Verona "Vera" Levine is having the best summer of her life.

Her friend group–the Pogues–had decided to make this their summer, doing all of the things they'd always wanted to do. They had a bucket list complete with a mission statement–Vera had started it, writing in fancy bubble letters, and it had been quickly hijacked by her friends. They'd all written over each other's ideas and doodled in the corners, before deciding it was the most important document they'd ever make, and promptly sticking it to John B's fridge.

On the very top, John B's handwriting states have a good time all the time, right next to JJ's drawing of him falling off of his surfboard.

They're currently completing the eleventh item on the list, trespassing new housing developments on the rich side of the island. This had been JJ's idea, and Vera had been quick to second it, knowing that if they got caught, her mother would be pissed. Half of the reckless plans she makes are designed to aggravate Marlene.

"That's, what, a three story fall to the deck?" Pope questions, aiming a drill at John B, currently balancing with one foot on the roof. Vera rolls her eyes, even as she lifts up her disposable camera and takes a picture, shoving it back in her shorts pocket immediately after. "I give you about a 1 in 3 chance of survival."

"Should I do it?" John B calls down, while Vera lifts her hands up, getting JJ's attention from where he's on the landing above her. He rolls his eyes before tossing her a PBR, and she blows him a kiss as thanks. She curses loudly when it explodes as she opens it, having gotten shaken up, and quickly starts chugging it while ignoring the way it drips down the side of the can and onto her chin.

"Yeah, you should jump! I'll shoot you on the way down." Pope encourages their friend, once again aiming the drill his way, turning it on this time.

"You're gonna shoot me?" John B asks, pretending to shoot Pope with his fingers. "Pew!"

"Pope!" Vera cries, grabbing for him while he falls back, grasping at his chest as if he'd actually been shot. A second later, he slumps into her, bringing them both to the ground where he lays with his head in her lap, his eyes shut and lips twitching. "John B, you traitor, how could you!? JJ . . ."

"Don't worry, Vee. I've got him." JJ promises darkly, and Vera looks up to see him aiming his own finger guns at John B, who looks betrayed.

"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers." Kiara announces with disgust, finally done scoping out the house. She raises her eyebrows at the scene in front of her, looking immediately amused even as she continues complaining. "This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles?"

"One day, we'll build our own habitat." Vera reminds her, smiling up at her. They've talked about it for years, and they've always wanted to have one. At one point Sarah Cameron was part of that dream as well, but in the end it's just the two of them.

"Can't wait." Kie says, beaming down at her before looking up at John B, still balancing on the roof. "Can you please not kill yourself?" Vera just shakes her head, helping Pope back to his feet.

"Don't spill that beer!" JJ warns him, sipping on his second one. "I'm not giving you another one."

"Woah! Oh, shit." John B groans, followed by the sound of a can hitting the porch below him.

"Of course you did! Like, right when I told you not to." JJ scoffs, all of them watching while John B holds his hands out for the spilled drink, groaning loudly.

"Loser. J, don't give him a replacement." Vera orders playfully, winking at Pope while John B starts protesting. "No rewards for killing pogues."

"Hey, uh, security's here." Pope announces, leaning over the ledge. "Let's wrap it up."

"Boys are early today." John B notes while JJ grabs the box with the remaining beer.

"Humpty Dumpty, let's roll." JJ calls to John B, and Vera giggles at the nickname as she bends down to scoop up her abandoned can, along with John B's, and then stands with Pope and Kie, waiting for the boys to come down.

"Gary, good to see you man!" JJ shouts, swinging himself down off the ledge.

"You're just asking for it." Kie laughs, shoving JJ forward. Pope grabs Vera's free hand, yanking her forward, and then they're all taking off in separate directions. Vera follows Pope, whooping with the others and delighting in the complaints from the security.

"Hey, stop!" Gary calls when they reach the ground level, and JJ slides on the ground as he changes course quickly.

"Hurry up, Jay!" Vera calls over her shoulder, picking up the pace so that she's in front of Pope now. He may be a few inches taller than her–6' to her 5'9–but she's more athletic, and times like this prove it.

"I got him!" One of them calls out, grabbing JJ before he quickly slips from his grip.

"Not much of a hugger, man!"

Vera has to duck under Gary's arms, and then she's outside, listening to JJ urge them over the fence. She can't stop her smile as she does just that, bringing her knees up as she jumps and ducking her head and shoulders low with the ease that only comes from experience. She stops on the other side, already anticipating that Pope will need a hand up and wanting to wait for her boys.

"Go, Pope! Go, go, go, go, go!" JJ chants from the other side, quickly followed by Pope landing flat on his stomach on Vera's side of the fence. He's followed a second later by JJ, who is laughing uncontrollably. "Get up, Pope, fatso's coming."

Vera pulls Pope up, hearing the shouting getting closer from the other side. By now, most of the security will have given up–Gary's the one who truly enjoys the chase. She's pretty sure he dreams of catching them one of these times.

"Come here, you little pricks!" He screams after them, starting to lift himself over the fence, but they're quicker.

"Bus is leaving!" John B shouts for them, honking from the drivers side of the Twinkie. Vera rolls her eyes, knowing that he wouldn't leave them behind.

"Come on, guys! Whoo!" Kie whistles as the three of them jump into the Volkswagen van. John B immediately takes off. Vera takes a second to breathe, tossing the empty cans into the garbage can she bought them years ago.

"Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise." Pope laughs, all of them watching as Gary runs after the van. Vera grins at that, deciding not to shut the door for a second so they can all enjoy the view.

"Come on, Gary!" JJ shouts, before talking to John B. "Wait, slow down. Slow down!"

He moves to be leaning into Vera's side, since she's closest to the open door, and starts waving a beer at Gary.

"You're gonna give him a heart attack." Kie chastises, while the others all laugh. Vera grabs JJ's waist, not wanting him to fall out since his entire upper body is now hanging out of the open door.

"You're so close! You can do it!" JJ mocks, finally tossing the PBR at him, which he doesn't manage to catch. It explodes on the ground by Gary's feet. "Aw! They don't pay you enough, bro."

"JJ, stop. Stop." Kie groans, yanking him back into the van while Vera finally slides the door shut, still laughing.

"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished." JJ laughs, falling back so that his head lands in Vera's lap. She allows it, starting to braid it the way she always does when given the opportunity.

"JB, stop at the store." Vera calls out before she can forget. "We're dangerously low on supplies."

"Uh, with what money?" He calls back, and she shakes her head, giving Kie a 'can you believe this guy?' look. Honestly, they go over this every time.

"With my money, dipshit. I just worked a triple like two days ago, remember?" She asks him, laughing when he makes an understanding noise and makes the turn to bring them to the store before they go back to the Chateau.

"Didn't you use that to pay John B's bills?" Pope asks with a frown, and Vera hums as she nods.

"Some of it, yeah. But I worked a little bit at the Wreck." She explains, bumping fists with Kie, since her parents own the place. "And then I did a double over at Sunset Grille. Drunk Kook's really know how to tip."

And don't know how to keep an eye on their wallets, she thinks to herself. If it was just the boys there, she would say it out loud, but she doesn't want to listen to Kie complain about it. She loves the girl, but she has rich parents and set morals. The rest of them are much looser about all of that: you have to be, when growing up in the Cut.

"I thought you were gonna quit there." JJ points out, opening his eyes and frowning up at her. She tugs at his hair lightly, starting to work on a second braid.

"Yeah, well, the tips are too good to give up." She points out drily. "You can thank me later, when we're eating something other than fish for once."

"Yeah, well, we still need to go trawling later." John B tells her, even as he sends her a grateful smile. He's long since learned to stop protesting her spending his money on him–she just tells him it's to help herself. She doesn't want to go home, and she'd like to stay somewhere with working electricity.

"Yay. More fish." She says sarcastically, wrinkling her nose. She'll eat it, of course–food is food–but she doesn't think it's unfair to complain about it first. Growing up poor by the water means that a majority of meals include fish in them, and there's only so much of that she can enjoy.

They split up in the grocery store, a rundown old place with an owner that's known them all—except for Kie—since they were in diapers.

"Hi, Mr. C." She greets the owner, Mr. Carter, as soon as they duck into the place. He grunts at them from behind the register, not bothering to look up from his crossword puzzle.

"You think he'll ever let go of the fade?" Pope questions as they start strolling through the store, and the question makes her snort.

