I sat at on the roof of the unfinished house with my legs straddled over the ridge. I had pushed my long blonde hair behind my shoulders as I sat in a black bikini top and shorts, using my dark brown eyes to look at my friend balancing off the edge of the roof in front of me with a beer in his hand. John Booker Routledge. We call him John B. I'm the closest thing he has to a sister. I'm the closest thing he has to any family right now. You see, John B's dad went missing at sea nine months ago and as much as he tries to tell us, I don't think he's quite over it.
"That's what, a three story fall to the deck?" Pope asked the boy. I looked over at the boy looking up from below. He was my best friend and he was probably the person I could trust the most out of my friends. I could tell him anything. "I give you about a one in three chance of survival."
"Should I do it?" John B asked him.
"Please do." I smiled. "I can give you a boost."
"I'll shoot you on the way down." Pope told him as he held a nail gun up and aimed at the boy.
"You'll shoot me?" John B questioned.
"Pope, put that thing down before you hurt yourself." I said.
"Pew, pew." Pope then mimicked as he placed the nail gun down on the side.
I then started to climb down the roof before sliding onto the scaffolding below and sitting on it beside JJ. I couldn't lie, I was attracted to JJ and we've shared a few moments in the past few weeks but as Pogues, there are rules we have to follow. He was a good friend and I didn't want to do anything that could jeopardise that. "Hey, that's mine!" The boy exclaimed as I picked up his beer and began to drink from it.
"And I don't care." I grinned. "I finished mine and you said you weren't giving me another one."
"Fine, just take one." The boy sighed as he handed me the pack. I smiled and took them from him before thanking him and helping myself to a new beer.
"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers." Kiara said as she walked out of the house. She's the only other girl within our circle. We call her Kie. She's also the one person I can talk to about girl things because Pope, he wouldn't understand.
"Of course they are. Why wouldn't they?" JJ asked her.
"You're kidding." I said. "This used to be a turtle habitat."
"Who cares about the turtles, I guess?" Kie asked.
"I can't have cold towels." JJ announced.
"Nobody asked you." I told him as Kiara looked up at John B who was still balancing on the roof.
"Can you please not kill yourself?" She questioned.
"Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one." JJ added.
"Woah! Oh, shit." John B then exclaimed as he lost his balanced, regained it and dropped the beer on the deck.
"Of course you did. Right when I told you not to." JJ sighed.
"You can have mine." I called as I put my beer down in front of me. "I changed my mind. I don't want it."
"What? But that's such a waste." JJ then complained.
"Hey, uh, security's here. Let's wrap it up." Pope then told us.
"Boys are early today." JJ said as he climbed to his feet before helping me up.
"Where's my shirt?" I questioned.
"Come on, Ali." John B told me as he climbed off the roof with my shirt in his hand before walking off in front.
"Gary, is that you?" JJ questioned.
"You know it's me." The security man replied as I ran into the house behind Kiara.
We ran around laughing and shouting as we dodged both the security men and when we got outside, I jumped the fence before followed John B and Kiara into the van. John B soon began driving and he honked the horn as we waited for Pope and JJ to catch up. "Bus is leaving!" John B shouted.
"Come on, boys!" Kiara added before they both jumped in.
We drove off with the back door open and I panted as I caught my breath. "Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Gary shouted as he started to run after us.
"Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise." Pope told us.
"Come on, Gary!" JJ shouted as he stuck his head out of the door. "Slow down, slow down." John B did as he said and I couldn't help but smile.
"You're gonna give him a heart attack." Kie said.
"You're so close! You can do it. There you go." JJ shouted before throwing a beer over to man who soon stopped running. "They don't pay you enough, bro."
"JJ, stop. Stop."
"Oh, come on." He sighed. "That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished."
"Just shut the door." I told him as I bit my lip.
"You're you no fun." The boy told me, sarcastically as he pulled the door shut.
"Alissa?" John B asked from the front seat. "Here's your shirt."
John B threw my top into the back and as I reached for it, JJ grabbed it. "I don't know, I kind of like the whole topless thing." He said with a huge smile on his face. I scoffed and snatched my shirt from him before pulling it over my head.
"You're such a pig." I told him.
"But you love me really?" He grinned. I shook my head and smiled.
"No, I don't think I do." I said.
"Yeah, you do." The blonde told me before wrapping his arms around and pulling me down to the floor of the van. I couldn't help but laugh and when I asked pope and Kiara for help, they joined in. This was my family and I didn't want to spend this summer with anybody else.
