stevie | outer banks | JJxOC

30-shells

"Stevie, Stevie, Stevie." Young eight-year-old John B came rushing out of school to meet his sister.

"What?" Stevie whined, wanting to leave and go home but John B made her stay.

"I met a friend." His smile spanned from cheek to cheek. He was glowing like a star. "He sat next to me and he's really funny and we really got on with each other. He's coming to the beach tomorrow so you can meet him."

"What's his name?" Stevie asked as the two started walking out of the school and home together.

"JJ"

...

He ran across the beach and she fell into a trance, mesmerised by the spindly blonde boy with a boyish smile and an infectious laugh. The sun hit his hair making it reflect at different angles giving the appearance of glowing gold. His skin was sandy and his eyes were enchanting. He had small bruises across his knees and gapped teeth with new adult ones coming through.

"That's him," John B smiled as he sprung excitedly out of the sand to run towards him. Their eyes got caught on each other, just like they continue to do. A warm feeling spread across her face as he walked over with a smirk on his face, "Stevie, this is JJ."

"Hi." she smiled back, not expecting to get this nervous.

It was one of the best days of her life. The three played on the beach till the sun hid behind the horizon. JJ and John B played variations of baseball and catch which Stevie played along with until she left to scour the beach for shells. "What are you doing?" JJ left John B, intrigued by what the younger girl was doing.

"Look. Shells." Stevie showed JJ her hands which were full of different shapes and colours of intricate beautiful shells. Her smile radiated happiness and JJ couldn't help but be enamoured with not the beauty of the shells but the beauty of the girl.

He chased her into the sea and they splashed each other over and over, getting their clothes soaked in salty water. Being with her made his life feel less gravelly and dim, even if it was just for a day. She was a stark contrast to everything he had been brought up with. The only way he could describe it was as if the sun had exploded and all the warmth and power and happiness and energy was bursting out of her. JJ didn't know a lot about love, he'd never seen it. But there was a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach and he knew it was special. He could never get rid of it.

But when she walked away from him, into the garden of the Crain house, the fuzzy feeling felt angry. Less like butterflies more like wasps. His face warmed up and he felt angry and frustrated, his throat closed and he wanted to break something. He just wanted love. He had been denied it his whole life and for once wanted it to be his turn. But he was angry again.

Stevie stumbled her way to the entrance of the house, it finally hit her what had happened. He loves her. And she was happy. She couldn't believe she just walked away from him. In her head, she kept seeing his lips and she wished she had kissed them. She saw his eyes and wished she kept contact. She saw his face and wished she hadn't left.

But at the same time, there was John B. It's not his choice she kept telling herself but she knew it would rip a hole in their friendship. It's not fair on any of them. On top of all that they were in the middle of a heist.

"Steve, are you ok?" Sarah noticed the girl trailing behind them as they finally made it to the porch.

"You look sick." Kie noticed she looked completely washed out.

"Sorry." Stevie dug down deep to push it away for the time being so they can focus on the gold. I can sort it out after. "I'm fine." She smiled as she climbed the steps to the box on the wall. She opened it but was confused, "This isn't right." She alerted the girls.

"Where are the breakers?" Sarah lightly panicked.

"It goes inside." Kie noticed tracing the wires with her torch to show the girls. Reluctantly they all shared a look and agreed that they would need to carefully make their way into the house.

The house felt haunted in the dark. It smelt like dust and old cats. There was smashed glass on the floor and cobwebs which reflected the light of the torches eerily. Tracing the wire, the three carefully walked further and further till they found the breakers. Slightly guessing, kie pressed multiple buttons and flipped switches, letting out a sigh of relief when the lights finally went off. They knew they were in trouble when they heard slow and irregular footsteps.

"It's late Leon." an old scraggly voice echoed through the house sending shivers of panic through the girls. In the wise words of Pope, this is suboptimal.

The old lady stumbled her way through her house, walking right past the girls, not realising they were there till Sarah whimpered. She abruptly turned whilst shouting, freaking them out with her withered face and glazed eyes. They ran as fast as they could whilst Mrs Crain was left screeching behind them. She hurled a fire poker, almost hitting them a few times until Stevie yanked it from her hands allowing Sarah to grab her friend to lead them to safety. What Sarah had forgotten was Stevie's injured leg which was now hurting her as she ran to keep up with them.

They caught their breath behind a door which they had managed to lock but it wasn't long until the wood started splintering like the scene from The Shining. Together they ran through to the basement shouting and warning the boys they needed to leave.

"She tried to kill us with a fire poker." Kie explained, "We need to go."

"Yup, that's a code red." JJ agreed. Stevie noticed him avoiding her eyes. He looked everywhere but her. Although now wasn't the best time, it played on her mind.

The group went over to the opening of the well,  shouting at John B to get back on the rope so they could make a speedy getaway before Mrs Crain came. they tried pulling but slipped, indicating he wasn't there. After hearing distressing yells from down the well, Kie panicked he was drawing and the urgency to get him out increased. They pulled together until shots ricocheted across the room. The bitch had a gun.

JJ tied the rope so John B would fall and then hid from the lady. After one or two more gunshots they ran out of the basement slightly laughing at the insane situation. Stevie hobbled through the garden in pain for her leg until she was caught up by her brother.

"Oh my god, you're alive." She smiled but her expression quickly changed, "you're disgusting"

"Let me help." John B took her arm around his shoulders so she didn't have to apply as much weight and helped her climb the wall to the Twinkie, although it left her smelling terrible like her brother.

They panted out of breath and let all the adrenaline flow from the situation until Stevie noticed a small smirk on her brother's face. "What?" She asked with a growing smile.

"We did it, baby!" John B laughed and the van exploded with childlike excitement.

"No, you didn't!" Sarah was amazed.

"Oh my god!" JJ yelled, turning his eyes away from the road to look at his friend in the backseat.

"Holy shit!" Kie screamed, "We're gonna be rich!"

"Like full Kook rich!" Stevie smiled, getting chills from the thought. One of the weirdest days of her life ended with her friends shouting around her "Full Kook!"