vices/ obx

one. neighborhood-friendly gary

The cool touch of the barely sharp nails that Mer was touching in the toolbox next to Pope was the only thing she had her mind on. That and her best friend who was balancing with beer on the roof of a barely built house. JJ was sitting on a scaffolding watching along with the cooler of beers he was able to steal from some poor unknowing person.

"That's what, a three story fall to the deck?" John B asked from the top of the house. Mer looked up to him with the wind blowing through her hair. It was a sunny day, the humid air of North Carolina making the day unbearable but with the causal breeze breaking the air, made the day somewhat better. 

"I give you a one in three chance of survival," Pope, the realist, squinted against the sun.

"Why such little faith in our main man here, Pope?" Mer playfully questioned the teen who held a nail gun in his hands.

"Should I do it?"

"Yeah, jump. I'll shoot you on your way down," Pope raised the shiny tool and aimed at John B.

"You'll shoot me?" John B faux hurt and made a finger gun and aimed for Pope.

"Down goes Brainiac," Mer laughed as she watched Pope fake getting shot. John B turned to Mer and acted as if he shot her too.

"Oh, down goes Rose," JJ shouted from his place in the air. Mer turned to the boy and showed him the bird. "Ouch."

"Shut it, Maybank."

"They're gonna have Japanense toilets with towel warmers," Kiara announced as she walked out of the house. Mer turned to look at the girl.

"I heard that they have jets that go straight up your butt," JJ said as he throw an empty beer can at Mer. She turned to JJ who was already looking at her.

"I can't have cold towels Kie," Mer said as she flipped her hair in a rich way.

"This use to be a turtle habitat but who cares about the turtles, I guess?" Kie complained as she came to stand beside Mer.

"I care Kie," Mer put her hand on Kie's shoulder gently and grinned.

"Thank you Mer," Kie turned to see John B on the roof. "Can you please not kill yourself?"

"Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one," JJ told the boy.

"Oh shit," John B gasped as he dropped his beer can on the deck.

"Smooth."

"Of course you did! Like right when I told you not to."

"Nice."

"A-plus." The teens squinted up to John B who groaned at the lost of his beer. With the distraction of John B's beer, they all missed the sound of a car pulling up to the house.

"Hey, uh, security's here," Pope explained to the teens. Mer looked to Kie with an annoyed look.

"Boy's are here early," Kie said making her way towards their exit.

"Humpty dumpty, let's roll," JJ let out a whoop as he swung down from the scaffolding. "Gary is that you?"

"Holy shit. Gary? I missed you, man!" Mer laughed as she watched John B slide down the roof onto the scaffolding. Mer walked up to stand beside Kie as they watched their boys get ready to run.

"Let's go boys," Mer followed behind JJ as they ran through the house to the stairs. JJ slipped once reaching the bottom of the stairs and started to run. Mer reached out for his arm and pulled him back before he could be caught by a security guard.