"𝐒𝐋𝐔𝐓!" ᵖᵒᵖᵉ ʰᵉʸʷᵃʳᵈ

one

The sunlight danced on her blonde curls like it was shining just for her. The warm air melted into her soft skin like a blanket of protection. The sea breeze sung a seductive melody into her ears like it was trying to fight for her attention. She was the epitome of summer. It was like summer was created to make her a star. Because everything about Alexis Maybank was golden.

A gentle laugh escaped her lips as she watched her friend tiptoe across the roof of the new-build on Figure Eight. She bathed under the sun on her back against the scaffolding, with her arms under her body to sit her head up, so she was able to see everything around her. Her pale pink bikini top clung to the sweat on her body, whilst the denim shorts she wore were loose around her waist with the buttons undone, revealing the matching bottoms to her bra.

"You're gonna hurt yourself, John B," she warned as she watched the boy reach the edge of the building.

Standing below her, Pope Heyward craned his head up to smile. Amongst all the chaos he was always surrounded by, Alexis was like a breath of fresh air to him. In fact, she was everything to him. And when he watched her smile back, he swore he could feel the world around him pause. Being close to Alexis Maybank felt like being around an ethereal angel. Her presence alone made the entire universe brighten. Her smile made the galaxy spin in another direction.

"That's what, a three-story fall to the deck?" he said to their mutual friend, who was stupidly balancing over the edge of the roof on one foot. "I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival."

To his comment, Alexis chuckled again, and she sat up from where she laid, dangling her legs over the ledge of the scaffolding. She watched the world around her with wide eyes and a sweet smile. She could never stop smiling when she was around her friends. Her family.

"Hmm." John B licked his fingertip and pretended to test the wind. "Should I do it?"

"Yeah, you should jump," Pope joked, pointing a nail gun at the boy. "I'll shoot you on the way down."

"You're gonna shoot me?" John B repeated, shooting finger guns at him. "Pew."

Alexis rolled her eyes playfully at the boys, grabbing a can of beer from the crate beside her, courtesy of her twin brother, JJ. He was usually the loudest of the group, but currently his eyes were searching for their one missing friend, who was inspecting the house they were trespassing on.

"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers," Kiara Carrera complained, announcing herself as she strolled onto the decking with the rest of her group.

Sitting beside her, Alexis's brother shook his head. "Of course they are," he said. "Why wouldn't they?"

"This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, I guess?" she continued, ignoring his comment.

Alexis smiled at her. "I care about the turtles," she assured Kie.

"I can't have cold towels," JJ joked, causing his sister to nudge him.

Once again, Kie ignored his sarcasm and pointed her focus onto John B, who was still on the rooftop. "Can you please not kill yourself?"

JJ looked up at him. "Don't spill that beer," he warned him, as he sipped his own can. "I'm not giving you another one."

Right on cue, John B slipped and as he was balancing himself again, his drink came crashing onto the deck with his friends, encouraging them to tease him.

"Well done," said Alexis.

"Of course you did," JJ commented. "Like right when I..."

"Smooth," laughed Kie.

"A-plus," Pope sarcastically graded.

Whilst everyone else continued to poke fun at him, Alexis watched the side, as Pope leaned over the ledge with wide eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to see what he was looking at, until she sighed at the sight. "Already?" she groaned, standing up.

"Hey, uh, security's here," Pope announced. "Let's wrap it up."

The group of delinquent teenagers were far too calm as they packed their things away and climbed down from the scaffolding. They joked about the cops coming and made passing comments to one another, before running out of the building with laughter. JJ teased the security guard, who they were all now on first-name basis with, as they often found themselves in these situations with.

Giggling, Alexis grabbed Pope by the arm and pulled him with her, seeing that he was at the back. Pope grinned as she led him out of the house, running past the guards with joy.

"Sorry!" she squeaked as she accidentally ran into one of them, then stood on his foot so that he couldn't catch her.

"Lex!" Kie laughed at her.

"I said sorry!"

Still holding her hand, Pope chuckled, shaking his head as they jumped the fence and sprinted towards John B's minivan, which was named the Twinkie. They rolled into the back with JJ and Kie, whilst John B drove them to safety.

"Check out Gary, gunning for a raise!" Pope laughed, pointing to the security guard, still running after the group of kids.

Alexis shook her head with laughter, watching as the man started to turn red. She glanced at Pope, only to see that their hands were still connected. Hoping he didn't notice, or that he didn't find it weird that she was still lingering onto him, she pulled herself away and sat closer to Kiara.

But Pope did notice, and a wave of embarrassment washed over him. Why didn't he let go when they got over the fence? Did she think he was being weird?

Meanwhile, the male Maybank couldn't help himself from teasing Gary, who continued chasing them down. "Come on, Gary!" he cheered. "Wait. Slow down. Slow down."

And so John B did just that. Everytime they went too fast for Gary to get them, he'd slow down just long enough for him to catch up, then he'd speed away again.

"You're gonna give him a heart attack," said Kie.

"Yeah, it's getting mean now," agreed Alexis, although she was desperately fighting back her laughter.

But JJ ignored them both. "You're so close. You can do it. There you go," he continued teasing poor old Gary, and shot a beer can at him. "They don't pay you enough, bro."

Alexis hit him on the back. "If he didn't catch that, it could've seriously hurt him," she complained.

"Come on, it's just a bit of tin." He rolled his eyes at his sister.

"JJ, stop," Kie told him. "Stop."

"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished." He said this, but yet he still listened to her and followed her instructions.

Alexis leaned back and grinned at Pope. Her brother was like a puppy whenever Kiara was around.

Pope grinned back at her, but it was for a completely different reason.