"I think he'll find a way to make it work even when he's bald." She jokes, looking over their shoulders as if expecting him to jump out at them. "I'm pretty sure he came outta the womb with a fade, to be honest."

"I think you may be right." Pope laughs, snatching up a bag of chips as they pass, followed by a box of Cheez-Its. Vera grins when she sees that he grabbed the extra toasty ones–her favorite flavor.

"Should we do chicken or–ooh, look!" Vera gasps, pointing to the sale sign over the chuck roast. "Jackpot!"

"Oh, fuck yes." Pope groans, calling out to the others. The store is small enough that they'll definitely be able to hear them. "Guys, someone grab potatoes! Do we need onions?"

"Nope, I grew some, remember?" She points out. "Same with garlic and parsley. Uh, we'll need worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and celery though."

Pope relays that to the group while Vera carefully finds the best roast, and then they go to find the others. Unsurprisingly, they're holed up by the ice cream, although JJ has everything Pope had asked for. He holds it all up as soon as they cross over to him, looking proud of himself.

Vera stares at their pouts for about a minute before she caves.

"Fine. But you have to agree on two flavors." She tells them, amused as they instantly start arguing over the selections. They end up with a big container of neapolitan–the party size is cheaper than the convenience size, and they'll do anything to save a buck–and cookies & cream. "Alright, kiddies, let's go."

Up at the counter, Mr. C has their suckers waiting for them, and he waves away their gratitude just like he always does. Ever since they were toddlers, he would give them free Dum Dums–cotton candy for Pope, root beer for John B, blue raspberry for Vera, and mystery for JJ. When Kie joined them, he wasn't her biggest fan at first. It took a while, and he never said anything about liking her, but one day he added strawberry to the handful of suckers, and they all knew she was one of them.

Back at the Chateau, she corrals John B into helping her prep the food to be cooked later, wanting to let it marinate as long as possible before she's being rushed onto the HMS Pogue. JJ takes over driving while John B focuses on catching as many fish as possible. Pope sits with a book, while Vera pulls out her stick and poke tattoo kit and gets to work. She gives herself a starfish on her arm, laughing when Kie instantly asks for one too. There's something so satisfying about stick and pokes–she thinks it's the 'pop' noise and feel as it goes through her skin–she never expected to enjoy it so much, but now she's addicted.

They all have a tattoo somewhere on their body, courtesy of her.

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"Morning, Kie." John B's voice sounds above them, and Vera groans loudly as she shoves her face further into Kie's back from where she's curled around her on John B's pullout. John B laughs at her, and she feels him ruffle her hair before he moves on.

"Your phone's been going off like crazy." Kie tells her, and Vera gives up on getting anymore sleep.

"'Kay." She mumbles, starting to feel around for it with her eyes still closed, until Kie finally takes pity on her and passes it over. A quick glance shows over twenty missed calls from her mom, and five from her sister, and she has the sudden urge to chuck the thing into the ocean.

She ignores the messages from her mom, pulling up her text thread with Charlotte instead.

dude, where are you???

mom's going postal btw.

we leave in an hour, this isn't funny.

you*** leave in an hour

i already told you guys, i'm not going

"Did they think you'd change your mind?" Kie questions, clearly having read her messages over her shoulder. Vera doesn't mind–this group doesn't keep secrets from each other.

"Apparently. You'd think I've made my opinions on it all clear enough, but whatever." Vera sighs, shaking her head when she gets spammed instantly–from her sister, mother, and step-father. Go figure.

come on, you're ruining this for me by upsetting them

i know you don't like him. but it's a free vacay

just come!!!

why would i do that

i would legit rather set myself on fire than spend time with that man

ur so dramatic omfg.

I'm not playing around with you anymore.

Jim has put a lot of effort into planning this trip, and I won't let you ruin this as well.

Where are you? We're coming to pick you up. I packed a bag for you.

She doesn't bother to grace that with a response, although she does answer when Marlene calls a second later. She puts it on speaker, tossing the phone onto the pullout.

"Where are you?" Her mom demands instantly, sounding as annoyed with her as ever. "Seriously, I didn't raise you to be this much of a brat—"

Vera deepens her voice as much as she can, smirking slightly as she starts imitating a lawyer. "Mrs. Miller, I'm sorry to inform you that my client, Verona Levine, has already spent her court-ordered time with you this summer. Any complaints over this may be handled by a judge, or by receiving a rectalcraniotomy."

She hangs up, bursting into laughter with Kie, who starts shaking her shoulders. "Did you seriously just tell her to pull her head out of her ass?"

"Yep." Vera smirks, laughing even louder as her mom tries calling back a few times. "Oh, she's going to try to kill me. Totally worth it."

Kie shifts behind her and starts playing with her hair, pulling it back and braiding it, and Vera feels most of the tension in her body leave at that.

"You think she'll show up here?" Kie muses, reaching over to pull a hair tie from Vera's wrist.

"Not sure. She seems pissed, but is she pissed enough to actually do something? No clue." Vera says honestly, because she isn't close enough to her mother to know that. Her mom used to be her best friend, until she cheated on her dad with a cop from the other side of the island and tried to force Vera into changing her last name and moving in with them when they immediately got married. Her little sister Lottie had been thrilled by the change, but Vera had put her foot down and refused to leave. Her entire life is here–she wasn't abandoning her best friends to become a Kook, of all things.

"Boat day?" Vera asks, already knowing that's the safer option.

"Yep. I'll grab JJ, you get Pope and John B." Kie decides, heading down the hallway to do just that.

"Good luck!" Vera shouts after her, knowing that JJ has a girl in there and isn't going to be happy about being pulled away. She heads out the back door, finding Pope lying on the couch on the closed-in porch. Behind him, John B is swinging on his hammock, a beer bottle dangling from his hand.

"Yo, boys, get up. We're taking the boat out." She announces, automatically giving Pope their secret handshake.

"Do we have to?" Pope groans, pushing his face further into the couch.

"I'd rather not be here when my mom comes by, but if you want to be interrogated, be my guest." She says, laughing when Pope springs up.

She has a drawer in John B's room, and she quickly finds a different bikini to wear, throwing on the first shirt she finds–one advertising The Wreck–and denim shorts. She never takes off her friendship bracelets, or her puka shell necklace, which makes it a lot easier for her to get ready in the mornings.

"Oh shit." Vera sighs, seeing the calendar hanging off of his wall.

John B has his DCS meeting today. How the hell did she forget about that?

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John B lucks out–his home visit from Child Protective Services gets pushed back with the arrival of Hurricane Agatha. Vera is thrilled about it, not having high hopes when it comes to any sort of government program. It's bad enough that Big John has been lost at sea and presumed dead, without them trying to steal John B away to foster care.

She works the entire day before Agatha arrives–waitressing at the Sunset Grille, helping Kie's parents cook at The Wreck, and finishing off her day making sure her dad's house is nailed down. He's nowhere to be seen, but that isn't new, and it doesn't bother her. They have an agreement—she doesn't bug him, and he doesn't ask questions about what she gets up to. It suits them both perfectly.

She's dead on her feet by the time she reaches the Chateau, throwing herself down on the pullout next to JJ and managing to sleep through the storm.

"Yo, JJ, you been outside?" John B's voice wakes her up once again.

"I got polio, bro. I can't walk." JJ mumbles, sleep evident in his voice, making it sound deeper in that way that's always attractive.

"Vera?" John B asks next.

"Polio's contagious, man. I'm infected but go, save yourself." Vera informs him in her most heartbroken tone, muffling her laugh into the pillow when John B sighs loudly and walks outside to scope out the damage.

"Nice one." JJ says, the smile clear in his voice, and part of Vera wants to wake up properly so that she can see it for herself. The rest of her wants to sleep for another year, so she pushes herself even closer to him, smiling when he pulls an arm over her and grabs her right hand in his. She takes a few minutes to play with the rings he always wears before he groans and sits up, causing her to whine at the movements. "I know, I know, but I gotta go help him. Go back to sleep."

He tosses a blanket over her as he moves, since she's now lacking in his body heat, but she knows there's no chance of going back to sleep. Curiosity gets the better of her, which is how she finds herself throwing on someone's hoodie from the couch and following after the boys.

"Oh, boy." Vera groans, seeing the trees that have been lifted out of the ground. She doesn't understand how she slept through that. The boys are pulling sticks and debris out of the boat, and she joins them wordlessly, wondering what kind of mood John B is in.

