chapter 18: recoil
location: clearwater, florida, day 2

"Alicia," the girl said, out loud, this time slower, going over every syllable.

"Jungkook," Jungkook replied, feeling like an idiot. He was good enough at English to flirt with this girl, but he was having trouble with the cia in Alicia. And she was having trouble with the kook in Jungkook.

She giggled. Jungkook couldn't pronounce her name, but dang she was cute. She had been cute ever since they had met at the block party last night, at the info booth. Turned out it was her family who owned the tour boat!

"How about Alli?"

"Alli." It came out more like Ali, but it was much closer. "And my brothers, they call me Kookie, sometimes."

"Okay, Cookie. I can do that. That's a funny name, Cookie."

He giggled back, trying his best to flirt. He wondered how well it was working. Jungkook had been incredibly popular at Columbia, and he had lots of women interested in him. It made sense: not only was he amazing looking, he was also kind and respectful. But Jungkook didn't always know how to deal with it, and therefore he had the attention of a different girl every week.

Which didn't matter when his family could literally be poofed somewhere new every single day.

"Beautiful day for a boat right, huh?" Alicia said, and Jungkook nodded. They were seated on the outward deck of a huge touring boat, some distance from Clearwater proper. The sky was a nice shade of blue, with clouds peppering it here and there. One passed overhead, giving Jungkook a few seconds of blissful shade.

The other boys were on the top deck, enjoying the sights. But Jungkook was down here, talking with the girl who had charmed him at her family's tour booth during the block party. She was still so pretty, in her white dress, with her long hair. She asked him to tell her about himself, and so he did, giving as much information as he could without being an idiot. As far as Alicia knew, Jungkook was still a student -- but at NYU, not Columbia.

"Oh, did you hear about those kids in New York City who went missing? They say they were zapped by aliens."

Jungkook just laughed. "Yeah, I heard of that, but we're safe at NYU. I'm just enjoying my summer all alone."

"So did you go to Disney World?"

"Of course!" That was an obvious lie. Jungkook and his brothers would be caught immediately at Disney World. "It's good to be on the road in the summer. There's just something about the heat and the freedom that asks you to travel."

"Oh, trust me, I know." There was something suddenly sultry about Alicia. She leaned forward, batting her eyelashes up at Jungkook. "You see, there are so many boys who come through here...and a girl's gotta stay less lonely somehow. You know what I mean, Cookie?"

"Um..."

"Do you now? Does the Cookie think he'll pair well with some milk?" When Jungkook blankly stared back, Alicia laughed. "It's a joke! Oh, my God." She shook her head. He wasn't getting the picture. "I'm asking if you wanna meet up back here tonight. You know. Just the two of us."

Jungkook gulped. That sounded like fun. That sounded like a lot of fun. He had been trapped with the boys for what, at least two weeks now? He could stand something soft and feminine for a night, for a change of pace.

But then again...What would they say? Especially since they were on the run? For all Jungkook knew, it could be a trap. He couldn't risk it, as much as he wanted to. "I don't - I don't think that's a good idea."

Alicia turned on him immediately. "Okay then." She backed away from him, then got up from her chair. "I think we're done here. I need to head back to work."

"Women are weird," Jungkook whined as he went back to the top deck.

"Oh, did you not score?" Jimin asked. The seven of them were in a corner, and the older boys had drinks. Taehyung had a disposable camera, and he was taking pictures. The waters were still, and despite the promise by Alicia and her family, there were no dolphins to be seen.

Jungkook sat by Jimin and looked out over the Gulf. He didn't want to think about Alicia or any girls right now. He just wanted to have fun with his hyungs. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a notebook, colored in Duke Blue, with a picture of the university on it. True to his word, Namjoon had bought Jungkook a notebook to keep his thoughts in.

He opened it and wrote down: When in Florida, do not pay attention to the girls. They are all after only one thing.