Chasing Sunshine | JJ Maybank

1 // Pilot

I watched the water ripple softly underneath my free-hanging feet, letting the early morning breeze tickle the wisps of hair that escaped the loose bun I threw my hair up in after waking up. The first crowns of sunlight were popping up over the harbor, bathing everything in a hazy golden glow that I never got tired of watching. You didn't really get sunrises like this in the city; the sky was always punctuated with skyscrapers or clouded over with smog. I guess you never know how much you miss something until it's gone. Cheesy line, but true enough.

"That's what, a three story fall to the deck?" Pope called out, causing me to turn around from my contemplative musings. John B was perched precariously at the apex of the newly-finished roof, lifting one foot from its surface like the world's most inexperienced tightrope walker. Not to mention the beer can clutched in one hand. "I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival."

Pope twisted and pointed towards me for approval. "I would have to concur," I shouted up at him, bringing one hand up to shield my eyes from the radiating sunlight.

"Should I do it?" John B asked, licking one finger and holding it out to test the strength of the wind coming off the water.

"I really wish you wouldn't!"

"Yeah jump," Pope replied over my mild protestations, aiming the nail gun he'd found among the construction equipment at the self-proclaimed daredevil above us, "I'll shoot you on the way down."

"Oh, you'll shoot me?"

"Why do I even bother?" I mumbled aloud to myself, twisting around fully to stand up and stretch out my stiffening muscles. John B winked at my annoyance, long brown hair falling in front of his face as the wind continued to blow through it. Walking over to where JJ sat sipping his own beer against a wooden beam, I nudged him with my foot.

"Scooch."

"Smooch?" he asked cheekily, pursing his lips together and squeezing his eyes shut. "Only if you ask nicely Sunshine." I pushed my palm to his face, pushing him backwards, until he caught himself with his hands and moved over so I could sit down beside him. I grabbed his backpack from its place propped up behind us and started rooting around inside.

"Did you bring anything other than beer?" I inquired, starting to feel a caffeine-withdrawal headache creeping through my skull. He shifted backwards a little so he could dig into one of the pockets on his cargo shorts, pulling out a can of cherry Pepsi and holding it out to me gracefully.

"For you, m'lady."

"Oh gross, I don't know where those have been," I groaned, but took it from him anyway. I made sure to wipe the hem of my tank across the rim a few times, like that would make a significant difference against any of the JJ cooties still lingering on it, and pulled the tab back with one finger. I had just taken a generous sip when Kiara came back to join us from her explorations inside the half-finished house.

"They're going to have Japanese toilets with towel warmers...this used to be a turtle habitat," she lamented, moving to stand in the middle of the deck. "But who cares about the turtles, I guess?"

"Well Kie, not rich Kooks who can afford not to care about our diminishing biodiversity-" I started to preach from my soapbox, only to be cut off by the three boys' groans. Pope held the nail gun pointed towards me now and I rolled my eyes, sticking my tongue out at him. John B had now caught Kiara's attention and she squinted up at him.

"Can you please not kill yourself?"

"Yeah and don't spill that beer! I'm not giving you another one," JJ shouted up at him too. But then he looked over at me, nudging the last can in my direction as an offer. "That is unless Ms. Knollwood over here doesn't want her share."