"That's what, a three-story fall to the deck? I give you about a one in three chance of survival."
Rosie watched from her spot on the wooden railing of the deck of the under-construction house as John B waved his foot off the edge of the roof.
John B hummed in contemplation, "Should I do it?"
"Yeah, you should jump," Pope held up a drill as if it were a gun, "I'll shoot you on the way down."
"You're gonna shoot me?" John B held up his hands to form the shape of a gun.
"Yeah"
Rosie laughed at her friends' banter and took a sip from her half-empty can of beer. Before John B could do anything stupid, Kie sauntered out onto the deck.
"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers," she cried with a look of disgust.
"Of course they would, why wouldn't they?" JJ piped up from his spot on an elevated board. Kie continued ranting about turtle habitats, but was drowned out by JJ, "I can't have cold towels!"
Kie paused and gave John B, who was still teetering on the edge of the roof, a judging stare, "Can you please not kill yourself?"
"No no, let him. I believe in you, JB! Spread your wings and fly!" Rosie giggled, swinging her legs back and forth. John B shot her a devious grin.
"Don't spill that beer," JJ eyed his friend on the roof, "I'm not giving you another one."
As if on cue, John B nearly lost his balance and dropped the can of beer onto the deck below. The dark liquid spilled across the deck with a loud clatter, "Oh, shit."
"Of course you did."
"Smooth"
"Might as well jump now!"
"Dumbass"
John B groaned in distress as his friends laughed at him. He was saved from their torment by the screech of wheels against concrete.
"Hey!"
Rosie's eyes shot towards the driveway and widened upon spotting a familiar, plump security guard. She hopped off the railing just as Pope called out to the others, "Hey, uh, guys? Security's here!"
Pope, Rosie, Kie, and JJ all moved to clear out while John B lingered for a moment longer.
"Humpty Dumpy! Let's roll," JJ called out to grab his attention.
While the group of Pogues climbed down from their spots around the deck, JJ continuously taunted the security guard, Gary, drawing even more unnecessary attention.
"JJ, shut up," Rosie lightly shoved the blond to get him moving. "Let's go!"
The teenagers wove their way through the poles and wooden planks littered around the house, cheering the whole way. Rosie laughed as Pope nearly tripped over a pole. This time JJ shoved her to keep her moving.
The next 20 seconds were a shit show, to say the least. Sprinting full speed towards one exit, only to turn abruptly go to the next. Running into multiple security guards and escaping their clammy grip. Trying not to get caught, but also having fun doing so. The more the old men shouted after them, the more the teenagers laughed. They jumped one by one over a newly-constructed wooden fence. Rosie hauled up Pope, who fell face-first onto the grass.
John B's van pulled out into the street with perfect timing. JJ, Rosie, and Pope hopped into the large car one by one. They all cheered in victory once John B zoomed off, leaving the guards in the dust. But the moving van didn't discourage Gary the security guard, who continued to chase after them on foot.
"Check out Gary gunnin' for a raise," Pope laughed.
JJ stuck his head out of the door with a grin, "Come on Gary!"
"You're gonna give him a heart attack," Kie warned him, but couldn't contain her laughter.
JJ turned back to John B driving the car, "Hey slow down." The van slowed, allowing the old man to catch up, but not enough. "You're so close, you can do it!" JJ taunted him, and tossed him his empty beer can, "there you go!"
"Stop, JJ, Stop."
Kie yanked the blond boy back inside the van as she began to feel bad for the security guard.
"He's gonna go into cardiac arrest if you keep it up," Rosie added, sliding the side door of the van shut.
"Oh come on, that sort of initiative is just begging to be punished," JJ protested but let her close the door regardless.
Adrenaline still pumped through Rosie's veins. She subconsciously bounced in her seat in excitement. The teenagers fell into scattered conversation as John B drove through the Figure Eight. Rosie stared out the windows at the pristine white houses and matching boats. She often forgot that she had once lived the Kook life when her father was still around. It was so long ago now—nine years—that she tended to forget that part of her life ever existed. Slowly the white mansions morphed into wooden shacks and unmowed lawns.
