At some point amidst Rosie's tossing and turning, she must have fallen into a light sleep. She woke up the next morning feeling just as awful as she had a few hours earlier.
The blinding light pouring into the room evoked a groan from her. She reached for the alarm clock on the side table. Her tired eyes shot wide open at the time displayed: 10:04 AM. She was supposed to be at The Wreck four minutes ago.
Rosie shot out of bed in a panic, ignoring the pounding in her head from the alcohol the night before. The frazzled girl ran to the bathroom in the hallway where John B stood brushing his tooth.
"Mouthwash!"
She frantically shoved her friend out of the way to grab the large Listerine bottle. She didn't waste time swishing some around in her mouth and spitting it into the sink.
"Morning, Sunshine," John B mumbled with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.
Rosie splashed water onto her face in an attempt to freshen up her clearly exhausted features.
"I'm late for my shift and I need a shirt," she gasped through the water going up her nose. "Can I use one of yours?"
She didn't wait for his reply and hurried into his room. Rosie heard a distant "Sure" as she rifled through his drawers. She grabbed the first clean shirt she could find and raced back into the guest room to pull on her jean shorts from the day before. Rosie tucked the baggy shirt into her shorts in an effort to make herself look less like she'd just spent the night with a guy.
"When are you off?"
"3:00," she called as she threw her hair up into a messy ponytail. Rosie ran into the hallway to face John B. "Give me a ride?"
"Sure," he nodded. Rosie haphazardly slipped on her flip flops and raced towards the front door.
She paused at the sight of JJ sprawled across the couch, grunting softly in his sleep. The same uncomfortable feeling from last night twisted her insides and made her skin crawl.
Before she could dwell on it, John B nudged her towards the door. Rosie shook her head and pulled herself back to the task on hand. She all but sprinted towards the Volkswagen van.
As soon as she slammed the door shut, the anxiety of being late returned. John B quickly followed and revved up the engine. He pulled out of the driveway, and Rosie couldn't help but stare at the hammock with a frown. She watched it until it was completely out of sight. The events from last night made her stomach churn and her head hurt. Rosie had hoped she'd drinken enough to forget it, but she wasn't so fortunate.
"Fun night, huh?"
Rosie whipped her head to the side to catch John B's suggestive smirk. Her body tensed. What had he seen?
"Super fun," she plastered on a smile, "Kind of a bummer when you guys left though."
John B shot her a look from the corner of his eyes, "Oh really? You and JJ looked like you were having fun."
Despite her attempt to remain impassive, Rosie couldn't stop the blush crawling up her neck and spreading to her cheeks. He definitely saw.
"Nothing happened!" she burst out. Rosie tried to conceal her nerves, but was failing miserably.
"Never said anything did."
He turned his head from the road to look at her for a moment. And in that moment he saw it. He saw the red covering her face, the nervous smile, and the guilty look in her eyes. John B's eyes widened in realization, and his jaw dropped.
"Oh my god, something so happened!" he turned to face her completely, forgetting about the road ahead. Rosie watched in horror as the van nearly swerved into a sign off the road.
"Eyes! Road!" she screeched, "Nothing happened!"
John B shrugged, "Whatever you say."
Rosie's brows cinched together in confusion, "Wait, you mean you didn't see?"
John B's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Rosie immediately realized her mistake. You dumb bitch, she thought to herself.
"What?! See what?"
Rosie flinched at his booming voice. The car swerved even more sharply this time, nearly hitting another.
"John B! You're driving, for fuck's sake!"
He regained control of the van for the second time, but his full attention remained on Rosie.
"What the fuck did you do?" he yelled, looking back and forth between her and the road.
"Nothing! Okay? I wasn't lying when I said nothing happened," Rosie groaned and shrunk further into her seat.
"Well obviously something happened that you didn't want me to see!" John B's volume increased. She remained silent, causing him to raise his voice even more, "Well? Spit it out!"
Rosie sighed in defeat.
