the middle ≫ jj maybank

ix. the rendezvous

After a few hours on the waves, the pogues headed back to Pope's, where they chowed down on some much-needed food and discussed the day's events.

"Slater, you're something impressive out on the water," Pope noted.

"Thanks," Slater said, grinning.

"When did Deputy Dad have time to teach you how to surf?" JJ asked.

"That was all my mom's doing, actually. She comes from a long line of surfers," Slater said, smiling. "Though, speaking of my parents, I should probably head home. They'll be back from work soon."

"Aww, come on Slater," Kiara said, pushing her bottom lip out into a pout. "You're going to ditch us already? They're projecting a movie in the park tonight. We're all going."

"Well, I can't," Slater said, frowning. "I'm grounded, remember?"

Sneaking out of the house while her parents were at work was easy -- sneaking out with them under the same roof was a different ballgame she wanted no part in.

"We could sneak you back out," Pope offered. "You could go home, say hi to your parents, head back up to your room, and then we could come and get you."

"I appreciate the offer, but it's too risky. My parents know too many people that could be there, and I don't need one of them telling my parents they saw me and blowing the whole thing," she said. "But I had a lot of fun today. Thank you for sneaking me out."

"I can give you a ride home," JJ said to Slater as he finished the last bite of his sandwich.

"Or I can," Kiara said, looking between her two friends.

Slater looked between them, her cheeks turning red. She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt embarrassed. "N-No, it's okay, Kie. I can ride back with JJ."

Kiara gave her a strange look before turning back to the blond boy. "Since when do you want to spend more time in Figure Eight?"

"The roads feel nice on my bike," JJ said as he dusted crumbs off of his fingers. "Ready?"

Slater nodded and said goodbye to Pope and Kiara before following JJ out to her bike.

An awkward silence settled in between the two, their usual banter nowhere to be found. As they reached the motorcycle, JJ turned to her, a smirk on his face. "Do you want to drive?"

Slater's mouth fell open. "Are you crazy?"

"Probably," he said, still smirking. "Come on, Slater. You know you want to," he said, dangling the keys in front of her face.

"JJ, I don't even know how to drive it," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's alright, I'll teach you," JJ offered. "Everyone should know how to drive a motorcycle. It's like ... surfing. Or rolling a joint. One of which you do much better than the other," he teased.

A hesitant smile filled Slater's face. It did sound like fun, especially after the pleasantly surprising motorcycle ride this morning. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," he said, tossing her the keys. "Come on, Cambry. Get on the bike."

Slater climbed onto the front of the bike, teetering slightly as JJ balanced the machine.

"Okay, put your foot there," JJ said, setting his hand on Slater's thigh as he gently guided her foot to the correct position. "And hands here." He took each of her hands in his hands and rested them on the motorcycle's handlebars. "This is the clutch, this is the gear shift. Actually, I'll take care of the gear shift. You just drive."