The Cut. Her home.
"Where we goin'?" John B called out to his friends.
"The Wreck for me and Rosie," Kie replied.
Rosie sent her a soft smile. She was lucky to be working alongside one of her best friends, but Rosie knew that she'd have to start working full-time soon. The money she'd saved for the past few years was good for now, but certainly wouldn't last forever.
"Got it. Pope, JJ, how does touron-hunting sound?" John B glanced back at his guy friends with a devious grin.
"Perfect. They're just in season, too," JJ smirked, earning a slap in the gut from both Kie and Rosie.
"I mean, I don't have a choice, do I?" Pope laughed.
"Nope," JJ and John B spoke in unison just as the van pulled into Kie's dad's restaurant.
"And this is where we part ways," Kie slid the van door open and jumped out, quickly followed by Rosie.
"Don't do anything too stupid," Rosie added. She gave a pointed look to JJ, who raised his arms in surrender.
"Can't promise anything," JJ taunted before closing the car door again, effectively cutting them off. The beat-up van pulled out of the parking lot and drove off down the road—most likely towards the beach full of clueless tourists.
"Boys," Kie shook her head and laughed. The two girls entered the restaurant for their night shift.
The rather large restaurant was nearly empty apart from an old couple sitting in the far corner. But the peace and quiet didn't fool the two girls. 4:30 PM was the prime time to get ready for the dinner rush.
"You're late," Kie's dad peeked his head out from the kitchen with a glare. The teenagers made their way to the back of the shop and into the kitchen.
"Sorry, Mike, we completely lost track of time," Rosie put on her infamous puppy dog eyes. She grabbed her apron from the wall rack. "It won't happen again!"
Kie's dad scoffed, "Yeah. That's likely," he shook his head at the two. "Just finish up meal prep, and I might forget you were late."
As he walked to the table with the older couple, Kie turned to face her friend, "You are such a suck-up, Rosie. I don't understand how you do it."
"Years of practice with these babies," Rosie fluttered her eyes before widening them again to resemble those of a kicked puppy.
Kiara rolled hers, "Yeah, yeah. Might've worked this time, but they won't save us from my dad again if we don't start chopping tomatoes."
Rosie nodded in agreement and the teenagers set to work, chatting the entire time.
Dinner service went off without a hitch. Before anyone knew it, the last customers had exited the restaurant leaving the Carrera's and Rosie. As they got ready to close up, the previously boring news report on the TV suddenly became interesting.
"Hurricane Agatha is moving closer to the coastal Carolina's as we speak. Citizens are advised to take shelter and brace themselves for the storm. We'll likely see the worst of it tomorrow evening," the voice of the reporter reverberated throughout the restaurant. Rosie frowned and looked out the window to see that it was, in fact, raining.
"Well shit," Kie mumbled.
"That doesn't look good," Rosie added.
Kiara's dad redirected the teenagers' attention from the TV screen, "We're good to lock up now. Don't bother coming in tomorrow," he nodded his head from Rosie to the news report. "Do you need a ride home?"
Rosie gratefully accepted his offer to avoid a miserable walk through the rain. The rest of the night went by in the blink of an eye and before she knew it, Rosie was passed out face-first, still fully clothed, on her bed.
-
Rosie spent almost the entirety of the next day prepping for the oncoming storm, napping and reading. It was by far her most boring day in the Cut since she'd returned a few days earlier. The wind and rain were picking up rapidly, causing anxiety to erupt in her stomach. Rosie wasn't afraid of storms, but she'd never had to wait one out alone. She reached for her phone to call John B and ask if she could spend the night at the Chateau, but there was no signal. The girl tried to calm herself by picking up another book, but the howling wind and pouring rain made it impossible.
Frustrated, she slammed the book down and grabbed her dad's old raincoat from the coatrack. Rosie went to pick up her car keys but decided against driving. Her car was parked in a safe place now, and she certainly couldn't afford a new one if it were to get destroyed.
