You are in love | JM

1~AJ is too close to JJ

    "That's a what, three story fall to the deck?" Pope spoke to John B who was standing on the top of a building that is under construction. Pope was the one who kept us from killing our selves or each other most of the time. I'd like to say he was the only fully sane one out of all of us.

    John B just hummed in response. Then spoke, "Should I do it?" He asked JJ and I, who were sitting on the deck. I shook my head at his suggestion.

    "Yeah jump. I'll shoot you on the way down." Pope held up a drill pointing it at John B.

    "You'll shoot me?"

    "Yep, pow!" Pope joked around which was honestly rare for him. I had a cold beer in my hand I haven't had very many drinks of it yet. 

    "They're going to have Japanese toilets with towel warmers." Kiara came out of the building complaining.

    "Of course, why wouldn't they?" JJ spoke from beside me, he had been pretty quiet today. Which was also rare for him, usually he was coming up with some stupid idea.

     "This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles I guess?" It was kind of ironic hearing Kiara complain because she was a kook herself. But she didn't really get along with any of the kooks on the island. She was more free spirited.

    "I can't have cold towels." JJ joked and I looked over at him and rolled my eyes.

    Kiara looked up John B who was on the roof and said. "Can you please not kill yourself?" She suggested.

     "Don't spill that beer, I'm not giving you another one." Almost like JJ caused it the wind picked up and John B lost his balance dropping the beer it falling and spilling on the deck. Which made me laugh, that was definitely some sort of karma.

    "No!" John B groaned.

    "Of course you did right after I said something." JJ complained.

     "Smooth." Pope spoke from the ground.

    "Dumbass." I laughed as we heard a voice yell at us.

    "Hey!"

    "Uh security is here, let's wrap it up." Pope spoke and John B climbed down from where he was standing. I stood up chugging as much of my beer as I could before setting it down.

    "Here we go again." I looked over at JJ with a grin.

     "Gary is that you?" JJ mocked as he looked at me. "Race ya?" I shook my head.

    "You know I'll win, regardless." I run a lot it helps me escape my crazy mom and step-dad, also my own thoughts sometimes. Over the years I joined track and even though I was probably one of the shortest runners, I am the quickest. That's the one thing I had going for me to have a future.

    "It's good to see you man." JJ yelled at the cop as I took off running. Him following shortly behind me.

    "You're asking to get caught." Kiara spoke to JJ as we all raced back to the Twinkie.

    "They're coming your way!" Gary yelled and I saw two other guards approaching us. I dodged and kept running but JJ got caught but soon wiggled himself away from them and ran after me.

    "Not much of a hugger man." He started running again. "I'm gonna catch you." He yelled from behind me.

     "In your dreams Maybank!" I climbed over the fence I knew everyone was still running towards the van. I was the first one but I didn't have the keys. John B and Kiara soon came around and John B started the van for the two boys that were running behind the rest of us. JJ helped Pope over the fence and they both climbed in for John B to take off.

    "Check out Gary he's gunning for a raise." We poked our head out the open van door. JJ grabbed a beer bottle and held the bottle out to the guy who was trying to chase us on foot. "You're so close, you got it." JJ teased.

"You're gonna give him a heart attack." Kiara spoke and I put my hand on JJs shoulder.

I laughed a little. "Okay that's enough J." He threw the bottle at Gary and John B speed up a bit. Gary finally giving up, JJ closed the door to the van.

   The Outer Banks, Paradise on Earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. This is Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks. So, guess where we don't live. But I used to live there, with my mom and dad. Before my dad cheated on my mom and got another bitch pregnant. He still lives in the house we used to all together.

And then, this is the south side or the cut. Home of the working class who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters. The natural habitat of the Pogues. That's us. Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest member of the food chain. Okay. So, the downside of Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. But the upside of Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

   That's JJ, one of my best friend since the third grade. He's about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Best surfer I know. Just don't tell him I said that. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat. Total flirt, the amount of times I have walked into the chateau to him hooking up with a girl is actually insane. But he's cool.

    Then there's Kiara or Kie as we call her. When not saving turtles or listening to Marley, or trying to do my hair, she hangs out with us. I still don't know why though, she's a Kook a foot in both worlds. The boys seem to really enjoy her so I just accepted having another girl around. It was all fun and games till she tries to curl my hair. Her family owns The Wreck, this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. You know, I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us.

    And that's Pope, the brains of the operation. A finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know. Little bit of a weirdo. His father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get for you. But Pope is also probably the sweetest of all the boys. Very trustworthy.

    John Booker Routledge or John B for short, my other best friend since the third grade. He lives in an old fish shack on the marsh. The Chateau, as his dad used to call it. He disappeared at sea nine months ago, looking for a shipwreck. Who disappears at sea these days? I miss him. Big John had been like a father figure to me. But that meant that John B had the chateau all to himself most nights I stayed there away from my mother. So did JJ. So basically it was John B, JJ and I just like it had started all those years ago.

My name is Adeline June Miller, most people just call me AJ, but JJ insisted on calling me Addie. His reasoning is because AJ is too close to JJ. You've already heard enough about me though, but there's more to come.