"We didn't not kiss but we didn't kiss."
She immediately cringed, awaiting his reaction.
"You didn't not--what? So you kissed?"
"No!"
"But you almost did?"
Rosie's silence answered John B's question.
"You can't tell anyone," Rosie gave him a hard stare.
He laughed, "I won't."
But his joking nature left Rosie feeling unsettled.
"Seriously, John B. Don't tell anyone, and don't even talk to him about it. We were both drunk. It didn't mean anything, and it's in everyone's best interest to just forget about it," she spoke with a stern voice. The excited grin on John B's face slowly fell, but he nodded at her wish.
"I won't. Promise."
Time was on Rosie's side as John B pulled into the parking lot for The Wreck. She was quick to jump out of the van, now remembering she was at least twenty minutes late.
John B called to her before she shut the door, "Pick you up at 3?"
Rosie nodded and blew him a kiss as she ran towards the restaurant, "Love you!"
She mentally prepared herself for the rage of Mr. Carrera as she entered. Rosie rushed to the kitchen, but nearly fell over as she ran into a tall body.
"25 minutes late!?"
Rosie looked up at Kie's angry father, and put on her most apologetic smile, "I'm so sorry, Mike. I can work late to make up for it."
He rolled his eyes and tossed her an apron, "Just start the food prep, won't you? Wasted enough time already," he grumbled and walked off.
With a long sigh, Rosie set to work. It was a nice distraction from the dilemma of the night before. Each time her thoughts drifted to JJ, she'd count the numbers of carrots, tomatoes, and onions she'd chopped. She'd take chopping vegetables over confronting her problems any day.
Meanwhile, a particular set of blond hair and blue eyes was waking up from his own sleepless sleep, getting ready for a day full of adventure.
-
"We're going where?"
"We've been over this, Rosie. The Salvage Yard. Keep up."
After a busy afternoon shift at The Wreck, John B's van filled with four hyperactive teenagers pulled up to pick Rosie up. Pope rushed through an explanation of how they'd used the internet in a Kook country club to map out the coordinates of the Royal Merchant. They'd discovered it was shallow enough to reach it, but they'd need a drone. Hence, the Salvage Yard.
"So we're gonna steal a fucking drone from the Salvage Yard?" she clarified, trying to take in the massive load of information all at once.
"Yes," they all spoke in unison with the exception of Pope, who sat shaking his head in disapproval.
Rosie sighed and leaned back next to Kiara, who sat across from Pope in the back of the van. JJ was luckily in the front with John B, saving Rosie from having to face him. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, it was that she didn't know how to act around him after last night. Her mind told her to pick fights like normal, but her gut said something different.
"Okay, so what's the plan for getting in? It's gated, right? And there's a guard," she pointed out.
"Well, we're gonna need a distraction," John B spoke, looking pointedly at the two girls in the van through the rear-view mirror.
It seemed Kiara had already been informed of her duty, as she didn't react. Rosie, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at the Pogue, "I'm not seducing him out."
"Hey, no one said anything about seduction. You and Kie just need to distract him. You know, say you have a flat tire or something," John B spoke from behind the wheel.
"Well if it's not seduction, John B, then why don't you do the distracting?" she raised her eyebrows.
"Jesus! Because you and Kie are girls. Would you stop bein' difficult and just fuckin' do it?" JJ snapped.
"Cool it JJ," Kiara scolded him. Rosie didn't partake for once.
She frowned and hardened her expression. But it didn't stop the twisting feeling in her stomach. This feeling was slightly different than the one she'd felt this morning. This one was more of a stabbing pain, while the other was a dull ache.
"So we're clear on the plan, then?" John B awkwardly changed the subject. "Rosie and Kie distract the guard and we run in and get the drone."
"Guys, if we get caught stealing it's gonna be bad," Pope voiced his concern.
"Pope we're not stealing the drone, we're borrowing it," John B laughed.
Pope sighed and crossed his arms, "Humans are the only animal that can't tell fantasy from reality."
