NICKNAMES [1], jj maybank

CHAPTER 2

I immediately panic because I'm terrified that they won't fit and then I won't recover from them not fitting for weeks. "No, no—" My hands shake in front of me "—I can just leave with these. Can I borrow a hoodie though?" These shorts are better than another fight in my own brain.

I look between both the boys. They have a concerned look on their faces making my facial expression match theirs. "A hoodie?" John B scoffs.

"You realize it is September in North Carolina right?" JJ has his hands on his hips. JB looks at him and copies him. Now they're just being assholes.

"It's so I can use the oversized sleeves to choke myself out while y'all are in the water," The words come out of my mouth excitedly. I hop off the couch.

I don't remember taking off my sneakers but I guess Kie or Pope did it when I fell asleep last night because the cold wood went through my socks. Their faces contort into being even more concerned. "I'm kidding," I smile. John B slightly shakes his head at me, "No, no. I don't think you are. Which is the more scary part. JJ, go get her a suicide hoodie."

JJ put his hand into a salute position and walks into the room he puts his shit in. Which leaves JB and I. It's not awkward but I know he wants to talk about last night.

  "If you're going to ask, do it now while JJ is shuffling around for a hoodie."

"Did Adrien invite you last night?"

I instinctively bite my lip and look down at the floor. "Yeah, you look guilty," JB sighs.

I lift my head back up, "He isn't that bad when you relax with him."

His eyes widen and he takes his hat off after being so flabbergasted at my statement. "Relax? His relaxation is doing coke and then manipulating you." I roll my eyes. John B is so dramatic. "Well, he did invite me. So it was an Adrien thing but he ditched me 10 minutes in. I wasn't alone, I had a friend."

Damnit, I shouldn't have said the last part. John B ruffles his hair and placed his hat on his head, "Who was the friend?"

I open my mouth but as soon as I want to say something—a hoodie smacks me in the face. It's a plain black hoodie that just hay a faded Outerbanks across it. "Thanks, asshole," I throw the hoodie over my body. It smells like the cologne that engulfed me earlier.

"Shoes. Boat. Beer," JJ points at my sneakers, the boat and the beer in his best friend's hands. "Stop rushing me asshole. I'll take the weed you owe me." I pretend to be annoyed with JJ while listening to him and of course he pointed that out. "You're still slipping on your sneakers though. Guess I win," He shrugs his shoulders and I jump at him as if I was going to fight him.

JJ throws up his hands, "Oh, I'm so scared!" I stick my tongue out at him and in return—he sticks his finger out. I grab my phone from the table from the night before and follow the two boys to the boat where Kie and Pope reside. "Slow pokes!" Kie yells.

"Sam's fault!" JJ yells back. "Well, no one woke me up earlier," I defend myself.

Here comes the worst part, I've done it my whole life. The simple two steps into the boat but the gap between the water and the dock gave me anxiety, why? You may ask.

I was pushed in by Amelia. Before I moved into my mom's Kook best friend's house, Amelia's fancy house was the only Kook house I knew. We decided to sneak out as little 11 year old girls did and as I stepped over to the boat the gap was too big to do quickly so—she got impatient and pushed me.