"What's the plan?" She finally asks when the boat is cleared off, yawning halfway through the question. She has the day off, since it's a hurricane day and the entire island will be dealing with the effects for a while–their side more than the Kooks.

"We're goin' fishing." JJ says with a grin that Vera returns freely.

"Nice." She says, before frowning. "You think I can get a refund on the power bill? 'Cause this is bullshit."

John B laughs at her, tossing an arm over her shoulder and looking more relaxed than he has since his DCS appointment, where they admitted their suspicions over his uncle staying with him. Fair enough, considering that he hasn't been, but frustrating for them.

They head out after that, waving and talking to everyone they see as they cruise through the water. It's a relief to see how many people are getting by, already hard at work fixing their side of the island back up.

"She totally looked at me." JJ whispers with a smirk after they pass Ms. Amy.

"I saw it." John B agrees, while Vera laughs.

"You think that's good? She talked to me for, like, twenty minutes at The Wreck the other day." Vera brags, because Ms. Amy is absolutely gorgeous. Just about everyone has a crush on her, Vera included.

"I'm so jealous." JJ sighs out, before they all turn the corner and see much more damage. Vera whistles, shaking her head as she looks around at all of the damage. "Agatha, what did you do?"

"She is a crazy lady." John B states in amazement.

"Hard-core, dude. Hurricane surge."

"We're gonna be cleaning this all summer." JJ points out, and Vera grimaces at the thought.

"That is my nightmare." John B sighs, shaking his head. "Vee, did Marlene and James take their truck with them, or your mom's car?"

"No clue." Vera points out with a raised eyebrow, wondering how she would know that when she's never there. "We can swing by and find out if you want."

"It might make it easier to clean up." JJ adds, and Vera nods.

"Sure. I know where they keep their spare keys. We can stop by tonight or something." She decides, not wanting to deal with their Kook neighbors if they go in the daylight. They're all way too invasive.

They finally reach their real destination–Heyward's Seafood shop, where Pope and his dad are outside cleaning up the dock. Pope has a hose in his hand, while Heyward sweeps up fallen branches.

"Well, look who we have here!"

Pope looks up at them, and Vera laughs at the piece of wood next to him, with 'Bring it on Aggie you bitch' written in spray paint. She loves this family.

"We have a safety meeting. Attendance mandatory." John B informs him, cupping his hands to his mouth and pretending to speak into a Walkie Talkie, complete with static sounds.

"I can't. My pop's got me on lockdown." Pope explains, while Heyward starts walking toward them, clearly anticipating how this will go.

"Come on, man!" JJ calls out, before tilting his head and speaking into his shoulder, also making a static noise. "Your dad's a pussy. Over!"

"Oh, I heard that, you little bastard." Heyward tells him, narrowing his eyes while Vera gasps loudly.

"You hacked into our signal? Rude, Mr. H." She tsks, mimicking speaking into a Walkie like the others are. "Can we please borrow your son? Over."

"We need your son!" John B begs, all of them giving him puppy dog eyes, wanting Pope to come with them. It's not as fun without him there.

"Yeah, and island rules! Day after a hurricane's a free day." JJ tells them, while their boat slowly drifts to be directly in front of their dock.

"Who the hell made that up?" Heyward scoffs, shaking his head at them.

"Pentagon, I think. We have security clearance." JJ continues the lie, and Vera quickly tacks on.

"Yeah, Officer Miller told me all about it. You can call him if you don't believe me." She says with a cheeky smile, knowing that the phone lines aren't working. He wouldn't be caught dead calling her stepdad anyway.

"Pentagon? Y'all think I'm stupid." Heyward complains, while Pope turns to him.

"Dad, I'll do it tomorrow. I promise." He pleads, and Vera grins, knowing that they've won. Pope has made up his mind. "Tomorrow."

"No, no. Hell no. You doin' it right now!"

"Get in the boat." John B whispers loudly, as they start to pass him.

"Make a run for it, bro!" JJ encourages. "Make a run for it."

"Dude, just jump." Vera adds, because he doesn't have much time to make a move before they'll be too far out. They'd come back around for him, but that gives Heyward more time to pull him away.

Pope finally moves, jogging to reach them at the end of the dock, and Vera cheers loudly as she reaches out a hand to help him on.

"Boy if you get on that boat–!"

"How does that feel?" JJ teases him, looking as proud as ever. He's always so happy when Pope does something for himself.

"Go, go, go." Pope urges them, settling in while JJ stands at the front, swinging a rope over his head like a cowboy and cheering. "I promise I'll do it tomorrow, dad!"

John B waves at Heyward, while Vera throws him a kiss, giggling at the annoyed expression on his face as he starts listing off chores for his son.

"When you get back, you gonna clean shrimp, you gonna clean fish–"

"Love ya pops!" John B calls over his shoulder.

"You'll clean your dirty ass room!"

"We'll bring him back in one piece, I promise!"

"And I don't like your friends!" Heyward finishes shouting, and Vera beams as she turns to Pope properly, giving him their handshake before passing him a water bottle.

They pick up Kie next, and Vera is relieved when she sees her holding a cooler as she walks down the dock to meet them.

"Whatcha got?"

"You got some juice boxes?" John B asks, and Vera laughs as she helps Kie into the boat, grabbing the cooler from her.

"You know, just some yogurts and carrot sticks." Kie says lightly, grinning at Vera when she opens the cooler and pulls out a capri-sun, tossing one to Pope when he asks.

"What about my kinda juice boxes?" JJ asks them, and Kie is quick to grab two bottles of beer. They clink them together, toasting each other.

"Salud."

"Skoal."

Pope takes over for John B after a little while, enjoying the opportunity to drive the HMS. Vera wastes no time handing John B a bottle, stealing a sip of it as she does.

"Let me show you a party trick." JJ decides, and the rest of them share fondly exasperated looks, knowing exactly what he's going to do. "Hey, Pope, can you go a little faster?"

"Oh, here we go." Vera snorts, watching John B move to be out of their friend's range. She scoots closer to Kie, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and watching as JJ positions himself at the bow of the boat.

"It doesn't work. We've tried this like 6,000 times." John B grumbles.

"Remember when I tried and slipped backwards?" Vera asks them, giggling at the memory of how confident she had been, just to nearly brain herself on the side of the boat.

"How could we forget?" Pope asks back, before JJ grabs their attention again.

"I got this! It's gonna work!" He shouts, tilting his beer up over his head in an attempt to let the wind pour it in his open mouth. All he succeeds in is drenching the rest of them in beer, ignoring all of their complaints.

"Oh, good, I smell like I just got off shift." Vera groans, helping Kie pull her hair back since it's getting in it.

"Alright, you're done!"

"Jay, stop! Stop, it's not working!"

Vera stands up, ready to tug him back onto the deck after some of it gets in her eyes, only for the motor to rattle and the boat to lurch to a violent stop before she can. Vera yelps, falling backward into Kie's lap, who falls back as well while John B flies forward. The four of them on the boat end up sprawled out on the deck, while JJ cartwheels over the railing and into the water, the momentum causing him to fly over the edge.

"Ow." Vera groans, reaching out and rubbing her elbow, having banged it at some point in all the chaos. "What the fuck?"

"Jesus, Pope." Kie complains, helping steady Vera before they both move to check on everyone.

"Everyone okay?" Vera asks, turning to Pope. "Pope? You good?"

"You okay, JJ?" John B calls out, and Vera turns to see JJ pulling himself to the surface, his face twisted in pain.

"I think my heels touched the back of my head." He groans, keeping his eyes shut as he floats for a second. Vera frowns before jumping into the water and quickly swimming over to him.

"Come on, Jayj. Let's get you up."

She gets an arm around him, despite knowing that he could manage by himself. They've had worse wipeouts while surfing. Still, there's no point in her standing around watching him struggle.

"Pope, what'd you do?" JJ questions, starting to paddle with her back to the boat.

"Sandbar. The channel changed." Pope explains, and the two of them in the water take a second to look around them, actually paying attention now.

"No shit." JJ grumbles, spitting out a mouthful of water and getting pinched in the arm by Vera in return.

"Ew, Jay. Keep that to yourself, you freak." She whines, wiping her cheek where she felt some of it spray on her.

"Ugh, this is probably gonna mess this whole place up." John B notes.

"Hey, I saved the beer, though." JJ congratulates himself, holding up the bottle.