"Did you come up with that?" John B asked, glanced back at the boy.
Rosie cut in to answer, "Try Albert Bernstein."
Pope shot Rosie a grin.
"So," Pope leaned towards John B, "Which is it? Fantasy or reality?"
"Why are you so weird, Pope?" JJ began to roll up a joint.
"It's fantasy, but possible reality," Kie ignored the blond, and looked to Pope instead.
"Reality," John B smiled.
Rosie nodded along to the long-haired boy in the front, "Reality."
"Virtual reality," JJ mumbled while pulling out his lighter. Pope reached up and snagged the joint from his mouth, earning a glare.
"Keep the signal clear," Pope shot him a look.
Not a moment too soon, John B's van pulled into the lot of the Salvage Yard. Rosie sighed and shared a look with Kie as they knew what was coming next. The two girls hopped out of the vehicle.
"Hey, don't worry," John B called out to the girls as they rounded the van, "You got this."
Rosie rolled her eyes and continued walking. Kie stayed behind for a moment to reply, "It's not us that I'm worried about."
"Show time?" Rosie grumbled to her taller friend.
"Show time," Kiara sighed back.
They walked side by side towards the guard's office and forced their friendliest smiles.
"Hello!" Kie called out to the man behind the window. The two girls waved enthusiastically.
The security guard shot up and approached the two teenagers, "Can I help you?"
"Hi," Rosie wore a sickeningly sweet smile, "We actually have a flat tire."
"We were wondering if you could maybe help us out?" Kie finished.
Rosie pulled her mastered puppy-dog eyes and Kie shifted from foot to foot with an innocent grin.
"Yeah," the man grinned back, and ran back to open the gate.
"It's too easy," Kie mumbled to Rosie who nodded in agreement.
He rushed back with a box of tools. Rosie and Kiara lead him to a car. "It's just this back one right here."
Rosie nodded at the three boys who were hiding in the bushes while Kie spoke to the security guard. She watched him sprint towards the gate, barely slipping in before it closed.
"I got this," the man bent down to check out the tire.
"Thank you," the two girls spoke in unison.
They made idle small talk for a while as the man worked on the tire. The plan seemed to be running smoothly until a dog barking made the guard perk up.
"You hear that?"
Rosie shot the man a blank look, "Hear what?"
"Tebow's got somethin'," he stood up.
Kiara was quick to distract him, "It's probably just a racoon, maybe. You know?"
The man paused, but bent back down to work on the tire.
We need more time, Rosie mouthed to Kiara. Kie nodded, and walked over to the other side of the car, pointing to the hair clip in her hair. Rosie nodded in understanding.
The man continued working for a moment, but then stood up as he finished. Rosie's eyes widened as he rounded the side of the car.
"Wait!" she called after him, but it was too late. He'd seen Kiara flattening the tire with her hair pin.
"What are you doing?" the guard asked. Realization dawned upon him. He ran off before either girl could stop him.
"Shit," Rosie cursed, "Get back to the van!"
The two girls sprinted back to John B's van. Kiara sat behind the wheel in case they needed a quick getaway, and Rosie in the back. They waited anxiously for the boys to show up. First, Pope came running back. Then a couple minutes later, John B came running dragging a large case which made the group erupt in excitement. Last but not least, JJ came sauntering over to the van.
The gang all cheered once the van was completely loaded, and John B, who'd switched seats with Kie, drove off. This time, Pope, JJ, and Rosie shared the back.
"That was fuckin' nuts, bro!" JJ cried, clapping the back of John B's seat. "Dumb dog chased me through the whole damn yard!"
"How'd you get away?" Pope laughed.
The blond shrugged, "Bobby caught me. But I talked my way out of it."
JJ pulled out the joint he'd rolled from earlier and lit it. This time, Pope didn't stop him. Rosie watched as he placed the stick between his lips. It hung loosely between his fingers and she couldn't help but watch their subtle movements. He brought his hand down and blew out a large cloud of smoke, filling the van with the smell of weed.
