─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

As John B pulled into the Sea and Star Hotel, JJ drew his pistol out of his backpack. "All right, keep a look out. We're behind enemy lines." He told them. They all gave him a look of  disbelief, how could he just bring the lethal weapon out like it is as nothing? "Yo, come on, man. Just put it back." John B ordered. "JJ."

"You can never be too careful." The blond boy shrugged.

"This place is very safe." Sunny reassured him, stepping out of the Twinkie and pointing to the hotel. "We've stayed here twice— it's run by an Athena and her super sweet daughter. I don't think they deserve you bringing a gun to their hotel."

"Exactly. And I predict that bringing a weapon to a four-star hotel will likely cause more problems than they solve." Pope added.

"Thank you, Pope." John B agreed. Kie pushed herself through the gap between the two front seats, staring at JJ. "I swear to God, I'm gonna throw that thing in the ocean, JJ. Put it back."

John B reached over and snatched the gun out of JJ's hold. "There you go." Pope grinned, smacking his friend on the shoulder. JJ glared at John B. "You can't grab a gun like that." He warned.

"Can't forget my badge." JJ continued. "Professional busboy." He said, waving his badge at them. They all followed behind as he led them into the hotel. "So, where are we going now?" Pope asked.

"We're getting on the internet because only rich people have electricity right now." He explained as he strutted through the hotel like he owned the place. "This way! Andrew!" He called out to one of the chefs.

"All right?" The man greeted him back. "What's up, bro? Mama L, good to see you!" JJ grinned, reaching for a shrimp in her bowl. The woman smacked his arm away, "Hey, no! JJ!" She scolded.

"Mm-hm." He murmured, making Sunny roll her eyes at his actions. They exited the kitchen, making their way down the hallway to the library. "See, they got the backup generators going? Kooks don't miss a beat." He remarked. Once they got to the library door, JJ held it open for them to enter.

"Sweet Lord, the internet! I've missed you." Pope exclaimed as he quickly rushed to the computer, his friends trailing behind him. Sunny took the seat beside him, leaning onto his arm to get a good view of the screen. "Let me get in there. gotta check out my Insta models." JJ quipped.

"We don't have time." Kie hissed. "Hey, hey, hey! I got the map!" John B said as he drew the paper from his bag. He placed it in front of Pope, who quickly peered at it. "Coordinates, please?" The boy requested.

"Thirty four, fifty seven, thirty north. seventy five, fifty five, forty two west." John B read out. "Okay, boom, continental shelf right there." John B pointed as the computer showed an image of the earth.

"Well, if it's off the deep end, it's not gonna be much of a treasure hunt, is it?" Pope questioned.

"Seems like another deep sea dive quest to me." Sunny joked. She glanced over to Kie to see if she found her words amusing, but Kiara's face remained static. Sunny sighed, looking back at the computer with sadness.

"Come on, baby." JJ muttered as the image zoomed in. "Come on." "Shit, it's on the high side." John B grinned. "It's only nine hundred feet."

"That's not too deep." JJ spoke up. "Is that doable or something?" Kiara asked. JJ nodded, seemingly sure of himself. "Yeah, totally doable."

"Okay, will we be taking your personal submarine?" Pope scoffed. Sunny snickered at his words, making the boy grin with pride.

"How do you know this, Mr Dive Master?" John B questioned his friend.

"The salvage yard." He informed them. "They got a drone that can drop 1,000. It has a 360 camera and everything. It's for, like, deep dives and stuff. It's exactly what we need."

"Can your dad get his grimy little hands on that?" John B asked him. The boy scratched the back of his neck with embarrassment, "Well, my dad's grimy little hands got his ass fired. 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. Pope jumped up from his seat, rushing over to the door to stand guard, not wanting his friends to go through with the plan. "400 million." John B and JJ spoke in unison. Kie's jaw slacked, "400 million dollars?"

"Yep." John B nodded. Sunny stood up from her seat, "I'm in... what about everyone else?" She asked.

JJ nodded, "Right behind you, Sunshine." He said, following her to the door. Pope didn't seem to want to budge, his arms spread out to block the double doors. "No. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. No!" He exclaimed.

"Pope! Move." Kie ordered, pushing him out of her way. "Come on!" She exclaimed, stepping out of the library. Sunny crouched under Pope's arm to move past him. He groaned, giving up since half of them were already out. "Can't we do anything legal for money?" He questioned.

∙ ~εïз~ ∙

"Pope, we're not stealing the drone." John B sighed with frustration at the boy's constant complaints. "We're borrowing it."

"Here." JJ said, passing his spliff to the girl beside him. Whenever she was around, the boy would always make her roll his reefer as she was oddly very skilled at it. She took it from his lands, bringing it to her lips so she could lick it and seal it. As she did this, Sunny peeked up to see Pope watching her movements, his eyes quickly darted away and cleared his throat.

