Sweet like Strawberry / Outer banks fanfic / JJ

'You owe me two dollars'

'You know, we really shouldn't be here' Charlotte whined. 

She brought her hand to her forehead, trying to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked up at John B. The boy was standing on the edge of the rooftop, one beer in his hand, the other arm balancing him.

'Don't worry Eloise' JJ told her from where he was standing on the scaffolding 'we do this all the time'. 

'Please stop calling me that' she said, cocking her head at the boy with a deadpan look.

Her full name was Charlotte Eloise. Most people called her Charlotte or Char, but JJ liked to annoy her by singling out her second name. He winked at her.

John B lifted one of his feet off the roof, the wind swaying him.

'That's what? A three-story fall to the deck?' Pope told him 'I give you about one-in-three chances of survival'.

'And he's being generous' Charlotte said as she went to sit besides JJ 'Do you even know how many people die every year because they fall off their roofs?'

'I second that' Pope nodded.

'Well good thing he's on someone else's roof then' JJ said. 

Charlotte laughed.

'Should I jump?' John B jocked.

'Yeah, I'll shoot you on the way down' Pope said, making gun fingers at him.

Charlotte's feet were dangling from the scaffolding. She looked at the view. The soon-to-be-built house was right on the edge of the shore. The sun was setting on the sea. 

'We could be surfing right now' she said 'or jogging'.

JJ squeezed the skin of her arm gently.

'You and your sports'

'Ow!'

She shoved him.

'Just enjoy the life, Charlotte' he smiled at her.

'Oh! so you do know my name' she smirked. 

He smiled brighter, shaking his head.

'They're gonna have Japanese toilets with toilet warmers' Kie complained, coming out of the house.

'Of course' JJ said sarcastically 'why wouldn't they?'

'This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles I guess' she sighed.

'I can't have cold towels!' JJ said in a high pitched voice.

Charlotte chuckled.

'Oh what I would give for warm towels' 

'Can you not kill yourself?' Kie asked John B.

'Don't spill that beer' JJ warned his friend 'I'm not giving you another one'

Barely a second later, the boy lost his balance and his beer slipped out of his hand.

'Smooth'

'Of course you did!' JJ threw his hands in the air.

'You shouldn't be drinking this shit anyways' Charlotte said.

Pope went to look at the parking lot, before announcing.

'Hey! uh, security's here, let's wrap it up'.

Charlotte's heart sightly picked up at that. Ever since she had run out on foster care, she had grown wary of security and police. If they caught her and chose to run a background check on her, they would send her back.