***
"You're crazy." I told John B as I followed him and Pope to the beach with my surfboard under my arm . We had just received the warning for hurricane Agatha and it had already started to rain and grow windy. "You actually have a death wish."
"It's a double overhead out there, bro." Pope said.
"No surfing due to hurricane." I read off a sign that had been pinned to the gate.
"Yeah, those aren't surfable waves."
"Who says?" John B asked as he started to run down the beach with a smile on his face. I watched as he ran into the water before jumping onto his board and pushing himself further out as I heard thunder.
"Screw it." I smiled as started to follow him.
"If you do this you're just as stupid as he is!" Pope shouted but I was already in the water.
I caught a few waves before I finally plummeted into the ocean and I climbed back on my board with my legs straddled over it before using my arms to get to John B who was staring out into open water. "What is it?" I asked him.
"Nothing, I thought I saw a boat." He told me.
"Who would be stupid enough to go out in a boat when a hurricane's about to hit?"
"Who would be stupid enough to surf when a hurricane's about to hit?" John B asked with a smile on his face.
"Touché." I said before pausing briefly. "We should get back before we drown... Plus I need to call my mom in case we lose power."
"Race you to the beach?" John B questioned as he started to paddle his arms.
"Hey! That's cheating!" I exclaimed as I followed him.
It took me a while to get back to the beach because of the waves that kept crashing into but when I finally got there, John B stood there looking smug with his surfboard in his hand. Pope wasn't there so I just assumed he had gone home. "I win." The boy told me as we began walking.
"You cheated." I said.
"Hey, I didn't made the rules."
"You still cheated." I smiled.
I guess I should tell you something about my family. My mom is in the military and she is currently stationed in Afghanistan. I usually don't see her for months at a time and we call each other at least twice a week. My dad is a whole new story. I guess he cheated on his wife with my mother and he had me. I haven't told anybody that. The only people that know are his kids and his wife, Rose. My dad also happens to be a Kook, I guess that's why I haven't told my friends. Anyway, we see each other around a lot because it's a small island but he never talks to me outside of his house where I usually have lunch once a month. As for his kids, my brother and sisters, they don't like me so much.
At the moment I'm living with John B. I've lived there for almost three years now after my mom sold our house. She tried to move us to Texas when she was being transferred there, but, Big John stepped up and took me in. He's been more of a father to me in three years than my own dad has my whole life and I miss him. I miss him a lot.
***
I woke up the day after the hurricane on the sofa bed beside JJ who was lying on his front shirtless. "Anyone been outside?" John B asked as he walked into the room.
"I have polio, bro. I can't walk." The other claimed as John B made his way outside.
"Get up." I said as I hit JJ with a pillow on the back off the head.
"Okay, okay. I'm up." He told me as he sat himself up. I nodded and walked out into the porch before looking at the area around us.
The tree outside the chateau has fallen and branches were everywhere. The internet was also down and there was no cell service which meant I couldn't let my mom know I was alright. "Agatha did some work, huh?" JJ asked as he walked out of the house and stood beside me.
"Yeah, she did." John B sighed as he began to clear branches from the HMS Pogue. I took a deep breath and sighed as JJ burped.
"That's disgusting." I told him before we both started walking over to John B.
"What you thinking?" JJ asked him.
"I'm thinking that storm surge pushed all the crabs out onto the marsh maze. All those drum are gonna chase the crab." John B said.
"What about DCS?" I questioned.
"Yeah, wasn't that today?" JJ added.
"Nah, they're not gettin' on a ferry." The other boy smiled. "Come on, think about it. It's god telling us to fish."
I groaned as I began making my way back to the chateau. "What's wrong with you?" JJ questioned.
"I hate fishing." I told him.
"Since when?"
"Yeah, since when?" John B asked.
"I've always hated fishing." I sighed as I walked inside to get dressed.
***
"That's kind of a smugglers boat." JJ told John B as we made our way through the marsh. I was sitting down at the front of the boat wearing blue denim shorts and a white crop top.
"Uh, good morning." John B said as he waved.
"Sure hope Guffy's boat didn't sink." JJ said. "He doesn't have insurance."
"Hi, Miss Amy. You guys get through it?"
"Still here." The woman replied.
"She totally looked at me." JJ claimed.
"I saw it." John B agreed. I sighed and looked out at the water to find pieces of boats floating in the water. Other boats were half sunken or had hit each other.
"Look at this place." I frowned.
