savannah, jj maybank

left hand free

i twirled a piece of dark, brown hair around my dainty finger, glancing at the small list my dad had scribbled for me before heading to the store. without a second thought, i crumpled the paper in my hand and tossed it in the nearest trash bin. stepping into the small market, the cool air from the AC hit me hard, instantly cooling my sticky, sunburned skin.

with a slight smile, i tucked a loose strand behind my ear, flashing an innocent grin at the cashier as i moved down the aisles, grabbing beers and snacks. i reached into my back pocket, expecting to find the two five-dollar bills tucked in there. my heart sank when my fingers came up empty. great. glancing at the cashier, i noticed the flirty look he was giving me, and my stomach twisted. i gulped, knowing i was in trouble but still made my way to the counter, hoping i'd figure something out.

"hey..." i mumbled, laying the junk food on the counter. i could feel the man's eyes dragging up and down my body, lingering a little too long on my jean shorts and bikini top. trying to avoid his gaze, i focused on my scuffed sneakers instead.

"mornin', pretty lady," he said, his tone making me cringe. i could practically hear my dad's voice in my head warning me about the kind of attention i'd attract, but i never thought too much of it. until now.

the cashier rang up my items, his fingers tapping away as he said something about an incoming storm. but i wasn't listening. my mind was elsewhere, racing through escape routes as i pretended to search for an ID in my pockets. before i knew it, i snatched the bag of food and sprinted for the door, my heart pounding in my chest.

bells chimed violently as i crashed through the glass door, hearing the man shout for me as i stumbled into the street. my eyes darted to a cop across the road, my stomach dropping. i bolted again, heading toward the woods, ignoring the sirens blaring in the background. eventually, i ducked into someone's porch, catching my breath as i watched the cops zoom past.

laughing under my breath, i made my way to the new houses being built on the island. when i finally reached one, i could hear the familiar sound of laughter and bickering. i stepped inside, expecting to find my friends lounging around. instead, i was met with pope holding a drill while john b and jj balanced on the roof. typical.

leaning against the railing, i tried to catch my breath, my body aching from all the running. seeing me like this, voluntarily exerting myself, was rare. pope glanced my way and smiled, but continued his banter with john b, who was contemplating jumping off the roof like an idiot.

"should i do it?" john b joked, testing the wind with his finger.

"jump. i'll give you a one-in-three chance of surviving," pope replied dryly.

just as i rolled my eyes, kie wrapped her arms around me from behind, surprising me. "this used to be a turtle habitat," she sighed, twirling me around as we danced playfully. we laughed, but it didn't last long before we were interrupted by jj calling out to me about spilling a beer.

"not like i wanted beer from the hands of a touron-toucher anyway," i shot back, teasing him lightly. his grin widened as he threw a mock glare my way, eyes sparkling with mischief. i could feel the buzz of the group's energy, even as jj teased kie about her kook past.

just as things were heating up, pope pointed to the driveway. "hey, security's here. let's bounce."

we all scrambled, running through the half-finished house and laughing as we darted out the back door. pope and i barely made it over the fence, but jj was already miles ahead, pulling me along when i started lagging behind.

finally, we piled into the van, breathless and grinning as we sped off. john b honked the horn obnoxiously while jj leaned out of the door, taunting the poor security guard trying to chase us down. the whole van erupted into laughter, the tension melting away as we made our way back to the cut.