"Dude, you went under. That's totally water now." Vera tells him, laughing when he checks for himself and grimaces at the taste. "Told ya."

"Guys . . . I think there's a boat down there." Pope speaks up suddenly, having moved to the front of the boat.

"Shut up." John B scoffs.

"No way." Kie protests, while JJ and Vera share a look, floating in place.

"No, no, guys, I'm serious. There's like a boat down there for real." Pope tells them urgently, pointing into the water. "It's a boat!"

They all peer into the water, finding the reflection of a boat in the water.

"Oh, shit." Vera gasps, starting to swim in that direction with JJ following.

"You think there's a dead body down there?" Pope asks, and Vera smiles to herself. Pope has this obsession with death and wants to be a coroner. Behind them, a few splashes are heard as the others dive in after them.

They all reach the boat at around the same time, taking a few moments to look around in disbelief. Vera can't wrap her eyes around what she's seeing: a brand new Grady-White, out in The Cut. It doesn't make any sense.

They break the surface and immediately start talking, rambling and cutting each other off in their excitement.

"You guys saw that?"

"Yeah!"

"Hell yeah, we did!"

"That's a Grady-White." JJ states the obvious, and Vera reaches over and shakes his shoulders, laughing in disbelief. "A new one of those is like 500 G's, easy."

"Who the hell could afford that on this side of the island?" Vera asks what they're all thinking as they swim over to the boat.

"That's a primo rig." JJ adds, still in shock over it as they pull themselves over the edge.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge." John B adds, turning to look at Pope. "Maybe it hit the jetty or something."

"You surfed the surge?" Kie asks, frowning at John B and looking worried.

"Yeah."

"That's my boy. Pogue style." JJ brags, giving him a high-five.

"Uh, next time bring us with you." Vera tells Pope and John B, using her thumb to point out her and JJ, who nods eagerly. "That sounds so exciting. I can't believe we missed it!"

"You were still at work, and JJ was nailing down his place for the storm." John B explains, smiling apologetically at her. "Next time."

"Wait, wait. Do we know whose boat this is?" Pope brings them back on track.

"No, but we're about to find out." John B decides, walking to the prow and hefting up an anchor.

"Dude, it's too deep." JJ tells him.

"Oh, for the weak and feeble, JJ." John B retorts.

"Well, I'm not resuscitating you. I'm just making that clear up front." JJ tells him, and Vera raises her eyebrows.

"'Scuse you? I'm the one who has all that lifeguard training and shit." She reminds them, before grimacing at John B. "But please don't make me do that."

"Wow. That bad?" John B jokes, pouting at her while she pretends to gag at the thought of kissing him.

John B climbs over the railing with the anchor clutched to his chest, and Vera salutes him, glad that he's the one going down instead of her.

"John B." Kie tries, sounding worried about him, but he just laughs her concerns off.

"Diver down, fool." Pope tells him, also saluting him, which John B returns.

"Diver down."

"Yeah, he is!" JJ shouts, shoving him into the water.

Time feels like it slows down while they wait for John B to emerge. The four of them stare into the water. Vera keeps an eye on the rope, knowing that he'll tug on it if he needs help . . . assuming that he's still conscious and able to.

"Should we go get him?" Pope worries, only for John B to emerge a second later. He's coughing and clearly out of breath. JJ grabs the anchor and pulls it up while they all start interrogating him at the same time.

"Oh my god, that took forever!"

"Any dead bodies?" Pope asks, shrugging when JJ and Vera give him a look at that, sharing an amused glance over his head.

"Looting potential?"

"No. No." John B pants, holding up an old key with a yellow laminated tag. "I found this motel key."

"A key."

"Yes, a key, Pope!"

"Great! We salvaged a motel key." JJ snarks, reaching over at the same time as Vera to help John B back into the boat, both of them grabbing his arms.

"Guys, we should report the wreck to the coast guard. Maybe we'll get a finder's fee." Kie suggests, and they're quick to take off back into the mainland.

"Yeah, and not work all summer." JJ perks up. "Thanks Agatha, ya batch."

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The Coast Guard ends up being a bust–they're overrun with people from all over the island, complaining about damage. One woman is worried about her diabetic dog, getting yelled at by a man who thinks his boat is more important. Admittedly, Vera does laugh when he shouts for her to call the Humane Society instead.

"If I ever get like this–shoot me." John B tells them, all of them staring at the hysterical adults surrounding them.

"We can make a suicide pact." Vera tells him, determined for this to not be her future. She gets jostled by an angry man, screaming about damages to his fishing boat. Kie pulls her to the side, flipping off the man–not that he notices–and the group huddles together. Vera can't help but laugh, staring into the screaming room. "You know who I feel like?"

"This is the most obnoxious group of money hungry, low IQ, high energy Jack Rabbit fucking–" JJ instantly imitates, with Vera jumping in. They all have the Robert Downey Jr. visiting Wall Street quote memorized–they use it anytime they're around the Kook's. When they're annoyed, that's the meme they use. Out of all their inside jokes, it might be Vera's favorite.

"Wannabe big time, small time, shit talking, bothersome, irritating bunch of motherfuckers." She finishes, despite it not being the whole quote, laughing as John B shoves his way through the crowd to the front of the line. The adults protest his presence, and JJ is quick to join him while the others stay back.

They come back a minute later, having been completely ignored.

"Well, that went well."

"So, what's the plan?"

Vera doesn't bother suggesting that they wait in line–there's not going to be any solutions made here. They're caged in by furious adults, who all think their own problems are more important than anyone else's. Bridges need repaired, along with boats and businesses–they aren't going to prioritize a group of teenages and a lost boat.

"I think I know how we're gonna find the guy who owns that boat." John B tells them, waving the motel key in the air.

"No, no, we don't know whose room that is." Pope protests, shaking his head. "It could belong to anyone."

"I'm in." JJ decides, and Vera nods, shrugging at the betrayed look Pope sends her.

"What? You have something better to be doing?" She asks, and John B tosses the key to Kie.

"Come on. We'll be lookout." Kie tells him, but Vera shakes her head.

"Hell no. I'm going in. That's where the real fun is." She tells them, getting a proud smile from JJ.

"Thatta girl." He winks at her, tossing his arm over her shoulders as they leave the building.

"Finder's fee. Just sayin'." John B winks at Pope, who groans but follows after them. "And, hey, at least you'll only be an accomplice! Come on, bubba."

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JJ whistles when the HMS Pogue reaches the motel, shaking his head. The place is absolutely disgusting, and Vera isn't surprised, remembering the stories she's heard about mice and bedbugs running wild throughout. They've got mattresses leaning against the walls outside, all covered in a variety of stains, and Vera wrinkles her nose.

"I thought the Chateau looked bad." JJ jokes.

"This place is a shit show."

"Motel or meth lab?" Kie asks next.

"You be the judge." Pope tells her.

"I'm feeling the bedbugs already." Vera complains, although she's still determined to go inside. The curiosity is killing her–why would someone with a Grady-White stay in this rundown place? What are they hiding?

"Doesn't look like a place someone with a Grady-White stays." John B points out, reading her mind.

"No. It looks like the type of place someone with a Grady-White would get killed." Pope tells them grimly, frowning as they get closer.

"Hmm. Well, if there's a dead body, we'll let you get a look at it." Vera tells him with a smirk, shrugging off the annoyed look he gives her. He's not thrilled about spending his time doing something potentially illegal, but he hasn't abandoned them to do it by themselves.

"This is your captain speaking. HMS Pogue comin' in for landing." JJ cuts in, his hands cupping his mouth to give him that Walkie Talkie sound again. He jumps out with a woop, turning and making sure that the boat doesn't go too far inland.

"We good?" John B asks him, while he bends down to tie them off.

"Yeah, we good."

"Alright, here goes nothing."

Vera snatches the keys back from Kie, hopping out of the boat with a wide grin. Pope stops John B before he can exit the boat as well, and Vera and JJ both turn to listen in.

"Hey, don't let him do anything stupid." He points to JJ.

"Oh, we will." JJ promises immediately, nudging Vera with his shoulders, who nods along.

"I'm not making promises." John B tells Pope, since he'd be stupid to. No one can rein JJ in–it's part of his charm, and what keeps their summers so exciting.

"Yeah, I know." Pope sighs, fond as always. He looks at JJ again, and Vera gets the feeling that she's third-wheeling on their moment.

