marsh

"What?" John B snickered, peering back towards his friends.

"Diver down, fool" Pope said, letting his hands form a symbolic salute that he pressed to his forehead.

"Diver down!" John B stated before diving back into the water immediately, a small splash bouncing off the air.

"And then they were four." Adelaide joked as the group made their way towards John B's previous position, the edge of the boat, suspense drumming at their heart. An eerie silence followed, and no sign of life reassured the teenagers.

"Should we go get him?" Pope asked, leaning over the boat, his eyes scanning the depths of the marsh.

Adelaide Simmons bit down onto her bottom lip, wondering if she should seek her friend amongst the fishes of the water, and come to his possibly needed rescue. Yet, his head popped out of the water soon enough, causing for a series of relieved sighs to escape his friends' mouth.

"Oh my god, that took forever!" Kiara groaned, dramatically positioning her hand over her chest.

"Any dead bodies?" Pope asked, staring at the brunette curiously.

"Pope, your obsession you death is concerning." Adelaide complained.

"Looting potential?" JJ also asked.

"No-- no. I found this motel key." John B said, pulling out a small key from the water that glinted under the sun's shine.

"A-- a motel key?" Pope repeated, disappointment lacing with his words.

"That's kind of underwhelming." Adelaide sighed, part of her expecting for her friend to come back with either a bag full of money or something worthy of interest.

"Great, we salvaged a motel key!" JJ announced, sarcasm dangerously coating over his statement.

Adelaide made her way back to the end of the boat, laying on the floor, already tired down by the group's short-lived adventure. She yawned as Kiara positioned her head over the girl's stomach. "Guys, we should report the wreck to the coast guard. Maybe we'll get a finder's fee?" she suggested in defeat.

"Yeah, and not work all summer. Thanks, Agatha, you batch!" JJ scoffed, and laughs echoed around the Pogues.