𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙊𝙪𝙩 // Originally by: Alyssa Sheinmel

chapter 1

𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣 𝘽'𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙫:

THE SECURITY GUARD ALMOST SAW ME, BUT JJ PULLED THE back of my shirt and I ducked just in time. The four of us crouched in the darkness as the guard drove past in his golf cart.

"Do you think the hotel has special golf carts just for security guards?" JJ whispers. "Like, all tricked out with sirens like police cars?"
"Maybe," I answer, though I didn't see any special equipment on the cart that passed us. Not that I had a chance to look that closely.

All four of us-JJ, Pope, Kiara, and me stand and continue our trek across the hotel's golf course.
Now that the security guard is out of earshot, JJ doesn't bother whispering. "Spring break sucks," he announces firmly.

Jj's not exactly a "look on the bright side" kind of guy. Trust me, there'd be no point in telling him, Hey, at least it's a week or two off school, because it's not like he cares about school anyhow. Or I could point out that the temperature this

afternoon got all the way up to 70 degrees (even though the average high on the island this time of year is only 60), so we got to spend the day in

shorts and t-shirts, but he'd just point out that it's dropping down into the 40s overnight anyhow. Plus, then Kiara would launch into a lecture about climate change, and even though she's totally right about all that, Kiara's lectures aren't exactly a whole lotta fun. And we came out tonight looking for a good time.

Plus, the thing is, Jj's right. When you live in the OBX like we do, spring break does kind of suck.

You know those videos people post online, on some beautiful sandy beach with everyone in bathing suits and partying in the sunshine? Or maybe they're, I don't know, skiing on a mountaintop. Or staying at some luxury hotel getting spa treatments. Or skydiving or yacht racing or something in some exotic location. (Whatever rich people do in their spare time.)

Anyway, those images come from places like this. The places where the rich folks-we call 'em Kooks-forget there are actual people who live in their vacation destinations all year round. Here in the Outer Banks, spring break means dozens
of mainland Kooks breezing onto the island, filling the hotels, crowding the beaches, and taking up every seat at every restaurant.

They clear out the local shops so there's no bait and tackle left for the rest of us to go fishing.
Then, two weeks later, they go home, leaving their (literal) messes behind for the locals to clean up.

So why argue with JJ when he's right? (It's hard enough arguing with him when he's wrong.) Spring break sucks. Or anyhow, it sucks for Pogues like us.

"At least you don't have to work the entire time," Kiara offers.

Kiara's definitely a "look on the bright side" type of person. Or maybe it's more that she believes that she can somehow get to the bright side, if only people would listen to what she has to say and learn everything she knows about inequality and environmental justice and that kind of thing.

She says all these partiers are bad for beach erosion, but they're also good for business--her parents' business.

Her dad owns The Wreck, one of the most popular restaurants on the island, and spring break brings in a ton of customers. Ever since she was big enough to hold a tray, Kiara's had to work at the restaurant while everyone else is on vacation.

Her parents could definitely hire someone else, but her dad thinks it's the sort of thing that builds character. Plus, he wants Ki to know all there is to know about running that restaurant.

He thinks she's going to take over the place someday. Of course, Ki has other plans. (Ki's also the type of person who always has other plans.)

But her parents don't know their daughter wants to spend her life fighting for environmental justice, not serving platters of fresh oysters to rich folks who couldn't care less about stuff like that.