"Uh, be careful." Kie tells John B, and they share a long glance. John B looks confused, while she looks worried, although it comes off a little flirty. "I mean it."

John B chuckles, looking a little uncomfortable as he backs away from Kie, while JJ and Vera share a look. Vera can honestly say that she has no idea what's happening, or why Kie has been so weird with him lately. She can't see them getting together at all, and she hates the idea of it. They just don't have the right dynamic.

"Why are all these mattresses out here?" John B questions, kicking one as they start up to the motel.

"After a hurricane, they ditch 'em 'cause they're moldy." JJ informs him. Vera wanders ahead, eager to get this done with.

Behind her, the two boys wrestle and tease each other, with JJ bringing up Kie's energy towards John B.

"Since she heard you're being threatened with exile, she's just been, like, 'oh, be so careful, John B. Oh, just give me that John D already.'" JJ moans out the imitation, and Vera's eyebrows fly up. She spins around to see JJ massaging John B's shoulders while their friend unsuccessfully tries to push him off.

"Damn, that flowed off your tongue." Vera muses, smirking at JJ. "You spend a lot of time moaning that or what?"

"You know it, princess." JJ winks, before turning back to John B, not accepting the topic switch. At least she can say she tried. "When are you gonna swoop on that, man?"

"Bro, you know the rule. No Pogue-on-Pogue macking." John B tells him with annoyance, looking to Vera for help.

"Yeah, Jay, we made a blood pact." Vera reminds him, holding up her hand where there's still a faint scar line on her palm. "I did not cut open my palm so that you could betray us like this a few years later."

"Thank you." John B emphasizes the words, reaching out and high-fiving her. He has the same scar on his hand, and a surge of affection hits Vera. She's been more sentimental lately, likely because of all the worry about John B having to leave them, and she's so grateful to have the friend group that she does. She knows so many people her age who, while they have friends, don't have any as tight knit as they are.

"Kie wasn't with us yet when we made that pact." JJ finds a loophole, and Vera rolls her eyes up to the sky, seeing John B's face fall.

"She's still a Pogue." He shoots back, determined to make his point.

"Well, I don't think that we should be held to some stupid promise we made when we were seven." JJ says, and Vera frowns, feeling hurt by that.

She'd been the one to suggest it, after reading a book–she doesn't remember the name after all this time–about a friend group that had been torn apart because of romantic feelings. She'd fallen asleep crying after finishing it, terrified that she would lose her best friends. The thought of romance had been disgusting at the time–still in the era of cooties shots–and she'd marched to John B's the next day to explain that they needed to never, ever, ever fall in love or their lives would be ruined. John B had agreed instantly, and Big John had approved of the idea, encouraging them to make a pact and even giving them one of his pocket knives to use. John B still has the knife to this day, and he only uses it for important moments, like that one.

"I know that door's locked because I've tried it." JJ continues, apparently unaware of the annoyed look John B and Vera are sharing as they finally reach the motel room. "Have you?"

"You need help. Not, like, a little bit of help, but a lot of help." John B tells him, and Vera nods. "'Cause it's like, every girl who just has a heartbeat, you're like . . . is this it?"

JJ pushes in front of Vera, who scoffs in annoyance, and starts knocking on the door.

"Housekeeping." He says with a high pitched voice, and Vera's lips quirk up despite still being annoyed by him.

"Should we try it?" John B asks, grabbing the key off of Vera.

"No persona aquí." JJ encourages, turning to flip off the security camera. "No power. No working security cameras–thank you, Aggie. No one's gonna know."

"You realize that those cameras are fake, right?" Vera tells him, rolling her eyes. "They wouldn't work anyway."

"Where the hell did you get a flashlight from?" Vera whispers to John B as the three of them step inside, only to be greeted with a regular, boring motel room. There's a duffel bag on top of the made and unused motel bed.

"The boat, idiot." He whispers back, aiming the flashlight around as they shut the motel door, not wanting anyone to come investigate what they're doing. "Check the bag. See if there's a name on there somewhere."

He moves to do just that, while JJ inspects a jacket and Vera slips around them to pull open the cupboard hiding the safe.

"No name on the jacket." JJ tells them. "It's a nice jacket, though."

"Definitely over 50." John B decides, sifting through the duffel bag. "He's got New Balances."

"Nice profiling skills, Spencer Reid." Vera snorts, watching JJ as he moves to the bedside table. "You sure you wanna open that? Also, anyone else interested in this safe?"

"Yo, dude, come here." JJ ignores her, waving John B over to what Vera is assuming is a map. "Maybe this is where they went fishing."

"No, that's off the continental shelf." John B disagrees. "That's Big Swell. Nobody fishes there."

"You know, if we had this guy's ID, we might be able to guess the safe numbers." Vera complains. "A ridiculous amount of people use their DOB, or license number."

"Wait." John B jolts, turning to look at her. "You think there's money in there?"

"I think he owned a Grady-White, was staying in a sketchy motel, and I'm looking at a safe. I hope there's money in it." Vera tells him in a 'duh' tone, shaking her head. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of working triple shifts, and we all know we wouldn't've gotten a Finder's Fee."

"Tissues for when you get lonely." JJ notes, still scanning the room with his own flashlight and making Vera feel like an idiot for not grabbing one for herself.

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" She snarks back.

"Yeah, well, unfortunately for me I signed a celibacy pact before I discovered hormones." JJ shoots back, walking into the bathroom while Vera flips him off.

"Dude, it's not a celibacy pact, it's a friendship pact!" She calls after him. "At least John B respects it."

"Damn straight." He fist bumps her, dropping down to look at the safe with her. She's grateful for the light, even though he nearly blinds her with it as he gets situated. "Shit, sorry. My bad."

"One, one, one." He says out loud, and Vera watches him put the numbers in, wishing Pope was here to balance out his stupidity.

"Dude, there's no way you actually thought that would work." She groans, shoving him aside.

"Better than just sitting and staring at it like it'll pop open." He defends, and she pushes herself to her feet with an annoyed huff.

"If this was a movie, there'd be a piece of paper that conveniently had the numbers on it." She sighs, watching JJ pocket the man's deodorant. "Thank fuck. Maybe you'll stop smelling so bad."

"Says you." JJ scoffs, and Vera nods.

"Yes, says me, the one who regularly showers and owns her own deodorant. Thank you for noticing."

"Wait, wait, go back." John B tells her, and she smirks.

"You want me to insult you too? I never thought I'd see the day."

"No, no, about the note–ha! I knew I saw this." John B excitedly rushes to the bedside table, holding up a note with numbers on.

"You saw that and didn't bother to say anything while I sat with a safe?" Vera complains, snatching the note from him and dropping back down. She hears John B following, while JJ goes back to the coordinates.

"I don't know about the second one. Wait! My cousin said you could catch swordfish here." JJ remembers. "Nah, that wouldn't make any sense. Uh, what about a surf spot?"

"Dude, not the priority." Vera tells him, holding her breath as she types in the numbers on the paper, murmuring out loud as she does. "Six, one, six, six, six."

The lock clicks, flashing green, and Vera and John B share a thrilled look as they rush to open it. Vera was hoping for money, but she truly hadn't expected the stacks of it they find . . . or the gun.

"Holy shit." John B breathes, grabbing a stack that's underneath a manila envelope. Vera does the same, stuffing it down the front of her shorts.

"Have you heard of shoals?" JJ is asking, unaware of what they've found.

"Uh . . . JJ?" John B asks, still holding the stack of money while Vera grabs another stack, this one getting folded in half and stuffed down her shirt. What's the use of having boobs, if you don't use them to hold things? "You're gonna want to see this."

Neither of them are expecting JJ to lurch forward and grab the gun, but they probably should have anticipated it.

"JJ!" Vera hisses, while John B jumps up and gets in JJ's face, pissed.

"Dude! Why would you grab the gun?"

"JJ, put it back." Vera begs. It's one thing to steal money, but a gun? Who knows what it's been used for, and now his fingerprints are on it. "Wait, actually, don't. Fuck. Fuck, Jay, why would you put your fingerprints on a random gun?"

"Sig Sauer Elite!" JJ brags, starting to aim it around, acting as if he's in an action movie. "This is a spendy gatt! Bam, bam, bam!"

