JJ’s Great Escape

JJ takes friends to a rooftop view.

James Jordan —known to his friends as JJ— had been in a lot of binds, but this one in particular took the cake. He’d promised a surprise, leading his crew up the narrow stairwell of his old apartment building.

“Trust me,” JJ had said, grinning. “Best view in the city.”

And to be fair, it was. The skyline shimmered with golden light as the sun dipped, casting fire on the glass towers beyond. His friends; Marcus, Lily, and Devon, leaned against the ledge, their phones snapping pictures and laughter echoing off the rooftop walls.

Then, when it was time to leave, JJ twisted the handle to the rooftop door. With a groan of metal, it tore loose in his hand.

“Oh, come on,” JJ muttered, holding the useless knob aloft like a bad magic trick.

“You’re kidding,” Lily said, her eyes widening.

Devon snorted. “JJ, man, you’ve outdone yourself this time.”

JJ scratched the back of his neck, looking from the broken door to his friends’ increasingly worried faces. Marcus kicked at the gravel rooftop, sighing. “Well, unless one of us sprouts wings, we’re stuck.”

JJ’s eyes darted to the maintenance shed at the far end of the roof. He could see an old metal ladder bolted against the wall, leading down to a balcony one floor below. A grin spread across his face.

“I have an idea,” JJ said, motioning toward it. “If we climb down to the balcony, we can get in through my neighbor’s sliding door. He’s on vacation, left me a spare key just in case.”

Lily raised an eyebrow. “That’s...actually not bad.”

With a bit of teamwork, scraped knees, and more laughter than fear, the group made it down. JJ unlocked the neighbor’s door triumphantly.

“Best view,” Marcus said, chuckling, “and the best escape.”

Word Count: 299
Prompt: Write a story that includes the line: “I have an idea.”
Written for: "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"