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JJ was drunk. Scratch that he was buzzed at the most really. Half a case of beer and he hadn't mixed it with anything else. He was practically nursing this beer between his hands now making it spin above his palm. He couldn't tell why he wasn't in his usual partying spirit. It was a good kegger by any standard. A long weekend from school cause of a staff training day. It was a cold night for the OBX and that seemed to have encouraged more drinking and dancing at the boneyard. He was sat off to the edge on the sand knee drawn up close to him. Surveying the field, he had told John B when he asked why he wasn't dancing and drinking in the thick of it like usual. He did survey the field but if was honest nothing was catching his eye and even if it did, he'd probably let it go tonight. Some nights just weren't his. Maybe I am getting old, he smirked to himself.
He felt sand hitting the back of his t-shirt. He ignored it most likely someone just walking past to quickly. Then he felt a a rain sand hit his back. He squirmed turning ready to shout at his sand assassin but Kie's laughter filled his ears. He rolled his eyes and sat back down. She came into view again standing in front of him. He could mostly just see leg and she was wearing in his opinion some impossibly small shorts.
"Can I ask you for a favour?" Kie said. JJ picked up the nervous and alcohol. She wasn't the usual level of Kie drunk at kegger though he noted and she hadn't been bothering him for something to smoke.
"No. I'm busy." JJ gestured to his beer and the view. Kie snorted and JJ felt the sand dip besides him.
"See the tall guy there." Kie pointed to the thick of the crowd. JJ spotted the one she meant towering a good head above most of the guys. He looked alright, JJ guessed. Not quite a kook he noted the lack of shiny watch on his wrist but compared to the oil stained t-shirt and faded jeans JJ was taunting the guy was well dressed.
"Hard to miss." JJ added and sipped his beer again.
"I want to talk to him and you know." Kie blushed slightly.
"Mack him." JJ added for her.
"See, maybe, but if I don't I am worried he might be a bit creepy." Kie said sheepishly.
"You can handle yourself. You've got a mean slap I've felt it." JJ turned towards her resting his elbows on his knees. He watched her eyes glint a little.
"Yeah but I don't want to cause I scene I'm having fun tonight. So if I give you a signal can you come over and just say your with me or whatever?"
"Your picking me? Out all your options to rely on someone to save you?" JJ asked.
"Well, John B is currently playing tonsil tennis with Sarah. Pope is super drunk and sensitive I don't want it to come across wrong."
JJ eyes wondered around the yard. He found John B and Sarah and thought tonsil tennis might be a PG description for those two at the moment. He sort out Pope who from just a look was a lot more drunk than either Kie or JJ combined. He was her back up option.
JJ blew out a breathe. Sure why not he could pretend to date Kie for a minute to save her from a creep. "Sure. What's the signal then? We talking a flare or you just starting screaming?"
"Thanks, JJ." Kie smiled "more subtle, idiot. Like I'll tug my ear lobe. A lot."
"Right. So I'll watch you mack on with the tall guy and only come over if you start touching your ear?" JJ made sure to say it slowly on purpose.
"Yeah, basically. Your doing a good deed looking out for a friend." Kie said.
"Kie, you know I wouldn't let some creep all over you right? Signal or not I have eyes." JJ said suddenly.
"Yeah course but you've been known to come in swinging and I don't want to have to go home earlier cause the police have been called. This is a good medium."
JJ couldn't argue with that. He wasn't sure he had enough fingers to count how many nights in the boneyard had ended with the police and black eye.
"Right, well, go get your macking on. I'll be watching, so use tongue." JJ slapped her back.
"Don't make it seedy, JJ." Kie grumbled as she stood. JJ watched her make her way through the boneyard crowds. She took a pit stop at the keg and grabbed two beers. Subtly, JJ thought. He felt nervous watching her weave through towards the tall guy in question. He watched her stop and chat to girl they both knew from school. He laughed out loud at her visible frustration at being slowed down in her hunt. The beer burned the back of his throat now. He had this niggling sensation that he really wanted Kie to touch her ear lobe. God, what had life come to for him to be thinking that sentence in his head. He told himself it was because he was itching for something to do. Maybe the spark of adrenaline would get him in the mood to party. Watching Kie had led him to spot a pretty looking red head in the thick of it. Multi-tasking was something he did excel at he could so watch her dance and Kie flirt at the same time.
Kie's flirting was obviously going well when he snapped his eyes away from the red head towards his special mission. Kie was sat with the tall guys arm around her shoulders laughing at something he said. He noticed they were sharing one beer together now. Nice work Kie, he thought. His eyes watched the red head again satisfied she was only with her girl friends room for him to get involved sans-scene causing potential men. He must have been watching her dance for longer than he needed to cause he eyes flicked over to a slightly annoyed looking Kie. She also was not subtly tugging her ear lobe starring daggers at JJ from across the beach.
"Shit, shit, shit," JJ murmured jumping to his feet. His half run half jog over to were Kie was sitting wasn't exactly subtle either and managed to nearly topple a crowd of freshman girls. But he was there standing in front of the unhappy couple chest heaving slightly. He watched the guy reach out to rest on Kie's knee and she shuffled back slightly to prevent him reaching it. The guy played it off well reaching down to grab the cup instead. He noted they both had a cup each again.