"Jay, don't point it at us!" Vera hisses, jumping to her feet. "Dude, you don't point a gun at anyone you don't want to shoot! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

He points it at her, still making his stupid action noises, and John B grabs him by the back of his shirt and spins him around.

"We are not stealing anything." He snarls, and Vera raises her eyebrows, silently thinking that it's a little too late for that. If he truly felt that way, he wouldn't have brought along the two with a history of pick-pocketing.

"Just take a pic of me." JJ asks them, starting to pose. "Right here?"

"You know what? Just shoot me." Vera despairs, in complete disbelief. He can't be this dumb.

"You want me to take a picture of you?" John B deadpans.

"Yeah, dude, like, look at this." JJ poses with the gun held up, his biceps on full display.

"You want to make our own incrementing evidence?" John B continues. "Is that what you're talking about?"

Before Vera can lose any more brain cells from listening to JJ, pebbles hit the window. Her eyes widen, knowing that it's code from Pope and Kie. Who else would be throwing pebbles at this specific window?

"Cops." John B whispers, having gone over to the window and glanced between the blinds. They all look around, and Vera feels like she's going to throw up, knowing that there's no good hiding spot as the cops knock on the door.

Well . . . there's no good hiding spot inside.

She winces when the window creaks as John B forces it open, urging her and JJ through first and then following. Her heart is racing as they slide through, pulling the window shut again before slipping to opposite sides of it, hoping that they won't think to check the window.

She ends up standing with JJ on the narrow ledge, pressed in on either side: JJ directly behind her, and the gutter downspout in front of her. She's standing at an awkward angle, curved into the drain pipe, and aware of every breath and movement JJ makes since they have her moving too.

"Oh, my God." Kie says from the left of them, still inside the boat, with the three of them waving for her to quiet down. The last thing they need is for the cops to come investigate outside–no chance that they won't see them hanging out of the window.

JJ's right hand lands on her waist as they–along with John B on the other side–carefully lean over to peer through the blinds at the cops inside. Vera recognizes them as two deputies: Shoupe and Plumb. Plumb is newer to the island, from what she remembers her stepfather saying about the woman. She hadn't been paying much attention–she tried her best to completely dissociate whenever she was forced into spending time with that half of her family.

Inside, they're going through the open safe, and anger flares up in Vera. She should've taken all of the money instead of getting distracted by JJ. They ignore the money for the time being, more focused on the envelope, which Plumb is tagging.

Shoupe waves a stack of cash, smirking up at Plumb.

"Sir?"

"Everybody's gotta dip their beak."

The three of them on the ledge gape at each other.

"What the f–" JJ barely breathes, tapping his fingers on her hip. The movement makes her flinch, way too high strung at the moment, and they totter for a terrifying second before he presses her even further into the side of the building, his hands tightening around her. She sucks in a sharp breath, seeing her own relief on John B's face across from her. That was way too close.

"Right, right. Their beak." Plumb says from inside, accepting the money.

"Do you believe–" JJ whispers, twisting to face John B, only for the gun to fall out of his waistband with the movement. Vera's heart drops to her feet when it falls to the dumpster below with a loud BANG, knowing that the deputies will have heard that.

The three of them barely dare to breathe, standing as still as possible, foreheads pressed to the building in front of them. Vera has one hand holding the downspout for balance, and she can feel it shaking, same with JJ's hand on her hip.

If we get out of this uncaught, I'm murdering JJ, she thinks to herself when Shoupe moves to the window and pulls the blinds. Shoupe stands at the window, looking over at Pope and Kie. They're having the world's loudest pretend conversation, although Vera can barely hear them with her heartbeat rushing in her ears.

After what feels like an eternity, Shoupe moves away, keeping the blinds pulled as he orders the other officers away.

"Alright. Let's go. No one's here."

"Oh my fucking god." Vera breathes out once they hear the deputies leave, moving in the opposite direction to go back to the station. "JJ, get off of me."

"Alright, alright, give me a sec." He complains, even as he moves back and hops down to the dumpster below them. "At least they didn't find the gun."

"Yeah, no thanks to you." She snaps back, still standing with her hands tightly holding the pipe. "I think I had an actual heart attack."

"Come on, Vee." John B's voice sounds from below her, and she shakes her head. She wants to get far away, but she doesn't want to move. Her legs are still shaking. "I'll catch you, but we gotta go."

"I'm coming." She tells him, not wanting to risk being here if they decide to come back. She slowly lets go of the drain, wincing at how tense her hands are: they're pale due to how tightly she'd been holding on. When she carefully turns, both of her best friends are waiting for her, their hands out for her to grab.

She throws herself down, smiling slightly when JJ grabs her waist to stabilize her on the way down. She's pissed at him, but he makes it hard to stay mad for very long when he does little things like that.

"You know, this only proves my ACAB essay right." She tells them, shaking her head in disbelief as they head back to the Pogue. "I don't want to hear shit ever again about how cops aren't dirty. What the fuck?"

"You're not gonna hear us saying otherwise." John B tells her, reminding her that she's around people that share her views. It can be hard to keep that in mind sometimes, when her mom and little sister are the complete opposite.

"If Jim was here, he'd probably have done the same." She tells them, frowning at the mention of her stepfather. "He acts all perfect, like he doesn't run around splitting up families and terrorizing the island. What a dick."

"Hear, hear." JJ agrees, tossing his arm over her shoulders as they continue walking, letting her continue up the rant they've all heard a hundred times.

"We thought you were goners." Kie tells them as soon as they make it to the boat, her eyes wide. Pope looks worried as well, and he instantly grabs JJ's shoulder to pull him down next to him. He looks like he isn't sure whether to hug him or slap him.

"You and me both." Vera tells her sardonically.

"Could have warned us sooner." JJ points out, and Pope flushes next to him.

"We would have, except Pope was on the math team." Kie throws him under the bus, and his blushing suddenly makes sense.

"I'm teaching you how to throw, bro." Vera tells him, shaking her head when he looks like he's going to protest. "I'm serious. If it stops us from potentially getting caught at a crime scene, you're learning."

"Speaking of crime scenes." Pope loudly changes the subject. "Did you guys find anything?"

"Did we find anything?" JJ asks, looking around. "No, I don't think so . . . oh, yeah, we did." He holds up the gun in one hand, and a stack of cash in the other, laughing proudly.

"What the hell?" Pope asks, looking upset as he leans back, away from the gun.

"Dude, chill. Come on."

"Why would you take that from a crime scene?" Pope panics.

"It's better than the cops having it, bro."

"Are you serious?" Kie snaps, turning to John B who just shrugs.

"I'm gonna lose my merit scholarship." Pope frets, while JJ wraps an arm around his shoulders, turning him to face him, where he taps the barrel of the gun against his lips before pulling it back.

"Hey, hey, hey. Sh, sh, sh. Sh, sh. At least you have us, right?"

"I'm living the nightmare." Pope deadpans, pulling away from JJ after patting his waist–an automatic move that Vera has seen him pull on JJ hundreds of times.

"Is this a bad time to show you this?" Vera asks with a laugh, reaching into her shirt and her pants to pull out her own money stacks, posing with them. JJ instantly brightens, beaming at her as he crosses over and pulls her up into a hug, spinning her around while she giggles, ignoring the frustration from the others.

"That's what I'm talking 'bout! My fucking girl, everybody!"

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"Who's that?" John B asks Peeler, a blonde girl sitting next to Vera across from where a dead body is being removed from the scene by paramedics. Peeler and Vera are sitting on top of a cooler, surrounded by other teenagers watching the scene.

"It's Scooter Grubbs." She explains, having been here for a while. Vera grimaces into her next sip of watermelon Jarritos. "He was out during the storm."

"Why would he go out? He knows–well . . . knew better, I suppose." Vera points out, sharing a confused look with Kie. Anyone that grows up in the Outer Banks knows how to prepare for a storm, and knows to not go out in one–especially not alone.

"Check out this pic I got." Peeler giggles, showing them all the picture. "Dead body!"

"Ooh, Pope, check it out." Vera teases lightly. She never misses a chance to make a joke about Pope's career aspirations.

"What kind of boat did he have?" JJ asks her, and Vera shoots him a quick look, begging him to be inconspicuous about it. The last thing they need is to have a gossip like Peeler looking into them.

"Ooh, that's the crazy part." Peeler tells them, looking around, delighted to have their complete focus. "Somehow that dirtbag copped a brand-new Grady-White. Everyone's out looking for it."