"Don't hotbox the car, man!" John B complained while rolling down a window.
Rosie was shocked when the hand loosely holding the joint shot out in front of her. JJ held it out for Rosie to take. She did so slowly, and took a deep drag before handing it back. She didn't dare look at him, and he didn't dare look at her. Their awkward interaction seemed to go unnoticed by Pope, who was too distracted examining the drone.
Rosie looked outside the window to see the sun was now setting, and the sky had turned a soft orange. The teenagers drove around for a while, relishing in their success and the beautiful view. As the sun sunk further and further, their stomachs began rumbling.
"I'm hungry," Pope spoke for everyone.
"Drive to the Wreck," Kiara instructed John B, "I can try to convince my dad to give us free food again."
"Yeah!" the group began to cheer, but Kie quickly shut them down.
"No promises, though."
John B pulled the van into the driveway of the restaurant and they didn't hesitate to pile out.
"What I would do to a beer and shrimp and grits right now," JJ groaned as he hopped out.
Pope laughed, "It would not be pretty."
The Pogues entered the cool restaurant. Kie walked straight to her dad and Rosie's boss, while the others went towards the back. Rosie sat down at a table and rolled her eyes as the three boys awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, unsure if they should join her yet. Kie and her dad turned to look at the group of Pogues. They all put on their sweetest smile and waved. Rosie grinned as Kie squealed and hugged her dad, signaling they would be feasting.
Kie turned to face her friends, looking at the boys as if they were dumb, "Well? Sit down!"
"Yes!"
They hurried into their seats as they waited for Kie's dad to bring out the leftover food. Kie walked over with a tray of ice cold waters, which they all accepted graciously.
"Fuck yes," John B mumbled once Mr. Carrera came over with a tray full of a variety of food from burgers, to fried shrimp, to fries.
"Night shift tomorrow, Rosie?" he asked her with a smile.
"You got it, Mike."
She grinned at her boss before tearing into the food with the rest of her friends.
"Oh my god," JJ moaned as he shoveled fried shrimp into his mouth, "Better than sex."
Pope tried to retaliate, probably with some clever remark, but his mouth was full of burger and it came out as gibberish. Rosie laughed as he tried to speak and threw a fry at him. Pope grinned with a full mouth before picking up a shrimp from JJ's plate and throwing it back at her. Rosie opened her mouth just in time, catching it between her teeth with a wink.
The upbeat music playing throughout the empty restaurant served as the perfect background noise. Soon, Kie was up and dancing, and had pulled John B along with her. Rosie watched her friends with a grin. She turned her head back to the table to get a sip of water, but stopped halfway.
Blue eyes were trained on her from across the table, and she stared right back. This was the first time JJ and Rosie had made eye contact since their almost kiss in the hammock. They just looked at each other for a while as John B and Kiara danced, and now Pope who had been dragged up by Kiara too. Rosie and JJ both tried to decipher what the other was thinking, but came up short. They'd both built up a wall, and neither one was willing to crumble first.
So instead, Rosie cocked an eyebrow at him.
"I feel like dancing."
She stood up and he followed. They moved closer to their friends and began to sway to the beat of the song. Rosie and JJ moved in sync, as if a magnet was pulling them together. They continued their stare-off, occasionally breaking it with a twirl or a spin. JJ subtly placed his hands on her hips, which Rosie subconciously swayed even harder. The look in JJ's eyes had gone from a hard blankness to something else entirely. The normally light blue was now dark and clouded with desire. The sudden change triggered another twisting feeling inside Rosie, but this time in her gut.
Pope, Kiara, and even John B, whom Rosie had confided in, didn't seem to notice the tension between the pair. Or how close together they were. They were too engrossed in their own dancing and eating in-between.
So Rosie and JJ continued dancing--his hands on her waist, and hers in the air. Despite the burning urge, they never moved closer. Just looked at each other. No words, no sound, no feeling.