One Stupid Thing

2:8:68

I wake up from not only JJ stirring beneath me, but also from the extremely bright sunlight streaming right into my eyes.

"Hey. Sorry, did I wake you?" JJ asks me, his voice raspy.

"No, it's fine." I yawn and get a glimpse of my surroundings. JJ and I are laying on the couch on the porch, tangled in a blanket.

"Last night, you fell asleep by the fire. I carried you up here and somehow you didn't even notice."

I start to sit up and then the chilly, autumn, morning breeze hits me. Clearly it affects JJ too, because he groans and gently pulls me back down to his chest. I roll over onto my stomach, propping my head up in my hands.

The front door creaks open and John B's head pops out from the threshold. "Look what the cat dragged in," he teases as he steps out on the porch

"Sorry to ruin your little cuddle party." Kiara follows John B. A moment later Pope joins us, still half asleep with a blanket wrapped around him. JJ and I scoot up on the couch so that Kie can sit down as well. The other two settle down in a pair of armchairs.

"Dude, the bonfire last night? That was insane," JJ exclaims.

"Yeah, that was kinda epic," Pope agrees. Kiara groans and pulls her beanie over her eyes.

"Did you guys see Kelce's face?" John B recalls in excitement.

JJ grabs a nearby, empty beer can, crushes it in one hand, and lobs it into a trash can beside John B's chair. "Bomb drop!" he shouts as it lands. Mid-celebration, JJ bounces on the couch, followed by a loud snap. I feel the three of us sink a little further to the floor. Kiara lifts the edge of her beanie just for a moment to glare at JJ.

"Another broken couch," John B groans and reclines his chair back.

"You gotta sleep there," Pope reminds JJ matter-of-factly.

"I always sleep there."

"Uh uh. Count me out. You have fun out here though," I tease him. He is about to reply when something, or should I say someone, catches his eye.

"Well, hello, princess," JJ teases. I whip my head around to see Sarah approaching from the other side of the porch. She must have come in through the other door.

"What's up?" Kiara croaks. She adjusts her hat, but doesn't bother taking it off.

"Shouldn't you be on Figure Eight with your little group of polo players?" John B asks her snidely. "Or did you break up with Topper?"

Sarah looks to her former boyfriend with a fake smile. "We're just friends," she replies shortly. My sister crosses the porch, passing by John B to lean against the outer wall across from where JJ, Kie and I sit.

"Ah, he's just a friend. You have a lot of friends, Sarah Cameron."

"Yeah, and it seems like you've got some of your own too," she shoots back.

"All right, what are you doing here? What do you want?" John B shuts down the argument before it can escalate and reclines his chair.

Sarah sighs. "I'm here for Pope." The rest of us who stayed quiet while the exes squabbled perked up with interest. Pope looks up at Sarah from his comfy spot burrito-ed in his blanket. "I think I found the island room."

I sit up curiously, tossing the blanket off of JJ and I. Pope also ditches his blanket and stands up. The news was enough to make Kie frantically pull her hat up off of her face and even John B's mood seemed to brighten.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I ask. "Let's go." I get to my feet and throw on my striped button up from last night. The gang files out of the porch and into the Twinkie. To my surprise, Sarah gets in the passenger seat as she normally would've before her and John B's falling out.