"That's insane." Vera tells her, passing her phone back. "Oh shit, is it really 11 o'clock already? Pope, didn't your dad want our help?"

"What?" Pope asks, not getting it, and Vera glares at him as she repeats herself through gritted teeth. "Oh! Oh, yeah. Fuck, we're late, he's gonna kill me."

"Good luck, guys." Peeler gives them a sympathetic smile while they rush off, although they head to the Chateau instead of Heyward's. When they get there, Pope starts pacing around the yard and murmuring to himself while they others burst through to the screened porch. Vera grabs a can of Coke from the cooler, dropping down next to Kie while JJ takes one of the chairs and John B leans against the wall.

"Okay." Pope pants, running into the house and falling down next to Vera. "So, um . . . we didn't see anything. We don't know anything. We need to have total and complete amnesia."

"Actually, Pope's right, for once." JJ agrees, standing up from his chair. "See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny."

"Guys, we can't keep that money." Kie protests, and Vera raises her eyebrows.

"Good luck taking it from me." She shoots back, wholeheartedly meaning it. She can't help the irritation she feels, just as she always does when Kie gets all righteous when it comes to money. She'll never understand what it's like to never have enough, and it shows in times like these.

"Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara." JJ points out, sounding frustrated.

"We have to pass that off to Lana Grubbs. Otherwise, it's bad karma."

"It's bad karma to be implicated in a felony, too."

"I'll take my chances." Vera decides, speaking to Kie. "Kie, we need that money. I don't see anyone else keeping the lights on here, do you? We gotta eat somehow."

"We gotta go dark." Pope interjects before Kie can say anything.

"If that means we get to keep the money, then I agree." JJ decides, only for John B to pat him on the shoulder, speaking up for the first time.

"I don't agree."

"What?" Vera questions, feeling betrayed when Kie smirks, pointing up at their friend in gratitude.

"Just think about it. 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." John B points out, and Vera tilts her head, thinking about it.

"He once asked if I had any old birthday cards with money in them when I told him I couldn't help him." She tells them, thinking back to how shocked she'd been at the level of thought he put into it. "He called me rich 'cause he saw me buying Hamburger Helper once. It was 39 cents."

"My point exactly." John B nods at her. "We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket, and all of a sudden, he's got a Grady-White? Just sayin'."

They're still thinking about it, and talking about it, an hour later. They've gone outside to fish, although Pope and JJ end up being the only one's actually trying. Vera is too mad over her leftover roast going bad, along with the ice cream.

"Alright, so think about it, Pope." John B urges, throwing his hands up in the air. "How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?"

"Prostitution." Pope suggests, and Vera nearly spills her nail polish at the answer. Kie saves it from tipping over, shaking her head as Vera shrugs and goes back to painting her friend's toenails. She's going with a navy blue this time.

"Square groupers, bro." John B answers his own question. "Okay, flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance. They don't do that stuff during a hurricane. What does that mean? JJ?"

"They were straight smugglin'" JJ answers instantly, and John B nods at him.

"They were smuggling. And I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband in that wreck."

"Hell yeah." JJ reels in his line. "Fish on!"

"Yay, dinner." Vera gives him a warm smile, happy to see him so proud of himself.

"For the record, if that is a smuggling ship with illegal contraband on the inside of it, it probably belongs to someone else." Pope points out a while later, all of them gathered in John B's room. John B and Kie have guitars, with John B sitting on his window ledge, Kie in the seat next to him. JJ is also on a window ledge, diagonal to John B, while Pope and Vera take the bed. Pope has a stack of the money in his hands, waving it around as he speaks.

"Minor details." Kie tries, getting an amused smile from Vera.

"They could come looking for it." Pope continues. "Taking it would be catastrophically stupid."

"Right." JJ moves forward, snatching the money out of Pope's hands and fanning it out. "Well, stupid things have good outcomes all the time."

Pope looks away while Vera smiles, eyeing the money and planning what to do with it.

"All we need to do right now is figure out a way to get into the cargo hold of that wreck." JJ points out. "Until then, we just lay low. Just act normal."

Pope sighs. "Right, and how exactly do we do that?"

"Kegger?" Kie suggests, instantly lightening up the mood.

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For three years in a row, Vera has beaten Topper Thornton at a keg stand.

She's been drinking for as long as she can remember: you don't grow up on the water, in a poor neighborhood, without access to alcohol. She has a high tolerance–much higher than the rich kids who like to boast about theirs, and she enjoys proving that every chance she gets.

Keg stands are the perfect opportunity for her to show off, which is why she enjoys throwing keggers so much. Right now, her group is walking down the boardwalk to the beach, holding a pony keg and all of the supplies. They have as many red solo cups as they can get their hands on–Vera sings the Toby Keith song the entire walk, as is tradition–along with a cooler of mixed drinks. Vera slipped some Mexican soda in the bottom, always a sucker for it.

"You planning on showing off?" John B asks her, nodding to the keg as if she needs the context. She just smiles, shrugging her shoulders.

"We'll see." She says breezily. "If that moron wants to run his mouth, then sure. You know I love knocking him down."

"Damn straight." JJ approves, knocking into her shoulder. "Also, I say you do it, if only so I can see you upside down in that bikini. God dayum."

He wolf whistles, looking her up and down, clearly enjoying the sight of her in a white bikini with a blue floral design–although, knowing him, he's enjoying the fact that she's wearing thong bikini bottoms underneath a white maxi skirt more than he cares about the pattern of it. Vera takes every chance she can to wear her 'prettier' bathing suits, since she spends so much time surfing in rashguards, and this is one such occasion.

"You say that like you haven't been staring at my ass this whole walk." Vera snorts, rolling her eyes at him. "I'm sure it'll happen, don't you worry your pretty little head over it."

"Awe. You think I'm pretty." JJ pretends to fan himself, and she shoves him away, laughing as she goes to grab a drink. People start heading over, catching wind of their kegger and bringing their friends. Pope vanishes into the crowd while the others man the tap, passing out drinks to everyone who wanders over.

Vera slips away at one point, winking at JJ, who follows her inconspicuously. Not that it really matters–the Touron she pulled away only has eyes for her, not her friends. It's easy to tempt him away from his friends, all of them whooping at his back, and get him dancing with her. It's easier still to slide right up to him, grinding on him now, and sneak a hand into his back pocket, the other playing with his hair.

His eyes slide shut, lips trailing to her neck since she won't let him kiss her properly, and she tosses his wallet to JJ.

He goes through it, pocketing any cash he finds, and then tosses it back. The poor guy doesn't notice her putting it back in his pocket, but he definitely notices JJ when he comes running over, looking pissed.

"Addie, really? You promised you wouldn't do this again." He complains, yanking her away from the Touron, whose eyes widen. There's clear panic as he looks between them, his gaze staying on JJ's biceps for a solid few seconds, clearly worried about getting hurt in a fight since he doesn't have any muscle on him. He wouldn't stand a chance.

Addie is a nickname that only JJ calls her, deriving from her middle name, Adelaide. He tends to only use it during this game of theirs–the same way she reserves the use of Jamie for him.

"Yeah, well, you were with that Kook slut. What did you want me to do, Jamie, sit around and wait for you?" She spits back, keeping the ruse up until she hears the Touron run away, and then they burst out laughing. "What's the prize this time?"

"Ooh, he had a 50 hiding in between his snooty membership cards." JJ beams, holding the bill up as she cheers. "I do believe that we deserve a reward for all of this hard work."

"Ice cream and a J?" She asks, because it's been a minute since the two of them smoked, just them. She loves the others more than anything, but there's something perfect about it being just the two of them passing a blunt back and forth. They've had their best conversations like that, and she hopes to have a repeat of that. Bonus points if they go surfing.

"Deal." He holds his hand out for a handshake, and then keeps a hold of hers, swinging their arms between them as they walk back to where John B and Kie are hanging out. They don't mention what they've been up to–they've always kept this thrilling little game of theirs to themselves. She thinks John B would find it amusing, most likely, but it's exciting to keep it on the downlow.

"What is she doing here?" Kie is asking when they arrive, her carefree smile slipping off of her face. Vera follows her gaze to find Sarah Cameron, wearing a beautiful blue dress with pink flowers on it, perched on top of a large red buoy, a broken chain imbedding it in the sand. She's pointing at something in the water, and for a second Vera wants to go over and see what has her so excited.

