𝑨𝑫𝑹𝑰𝑭𝑻, jj maybank

FOUR - guns a blazin'

FOUR —— guns a blazin'

Waves crashed against the empty shoreline of the Boneyard in a familiar, rhythmic pattern. Bee and her friends stepped through the sand and climbed over washed-up, sun-bleached logs, the sun clawing against their shoulders and the sand sneaking into their shoes. Finally, they reached the middle of the Boneyard, where they'd be setting up for the party under the dying sun's rays. Bee had managed to sweet talk herself a keg from her older brother, and word of the party got around quickly, spreading like wildfire within the Cut. Keggers in the Boneyard knew no boundaries, so the kids in Figure Eight soon caught wind of it, too.

After JJ and John B had set down the heavy keg, Bee attached the nozzle and began distributing Solo cups of beer to her friends. John B opened his mouth, signalling for Bee to pour the beer directly in, like a fountain. Instead, she let some spray against his face, careful to not waste too much of the alcohol. A loud laugh escaped everyone's lips when John B jerked away in surprise. After wiping the beer away from his eyes, he jumped toward Bee and tackled her away from the nozzle.

"I'll spray you back, swear to God," John B threatened, a wide grin on his face as Bee writhed out of his grip.

"You wouldn't," she said, then leapt behind JJ in fear when John B lunged closer. Her chest bubbled with laughter. "I stand corrected."

"Guys, don't waste it," Pope warned, taking the nozzle from John B. "Otherwise I pitched in for literally no reason because I'm not even gonna have any."

"Seriously, though, don't waste any more," Kie agreed, holding a cup out to Bee, who finally stepped away from behind JJ and accepted the drink, playfully eyeing John B.

Soon enough, the Boneyard was full of Pogues and Kooks alike, all having a good time. Tourists—or Tourons, as the Pogues liked to call them—typically arrived a little later than the rest, the news taking longer to reach them. As soon as a few arrived, Bee was on the lookout for a cute new boy to flirt with.

She was on keg duty for a while, everyone else having already found a Touron to shoot their shot with. A light, evening breeze rustled Bee's hair and danced across her exposed skin, but it was refreshing compared to the intense heat they'd been exposed to earlier that day. Bee watched her friends mingle with their Touron of choice for the night and couldn't help but roll her eyes when she saw two girls latched onto JJ. She wasn't surprised, though, because that was just how JJ rolled; he found a new Touron every week to spend his nights with.

"Hey," someone said from behind Bee.

His voice was unfamiliar, so she turned around to see a tall, dark-haired boy. He had a friendly smile on his face and his coffee-hued eyes were as welcoming to Bee as the ocean. A hint of shyness hid behind his confidence, though. Bee found it endearing.

She grinned up at him. "Hey!"

Mystery boy stepped closer. His hands were in his pockets, but he took one out to run his fingers over his hair. "I'm Milo."