"Humans are the only animal that can't tell fantasy from reality." Pope declared. John B seemed impressed by his statement. "Did you come up with that yourself?"

"Albert Bernstein came up with it, but it applies to this whole treasure-hunting thing." He replied without thinking. "Oh." John B muttered. "So, which is it?" Pope asked, "Fantasy or reality?"

Sunny handed the now rolled joint back to the blond, who grinned with gratitude. "Thanks, doll." He spoke before turning to Pope. "Why are you so weird, Pope?" JJ asked.

"It's fantasy, but possible reality." Kiara was the first to speak. "Reality." John B said, staring at her with a smile on his face. Sunny thought for a second, "This is like the whole Unicorns debate." She said. John B chuckled at her words, "So, what's the verdict?" He questioned, but he already knew her answer.

"They're both reality." She concluded. John B grinned, "That's my girl." He said with pride. Pope shifted around in his seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable by their interaction. His train of thought was cut off by JJ's next words.

"Virtual reality." JJ muttered, the joint between his lips as he flicked his lighter open.

Pope seized it from him and flicked it to the opposite side of them. "Keep the signal clear." He instructed. Sunny frowned, "I just rolled that." She said, reaching over and smacking his arm.

"You know what your problem is?" JJ scoffed. "You?" Pope asked. "No! It's that you need to relax, man. You're always so tense!" JJ exclaimed.

"I'm not too tense." Pope muttered. When Kie stepped out of the passenger seat, Sunny pushed herself up and climbed into the empty spot. She watched as Kie moved over to the driver's side and leaned over John B, "Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Sunny asked.

Kie nodded, "Yeah, uh, it makes more sense that I do this alone." She explained. Sunny nodded, moving back into he seat. "Hey, don't worry. You got this." John B reassured her.

"It's not me that I'm worried about," Kiara remarked, referring to them. John B nodded, watching her walk away, "Got it. Let's hope this works." He mumbled. As JJ and Pope continued to argue behind them, John B glanced at Sunny. "She'll come around." He told her.

"Yeah." Sunny nodded, pushing the car door open. "I hope she does." She sighed. They all stepped out of the Twinkie and rushed forward to hide behind one of the construction parts. "How's it going with Kiara?" JJ questioned, making Sunny snicker from beside him.

"It's not awkward, weird, or anything." John B said. The boy laughed, "Yeah. Honestly, I did not think you were gonna actually listen to me." Sunny nodded in agreement, "That was your first mistake, JB - listening to this idiot." She retorted.

JJ scoffed at her words, "I'm not an idiot, you're an idiot." He shot back at her. "Besides, I was 100 percent sure she was into you. Pope would agree." He stated. Pope didn't seem to agree with his friend. "Ehh..." He muttered.

"So, like, Kie, she, like, definitely gave you the Heisman?" JJ asked. John B nodded, "Oh, no question. Yup."

"Gotcha." JJ whispered. "Maybe she's just into somebody else." Pope suggested.

They all turned their heads to look at him with bewilderment, wondering what he could even mean by that. Before Soleil could open her mouth and ask, JJ noticed Kie giving them the signal, "Go! Go, go, go, go!" He ordered.

The group all stood up, running over to the gate before it could close. The three ran behind JJ, following him as he led to what Soleil assumed was a storage unit.

He moved over to the metal lock, flicking around the numbers to what he believed was the password. Pope noticed how long this was taking and growing impatient, he moved over to the boy, "Do you have the right numbers?" He asked.

JJ groaned, "Okay, so I may have the wrong numbers." He admitted.

"Ah, damn it!" Pope cursed out. The sound of barking began to grow louder and before they knew it, a black, large dog was in front of them. "Oh! Hey!" JJ called out, trying to calm the dog.

John B wasted no time in fleeing the scene. "That's a cougar. Never mind." He remarked, racing away.

Sunny noticed how Pope seemed frozen in place while JJ rushed forward. "Pope, come on!" She yelled to him, reaching for his arm. But Pope instead reached for a large metal pipe, swinging it at the dog. "Back off! Back off! Back off!" He ordered.

JJ drew out a red handkerchief from his pocket, waving it around. "I got a toy, boy!" He yelled out, hoping to distract the dog from the two. His plan seemed to work as the dog circled around and made its way over to JJ. "Wait, no. I was just kidding. Shit!" He cursed, racing away as the dog chased him.

Once the coast was clear, Sunny turned to face her friend. "You're afraid of dogs?" She asked him. Pope groaned with humiliation, "Yes, I'm afraid of dogs, now let's go!" He yelled out, grabbing her hand and pulling her away.

"Damn, I was thinking of asking my mom for a puppy. But now I can't." She said as he pulled her over to hide behind a large car.

"Why not?" He asked once they were out of sight. She looked over at him, her expression serious. "Because then you wouldn't want to come over." She said.

Pope's heart began to pound in his chest, and he shut his eyes in an attempt to hide how flustered he was becoming. "Yeah, that-that, uh, makes sense." He nodded in agreement. They noticed an absence of barking noise and quickly stood up to their feet, "Come on, let's go find the others." She said.