With an exaggerated huff, Rosie zipped the massive coat up to her chin and threw the hood over her head. The layer of protection proved useless as soon as she opened her door. The piercing wind blew her hood back and rain pelted her face and hair.
"You've got to be kidding me," she grumbled to herself.
It was difficult to see more than 10 feet in front of her, but Rosie forced herself to continue onwards. The thought of the Chateau and a warm set of sweatpants from John B motivated her to break out into a run. The sooner she got there, the better.
In just ten minutes, Rosie had reached the old fisher shack. She sighed in relief. For a moment, she thought she'd get blown away by the wind and never be seen again. The teenager broke into a sprint and didn't stop until she was at the front door. She took off her coat and swung the unstable door open.
Sure enough, there sat John B on the striped couch with his partner in crime, JJ.
"You can walk, Rosie. It'll be fine, Rosie. Don't take your car, Rosie," the girl strode into the room, "God, I'm so fucking dumb!" she cried. She tried to wring out the water from her soaked hair but to no avail.
"Hey, we actually agree on something!" JJ shouted with a stupid grin. He held up his hand awaiting a high-five, only for Rosie to swiftly hit him upside his head.
John B tried not to laugh at her drowned-rat appearance, but his attempts were futile. She really did look horrendous. "Here," he tossed her a nearby towel.
Rosie took it graciously and began to dry off her hair. "At least one of you is helpful. Do you have any spare sweatpants and a shirt I can borrow?"
"You're staying?" John B asked, only to get a smack upside his head like JJ.
"What, you'd rather me go back out into that?" Rosie screeched.
"What? No, I meant—
"Yes."
"—shut up JJ—of course, you can spend the night. I'll go grab you some clothes," John B rushed off to his room and away from the fuming girl.
Rosie huffed and turned to face JJ, who was still wearing a smug grin.
"Of course, you're enjoying this," she glared at the unfazed blond.
Before he could retaliate, John B came rushing back into the room with a pair of grey sweatpants and a tie-dye shirt.
"Here," he handed them to the soaking girl.
She snatched them and rushed to the bathroom to get out of her soaking clothes. The oversized pants were instantly warming as she slid them up her shivering legs. Rosie pulled the large t-shirt over her head and attempted to detangle her hair with her fingers. 'Of course, John B wouldn't own a brush,' she thought to herself. Once she'd deemed her appearance half-acceptable, she folded her wet clothes into a neat pile and exited the bathroom.
Now warm and dry, Rosie fell back onto the comfy striped-couch next to John B with a sigh.
"Better?" he laughed.
"Much."
JJ and John B carried on with whatever conversation they were having. Rosie let her eyes flutter shut and her body sink into the couch. She was just on the verge of sleep when John B's voice pulled her back,
"Oh my God, our 7th-grade yearbook photos were legendary. Pope had that huge zit that looked like a third eye, my head was shaved, you had that massive black eye, and Rosie was missing one of her front teeth!" John B and JJ howled in laughter as they reminisced on their past.
"Yeah, thanks to Blondie, over here. Do you have any idea how much money it costs to replace a missing tooth?" Rosie grumbled with her eyes still closed.
"That was one of my finer moments. Golf ball to the face? Genius. And it wasn't even on purpose. I'm just naturally that good," JJ praised himself as if 'unintentionally' injuring her was an art.
"Yeah, 'cause your black eye was so much cuter," Rosie scoffed, now opening her eyes to look at JJ. "Soccer ball to the face is fucking classic."
John B laughed at his bickering best friends. Having met the boys in 4th grade, Rosie had so many priceless memories with them. Rosie transitioned from a Kook private school to the Pogue public one after the death of her dad, and they were the first (and only) friends she made. Rosie didn't mind the transition—she and her mother had always been Pogues at heart with a Kook father and husband. But switching schools is never easy. Truth be told, Rosie, JJ, John B, and Pope hadn't changed much since elementary school. In part because they grew up together, but also because they still had a similar childlike inkling for adventure.