"There you are, baby!" JJ rolled his shoulders back and added a little more southern drawl than his usual tone.
"Been looking all over you. Thanks for watching her man." JJ sauntered over to them and watched as Kie was trying to stifle laugh at the tall guys obvious discomfort and confusion. JJ clamped a hand on his back a little harder than necessary and then extended a hand out to him. The guy took it without question and JJ pulled him up and replaced himself in the vacant spot by Kie. JJ slung an arm around her shoulders and she quickly lent her head against his shoulder as if it was perfectly natural.
"See you around, man." JJ said waving at him.
"Nice to meet you." Kie added laying a hand on JJ thigh to drive home the point. They sat like it for a minute as they watched the guy worm his way back to his friends who gave him a couple of hits on the arm and then he was whisked away to dance.
"Well I think that was successful." JJ said sitting up and leaning off Kie. He almost immediately missed her hand when she removed it from his thigh. "What was wrong? He seemed alright?"
"Get this. His dad has shares in BP." Kie said it in tone as if the guy had murdered someone in front of her. JJ whistled.
"What an ass. " He added squeezing her shoulder.
"Took your sweet time. Nearly pulled my ear off." Kie reached up and rubbed the offending part.
"Sorry. If I am totally honest I was checking out the sexy red head over there." JJ pointed to the girl he was still currently watching.
"Well, go try your luck, Maybank charm at all. I'm going to try and find a new target."
"We are both so romantic." JJ offered her a high five which she took. She slide her fingers into his though and squeezed his hand.
"If I see you tugging your ear lobe I'll come rescue you." Kie smirked.
"You know what Kie might be able to handle this one by myself." JJ said he released his hand from her hold and gave her a mock salute as he left. "Good luck out there soldier". He tugged his ear lobe as he left and walked towards the red head smiling at Kie's laughter above the noise of the crowd.
There was no need for JJ to touch his ear lobe. The red head was even prettier up close and she'd let him grab her another drink. JJ even let his hand wonder to her waist as they danced together. His eyes had wondered to see if Kie had had any luck as well but he hadn't been able to spot her and was to focused on the current task at hand. Speaking of hands both were now on the red heads waist.
He thinks he if was a little more drunk he wouldn't have noticed what the red head did but his mind was perfectly clear of an alcohol fog. He swore, to God, he saw her touch her ear lobe. Like he would have sworn on his own life the girl was touching her ear lobe.
His suspicions were even more raised when all of sudden a guys arm was being slung over her shoulders and JJ hands were shrugged off her waist. The guy introduced himself as her boyfriend and recommended he took a walk. JJ couldn't really argue with that. Defeat wasn't quite the word. He'd been rejected before, of course, despite the Maybank charm. If he hadn't have spoken to Kie earlier he would have just assumed the guy was the girls boyfriend but now he was questioning everything.
His feet had him returning to his solitary spot from earlier. He was startled in his return to find a tired looking Kie sat exactly were he had earlier. Neither said anything as he eased himself down next to her. He didn't need a fake boyfriend excuse to sling his arm around her shoulders and she didn't shrug him off and just shimmed closer.
"No luck I take it?" He asked her softly.
"None. Its tough out there." He felt her head move in the direction of were Sarah and John B were sitting her in his lap shot gunning a beer between them. JJ felt the same thing he expected Kie was feeling.
"What happened to the pretty red head?" Kie asked picking at her shorts.
"Oh this will cheer you up." JJ righted himself up. "I'm giving her the Maybank charm. Were slow dancing. Getting handsy. Then I swear, Kie. I swear. She touched her ear lobe."
Kie burst out laughing.
"Next thing I know her 'boyfriend' is telling me I should probably go." Kie fakes wiping tears from her eyes and JJ finds himself sniggering to.
"You've opened my eyes to this secret girl trick. Its like my trust has been broken." JJ put a hand over his chest.
"She might have just had an itchy ear lobe, you don't know." JJ appreciated her attempt to rebuild his ego. His eyes looked at the offending girl in the crowd again.
"She is with a different guy!" JJ exclaimed pointing at them. Kie was laughing again and mocked his so called Maybank charm.
"You know I am glad the red head has good taste otherwise I would be alone feeling shit about being lonely." Kie said.
"Keep your pity, Kie. If there was any guy with semi decent morals you would ditch my ass straight away."
"Totally. But hey if there was any girl with semi indecent morals I'd be sitting her alone," Kie teased.
"Want to go take the Pogue out, sleep on there and get high instead?" JJ asked suddenly. Kie's eyes flickered over to John B and Sarah who would be up all night and then over to Pope.
"Yeah fuck it. Better than listening to John b and Sarah or Pope throwing up."
"Back up options strike again." JJ offered a hand to help her up.
"We are pretty good back up's for each other. As back up's go of course." Kie manoeuvred herself under JJ's arm as the walked away from the boneyard.