ᴍʏ ᴘᴀʀᴀᴍᴏᴜʀ | ꜱ.ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ

two.

Marley awoke the following morning on the bench on John B's porch, discovering that JJ was still fast asleep. John B had not been informed of their visit, evident by his absence when they arrived at his home the night before. Nevertheless, Marley attempted to freshen up at John B's by stealing one of his t-shirts after taking a shower. She was wearing a bikini underneath, leaving a spare at the boys' house just in case.

In a huff, she ran her hand through her hair, debating whether to go to work or not. Occasionally, she helped out the Camerons around the house when things got tough on the island, and the only reason for this was to prevent Ward Cameron from exposing her for beating his son. As far as she was concerned, it was a deal: she worked for him, and he did not speak to anyone about the incident.

She walked down the street, taking about fifteen minutes to reach Figure Eight. Marley raised her hand slowly, gently running it over her cut, flinching slightly as she felt the sensation. She furrowed her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes as she recalled what occurred at her house the previous night, feeling nothing but hatred for her so-called father.

Upon reaching a humongous white mansion, she walked around it and ended up in the backyard. When she noticed what appeared to be a red monument in the pool, her eyes widened slightly. She scoffed at this display; the island had been devastated by the hurricane, but the Kooks were wealthy enough to pretend it never happened.

"Be careful with that. Rose is gonna kill me," Ward Cameron's voice caught Marley's attention. The man glanced back, noticing Marley's presence. "Marley! We're gonna need your help, sweetie."

Marley surveyed the backyard and found it in a state of ruin. A tree lay on the ground, leaves scattered everywhere, and many people were helping out. However, Marley couldn't help but look over to her left, watching Sarah Cameron swish a net at some seagulls and shaking her head as she noticed the similarities between Sarah and Kie.

Marley had a long-standing feud with Sarah Cameron ever since she became best friends with Kiara. If someone had a problem with one of their friends, they had a problem with Marley. But it wasn't just that; her detestation of Sarah largely stemmed from the fact that she was a member of the Cameron family, one of the most prominent families in the Outer Banks. Sarah wasn't the cause of her dislike, but being a Cameron created instant animosity between them.

Marley's attention was immediately drawn to someone approaching her as she scraped leaves into a pile. She closed her eyes briefly, silently praying it wasn't the Cameron girl. Looking up from her sweeping, Marley watched Sarah run her hand through her hair while still holding the net.

Sarah and Marley stood opposite each other, with Marley waiting for the girl to say something, while Sarah focused on the cut under Marley's eye. When Marley noticed this, she ducked her head; she hated it when people showed pity for her. Sarah noticed Marley clench her jaw at her staring and decided to speak up.

"Who did that to you?" Sarah asked.

"You're asking like you care, Cameron," Marley retorted.

"You're right, I don't," Sarah replied, squinting slightly due to the sun, "You have quite a reputation for fighting."

"Then let me do my job before you're my next target," Marley said, leaning closer to Sarah, her voice hushed and a smirk on her face.

"You're such a bitch, Maybank," Sarah stated, shaking her head.

"Sarah!" Both girls turned around to see Ward walking up to them with another woman by his side. Marley recognised the woman, her eyes furrowed in question as to why she would be on the other side of the island with Ward Cameron. "This is Lana, Scooters wife."