The Bad Boy's Reward

Chapter 1: Dare you to drown?

June's POV

Meet the local bad boy, Jake Jacobson. I know, it's redundant, isn't it? You can blame his parents for it. We all called him JJ, so it didn’t matter. Now, JJ was not a bad guy. He was just a little too wild for this small town, and his antics had deemed him a criminal by almost everyone here. He had broken a couple of laws, but they were all rather petty, usually over some dare. JJ wasn’t one to back down from a dare — ever. I think that was what resulted in his dyed bright red hair. Although he pulled it off better than any of us thought he would when he paired it with the undercut he got. The bright color brought out his blue eyes, making him even more alluring.

His arms and his chest had more than a few tattoos. I had even found myself admiring them on more than one occasion. JJ was the most forbidden fruit in this town. Maybe that was what attracted me to him. Being the most sheltered child here in Lavender Hills, with a population of 1,987, I was intrigued by his adventurous spirit.

As Juniper McDaniels, better known as June — the Sheriff's daughter, I was never invited to parties. Of course I knew about them; however, knowing and going were two different things. Tonight wasn't like the others, though. This was the party every adult knew about, and let happen — including my father. They always held it on the coast near the cove, where we had the clearest blue ocean on our small shore.

This party was our last as high school students. It marked the end of our senior year and the start of our summer before college. Many of us would leave this place, ready to escape this small town life. A handful were off to Ivy League schools, with some scattered through different state community colleges. A few were stuck here, or actually enjoyed this place enough to want to stay. Me? I was heading off to the School of the Arts, Harmonia Institute of The Arts. With a seven percent acceptance rate, I'd be a fool not to go. My father, however, believed that I would be attending Columbia and studying criminal law. I didn’t plan on correcting him, and since Harmonia Institute worked closely with Columbia, it didn’t seem like too far-fetched of a lie...maybe.

"Hey JJ! I dare you to jump into the water off the cliff!" Kason, our quarterback superstar — who somehow had this whole town wrapped around his finger — yelled out. Kason thought he was a God amongst humans, probably because this town worshiped talented football players. Even though he was the biggest jerk of them all, the adults were all fooled by his facade of being a good Christian boy, who studied hard and played well.

The cliff wasn't the safest place to jump from if you were not skilled at diving, but that didn't stop JJ from saying "easy," and marching up the path. I watched him take his sleeveless hoodie off, admiring his colorful tattoos as he walked by me. He must have noticed, as he threw me a wink. My cheeks heated with the blush I tried to fight off.

"Don't do it, man. It's not safe, you know that." JJ's best friend Rodney Thompson tried to stop him, but there was no stopping JJ once he had been dared.

"Eh, I'll be fine, Rodster," he said, walking right past him.

Rodney watched with concern as JJ ascended the cliff. Tiffany Johnson, Rodney's girlfriend of two years and JJ's only other friend, took his hand in comfort, watching the scene unfold before them. All attention was now on JJ, which seemed to be the way he liked it. He made a show of it all, jumping and waving his arms up to goad the crowd into cheering for him. And cheer they did — everyone except his actual friends…and me.

We all watched in astonishment as JJ stood on the edge. For a moment, I thought the logical side of his brain had kicked in, but then he jumped off, hitting the water with a big splash. We all watched on the edge of our seats, looking for that flame of red hair to resurface, yet seconds ticked by and nothing. At first, I thought perhaps he was messing around. The longer we waited, the more we all realized something had gone wrong.

"Bail!" someone yelled, causing everyone to pack up and run towards their vehicles. No one wanted their scholarships or sponsorships revoked for being at a party with underage drinking, where someone met their untimely end. Rodney and Tiffany stood firmly rooted in place, a look of horror etched across their faces. It was I who leapt into the ocean and straight towards the cliff's rocky edge.

I had to be careful. The waves could pin me against the sharp cliffside, causing JJ's rescuer to need rescuing, too. Thankfully, I was a powerful swimmer, nationally ranked in fact. There wasn't a lot to do in this town, especially when people were too afraid to take me out because of my father. So, I spent most of my time in a pool or in the ocean, or writing my songs in the woods near my backyard.

It didn't take me long to reach the spot he had jumped in, diving to find him. The salty water stung my eyes, forcing me to close them more than I would have liked. For once, JJ's unmistakable red hair helped him, as I spotted him drifting with the current against the edge of the cliff. Usually his red hair was what gave him away anytime he broke some kind of law, but tonight it saved his life.

I hooked my arm under his, locking it beneath his armpit, and kicking my legs as hard as I could to reach the surface. My lungs felt ready to burst by the time my head cracked the surface, taking the biggest inhale. You could have probably heard it from the shore. I swam towards Rodney and Tiffany, who helped me pull JJ the rest of the way out.

"Call 9-1-1. I think he hit his head," I instructed, letting the emergency training Dad engraved in me kick in. JJ was not breathing and the blood from his head injury stained the sand beneath him, turning it an odd shade of burgundy. I took my shirt off, knowing I had my swimsuit underneath to keep myself covered. "Use this and put pressure on the wound. You really have to put your weight into it, like you're trying to stop a water hose from spraying." I handed him my shirt while Tiff called the ambulance.

I began CPR, counting in my head as I pressed down with all my strength against his chest. I kept rhythm to the song "Staying Alive" as I continued the chest compressions. When it was time, I pushed his chin up, pinched his nose, and breathed into his mouth. This wasn't the way I pictured a guy's lips touching mine for the first time. I guess that was life for you, always throwing you curveballs you didn’t expect just to spite you. I kept at it until finally he stirred, rolling to his side and coughing up some of the water he had inhaled. His eyes snapped to mine before they looked up at Rodney and then at Tiffany.

Seeing him conscious and alert allowed me to fall back on my bottom, finally letting my muscles relax. The adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, and I knew it would continue for a while longer. I could hear the sirens approaching as JJ spoke, letting me know he didn't have any severe brain damage. I was no doctor, though, so I'd let the professionals tell him how he was doing.

"That probably wasn't the best idea," JJ said, cracking a grin like it was all fun and games.

"No s**t, you asshole," I snapped, even though he hadn't been talking to me.

I think it surprised both these guys, as neither had ever spoken to me before. Honestly, I felt everyone in town thought I was some sort of saint who didn’t curse and followed every rule accordingly. The second part was true, knowing Dad would lock me away the second I stepped out of line. He was harsher with me than the other teens in town. Being my dad, he expected more of me, I guess. Still, I wasn’t a saint. I just didn’t get in trouble like the rest.

"She speaks." JJ raised his brows at me, still acting playful. He has to be okay if he's sitting here cracking jokes, right?

The paramedics came, having us step aside as they checked him out and placed him on the backboard they then carried to the ambulance. Rodney and Tiffany headed towards their car, but they stopped short of it, turning to face me.

"Aren't you coming?" Rodney asked.