Pancakes for dinner - JJPOPE

Chapter three

Weekends were the best. Hanging out on John B's boat, the warm sun shining down against JJ's bare skin, the bitter and sharp taste of beer, the drag of blunts and the smoke that disperses into the air. The high-pitched sound of their fishing rods bringing in fish just for it to be thrown back and made into a competition.

It had been hours since they first left the marsh, and still, the high of being together in perfect harmony had not yet disappeared. Music blasts from the radio held on the stern of the boat, loud, but not loud enough to smother the laughter bounding from grinning lips. No other boats were to be seen out on the water, just layers and layers of calm waters.

On the bow, JJ lay in Kiara's lap, taking a drag of his blunt as her nails gently scratched against his scalp. It was freeing, the freest JJ was able to feel. In front of the two, Cleo and Sarah are dancing in a chaotic manner, whilst Pope and John B continue their competition for the biggest catch of the day.

Sunglasses cover JJ's bruised eyes, shading his sensitive hues from the sharp sun. From his position in Kiara's lap, JJ has a clear view of Pope. His partly open button up shirt, toned chest, perfect posture, plump lips. Most people on the cut looked at Pope and thought 'what a nerd'. JJ would agree with the statement, for it was the honest truth. Pope was a nerd, but that wasn't a bad thing like some people would suggest. It meant he actually had a chance to get out of this town and start a new life with a job that paid well.

With a shout and a laugh of pure joy and championship, Pope is reeling in the biggest fish yet, holding it up like a grand trophee, grinning. JJ allows himself to smile, drifting in with the laughter and clapping around the boat as John B sighs, defeated. "Alright," John B drawls, dropping himself down in his seat. "You win."

"That's my boy." JJ shouts with a whoop, sitting up and clapping Pope on the back. "Nice catch."

Pope looks at JJ with that same grin on his lips, eyes still bright. "Thanks," he breathes, unhooking the fish and placing it back in the water in a gentle manner. JJ can't help but watch with softened eyes, holding himself back from wrapping his arm around Pope's shoulders just to have Pope wrap his own around JJ's waist, his cold fingers on JJ's skin.

Patting Pope on the shoulder, JJ turns and lets out a deafening shout as he's thrown over John B's shoulder, the both of them crashing into the cold water. Goosebumps cover JJ's skin, and he kicks like mad to resurface, gasping in a breath. "C'mon, man!" He yells, splashing water in John B's laughing direction. "I was so warm!"

"We came here to swim, did we not?" John B replies, arching a brow, still grinning. "We haven't done any, and you looked like you needed a dip."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really."

Surging forward, JJ pushes down on John B's shoulders and shoves him down under the water. Even with their strength difference, John B allows himself to be pushed down, coming back up to the surface with JJ on his shoulders, sounding another shout.

"Chicken fight!" Cleo yells, grabbing hold of Pope and pulling her with him into the water.

Kiara and Sarah laugh from their places on the bow, keeping well away from the constant splashing of water. Cleo is up on Pope's shoulders in seconds, hers and JJ's hands linking together, pushing and pulling. It only lasts a matter of seconds before Pope and John B can no longer keep themselves and the added weight of their friends above the water.

Screams echo after them as they all come crashing down, opting for a quick game of splashing and throwing one another further into the water before climbing back onto the boat, throwing towels around themselves.