Ray of Sunshine

“BOOYAH!” Sam boomed, throwing his hands up in the air, almost dropping the controller as he did so. He had just won, yet again. Dylan had tried his best, but Sam owned at GTA.
Dylan looked over at him in amazement. “Dude, I didn’t think anyone was EVER going to own me at this! We need to hang more often!”
“We do, man!” Sam agreed.
Harley, who had decided to sit out after the first game and just enjoy watching the two go at it, was smiling. Sam had made a friend; a friend he could actually hang out with and have fun with outside of cyberspace. He walked outside where James was chatting with Johnny, who had finished cooking.
“So, I don’t think Sam is leaving,” Harley joked.
James smiled. “Yeah, I saw how well they got along. That’s really cool. Who won, anyway?”
“Sam did,” Harley answered.
Johnny laughed. “Really? He actually beat Dylan? Man, you make me play a game with him, and you gonna be laughing at how bad I suck.”
James looked inside to see Dylan and Sam starting yet another game. “What’s that, three in a row?”
Harley followed his gaze and smirked. “Yeah, that’s number three.”
Johnny turned back to the grill, and ripped a large piece of aluminum to wrap the hot dogs in. His gaze travelled to the bench where Matty and Nikki were sitting. He saw Lauren sitting in the sand in front of them. She and Nikki were laughing at something Matty had said. Nikki looked back toward the house, making eye contact with him. She must’ve said something, because next thing he knew, all three of them were looking over at him. They got up and started walking back to the house. Johnny ripped another piece of foil for the hamburgers and wrapped them up. He turned off the grill and set the meat aside as they approached.
“I know, I know,” Matty said, “you said fifteen minutes, and we were out there for almost thirty.”
Johnny smirked at his friend. “I give you an inch, you take a football field.”
“But football fields are awesome,” Matty joked.
Johnny rolled his eyes and addressed the girls. “You two enjoying yourselves?”
“Of course,” Nikki answered him.
“Well of course YOU are,” Johnny said with a chuckle before making eye contact with Lauren. “What about you?”
Lauren grinned. “So far, except for being snuck up on and startled to death of course, yes, I must say I am.”
Johnny raised an eyebrow. This was the first time she had actually flirted with him, and he enjoyed the sassy side of her. “Believe me, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Lauren smirked at him. “If that was meant to scare me, I got news for you, Ragan. It didn’t.”
Her nickname for him clearly startled him, because his only response to this was, “Ragan, huh?”
She grinned yet again. “Got a problem with your last name there, Ragan?”
It was all he could do not to kiss her right then. No one had ever called him that. “No, actually. I’m just not used to being called that.” He could tell by her expression suddenly changing that she wasn’t sure how to take his statement. “It’s cool. I like it,” he added with a smile.
Lauren silently sighed in relief. “Good. Get used to it.”
“You know,” Matty spoke up. “I would find an excuse for the four of us to go back inside, but the food is still out here, and I’m hungry.”
James chuckled at the expressions on Lauren and Johnny’s faces. Clearly they had forgotten they weren’t alone. He was pleased to see his friend so happy. Johnny definitely brought out a side of her that he hadn’t seen in a long time. She didn’t normally flirt back with guys, and James knew and understood why. He’d been waiting a long time for her to get her spunk back, and he was glad he was here to see it happen.
“That makes two of us,” he said to Matty.
“Tell you what,” Matty addressed James and Harley, looking from one to the other as he spoke. “Why don’t we take the food in the house and watch the game?”
“Sam and Dylan are playing GTA,” Harley told him. “Well, actually, Sam is playing GTA. Dylan is trying,” he added with a laugh. “I don’t think they care about food right now. They’re too busy having fun.”
“This I gotta see,” Nikki said.
“Me too,” Lauren agreed, and followed her friend inside.
Matty grabbed the hot dogs and Harley took the hamburgers, and they went inside the house.
Johnny looked at James. “After you.”
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you a second,” James told him.
Johnny crossed his arms, sure that he was about to get “the lecture”. “Okay. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to thank you,” James continued.
Johnny raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
James took a breath and explained. “For bringing that look back to Lauren’s face. I haven’t seen that side of her in a long time. You two clearly have a connection, and that’s great. The fact that she’s actually flirting with you is a huge step for her.” He paused, seeing the look on Johnny’s face. “No, I’m not about to threaten you or tell you that if you hurt her you answer to me. I’m pretty sure she can handle herself now, she’s come a long way.”
Johnny nodded, and a smile crept across his face. “Well in that case, you’re welcome. She’s quite a woman. Calling me Ragan,” he chuckled at this, “no one’s ever done that, James. But it’s got a nice ring to it. I like it. I’m not sure why she thought of that, but it goes to show just how unique she is.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” James said, not intending to mock him, but Johnny laughed. “Just wait until you see The Zone.”
Johnny raised an eyebrow. “Do I want to know?”
James laughed. “A lot of our songs have come from The Zone. It’s how she focuses. As you said, she’s very unique.”
Johnny cocked his head to the side. “This I cannot wait to see.” He looked inside to see the group, save Dylan and Sam who were still engrossed in the game, gathered around the table, preparing their plates. “We’d better get in there before Dylan realizes there’s food.”
James laughed. “I hear that,” he said, following Johnny inside.