Hot Summer Nights

Twelve. set the world on fire

They all exhaled in relief. "Dylan, you scared the shit out of us!" Kiara shouted at her.

Pope put a hand over his heart. "Don't do that!"

They heard her giggle from far away. "Sorry!"

"Come back here, water bug!" John B urged with his arm. "Crazy lady!"

She started to swim back. One thing about Dylan was she didn't get tired easily. She could stay in the water for hours. "Jesus," Pope muttered and shook his head.  "Anyway, this tether is, like, really long. In the wrong weather, it could get pushed around."

"Then we'll go at dead calm." John B declared.

That's when they heard thunder rumble. The sunny sky was beginning to dim with dark clouds. "I don't mean to alarm anyone, but it's thundering!" Dylan shouted when she swam closer to them.

"So now, we just gotta wake around for the right weather," Pope stated. "And today is not that day."

She finally joined them again and gripped the handles of the steps. Dylan pulled herself up and water dropped all over the dock. She inhaled and exhaled deeply.

JJ whistled. "You really are God's favorite, DJ."

She pushed his face with her hand. "You'll be joining him in a minute if you don't shut up."

Pope rolled his eyes and handed her towel. She took it and smiled at him. "Thank you." She started drying her curls.

He smiled back, forcing his eyes to stay on her face.

Dylan's parents were having a dinner at the country club and Braxton was with Wheezie, which meant she had nothing to do. After getting a call from Heyward and asking if she could help deliver groceries, she happily accepted. She rode her bike through the cut and met him by the boat.

"You boys get these groceries over to Figure Eight," Heyward started to say to the boys when Dylan arrived on her bike. "Get straight back here when you're done. No fishin." He turned around and smiled wide. "Dylan!"

Pope's eyes widened like saucers when she approached them, smiling like usual. "Dylan, what are you doing here?"

"I invited her," his father answered. He smiled at the girl again. "Thank you for coming, honey."

"Always a pleasure Mr. Heyward."

JJ held his hand out for her and helped her into the boat. Dylan started helping load in the groceries. "Rich folk don't wanna wait for you lazy sons of. . ." Heyward continued and paused when turned and saw JJ holding his arms out. "Oh, JJ, thank you. . . Sons of bitches."

Dylan giggled. "Don't worry, Mr. H. I'll keep them in line," she promised.

Heyward handed her a couple bags and smiled. "And that's why you're my favorite,  DJ."

She beamed and walked off the put the groceries with the rest. JJ patted Pope on the back. "Aww,  see, she's already good with the family,"

Pope glared at him. "I will throw you off this boat."

"Let's go boys!"

Pope started up the boat they began heading across the island to Figure Eight. Dylan sat in one of the chairs and rested her feet next to JJ's legs. "Doesn't even look like the storm hit there," he commented while looking at other side of the island.

"That's because they got generators, bro. Get used to it." JJ stated. "And then they saw the juice will be out all summer at the cut.

"It's nice to be a Kook."