Sailor (1) | JJ Maybank UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Pogue Style

Two weeks after she arrived, Bailee was having the time of her life with her new friends. Her feet dangled over the ledge of a nearly built house as she lay on the railing with a beer in hand. It was warm and twangy, almost undrinkable compared to her preferred seltzer or shot, but it was free courtesy of Kiara, so she chose not to complain - it was her turn to supply the next one, anyway.

Bailee was snapped out of her thoughts by Pope's conversation with JJ, just in time to watch and roll her eyes at JJ taking the beer out of her hands and stealing a long swing before winking at the sun-kissed girl. She turned with a giggle to see Kiara in the house.

"That's what, a three-story fall to the deck? I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival." Pope looked between John B and Bailee, both too close to falling off for his liking.

"Hm." John B stuck his finger in his mouth before pretending to test the wind. "Should I do it?"

"I'll do it if you do; I've got an ocean under me," Bailee replied before taking another drink of the canned beer, gagging a bit in disgust before taking another sip. "You've just got cold hardwood."

"You know if you don't like the beer, you don't have to drink it," JJ says pointedly to Bailee. "Just leaves more for me."

"Shut up, thief."

"Yeah, you should jump! I'll shoot you on the way down." Pope pointed the drill he held at John B. "And JJ would probably die if you did, so..."

Bailee shook her head, "He'd crash and burn without me, Pope. Wouldn't you, Jay?" She winked before jumping off the railing onto the scaffolding and placing her beer on the sanded piece of wood beside her.

"Of course I would, babe." He said with a wink while walking behind her, his hand brushing the small of her back to let her know he was there.

JJ had always been a physical being with Bailee, but it hadn't made her cheeks turn a rosier shade of pink than usual until this summer. She tried chalking it up to heat exhaustion or dehydration the first few times it happened, but after Bailee almost dropped her keys when he placed his hand on her thigh at the bonfire the other day - she finally allowed herself a second to think about him as more than a best friend.

The thought was quickly discarded, of course. It was impossible for Bailee to like JJ.

"Can you please not kill yourself?" Kie looked up at John B on the roof.

"Don't spill that beer! I'm not giving you another one." JJ squinted at the boy before placing an arm around Bailee's shoulder and putting his hand where the stick-n-poke he had given her was.

"Woah- Oh, shit." John B lost his balance as the beer flew down and spilled onto the floor.

"Of course you did, like right after I said it."

"If you die, I call all of your tropical shirts."

"Smooth."

"Dumbass."

Pope looked at the ground while others insulted John B's balancing skills. "Hey, uh, security's here. Let's wrap it up?"

"Let's rock n' roll!" Bailee yelled as the five took off in a sprint in between the freshly cut wood and the uncovered metal beams. They duck and dodge the men in uniform as best they can, Bailee tossing John B the keys to the Twinkie she had in her pocket before narrowly escaping Officer Gary's grab.

"Gary! I missed you, buddy!" JJ laughed as he jumped down from above. "Is that you?"

"You know it's me!" The officer yelled from below, a tad out of breath from chasing Bailee. "Get back here!"