Danny wanted to try and let loose. He really did. The Boneyard was the perfect place to do so, and he normally would, but, he couldn't stop worrying about the cash and the implications behind it. He hasn't been able to rid the anxious crease between his brow since earlier.
He had a drink clutched in his hand as the condensation dripped beads down his wrist, but he couldn't bring himself to raise it to his lips.
He sighed and tossed the cup away from him. He watched the beer seep into the sand and allowed the music to drown out his thoughts. He let his thumb run rhythmically across the back of a shell as his eyes wandered through the party goers to check on his friends.
John B was chatting up a few touron girls by a palm tree, a drink in hand. Everyone was smiling and laughing, a classic reaction to the boy when he spoke. He was a natural people pleaser, able to read the crowd and mold them like putty in his hands. It's why Danny has never seen him without a pretty girl clinging to his arm.
Pope sat with a girl on a piece of driftwood. Danny didn't have to be within ear range to know he was talking about bodies and their natural functions. Danny didn't know if Pope realized that conversations about cadavers were something that you didn't have with strangers, or if that's all he can think of because he was nervous. Danny thought it was somewhat funny, in a Pope kind of way.
He wanted to stop his eyes from wandering over to JJ, but it's like he was a beacon, summoning all of Danny's attention to him. He didn't want to watch JJ, because if he continued to, then he'd want to go interrupt and hang out.
The words kept replaying in his mind, like the silent melody of a music box haunting his consciousness. And Danny didn't know how to turn it off.
You always come and swoop in and ruin it.
Normally, with words like that, Danny would pay no mind to. Because he doesn't care what anyone else thought of him. He does what makes himself happy no matter the consequences, or who he stepped over to get there. He was unapologetically outspoken, arrogant, and kind of a dick when he wanted to be. A holier-than-thou attitude in certain circumstances.
But not with JJ.
With JJ, he'd sell his soul to the devil if it meant it would put a smile on his friend's face.
"Hey," the voice broke him from his reverie.
He looked up and saw Kie sitting on the driftwood log that lay beside him. She was smiling softly down at him, her cheeks naturally rosy from the alcohol.
"Hey," Danny replied lazily and forced his eyes to stay on her form and not stray back to JJ.
She stepped off the log and sat down adjacent to him, her legs crisscrossed as her hands played with the white sand.
He watched the grains flow through her fingers, making a small pile underneath. The action was therapeutic and it calmed the incessant droning of the music box in his head.
"You look gorgeous tonight, Kiara," Danny said placidly and began to mimic her actions, grabbing a handful of sand for himself.
She smiled lightly. She may always play off his compliments, but he knew she appreciated them. Their friendship consisted of flattery and appreciation, Danny's way of making sure that Kie felt dignified and cherished. Her year at the Kook Academy took its toll and she was left absolutely miserable, but Danny was there to pick her back up and make her realize her worth.
"So," she said and tilted her head to the side, the wind blowing strands of hair around her like a halo.
Danny furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head to copy her, not knowing what she wanted.
YOU ARE READING
Exception // JJ Maybank
Fanfiction"Don't give me that look. You love me." "Wish I didn't." Daniel Sarver is probably the only Kook on the island who doesn't attend the private school for rich kids and participate in their even more pretentious lifestyle. He's probab...
