His Sunshine • JJ Maybank

e i g h t

IVY BOYD

"Hey love bug." My mother greets me as I stroll into the living room. It was rare to see her lounging around and not working.

"Hey mama bear." I smile at her, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

"Where have you and River been all day?" She asks me as my little husky curls up between us.

"Out with Sarah." I sigh, leaving out all of the Pogues unsure of how she'd react. "And mainly out on the beach, letting Riv enjoy the waves."

"You excited to see Hazel tomorrow?" She reminds me of my best friend.

Being in Outer Banks has shift my reality to here, forgetting about my home life. I used to love not worrying about London, but now I feel like crap.

"Yes. I'm actually going to go call her." I hug my mom before leaving her and River. I walk out onto my porch, dialing her number in.

"Bitch, why the fuck have you been ignoring me?" She scolds me.

"Sorry, babe. I got caught up with the drama here." I apologize.

"I guess that's okay. You ready to see me tomorrow?" She taunts.

"I'm always excited to see you. But frankly, I'm excited for you to see this place. It's so relaxing compared to home." I breathe out.

"Can't wait! But I'm more excited to see the boys down there. If they all look like Rafe, I'm going to have to move there." Hazel jokes.

"You're crazy, Haze." I laugh.

"Shoot. Mama B is calling me for breakfast. Love you, Ives. I'll call you tonight before my flight." I could hear her smile through the phone.

"Love you too, H." I reply before hanging up.

Hazel and I have been best friends since the third grade. We met by being seated next to each other in an English class, and clicked immediately. Since then we never spent time apart besides summer. This would be her first time coming to Outer Banks and honestly it made me nervous.

"Hey, angel." Rafe appears next to me with Kelce, Topper, and Max.

"What's up dickheads." I smile at the group, feeling happy about my phone call.

"What have you been up to, squirt." Max ruffles up my dark hair, leaving it messy.

"Nothing really." I lie.

"Kelce saw you with those Pogues." Topper jumps straight to the point on why they're bugging me.

"Yeah? That's cool." I lean against the railing.

"Oh, and that you guys broke into Barry's house. What were you thinking? Stealing from a drug dealer?" Rafe raises his voice.

"Only you would know he's a drug dealer." I chuckle dryly.

"As your brother, I don't trust any of them." Max states, making me scoff.

"I agree with him one-hundred percent." Rafe crosses his arms.

"You cant be going around stealing Ivy." Max sighs.

"What are you four going to do about it? Because I'm old enough where I can do whatever I please." I glare at them.

"You're seventeen, Ivy. Still a kid." Max groans, running his hands through his brown hair.

"God, I can't stand this constant interrogation on who I can and can't hang out with. I actually like them. You guys can't control me. And Topper, you're also seventeen but you hang out with people who only care about money! Max, thought you'd be supportive in my decisions." I snap.