A Can of Coke

The Forbidden Zone part 2

JJ pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and began frantically trying to open the lock on the junkyard's shed. 

"Do you have the right numbers?" Pope asked, continually peeking over his shoulder. 

"All right, so I might have the wrong numbers..." JJ groaned, slamming the lock against the metal frame of the shed. 

"Ah, damn it!" Pope sighed as he angrily kicked the ground.

"What're we gonna do now?" I frantically asked, before ferocious barking interrupted my nervous thoughts. 

"Oh! Hey!" JJ called out lovingly to the German Shepard that ran toward us.

"That's a cougar. Never mind." Pope rushed.

"Hi! No, stay there! Good boy. No, you're okay!" JJ continued to call to the dog as John B ran behind the shed.

JJ then grabbed my wrist and began pulling us away from the dog while yelling:

"Pope, run!"

Pope picked up a strewn pipe and began trying to wave the dog away.

"Back off! Back off! Back off!"

Quickly thinking, I pulled my red scrunchie off my wrist and held it up in the air for the dog to see.

"I got a toy, boy!"

The dog turned and started running toward JJ and I-- causing JJ to frantically yell:

"Wait, no. She was just kidding. Shit! Okay, sit!"

We ran as fast as our legs could carry us and quickly made it to higher ground where the dog couldn't get us. 

We climbed into an old boat and hid behind the railing. 

"Sweet Jesus..." JJ sighed as he started to catch his breath. "Is your leg okay? From yesterday, I mean...running on it must not feel too good..." 

He looked down at my baggy jeans like he could see the massive blue and yellow bruise that traced my hip and thigh. 

"It hurts, but I'm okay. I'd rather have to run with this leg than get eaten by that dog." I chuckled as I admired the small freckles that danced on his sun-kissed cheeks. 

There were so many little details about JJ that hadn't started to notice until recently. He always had a sun burn of some sorts, when he was feeling insecure about his messy hair he'd wear a hat, and he often left his right shoe untied...stuff like that. I began to notice all these little details that weren't all that important, but suddenly started to seem so. 

I was going to say something when JJ hurriedly placed a finger over my lips to shush me. The touch was electrifyingly warm. 

"What's that, huh? What's that, Tebow?" A voice approached our hiding spot.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"What you got, huh? What you got?" I could hear the dog barking as he lead the voice right to us. 

Feeling a little scared, I reached out and squeezed JJ's hand. He solemnly nodded and squeezed my hand back to reassure me that everything would be okay. 

"Whoever's up there better come on out! I mean it!" I bit my lip, trying to think of some way to get out of this.

"Don't make me go up there and get your ass!"

Squeezing my hand one more time, JJ quickly whispered, "sneak off the boat around back, I'll distract him!"

"No! JJ!" I tried to retaliate but it was too late, JJ stood up and revealed himself.