Ignored & Neglected - Outer Banks

Chapter 1: My heart is a chapel and you're burning it to the ground.

For Kie, who has a near perfect academic record – and only male friends, that's a pretty shit gig. Her academic record is definitely not going to survive this year, John B thinks to himself. Not unless she finds a way to put up with the girls in her dorm, and make actual friends with them which seems- unlikely.

Kie is a scholarship girl, like JJ, like Pope, like him. They're not used to the world of the rich, of the elite. They can rarely find things to talk about with them- and if they can, the other kids so rarely want to hear it. But- well. John B has the weed. And the rich kids need the weed – so they leave them be. But they're not- liked, not really. They're tolerated, and excluded wherever can be.

It doesn't bother them, though. It only really ever bothers Kiara, and if she wasn't forced away from the boys, it wouldn't bother her either.

John B is pulled out of his mind when he hears the bell ring. Quick as he can he shoves his fingers in his ears, as does the rest of the group- the chapel bell, which singles the end of a period, is less than four metres directly below them. The sound reverberates so loudly that the bell ringer wears earmuffs when he does it.

Sadly, the Pogues don't have that luxury- and the school doesn't care – mainly because they're definitely not supposed to be up there. JJ drops his cigarette in his rush to cram his fingers in his ears, and Kie sees the butt, still lit, rolling off the side of the roof. She reaches out quickly, catching the butt by the unlit end. She takes a slow drag before putting it out against the roof, glaring at JJ all the while.

"You're going to set fire to the entire campus if you're not careful- this entire place is a fucking tinder box right now." She hisses it quietly, too scared to risk Headmaster Dickson hearing them.

Headmaster Dickson, or Dicko, Dick, Big D, as they all call him when he's not listening, always rings the chapel bell. Pope regularly states that Dicko gets paid three hundred thousand dollars a year and all he does is ring a bell (a not untrue point). The headmaster is a man in his early fifties, who is clearly and constantly disappointed with his life, a fact that tends to seep into his conduct as a headmaster.

It would be more than a driveway run if Dicko caught them up here – it would be an internal suspension. External, if they found JJ's cigarette. Desecrating the one reminder of God in the Australian Bush- that's what they'd say. Elitist Private School Kids Award Themselves Status Surpassing That of God Himself is what the papers would say, if they ever found out. Sacrilege, is what Pope calls it.

JJ, fingers still in his ears, nods solemnly at Kiara, placating her for just a second, before cracking up laughing. He's always been very skilled at taking the piss and, in turn, pissing of Kie, John B will give him that much.

The noise is too loud with Dicko possibly still right below them, and Kiara throws herself at JJ immediately, full body tackling him and slapping a hand over his mouth. They all freeze, barely daring to breathe for fear of further alerting Dicko to their presence.

They stayed like that for what felt like an age, not daring to risk moving. Kiara began to realise she was pressed full body against JJ's bare chest, and she looks at him, making sheepish eye contact. She mouths sorry and he just shrugs, lips still covered by her hand. She can feel his body tensed below her, and it surprises her to realise every muscle in her body is mirroring his tension.

Finally JJ, receiving a nod of assent from John B, carefully wraps a hand around Kiara's wrist and pries it off his mouth slowly.

Kie takes the hint, and rolls sideways off him, tilting her head off the roof. She can see Dicko, a frown on his face, turning to walk away. She breathes out gently, relieved.