underwater || outer banks- jj maybank

eighteen - distractions

eighteen - distractions 

 Layla had gotten a call from a slightly freaked out John B around 11 in the morning. Apparently, Sheriff Peterkin showed up in his home when he woke up in the morning. He asked that she came over since the sheriff was threatening foster care.

 After she was reassured JJ wasn't there, Layla headed over by herself. Kie and Pope had left the night previous after realizing Layla wanted to be alone. She wore a white hoddie and some gray athletic shorts, heading over with her slip-on shoes on her feet. She arrived quickly, letting herself into the home.

 John B sat with a beer in this palm, his back slouched as he sat in the chair. His first instinct wasn't to apologize for the role he played in enabling JJ, but rather to sulk in his own current misery. "She said that if we don't stay out of the marsh, she's going to send me to foster care."

 Layla scoffed, her arms falling over her shoulders. "That means that there's something down there, John B. Something bigger than low-life Scooter Grubbs. You know it." 

 He inhaled, looking up at her. He had just noticed her puffy red eyes for the first time. "I'm, uh...Sorry." That was all he could manage to get out. He contemplated attempting to explain his actions, but he knew there was no way to justify the role he played in the act that JJ committed. All he could do now was ask for forgiveness. Layla took a sharp breath, nodding her head to him. She simply acknowledged the apology, leaving it at that. "I just...what if she isn't bluffing?"

 "You think I'm letting you go to foster care, John B?" Layla questioned, glancing down at him with her arms still crossed over her chest. Her keys dangled from her hand. 

 "Layla-"

 "Shut up," she fired, shaking her head. "You'd come to stay with me way before foster care was even a thought so shut up." Her words were genuine; she'd ensure the boy had a place to stay at her grandmother's home before John B was sent to live in some strange city inland. Her and Flora had already spoken about it after Big John went missing and his uncle disappeared similarly (the only difference being that Uncle Teddy went MIA on his own recognizance).

 He simply nodded, glancing up at the clock on his wall. "You're more than welcome here, Lay, but JJ is coming in about twenty minutes." Her head glanced up to the clock on the wall, noting the time. 

 She then returned to John B, her features flashing a small smile. "It'll be okay, John B. Promise." Layla turned before John B could say another word, her keys jingling in her hand as she exited the home. He simply watched her walk away, biting the inside of his cheek. 

 In all honestly, all he felt was guilt.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

 Upon leaving the home, Layla elected that the best plan for the day was to go do something. While she wasn't exactly sure what activities she could do individually, she elected on going home to gather her belongings and go surfing.

 This plan was skewed slightly when she found two people at the small strip of beach she frequented. She decided this was something she could work around until she realized that those two individuals were Rafe Cameron, and one of his closest friends, Kelce. She decided that if she kept her distance, the two inhabiting the beach wouldn't be an issue.

 She had thought wrong, as Rafe called out to her as she walked through the sand with her board in tow. "Yo, Arden!" he called, his glance on the girl with two French braids in her hair and an oversized t-shirt covering her body and swimsuit. 

 She took a deep breath, turning to the boys who sat shirtless in only sunglasses and swimshorts on large towels. She stood about five yards away from the pair. "Yeah?" she hollered back, her tone expressing she had no interest. Her board was tucked tightly under her arm, Layla propping it up slightly on her hip.

"Want a beer?" he called back over the waves and slight wind. Her eyebrows pulled together at his offer. While she had never had any altercations with him, they had never been overly-friendly towards each other. "For real." It was like he could sense her doubt.

 Overall, Layla was in a shitty mood. So she decided to take him up on his offer. She walked over with her board, her towel draped loosely around her neck. After she was about five feet from them, she dropped her board on to the sand. She then pulled her towel from her shoulders, laying it out in front of the two. Her back faced the sun, the girl sitting with her legs crossed. 

 Rafe took a closed beer, bringing it up to the other hand. Using the ring on his finger, he popped the cap off. He then extended the drink to her, Layla taking it from him and mumbling a thank you. He then picked his drink up, the three individuals tapping the bottles together. After they all took a sip, Rafe turned to her. "Heard Maybank cheated on you."

 Annoyance surged inside of her, as she took another sip of her drink. This was the Rafe she was used to. "Heard you can't pay for all the coke you do." Both of their words were founded in truth, even if Layla hit just a bit lower than Rafe did; he was mentioning someone else's actions, while she was attacking his own. 

 "That's fair," he admitted, shrugging with a slight smugness on his face. "But hey, you ever want to talk to a real guy, you know where to find me." He held a smirk.

 She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Rafe." He shrugged again, Layla taking another drink. It didn't matter if the company was Rafe and Kelce.

 She needed the distraction. 

 ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───