Alone Together • JJ Maybank

One.

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The squawking of seagulls outside my bedroom window startled me awake the next morning. After 10 years of living inland, I was going to have to get used to this sound again. I stretched over, reaching for my phone on the table beside me. 05:32 flashed up at me after I aimlessly hit the screen.

The sun was starting to shine through the yellow polyester curtains as it began to rise in the sky. I grabbed a sweatshirt from an open bag on the floor, throwing it over my head as I quietly walked to the kitchen, careful not to wake Nana so early. My mind felt like it was running at a hundred miles an hour, but also stuck on zero as I stared absentmindedly at the coffee pot brewing. Pouring myself a mug, I slid open the back door and made my way down to the end of the shared dock between Nana's and the Routledge house.

This place was peaceful, and exactly what I needed right now after a hectic few weeks. It's crazy how you can be surrounded by so many people but feel so alone at the same time. All those forced-sympathetic smiles, nosy neighbors dropping off pre-cooked dinners and class-mates who barely spoke to me before, dropping by to pay their respects just felt fake to me.

Being back here felt right, though. I felt closer to them both somehow. Closer to the truth.

"You're up early." The unexpected voice surprised me. I turned to see John B walking towards me, seeing him more clearly now in the daylight compared to last night. It made me smile at how much he had grown and changed in 10 years, but how he was still so recognizable as the boy I would play on the boats with after Kindergarten.

"Seagulls. I forgot about those loud bastards." He chuckled at my reply as he sat down beside me, settling into a comfortable silence for a few moments. "I'm sorry about your dad by the way." I spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the peace around us. "Mom was really cut up about it. How long has it been now?"

I looked over at him, catching him as he looked away from me and out to the water. "8 months." He replied. "Some fucked up lives we're both living right now, huh?" I let out a small laugh in response, watching as a smile broke out on his face too. "Well, I'm glad your back, Scabby." He nudged his shoulder as I scoffed at the childish nickname he knew I always hated.

"I'm going for a morning fish with the guys now if you want to join?" He asked as he stood up. I looked up at him, slightly blinded by the sunrise reflecting from the water, as I considered the invite.

"Maybe another time. I probably shouldn't ditch Nana on my first morning here. Tracking down a runaway teenager isn't exactly what she had planned at 63 years old." John B nodded in understanding as he held out his hand to help me stand too.

"She's used to having us causing havoc next door, she's probably expecting the worst." He laughed as we walked back down the dock towards our houses, stopping at Nana's back door.

"Yo! John B. When was the last time you went shopping, man? The chips are stale and there's definitely something growing in that fridge." I looked to where the voice came from, seeing a disheveled looking blonde boy standing topless, hanging off of John B's porch and I couldn't help but laugh. His eyes went wide when they spotted me before a big grin grew on his face. "Nice! You work quick, bro!"