" hey there, delilah. what's it like in-"
"the outerbanks."
"you ruined the song!"
fem!oc
season 1 - 3
highest: #3 in outerbanks
: #5 in obx
: #2 in teenagers
: #1 in pogues
...
THE GOLDEN YELLOW sun is setting upon the horizon, casting beautiful pastel colours to spread across the sky as night threatens to take over for the next few hours. Birds are tweeting loudly as their wings are spread and the fly through the air. A faint breeze can be felt, ruffling the green leaves that have grown on the trees and brushing against the skin of anyone on the island. In the distance, ocean waves continue to crash against the sandy shore.
A small group of teenagers stand in the back garden of their best friends house. A somber mood hangs in the air around them, despite the beautiful scenery that they all stand in. The four had been unfortunate to lose their best friend and someone who was going to become their best friend, all because the police had chased them straight into the storm that was brewing out at sea. The pair had died without being able to clear their name and tell the truth about what really happened the day at the airstrip.
Pope firmly grips onto an axe, hacking away at one of the thick trees towering above them. He rips at the rough brown bark until a smoother area can be seen beneath it. The boy makes sure that the surface area is large enough for him and his friends to do what they had planned to do; the four want to make a memorial for their best friend that died out at sea.
Then, once he has done this, JJ walks forwards with a blowtorch and a flat tool with a curved edge at the end. The tool is heated up with the controlled flames that the blowtorch produces, the orange embers becoming visible against the dark colours. The blond uses these tools to burn letters and numbers into the smooth surface area that Pope has given him to work on. On top of that, both of the boys also dig a small hole in the ground just in front of the trees roots.
In the jagged shape of a heart carved into the trees trunk, the memorial says "2003 - 2020, John B Routledge, P4L". The formatting of these is laid out perfectly within the tree and looks beautiful to them, especially since it's the best that they can do. The tree is extremely special to the four because it's the one that's attached to the hammock where they've spoken nights on end to each other, and they always used to climb up it when they were younger. Having the memorial situated around JB's house where many happy memories have been made just feels like the right thing to do.
"To John B." JJ says.
"And to Sarah." Delilah adds, weakly.
The teenagers all lift their drink up into the air and cheers it with nothing, lifting it back to their lips and taking a swig of its contents. Hearts have sunk down to their stomachs as another wave of realisation hits them that two people in the group are really gone. None of them regret that wild goose chase they all went on to retrieve the Royal Merchants gold, but they just wish that the outcome of it was different.
Every single person will eventually die when their time eventually comes, and that's the harsh truth of reality. It just depends on how it happens and when people get to say their final goodbyes to loved ones. But the Pogues just didn't expect to be experiencing that painful loss so soon in their lives, especially in their late teenage years.
Ever since finding out the news back in the tent, each one of them have been holed up in their rooms for the majority of the time. All they can really do is grieve as they process the fact that John B and Sarah are really gone. If the group were together, it would usually be quiet as they just soak in one another's company. The friendship didn't dare change between the four, they would just respect and understand if someone needed some time alone.
Kiara walks forwards with a small box of John B's items held within her hand. She places it down into the small hole dug in front of a tree before placing a singular white flower on the very top of it. Working together, the four then push at the dry mud and use it to cover the hole back up so that the contents are buried beneath the ground. No physical body is able to be buried, so they've just had to resort to things that they link their best friend to.
"Goodbye, JB and Barbie." Delilah whispers.
With tears prickling in her green eyes, the girl turns towards JJ and rests her head against his shoulder. His arm snakes around her waist to pull her closer to his body, trying to provide reassurance while also needing it himself. Delilah is quick to catch onto this and shifts so that she's able to wrap her arms around his torso, holding onto him tightly.
Night has now fallen over the island, the teenagers still relaxing around John B's old house. They had chosen not to leave the area, even after the memorial was completed. They want to be there for each other because they're all going through the same loss and pain that nobody wants to experience in their lives.
Delilah and JJ have taken up most of the space on the hammock as they lay down next to each other bodies, entangled in one another's arms. Kiara and Pope have pulled up some deck chairs beside them both so that they're able to stick together. JJ lets his fingers trail along the bare skin of the redheads arm, which is something that he doesn't realise he's doing since he does it a lot.
"I miss them." Delilah blurts out.
"I do too." JJ adds, letting out a heavy sigh.
"I know the situation is bad, but at least they had each other." Pope tells them.
"I just can't believe those murders got away with that shit." Kie mutters in annoyance. "How are they not believe Lila when she's a fucking witness?"
"Kie." JJ warns.
The blond boy knows how touchy the subject of what happened at the airstrip is to Delilah, especially with how badly she had reacted straight afterwards. The girl had tried her best to speak out against the male Cameron's to tell the truth and clear John B's name (even if he is dead), but not a single officer would take her word for it. Something specific must've been said by Ward and Rafe for the whole station to claim that she wasn't even at the airstrip.
"No, it's fine, JJ." Delilah assures. "I'm annoyed at them as well.
"Rightfully so." Kie agrees.
"Guys, do you realise that we have school in a few days?" Pope asks, glancing between them.
"Why do you feel the need to remind us?" JJ fires back, groaning at the thought. "That's the fucking last thing I need right now."
"I'm just saying that you guys need to stop smoking and drinking your troubles away. You can't do this at school." Pope informs.
"I'll do what I want." JJ argues.
Pope pauses, opening his mouth to respond just to quickly close it again as he realise that it's not a good idea to argue against them. The boy is trying his best to look out for his friends, afraid of losing them too. Weed and alcohol was something that Delilah and JJ would do occasionally, but it's as if all three of them have turned to those harsh substances as a way to escape the depressing truth of reality. And that only scares Pope; how is he meant to stop an addiction that may take over them?
