Baby Pogue - Outer Banks

4

John B stood up walking to the back door. He leaned against the wooden frame sobs racking his body. Liz looked down at the tape recorder through blurry eyes. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Her foot bounced on the ground rapidly. A million thoughts swarmed her head.

"Holy shit-- He did it! Big John... He found the Merchant-" JJ stood up in shock from beside Liz.

"Can you not please?" Kie cut him off gesturing towards the crying girl in between them.

"Sorry."

John B continued to sob by the door. Kie walked up behind him giving him a comforting hug.

+OBX+

Later that night after the siblings had calmed down a little. The Pogues sat on the railings of the dock outside the chateau. Liz had her knees tucked into her chest. Her arms folded over her knees while she cuddled into the red and blue knit sweater she had put on. The cool night breeze tickled her brown skin making her cried-out eyes sting.

"How much was it again?" JJ asked. Kie stopped strumming her ukulele.

"400 mil." John B answered. He sat on a rail with his right knee tucked into his chest. He focused on the ocean below.

"All right, let's talk the split." JJ stated. "Now, before we say 'evenly' may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us." He raised the gun in the air with his finger over the trigger.

"JJ please put the damn gun down." Liz said, annoyed. He complied putting it back into his backpack.

"Protection? Not cheap, okay?" He continued.

"You haven't trained." Pope cut in.

"Youtube, bro!" JJ defended. Liz looked down finding interest in the small beetle that crawled along the deck floor. "That's at least a five percent bump right there."

"What are you going to do with your 80 mil, Pope?" Kie asked.

He looked down for a second taking a moment to think. "Pay for college in advance and also textbooks. Those are expensive." Liz snorted at his nerdy answer. She lifted her head the beetle having flown off towards one of the lamps.

"What about you, Kie?" JJ asked.

"What does a socialist do when she's rich?" Pope added.

She chuckled shrugging meekly. "I wanna make a double album. About OBX, the Pogues." Liz beamed up at Kie.

"I like that idea! Maybe I could write a book." The boys minus John B chuckled.

"I'm going to get a big ass house on Figure Eight and go full Kook," JJ smirked.

"You're going to go full kook?" Pope asked in disbelief. JJ was the most Pogue out of all of them always living on the edge and following no rules.

"Yup." He looked down at his can of beer. "Gonna get a marble statue of myself and then I'm gonna get a koi pond. Put a bunch of those fish--"

Kie laughed a grin lighting up her face. "I'm never visiting."

"What are you gonna do JB?" Liz questioned softly.

He turned around finall, his eyes still bloodshot. "To going full Kook." He held up his can.

The pogues looked around at each other exchanging grins. They all stood up grabbing cans of beer/soda. "To going full Kook!" They cheered.

+OBX+

The next afternoon the Kooks were in their swim trunks and bikinis chilling on the HMS. Liz sat on the side of the boat opposite Kie. She wore a dark red two-piece her curly hair newly braided into french braids that stopped mid-back. She had gone to Pope's house early that morning. His mom, Mrs.Heyward being more than happy to braid her hair. It was something she usually did in the summer but hadn't gotten a chance to.