"STEALING A GATT from some a sketchy hotel has felony written all over it, but it's whatever." mara deadpanned.

"i watched you grab like ten grand in cash from that safe, don't even." kalani responded, reaching into her pocket. "then again, i did too."

"why would you guys take that from a crime scene?" pope asked breathlessly, shocked at the girls' carelessness.

"i'm just upset i didn't get anything when i had the chance." arden chimed in, leaning back in her seat and looking displeased. marlee and carra had been dropped off as soon as the group got back to the docks, both of their parents wanting them to come to some fancy lunch with them at the country club, meaning to boat was exclusively the pogues, with the exception of kiara, who had gotten off at her house to make it in time for her shift at the wreck.

the routledge and maybank girls were more wary of kiara now than ever. she had only returned from her 'kook year' about six months prior, the four girls all being hesitant to hang out with her again, while the boys all jumped at the chance.

kalani remembered the first time she met kiara, mara had brought her to the chateau one day after school. she hung out with the girls every day after that, but once she went back to school at the kook academy when she was fourteen, she acted as though the girls didn't exist, going as far as to disassociate herself with them entirely, deleting their contact information, unfollowing their social medias, pretending she didn't see them if they walked past each other in the streets.

so, when sarah essentially did to kiara what the brunette had done to the pogue girls, they couldn't feel an ounce of sympathy for her. while the boys were excited that kiara would be back in the group, that she would be coming around again, surfing with them once more. the girls however, were cold and distant to her for weeks.

"because if the cops got it it would have been covered in maya's prints?" mara replied as though it was common knowledge.

"i'm gonna lose my merit scholarship." pope breathed, kalani rolling her eyes.

"if anyone asks, i have no idea who you are." she assured, maya and jj talking excitedly about the gun, which both of them were looking at with pure bliss and happiness in their eyes.

"could you be any more of a stereotypical teenage boy?" arden asked jj, who wrinkled his eyebrows.

"i'm not a basic teenage boy." he defended, but kalani shook her head.

"yes, you are, you have zero original personality traits."

"he's a mediocre type of person, very vanilla vibes if you ask me." mara added, moving her hand in a circular motion around jj, who turned to her, an amazed expression on his face.

"that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." he said in an amused voice.

"don't get used to it." the blonde girl replied, leaning back on her elbows and looking over at kalani. "new surfboards?"

"oh, definitely." the routledge girl agreed without hesitation, arden and maya wrinkling their eyebrows.

"what about us?" arden asked, kalani turning to her.

"what about you, it's not my fault you grabbed the gun instead of the money."

"that was not my fault!" arden defended.

"jj has also stolen the gun." maya added. jj was, in fact, waving the gun around wildly, wearing a wide grin on his face.

"that sounds like a personal problem to me." mara replied, kalani nodding.

"figure it out yourselves."

kalani, arden, and mara were all sitting on the front porch of the chateau, skeins of bracelet thread scattered on the table in front of them, arranged by color. maya, jj, pope, and john b were all out on the dock fishing.

"you weren't being dramatic when you said you haven't gone through it all." mara muttered, looking through the different shades scattered on the table.

"why wouldn't he, his is in love with her, after all." arden mocked, kalani rolling her eyes.

"head over heels." mara added.

"you both should shut up." kalani said with face happiness laced in her voice.

"y'know what i want?" arden asked suddenly.

"a winning powerball ticket?" mara replied, arden shrugging.

"yes, but no." she corrected. "we should go get snow cones."

"that's a brilliant idea." mara replied, standing up and sticking her head out the front door. "you guys want snow cones?" she screamed down to the dock, kalani leaning away from her best friend and covering her ears.

"little louder, there's a guy in a coma on the top floor of a hospital in charleston who didn't quite catch that." the brunette said, mara flipping her off before running off the porch to the twinkie where the boys and maya were already heading. arden and kalani followed close behind, the group all piling into the van, barely getting the door shut before john b was pulling out of the driveway, gravel flying behind the van.

"WHY THE HELL are the cops here?" maya asked, mara, kalani, and arden all pressing their faces against the dirty glass closest to the dock, the van jolting to a stop and sending everyone flying forward.

"that's the second time today." kalani groaned, reaching up to pull open the door, kicking it as far open as it could go, all the girls and pope piling out of the back while jj and john b got out of the front.

"head over there, the picnic table." kalani said, pointing to the wooden table, the seven teens filing over the table, which was placed under a wooden overhead by a trailer.

"that's a body." arden breathed, watching as they wheeled a stretcher with a seemingly lifeless man on it.

"who is that?" mara asked, but her question was answered when lana grubbs ran down the dock, calling her husbands name before starting to cry.

"poor lana." maya whispered.

"he was out during the storm." another girl who was sitting nearby mentioned.

"what type of boat did he have?" jj asked her, mara and kalani looking at him in confusion. why did that matter when he was dead? besides, knowing scooter- he was the rattiest of marina rats- it wouldn't have been a very nice one.

"somehow that dirtbag copped a brand new grady-white."

kalani looked at everyone around her, mara and arden's eyes were wide as quarters, jj, john b, and pope suddenly standing stiff while maya looked at the ground.

"everyone's out looking for it." the girl added.

kens speaks 🪐

i was able to write this without being obligated to do so because i made a deal with mara so go me

jj and lani will be a very slowburn, so just... have fun with that