"Agatha, what did you do?" JJ questioned.
"She is a crazy lady." John B added.
"We're gonna be cleaning this all summer."
"That is my nightmare."
"There he is." I smiled as we pulled up to a dock where Pope was standing with a hose in his hand.
"We have a safety meeting. Attendance mandatory." John B told him.
"I can't. My pop's got me on lockdown." Pope frowned.
"Come on, man." JJ sighed.
"I'm being forced to go fishing." I added. "You have to come."
"Your dad's a pussy. Over." JJ said as mimicked a static.
"Oh, I heard that, you little bastard." Heyward told him as the man walked out from behind his son.
"We need your son." John B announced.
"Yeah, and island rules. Day after hurricane's a free day." JJ said.
"Who made that up?" The man asked.
"Uh... pentagon, I think. We have security clearance. I have a card."
"Pope, come on." I sighed.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Heyward questioned.
"Dad. I'll do it tomorrow. I promise. Tomorrow." Pope spoke up.
"No, no. No. You doin' it right now."
"Get it the boat." John B whispered.
"Make a run for it." JJ shouted.
Pope then dropped the hose and I couldn't help but laugh. "Boy, if you get in that boat-" Heyward began but it was too late. Pope jumped into the boat.
"How does that feel?" JJ asked him with a smile on his face as John B started to drive the boat away.
"I promise I'll do it tomorrow, dad." Pope shouted back to his dad.
"When you get back, you're gonna clean shrimp, your gonna clean fish. You'll clean your dirty ass room."
"Love you, pops."
"We'll bring him back in one piece!" John B shouted before we made our way to pick up Kiara.
***
"Oh, top of the mornin' to ya." JJ smiled as Kiara approached the boat.
"Good morning, boys." She grinned. "Ali."
"Whatcha got? You got some juice boxes?" Pope asked her when he noticed the cool box in her hand.
"You know, just some yogurts and some carrot sticks."
"How about my kind of juice box?" JJ asked her as he held out his hand to help her climb onto the boat.
"Yeah." She grinned as she sat next me.
We began making our way through the marsh maze and me and Kie sat at the back of the boat in nothing but our swimsuits on as we sunbathed and drank some of the beer that she had brought with her. "Bet you can't do this." JJ said as he stood up and made his way to the front of the boat before climbing up it with a beer in his hand. "Let me show you a party trick. Pope, can you go a little faster please?"
"Oh god. Here we go." John B sighed as he sat beside me. "It doesn't work. We've tried this like six thousand times."
"I got this. It's gonna work." JJ claimed as Pope sped the boat up and JJ tipped the beer bottle up away from his face and opened his mouth in hope that it would enter his mouth smoothly.
"I might push him." I told John B. "Should I push him?"
"Oh, my god. You're getting beer in my hair." Kie complained.
"Alright, your done." John B told him.
"Yeah, stop." Pope added before the miter rattled and the boat was shaken around.
JJ was thrown off of the edge of the boat and the rest of us were banged into the sides. I groaned in pained as I took a deep breath and sat myself up when it had stopped. "That's gonna bruise." I sighed.
"Jesus, Pope!" Kiara exclaimed.
"You okay, JJ?" John B asked the boy who came up to the surface of the water.
"I think my heels touched the back of my head." He complained.
"Kie, you okay?"
"I'm alright." She said.
"Ali?"
"I'm fine." I told him.
"Pope, what did you do?" JJ questioned.
"Sandbar. The channel changed." Pope explained.
"No shit." JJ sighed as he began to swim towards the boat.
"Ugh, this is probably gonna mess this whole place up." John B sighed.
"Hey, I saved the beer, though."
"Congrats, JJ."
I stretched my arms as I stood up and I frowned when I saw the look on Pope's face. "Hey, what is it?" I asked him.
"I think there's a boat down there." He told me.
"What?" John B questioned.
"No way." Kie said. I took a deep breath and looked down into the water where Pope was looking to see it.
"He's not joking." I told them. "There's a boat down there."
John B and Kiara looked over the edge before John B started to pull off his shirt. "Holy, shit." Kie explained. "Let's go."
"Do you think there's a dead body down there?" Pope questioned.
"Only one way to find out." I told him before jumping down into the water behind John B. Seconds later, Kiara was also in the water.
"Guys, wait up!" Pope told us as he took off his shirt.
"Get your ass in here!" JJ shouted before Pope jumped into the water and we all swam down to look at the boat.