ROOFTOP - JJ MAYBANK ✓

❂ TEN (UNEDITED)

"Competition?" Kiara asked, stopping the ball with the wrong part of her foot before she kicked it back towards Athena's general direction. The ball landed a few feet away from her.

"Surfing," Athena explained as she moved closer to the ball. "I only placed third, though."

JJ laughed from the dock. Athena said third as if it were a bad thing. As if she didn't do absolutely amazing. In reality, she probably deserved first, but he and she had actually had this discussion before. Athena was surfing this competition in a heat with girls not only twice her size (but that was given because she wasn't the tallest girl in the bunch.) No, the girls were also two years older than her. She had been surfing up two entire years. Maybe it doesn't seem like a lot, but it makes all the difference.

"What's so funny?" Kiara asked, finally stopping the ball for good and sitting on the edge of the grass, motioning Athena to follow. They let their legs dangle over the wooden dock, looking down at the boy who sat cross-legged with his rope.

"It's funny because she's not telling you the whole story," he informed her. JJ quickly swiveled his head back toward the water, spotting Pope about ninety seconds out. He stood up, waving his arms above his head. "Ahoy!"

"I was with people older than me. Big deal?" Athena dragged, ignoring her boyfriend, who was now making a strange squawking noise and mooning Pope.

"You got third, Athena. You were barely fourteen years old and going against sixteen and seventeen-year-olds." JJ smiled up at her, obviously proud, but Athena just laughed him off.  Considering his ass was now out, it was a very difficult task for her.

"Okay, whatever. Let's help Pope tie off."

They listened to her without protest. Kiara jumped off the grass in her backyard and landing on the dock, rocking it back and forth in. JJ pulled his waistband back up and helped Athena down as Pope pulled in smoothly and just about five minutes later, he was off the boat and they were ready to go.

"Up for some paddle boarding?" Kiara asked as she tugged off her shorts, throwing them on the boat's stern. They landed in direct sunlight, crumpled in a ball.

"Always," Athena said with a smile.

Her shirt had been off a while already and was lying somewhere near Kiara's pool on a wicker chair. Athena claimed it was because she needed to even out her tan, but in reality, it was just way too fucking hot to leave on much longer. Her hair was twisted into two braids that fell to either side of her head, her bangs flopping down just above her eyes.

"Good," Kiara laughed as she jumped off the dock.

JJ and Pope looked at each other and then all the way over to Kiara's back porch where the boards and paddles sat by themselves.

"What are you waiting for?" Athena asked, getting ready to dive after Kiara. "Go get them!"

"Not it!" JJ yelled. "I'm fucking jumping in with my clothes on, move." JJ shoved Pope out of the way and did exactly what he promised; jumped in with his cargo shorts and a tee shirt, which instantly began see-through. His hat was tossed off to the side before he jumped and his shoes were already sitting by the pool next to Athena's shirt. She squealed as her boyfriend landed right next to her, splashing her refreshingly.