Kie rolls her eyes, turning away from her ex-best friend, and Vera winces.

"Ew." Vera mumbles automatically as she watches Topper cross over to Sarah, holding a hand up for her to grab. She pulls away from him before finally allowing herself to be helped down, his hands around her waist and her giggles carrying in the wind. "God, he just always looks like a douche, doesn't he?"

"Screw 'em." John B scoffs, turning to them. "Who wants to get a bonfire started?"

They party into the night, with a lot of the Tourons leaving and the other groups mingling–as much as Kook's can mingle with kids from the cut, at least. It's easier on nights like these, when warm beer and a bonfire help them feel more amicable than normal.

JJ crosses over to John B, offering him a cup of beer.

"For me? Yeah, I'll take a sip." John B agrees, grabbing the solo cup.

"Hi!" Sarah waves, joining them with Topper, who hasn't let go of her hand. She stares at Vera, looking a little nervous, but Vera just gives her a deadpan look back.

"Hey, Sarah!" JJ greets, a little wasted. "Sarah, can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?"

"No, thanks." She declines the offer, running a hand through her hair and biting her lip.

"Come on, is it not fancy enough for you?" JJ presses.

"No, we were just leaving." Sarah tries, but she gets ignored as Topper speaks up over her.

"Hey, you know what? I'll take it. I'll–thank you, man. I appreciate it." He says in the preppiest tone, a huge smile on his face. He knows that he's annoying JJ, and he loves doing that.

"If you want to drink so much, why don't we continue our competition?" Vera jumps in before JJ can react, knowing from his tense shoulders that he's ready to snap. "I mean, if you're not scared of losing, that is."

The bait works. Topper is instantly straightening up, nodding his head despite Sarah's protests from next to him.

"Me? Losing to a Pogue?" He spits the title out, and his friends laugh and nod along, cheering him on.

"I mean, I've been beating you since we were 12, but whatever you say." She agrees with a mocking smile, waving him over to the keg. "You can even go first."

"Top, come on." Sarah complains, sending Vera a glare. "This is so stupid."

"You got me, Kelce?" Topper asks his friend, putting his hands on the handles of the keg when two of his friends come up to help him. John B puts the spout in his mouth, leaving it turned off for now. That changes as soon as Kelce lifts him upside down. John B releases the valve, and they all start counting.

"NINE . . . TEN . . . ELEVEN!" The crowd around them shouts, with some disappointed murmuring starting as Topper drops back down to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Kelce pats him on the back, but Sarah just looks annoyed.

That pathetic attempt surely didn't help with that, Vera thinks, smirking to herself.

"My turn." She says brightly, stripping out of her maxi skirt since it'll just get in the way, winking and waving dramatically at the crowd when they cheer. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night. Alright, let's do this thing. Everyone ready?"

"Wait!" JJ calls out, and Vera raises an eyebrow when she sees him pull off his sleeveless shirt, only to beam when he uses it to wipe off the valve that Topper got his germs all over. "Alright, now that I know you won't get some Kook disease, she's all yours. Make us proud, baby."

"You know I will." Vera smirks, taking a second to settle herself before she plants her hands on the handles, making sure to keep a steady grip as she kicks up into a handstand. She's never more thankful for her ten years of dance and gymnastics experience than when she has people screaming excitedly while she does a solo keg stand. She knows without looking that Kie and JJ have her back, and that if she starts to tip over, they'll grab her. That's half of what makes her confident enough to do this without any lifters.

"Here we go." John B announces, releasing the valve as soon as it's in her mouth and starting the flood of beer. Vera loses herself in it, the excitement of being at the center of a cheering crowd, and doesn't let herself hesitate or lose focus. She can feel her abdomen burning with the effort of remaining in her position but she ignores it, keeping her core tight and not letting herself falter. She's trained herself to be able to do this, and if she can do a handstand on her surfboard, she can do one on a keg to beat Topper.

She keeps track of the chanting crowd, wanting to beat Topper but not get too drunk. She knows from experience that she feels the brownout–a semi-conscious state where she feels both unstoppable and like she's drinking in slow motion–after about forty seconds. Her longest record is one minute and nineteen seconds, from last year, but she spent the next two days with the hangover from hell and wants no repeats.

Right after the crowd screams that it's been 12 seconds, she feels her legs wobble. Before she has a chance to panic, she feels JJ's strong grip on her legs, holding her up straight. She doesn't let it bother her that she couldn't do it solo for longer—most people can't do it solo at all. Twelve seconds isn't too bad.

At 23 seconds, she bends her knees, signaling to JJ that she wants down. He helps flip her back to her feet, holding her waist, and she smirks as she wipes the back of her mouth and her chin off. She can feel people patting at her shoulders, shaking her and cheering, but she takes a second to beam at a proud JJ.

"Guess we can cross that off the bucket list." She grins, remembering that he'd been the one to add it: watch Vee destroy Flopper Topper (again!!!) right underneath her own idea of sunset skinny dipping—in Figure 8!!

Kelce tries to get her attention, shoving into JJ's space, but she only focuses on the way Topper might as well have steam coming off of him.

"Better luck next year." She tells him with a wide smile, looking at Sarah next to him. She's already staring back, looking awestruck, and something in Vera decides to take another risk. "Hey, Sarah, if you ever want someone who can win competitions for you . . . you have my number. Call me."

She winks, delighting in the way Sarah blushes at her words, right before Topper lunges forward. JJ meets him before he can make contact with Vera, the two of them swinging at each other before John B manages to break it up.

"Dirty Pogues!" Topper shouts, always a sore loser.

John B spins around and pushes him back, the crowd oohing and awing around them. Sarah yells out in protest, and Pope finally joins them, pushing John B back before he can continue the fight.

"Hey! We're supposed to be incognito, remember?" He urges, shaking his head.

"Babe, babe, babe, babe!" Sarah's voice rises as she tries to stop Topper from retaliating, but it's no use. Before they know it, Topper's punched John B, sending him sprawling into the edge of the water.

"Guys? Guys!" Sarah screams, while Topper moves and punches him again. "Chill!"

"Hey, John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, alright?" Topper snarls, and Vera has had enough. She rushes forward, only to be blocked by Kelce. Thankfully, those words have John B surging to his feet, tackling Topper into the water.

"Yes! Come on, JB!" Vera screeches, shoving Kelce away from her. She looks at the two fighting, wishing that she could help but knowing that she would only get in the way with how dirty they're fighting. "Kick his ass!"

"Real pacifist of you." Sarah snaps, and Vera rolls her eyes.

"You're the one dating the psychopath, not me." She points out, because only one person here made an insane comment about drowning someone, and it wasn't anyone in their group.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chants, everyone watching Topper and John B circle around each other. John B lands a solid punch, getting cheered on by Vera, JJ and Pope. Kie is frowning to herself, hating the violence.

"Come on!"

"Yeah? You wanna go?" Topper taunts, and then they're both on each other, throwing punches. John B evades a few of them, landing in good hits to Topper's ribs. He manages to flip Topper into the water, and Vera jumps up with her fist in the air, beyond proud.

Her excitement dies a minute later when Topper gets the other hand, holding John B under the water.

"Get off of him!" She shouts, moving forward only for Pope to grab her, holding her back. "What the fuck are you doing? We need to help him!"

Sarah is shouting for Topper to stop, but she might as well be shouting at a brick wall. Vera can't believe that everyone is just standing around and watching, dropping her weight down on Pope's foot so that he'll release her. Just as she's moving, planning to tackle Topper and figure the rest out in the moment, JJ surges forward.

She has one second to think oh fuck before JJ has a gun pressed to Topper's head.

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authors note

guys i'm having a blast writing this fic. this first chapter was written in like 5 hours so if there's any errors please let me know <3

season one is such a vibe... i can't believe we're only halfway through the first episode 🤍🤍🤍 they're such babies!!!

i'm so curious to hear any thoughts about vera...

also side note: in the show jj is said to be john b's best friend since 3rd grade, while kie has a line about them being her friends from kindergarten... im ignoring both of those because it doesn't make sense to me. in this, vera & the boys have been best friends since they were 5. kie came later, since she's a rich kid (this isn't me ignoring that she's a pogue at heart, or anything like that, but i think people forget that she comes from money. ) there will be references to times before kie!! because that's how memories work!! it's nothing against her as a character or friend, we love her in this house

please please please don't be a silent reader, i want to hear any and all thoughts 🤍