"the moonlight danced around her face and kissed each of the freckles on her skin"
IN WHICH a grieving girl finds out the boy she's fallen for is actually alive
extended description inside
→ season two ←
→ book two ←
book one | SUNSTRUCK
(...outer b...
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"John Booker Routledge, pursuant to the North Carolina statute section 14, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty"
As the words left the judge's mouth my heart dropped. I turned to my left to look at JJ as tears brimmed my eyes. The courtroom around us was filled with murmurs and even some cheers.
I shut my eyes tight and tried to fight back the tears, the rumbling of the courtroom disappearing as I leaned my head forwards. I could feel the tears slide down my cheeks but it began to feel like I was no longer in my own body.
My senses began to come back but it wasn't the courtroom I could hear. It was crashing waves and laughter. I opened my eyes slowly and looked up, the darkening blue sky a better scene than the artificially coloured courthouse. The laughter I heard made me turn my head to the left, where JJ would be sitting but I was met with an empty beach chair.
It was a memory I hadn't thought of in a while. It was from the first week I moved to the island. I had barely known the pogues and was yet to be one myself.
"watch out!" It was Pope's shouting that made her finally notice the football coming towards her. Laney let out a laugh as she fumbled the ball.
"do you want another beer?" Kiara asked her and she nodded, following the taller girl toward the cooler. They had decided to spend the night drinking on the beach and just having fun.
"so, was there anything other than your brother that inspired the move to the island?" Kiara's question caught Laney off guard but she bit the inside of her lip and tried to come up with an answer quickly.
"I uh, didn't really have a reason to come other than him but I had decided at some point that I would have stayed even if he wasn't here. I'm not even sure why, it just felt right. Like I was supposed to be here" Laney admitted and Kiara smiled.
"Maybe you were, meant to be here" Kiara commented and if the football didn't hurtle its way into Laney's side she would have smiled.
"Sorry princess" JJ called out, the boys laughing at what he had called her. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the football from the sand.
"I'm not your princess Maybank" She shouted, sending the ball flying towards him. Laney smiled triumphantly when it hit his stomach and he groaned.
"I'm surprised you even agreed to come out tonight" Kiara let out as the two girls sat back down. "don't get me wrong, I am too. But can't turn down free beer" Laney joked, raising the bottle in the air.
"This would be the part where I tell you that he's not usually like that and it was a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing but I don't feel like this friendship should start out with that many lies."
The girls laughed and when the boy's conversation slowed they realized how loud they were laughing. "shit, shhh" Kiara giggled, both girls feeling the full effect of their alcoholic beverages.