Pope noticed that the two were still holding onto each other and quickly realised how sweaty his palms were. Soleil noticed too, but she didn't really mind, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

By the time they had driven to Kiara's family's restaurant, The Wreck, it was already dark outside. "I guess stealing drones makes you hungry." Kie groaned, stepping out of The Twinkie once John B had parked.

"What I would do to a beer and shrimp and grits right now." JJ sighed dreamily as he thought of the food. "It would not be pretty." Pope added as they entered the restaurant.

Kie went straight over to her father, while the others stepped past him and made their way to a table, Sunny muttering a greeting to the man as she walked. While Kie spoke to Mike, Sunny noticed a certain someone wiping down a table.

She rushed over to her, "Hey, you got the job!" Soleil exclaimed. Persephone turned around, startled at her sister's cheers. "Hey, Sol. What are you... What are you doing here?" She asked.

Sunny pointed to the three boys behind her, who waved at the girl. "Just here for an evening snack. How's your day been? I thought you had a party to go to."

Percy scoffed, "As if I would accept an offer from Thorton to attend a 'Kook party'. All they do is snort cocaine and other stupid shit." She said. Sunny seemed surprised by her words, "Seriously?" She asked.

Percy sighed, shaking her head as she rested her hand on her sister's shoulder. "So naive." She said.

Sunny rolled her eyes before pulling her sister into an embrace, "Well, I've missed you." She said.

Percy embraced her back, "Missed you too." She admitted. Sunny pulled out of the hug, "Come say hi to everyone." She instructed, pulling her sister over to the three boys. "I'd rather not— Hey guys, how've you been?" She asked.

"Good."

"Fine, thanks."

"So hungry." John B groaned. Luckily for him, Kie strutted over to them. "Sit down." She ordered, a smile on her face as she had managed to convince her father to give them free food. "Yes!" The trio of boys exclaimed with excitement, following her instructions.

"Hey Persephone. Can't wait to start working with you." Kie smiled at her. Percy nodded, "Yeah, you too."

"Alvarez!" Mr Carerra called out. The two sisters glanced up at him, "Yeah?" They asked. Mike sighed, "No, no. The one who works for me." He clarified.

Sunny nodded, "Sorry, Sir." She apologised. He shook his head, "Some help in the kitchen, please?" He requested. Percy nodded, "Got it, Boss." She said, walking over to him.

"You really don't have to call me that." He reminded her, making her shrug.

Kie poured them all a cup of water and shoved JJ's filthy boots off the table. As they all sat down, Kie and Percy brought over their food.

Before they left the kitchen with the last few plates of food, Percy stopped Kie. "Remember the other day when I said we needed to discuss something?" Percy asked.

Kie narrowed her eyes, wondering where this was going. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Tell me if I'm being crazy... but does Heyward have a thing for my sister?" She asked.

Kie laughed out loudly, catching the attention of most of the kitchen staff and even the customers. "Sorry, have you been living under a rock? Pope's had a thing for her for years." She informed her.

"Shit." Percy cursed with surprise, "Are you serious? And what, he's never told her?" She asked. Kie shook her head, "Nope. And he never wants to talk about it to me, he denies it every time but we all know."

"Well, good luck to him." Percy chuckled. "Soleil's a tough cookie to crack." She remarked. Kie furrowed her eyebrows with confusion, "What do you mean? She's like the most... open book I've met."

Percy hesitated. "Yeah... you go on and eat with your friends, I'm gonna help them wash up."

Kie nodded, walking over to her friends. Once she placed the last two plates on the table, the five began to eat, laughing at each other and singing along to the music on the Jukebox.

Kie was first to finish her meal and so she got up to dance. Sunny watched as she used finger gestures to silently ask John B to dance with her. The boy smiled, shaking his head at the request. Eventually, he gave in and moved over to her. The two began to dance around together, laughing at anything and everything.

Soleil watched them with a wide smile on her face, she adored seeing her friends so happy. JJ smacked Pope on the arm while the girl was distracted. "Ask her to dance." He mouthed.

Pope's eyes went wide at his order, violently shaking his head with disagreement. There was a chance that Sunny would say no and if she did, Pope didn't know what he'd do.

Rolling his eyes, JJ stood up to his feet, putting a hand out in front of Sunny's face. "M'lady?" He questioned. The girl grinned, nodding with glee. "Thank you, kind Sir." She said, allowing the boy to pull her out of her chair. Soleil glanced back at Pope, but the boy quickly looked away.

Sunny and JJ danced around aimlessly, huge smiles on both of their faces. They twirled each other around multiple times and randomly started to Irish jig. Pope watched them enjoy themselves, his mind filled with regret.

Maybe she would've said yes to him.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
SHE WOULDVE ABSOLUTELY SAID YES POPE🥲🥲🥲🥲