growing in love - jj maybank

Ch 4. Dani to the Rescue.

It was the first day the island felt even the slightest bit of calm. Of course, there was still massive amounts of work to be done, clean up and temporary fixes, but it was Sunday, and Sunday meant rest. 

Dani walked along one of the island's poorer streets, slowly coming to an area that most resembled a town square. It likely was the closest thing to a square that the Cut had, with a few random shops and stops scattered about. 

Dani winced slightly at the sight, Agatha had come down hard. Windows were boarded, trees were ripped up, and small bits of trash and glass were evident in the cracks in the sidewalk. Fortunately, though, the little pharmacy was still kicking, powering through the devastation via generator.

Dani didn't really have a plan. She had been on a drive and parked her car along one of the empty side streets so she could walk along the square; the damage had piqued her interest. 

As she approached the small store, Dani saw John B standing by (yet another) fallen electric pole, staring after a cop car as it drove away. The girl cleared her mind of the internal monologue-in-a-music-video-scenario she had prepared for her walk, quickly jogging up to the curlyheaded teen.

"Hey! John B, is everything alright?" Dani stopped beside John B, directing her attention toward the fading red and blue lights. Apparently, her worry that something was wrong overpowered her typical rationale of: not my problem, don't approach. 

"Hmm? Oh, uh, yeah. Everything's fine. Just got some, uh, home repair and cleaning to do."

"Um, well, do you want some help? That seems like a daunting task to take on by yourself. I could at least give you a ride home? I'm not doing anything."

John B simply nodded in agreement, not fully listening to Dani's suggestion. Still, the boy said nothing as Dani led the way to her parked car. 

As Dani drove toward the Chateau, she was definitely nervous. She had only been to John B's house once, after a late night shift with Kiara, and even then, she only hung out for a few minutes. Plus, John B seemed incredibly bothered by whatever happened with the police. Obviously, Dani didn't know what trouble John B was getting into, nor would John B likely tell her, and she most definitely would never ask. The circumstances were beyond strange. 

Dani pulled into the driveway, biting the inside of her cheek gently as she waited for whatever was to come next. 

John B turned slightly in the passenger seat, a little more color in his cheeks. "Hey. Thanks for the ride. You don't have to help me."

"I mean, if you're sure. Really though, I'm not doing anything. I'm totally down to help." Dani smiled warmly at the teen beside her. "Admittedly, I'm probably not the best candidate to help with home renovations, but Aggie came down hard. So, if you need help, I am here to lend a hand."

"It's not... you know what, sure. It's a mess in there."

John B opened the car door suddenly, leaving Dani with nothing else. The girl took this as her cue to pull her keys from the ignition and slowly follow John B along the worn path to the front door. Everything the girl said was genuine; she really did want to help. Her determination was even enough to let the girl overlook the obvious spacey headspace and lack of trust radiating off John B. 

Dani started nibbling on the inside of her cheek as she walked into the Chateau, surveying the damage. The home was still standing, with no visible structural damage; however, papers and trash and miscellaneous objects were strewn everywhere, as if someone was desperately looking for something, not caring about the mess left in their wake. 

 "Where are your garbage bags?" Dani asked quietly, moving towards the kitchen and tampering down the itch to ask what happened.

"Under the sink." 

John B stared at the mess for about 30 seconds before he started picking up random litter. There was no rhyme or reason to his approach; the teen simply made a beeline toward the bigger objects: pizza boxes, clothes and blankets, loose paper, taking them outside to dispose of them.

Dani moved to pick up the smaller trash, the little bits of wrappers that seemed to always fly away. 

There was an exceptional number of beer cans on the floor, leaving Dani to grimace slightly, but the girl quickly rid her face of the indication that she had any opinion. It wasn't her place to judge. It was more of a certain dislike for beer anyway, not judgment of John B's decisions that clouded her eyes. 

As she continued to clean, Dani noticed a broken picture on the floor. She couldn't discern what was in the frame; it lay face down on the ground. Before the girl could reach for it, though, John B appeared from nowhere, picking up the broken wood and glass and spinning away. The teen walked to a counter still covered in miscellaneous shit, swiping his arm across it so the collection of trash fell to the floor like confetti. John B gently placed the broken picture atop the now-clean surface, simply moving on as if he hadn't done anything at all. 

Dani moved gracefully, demanding herself to be void of all inquiry and emotion. She sat down on her knees, picking up the trash, and believed it best to avoid John B as long as possible. Clearly, the teen was going through it, highly emotional. 

John B pushed through the porch door once again, flying down the back steps and allowing Dani to steal a glance through the window. She noted the pile of trash John B had taken outside, heaped together, likely to burn it. Dani didn't really think burning was ecologically a great idea, but obviously, the boy was feeling something, and she was not going to get in the way.

It was as if Dani willed the fire into existence. 

John B lit a match, throwing it gently on the pile. A look of instant dissatisfaction crossed his face, tensing his shoulders. 

The fire didn't catch quickly enough. The flames were too weak. 

John B bent down to grab a can of gasoline to accelerate the flames. 

Dani tilted her head slightly, silently hoping the Routledge boy wouldn't pour the gas, but ultimately left disappointed.

The girl continued to watch the teen as John B suddenly bent down to grab a stick, getting way too close to the fire and trying to retrieve something.

"You're going to hurt yourself, John B!" Dani shuffled to the screen door, surprising herself. Had she not just decided to stay out of it? Apparently, enough was enough. 

John B ignored Dani as she jogged down the back porch stairs, pulling whatever it was he wanted from the raging fire and stomping on it as he tried to put the flames out.

"What the hell? Normal people don't go digging stuff out of fires!" Dani hoped her panic would be enough to get John B away from the fire before he seriously injured himself. She stood several feet away, arms crossed tight across her chest. 

It was extremely uncomfortable for Dani to call John B out for his idiocy, but the boy was acting stupid. 

John B snapped his head around, leveling Dani with a strange look. "I really appreciate your help and concern, Dani, but I need to go now. So, now's probably a good time for you to leave as well."

"Um. So, uh... Just let me know if you need anything." Dani nodded once to herself, demeanor flipping instantly. The girl ran quickly back inside to grab her keys off the kitchen counter, not bothering to question John B's strange behavior. 

Dani left immediately, a mix of curiosity and anxiety burning even brighter within as she wondered what John B discovered.

--

What do you think? Are Dani and John B friends, or are they just acquaintances who happen to see each other weirdly often? I mean, I know Dani's all like, "no one's close to me," but it seems that she has more friends than she thinks...

<3 Lillian