sweet | outer banks

c h a p t e r / o n e

I stare blankly at the menu, absolutely zero thoughts running through my mind. 

"How about a milkshake?" Kiara suggests. "You look like you could use something sweet right about now." We both chuckle and I smile for the first time all day. I'm slowly easing up a bit, my bad mood vanishing in the friendly presence of the girl in front of me. 

"I could definitely go for a milkshake. What's the best flavor?"

"Strawberry. No question."

"Okay then," I stifle a yawn. "Strawberry it is. Large, please."

"You got it!" Kiara replies with a smile. She turns to the counter opposite the one I'm sitting at and collects the ingredients for the milkshake. 

I spin around again on the cushioned stool and swing my feet in the air. Maybe I should become a regular at this place so I'll finally have someone to talk to. 

As Kiara scoops the pink ice cream into the blender, she turns her head to the side to indicate that she's talking to me. "Hey, did you say earlier that you've never been here before?"

I confirm her inquiry. "Never." 

"You must be new then? Cause, literally everyone who lives on this island has eaten at The Wreck at least once." She clicks the blender on, so we have to raise our voices to continue the conversation.

"I'm relatively new, yeah. I moved here, like, a month ago with my dad. We live less than five minutes away from here. Right on the beach." 

"Ah, that explains it." She chuckles and dumps the pink concoction into a tall glass cup, sticks a red and white striped straw into it, and slides it across the counter to my seat. "Your milkshake!" She declares.

I can't help but smile at her contagious happiness. "Thanks!" 

"Let me know how it tastes," Kiara tells me as she unties her apron and tosses it underneath the counter. "I'm going on break, dad!" She shouts into the kitchen in the back of the place.

I watch as she comes around to the front of the counter where I'm sitting and sits herself down on the stool next to mine. "Family business," she explains, addressing the confused look on my face. 

"Ahh," I mumble with my mouth full of strawberry milkshake. The two of us chuckle as a drop of pink falls off my chin onto the counter. "It's good!" 

Kiara lets out another laugh. "Good. I think I've finally mastered milkshakes." 

I find myself now sitting upright on the stool, rather than the slouched position I was in when I arrived. I would never tell him this, but I'm glad dad sent me out of the house today. I sipped on the milkshake, staring down into the glass as it empties. 

"So like, what's your name? Why haven't I seen you around at all?" Kiara questions with genuine curiosity. She's facing forward with her forearms rested on the counter, her fingers messing with my crinkled straw wrapper. 

I swallow. "Oh, Brielle. I'm Brielle. I've just kinda been laying low for a few weeks. I haven't really found my people yet, y'know?" 

She shifts her entire body to her left to face me. "Well, Brielle, that's a pretty name by the way. Why don't you hang with me and my people?" She suggests with another gentle grin, her eyebrows raised slightly waiting for my answer. 

"I- I mean, I'd love to, y'know, have some friends, but I wouldn't wan-" 

My sentence is cut short when a group of three teenage boys walk through the restaurant door, mid-conversation. Both Kiara and I direct our attention towards them and their disruptive behavior.

"I'm just sayin', Pope! One smoke never hurt anybody." 

"We've been over this, JJ! I-"

"We'Ve BeEn OvEr ThiS, JJ! My ass, Pope!" The blond boy mocks his friend. This is entertaining. 

The pretty brunette puts his hands on blondie's shoulders and shakes him back and forth, stifling a smile. "JJ, it's just not worth it, man! His scholarship, his entire life could be ruined if he's even in the same room as a blunt!" 

Poor Pope. Whoever that kid is, he's mixed in with the wrong crowd, that's for sure. The three boys sit themselves down into the booth closest to the door and continue bickering and mocking each other. 

I face forward on my stool again. "Yikes." I say before taking another sip from my milkshake. 

"Hang on, I'll be right back." Kiara says with a chuckle. She goes back behind the counter and into what appears to be the kitchen. I can see the top of her curly mess of hair in the small window connecting the kitchen to the seating area. I hear her placing some sort of order with the chef, asking for "three milkshakes, all large, one of each flavor". Whoever this is for, they're pretty picky. "...and the biggest plate of fries you can make. Thanks!" 

I look over at the boys again, finding myself unable to take my eyes off of the blond one. He looks like such a dick, I think to myself, but he's kinda hot. Blinking hard to reset my gaze, I realize that they're all kinda hot. I shake my head and turn away, telling myself that I'm not allowed to just fall in love with three random boys like that. I can hear them talking even after I've turned my back on them, but now instead of fighting they're complaining about how hungry they are. 

Kiara swings back around to her stool just as I was about to turn and look for blondie again. Oh my god. Stop it, Bri. Don't do that to yourself. 

"Soooo," she begins. "Remember how I said you could hang with me and my friends?" Her eyebrows go up and her mouth opens in a half smile. 

"Mhmm," I mutter without taking my lips off of my soggy paper straw.

"Well, those are my friends," She points to the trio of boys who are sprawled out at a booth that would normally be meant for, like, six people. The blond one's eyes are closed with his arms and legs stretched out, and the other two rest their elbows on the table with their heads in their hands. My eyebrows shoot up and I let the straw fall out of my mouth and into the now empty glass cup. I look back to Kiara and can't help but chuckle. What are the odds? How is a girl as sweet as her friends with clowns like them?  "I know," she continues. "But I promise you, they're total and complete sweethearts once you get to know 'em. So if you want, I can introduce you once their food is ready? Maybe?"

My eyes form narrow slits as I think hard about the question at hand. Do I really wanna get myself involved with them? I mean, they're all extremely cute but like, what would dad think? Maybe I'm better off with no friends. "Yeah, sure." I say with a smile. What the fuck, Bri? Why would you do that to yourself? They're probably all assholes, and this girl is just really good at sounding nice. 

"Okay," Kiara replies happily. "Sweet."