Born To Survive | JJ Maybank

000. Prologue

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Prologue
"The Calm Before the Storm"

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

The sun illuminated the Outer Banks Isles with a soft yellowy tone, wind whipped through the teenagers' hair. They were living life to the fullest.

The dark-haired teenager watches as his friend balances on the roof of a building: beer in one hand; doing it pogue style. His hair flowed in the wind as it rushed against him.

"If you fall, you have a twelve and a half percent chance of living." Pope calls over to John B, who was trying to keep his balance.

"That would be pretty fun to watch, though." Liam says with a shrug before taking a sip of his beer, earning himself a smack over the head from Kiera. "No offence?"

"You're such an idiot."

"But you love me for it." Liam chuckles, climbing the scaffolding attached to the side of the building before Kiera can whack him again.

"Then I just won't fall." John B calls back down from the roof to Pope while Liam takes a seat beside JJ, whose arms are sprawled across the scaffolding.

"I'd give you a 1 in 3 chance of survival."

Pope was standing just below Liam and JJ. He had known him for years. Although they were polar opposites of each other, they were best friends. The Heyward family had taken him under their wing, and for that, he couldn't thank them enough. Liam loved how Pope could be asked any question and always be able to have an answer. Although one thing they will never have in common is their conscience, Pope was a lot more responsible than Liam ever could be. Pope tried to keep Liam under control, but it was like trying to herd cats: extremely difficult.

"Hmm..." John B hummed to himself as his face shifted into a frown. A finger moved from his side to just above his head as he felt the wind. "Should I do it?" He teased as his face contorted into a cheeky grin.

"Do a flip!" Liam grinned, twisting his head to look up at his friend, who was getting closer and closer to the edge.

Although you would never be able to tell by looking at him, Liam was deeply worried for his friend. A sense of knowing about how clumsy he could be at times swallowed him inside. He wouldn't know what to do if John B accidentally fell. The boy couldn't help but think they were all completely alone, all they had was each other.

"Yeah, I'll shoot you on the way down!" Pope smiles, holding a power drill like a gun towards John B, with one eye shut.

"You'll shoot me?" John B makes a fake finger gun and pretends to shoot Pope. "Pow!"

While rolling his eyes, he can't help but manage to smile before glancing over to his other friend, JJ, who was sitting next to him and surprisingly, already looking at him. His dirty blonde hair hanging over his face as his legs dangled over the scaffolding he was sitting on and in his hand a warm beer.

JJ and Liam were really close friends, though if you asked people if they were friends a few years ago, you would have got a definite no. The pair used to be sworn enemies, only common positive between them was John B. He introduced them properly, and they figured out they had a lot more in common than they thought. If  you looked at them now, you would never have thought they were enemies at one point. Their chaotic and crazy antics followed them wherever they went, giving them both the nickname 'Haven for Havoc' by the Kooks. Although neither of them understood it until Pope explained it, they were laughing for a while after, thinking it was the most ridiculous thing they'd ever heard.