JONES → JJ MAYBANK [hiatus]

003. scooter grubbs

Edited June 20, 2023

𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗭𝗜𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗦 the window, yanking it open with a struggle. She stumbled backward slamming into JJ who awkwardly placed his hands on her hips to steady her. He certainly wasn't complaining about having Mackenzie Jones pressed up against him, once again. 

John B pushed past the two and climb out the window effortlessly onto the roof. He made the mistake of glancing downwards at the long fall, scooting closer to the wall for support. Mackenzie followed after him, grinning backward at JJ before dipping onto the roof without a second thought. JJ came out last, not having much room he stood behind Mackenzie placing both hands on the wall beside her. 

"Want to know a secret," She whispered so faintly that JJ almost missed her question. "I'm petrified of falling." 

He thought back to the times his friends and himself had watched the kook carelessly jump off rocks into the water below. 

"You're afraid of heights?" He whispered, his breath hitting the back of her neck due to their proximity. 

"No," She whispered dumbfounded. "I'm not afraid of hitting the bottom, I'm afraid of the fall." 

He didn't listen to her. Not in the way she was wanting someone to listen. He heard what she had said but dismissed any deeper thought of it. Mackenzie Jones wasn't afraid of the height or the inevitable crash onto the pavement below. Mackenzie Jones was afraid of everything that happened in between ― the actual falling. 

Mackenzie and John B make eye contact for a brief moment, and he noticed that her hands were clutching on JJ's biceps that tightly held her in place. 

"Everybody got to dip the beak," a cop's muffled voice could be heard from inside."Part of the program."

Mackenzie shifted backward into JJ, trying to get a better view of what was going on inside the hotel room. Unfortunately, she was already pressed right up against JJ and when she moved even closer to him she ended up knocking the gun out of his back pocket. 

Both JJ and John B pressed themselves further against the wall. 

"Mackenzie, what are you doing?" JJ whispered as the girl slipped out from under his hold and jumped down to the ground. 

She landed on her feet, managing to compose herself before the deputy stuck his head out the window. Both the boys flew against the wall holding their breath. 

"Oh, Deputy Shoupe!" Mackenzie smiled, pretending to be startled by his appearance, "I didn't know you were here."

 He narrowed his eyes at her, "Miss. Jones, what are you doing here?"

"I work here," She explained locking eyes with JJ for a second before switching her attention back to Shoupe, "I was just taking out the trash and dropped the lid too quickly. Is your room needing anything?" 

"No," Shoupe said shutting the window as he turns back around to focus on the room. 

Mackenzie waited a few minutes before she watched the two deputies make their way to the front desk before gesturing for JJ and John B to jump down. The two boys nodded to Mackenzie before heading over to their boat where two others waited with eager eyes. 

Mackenzie decided to follow them. She decided to follow them to the boat. There was something about them that made her forget about keeping up her reputation and just feel free and alive. Besides, there was a stronger reason than a 'motel key' that lead them here and she wanted in on it.