"How did your feud even start?" John B asked with an amused grin.
"He broke my arm."
"She broke my nose."
"Well yeah, we all know about that. But it started before then," John B laughed. His two friends both stared at him like he was crazy. "Like, JJ. Obviously you pushed Rosie off her bike and broke her arm for a reason," he tried to explain further.
"I dunno, cooties?" JJ shrugged.
John B rolled his eyes but dismissed the subject regardless. Instead, the group continued reminiscing on their favorite stories growing up together. The more they talked, the louder the storm raged and the darker the sky grew. The lights flickered before going out completely, leaving the three teenagers in darkness.
"I think that's a sign," John B sighed. "It's getting late anyway."
JJ and Rosie both nodded in agreement. Rosie suddenly realized how tired she was.
"I got spare room," JJ announced, walking off towards the room in the back of the shack.
"I'll take the couch then," Rosie yawned, searching for a blanket.
"Rosie, you can't sleep in here," John B said.
She furrowed her brows, "What? Why not?"
He gave her an incredulous look, "Um, hello? Raging storm? Room surrounded by windows and an unstable door? No way," he pulled her off the couch.
"Well, where am I supposed to sleep then?" Rosie frowned. A smirk tugged at John B's lips and realization dawned upon her. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, "No. Absolutely fucking not. I will not be sleeping with JJ," she cried. Rosie ignored the muffled laughter coming from the bedroom JJ was in.
"Don't be so dramatic. It's a big bed, and it's just one night. You'll be fine. And if one of you kills the other, I'll take full responsibility," John B called out while walking backwards towards his own bedroom.
"Why can't I just sleep in yours?" she whined.
"Because my bed's a twin. Suck it up, buttercup. Sweet dreams!" John B laughed and shut the door to his room, leaving Rosie alone in the hallway.
The girl groaned, but trudged towards the spare bedroom, nevertheless. JJ was already underneath the covers in the middle of the bed with a dumb grin.
"Slumber party!" he shrieked in a feminine voice.
"You make sleeping outside in a hurricane sound more appealing," Rosie grumbled. She attempted to shove his body over to one side of the bed, but he wouldn't budge.
"Move."
"No."
"Move!"
"Ask nicely. What's the magic word?"
"Please move, you brainless fool."
JJ scooted a few inches to the right giving Rosie about 1/3 of the bed. She readied herself to physically haul him over, but was far too tired. Instead, she made a show of getting under the covers, making sure he could sense her displeasure.
"Bastard," she mumbled.
Rosie turned so her back was facing the boy and closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep as soon as possible. They immediately shot back open as she felt an arm drape itself over her waist.
She violently slapped JJ away, "Absolutely not!"
"Aw, don't be a party pooper, Rosie. We're having a slumber party! You can't have a slumber party without cuddling," the blond laughed, tightening his grip around her.
"I don't cuddle with idiots," she hissed and attempted to push his arm away. He wouldn't budge, and she quickly grew tired of pushing. Rosie paused for a moment to recollect her strength, before trying to push JJ off again.
"Hmmph, someone needs to hit the gym," JJ mumbled into his pillow. Rosie sighed and gave up her struggle. She'd just wait for him to eventually move his arm instead.
But minutes passed, and JJ's arm remained around the girl's waist. JJ's heavy breathing soon turned into soft snores, and Rosie felt his grip begin to relax slightly. She decided to seize the opportunity and lifted his arm. Just as she began to move it away from her body, the boy shifted in his sleep. He subconsciously retightened his grip, this time pulling her even closer than before so that her back was against his chest as if she were a teddy bear.
Rosie stiffened, but the body heat radiating off of JJ and the steady beat of his heart against her shoulder were undeniably soothing. The tired girl gave in and relaxed in his grip. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she felt herself slipping from consciousness. In a matter of seconds, Rosie was lulled to sleep by the sweet sound of the raging storm outside and JJ's soft snores.
And what a good sleep it was.