smooth seas//john b

twenty six

I can hear my dad on the phone. "Was he in the house? He wasn't in the house, was he? Let me see his face. Put the camera on his face."

"Hold his head up."

I have to do something. I head to the control box for the sprinklers. I set them off and I can hear the security guards' confusion.

"What the hell?"

"Hey!"

As a security guard comes towards me I hide.

"Hurry up! Get those sprinklers off!"

"Is it off?"

"Yeah."

"...in custody now."

"Why'd the sprinklers go off?"

"Ah! I don't know. Okay."

"All right, stay alert."

I grab a thing of bug spray before walking out into the yard towards the security guards. "What is going on?"

One of the guards draws his gun. "Who are you?"

"Hey, hold it right there."

I put my hands up. "I'm Val. I'm house-sitting for the Camerons."

"You live here?" a guard asks.

"No, I'm house-sitting. I just started a week ago," I tell the guy.

"We caught this guy trying to break in," the guard tells me.

"What?" I look over at John B. "Oh, I know him. He cleans boats for the neighbors."

"Which neighbors?" the guard asks.

"Like, the Stanleys. Down the street," I tell him.

"What's his name?" the guard questions.

"Vlad."

I spray the guard in the face with the bug spray. John B tackles one of the guards while I spray the rest.

"Maisie, come on," John B shouts. "Go to the car."

I jump into the bed of the truck as John B jumps in the driver's seat. I see the guards chasing after us.

"Go! Go! Go! Go!" I shout.

"I'm going. I'm going," John B assures.

"Faster!" I shout. The guard is catching up. "Oh God." The guard manages to grab ahold of my leg. "No! Get off me!"

"Come here!"

"Oh, shit," John B remarks.

I kick the guard again. "No. No!"

The guard finally lets go and falls to the ground.

"MC, you good?" John B asks.

I take a deep breath trying to calm myself down.

John B keeps driving, taking us away from the house and the guards. Once we're back in town he pulls over. John B gets out of the truck and I hop out of the bed.

"Okay. I have never loved you more, Maisie Cameron," John B tells me. That was crazy. You straight up donkey-kicked that dude..."

I shove John B. "You lied to me."

John B looks at me confused. "What are you talking about? We're fine."

"No, we're not fine!" I shout. "You lost the only money we had! You almost got us both caught, if not shot!" I shove him again. "How is that okay?"

"I... I... I... I'm proactively admitting I screwed up and willing..." John B starts.

I cut him off, "Proactively admitting doesn't do anything. I have lost my father. I have lost my mother. I have lost my brother. I have lost my sisters." I take a breath. "I can't lose you."