{OBX}
"I can't believe this!" Kie scoffs from the opposite side of the room. "What?" I ask turning around to face her. We were checking out the inside of a house in the process of being built.
"They're going to have Japanese toilets." She answers and I roll my eyes. "Rich Kooks. They don't care about anything or anyone as long as they have it all." I complain as I clench my jaw in anger and Kie nods in agreement. "I can't believe this use to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, I guess?" She argues as I glance around the room.
Even though this used to be a turtle habitat and they changed it for some rich Kooks to move into and show off their money, I couldn't help but admire how enormous and majestic this house looked. What I'd give to live in a luxury house like this someday.
"Can you please not kill yourself?'" Pope pleads from outside on the balcony grabbing the attention of Kie and I, we glance at each other before making our way outside re-joining the boys. "What the hell are you doing, John b?" Kie questions, her eyes widen in shock as we glance up at my brother balancing on one leg on the edge of the roof.
"Hey, that's my beer. You better not drop it!" I warn him but he just sends me a devilish smirk and continues to ignore us. "Yeah, man. Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one." JJ sneers sitting down on the ground in front of me. Just after JJ tells him, my brother drops the beer and it spills all over the floor.
"Fantastic, JB. Now I have no drink." I scoff and he lets out a nervous chuckle. "Of course you did. Right after I just told you not to." JJ says causing us all to burst out laughing.
"Hey, uh, security's here. Let's wrap it up." Pope chuckles before urging my brother to get down off the roof. JJ stands up and quickly grabs my hand and leads the way through the house. Our laughs echo through the entire house as the two middle aged security men chase after us.
The security man jumps in front of JJ and I causing us to skid on the ground, but JJ quickly gets up and pulls me behind him as we rush out of the house. "Not much of a hugger man." JJ and I cheer in unison before looking at each other. "Bus is leaving." John B calls out as he pulls up outside the house in the Twinkie, honking the horn.
JJ, Pope, and I quickly scramble over the fence, JJ landing perfectly on his feet while Pope trips causing me to fall with him. "Are you okay?" JJ asks turning around to face me. "Yeah." I say. He gives me his hand to help me up. Pope quickly gets up and dusts himself off before we run over to the van. JJ hops into the van before reaching his hand out to help me in, he quickly grabs a beer and starts hanging it out the door. "Come on, Gary. You're almost there." JJ teases the security man as he runs after the van.
He tosses the beer to the man and he catches it making JJ and I burst out laughing. "They don't pay you enough man." I grin poking my head out of the door. "Leave him alone, you're going to make him have a heart attack." Kie argues and I roll my eyes before leaning back on the chair and closing the door.
"How come Gary can get a beer but I can't get another one?" John B questions from the driver seat and I roll my eyes. "Gary deserves it after all that running." I say sarcastically as JJ looks at me with a smile appearing across his face. "Sure." John B scoffs. After a few minutes I move to the passenger seat to keep my brother company while the others talked about surfing.
We were currently driving through Figure Eight towards the Cut. The Outer Banks, paradise on earth. Our beautiful home. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks. So, guess where we don't live.
And then, there is the south side or the cut. Home of the working class who making a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters. The natural habitat of.. The Pogues. That's us! Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest member of the food chain.
Okay, so the downside of Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. But the upside of Pogue life, we're ignored and neglected. Which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want. Now onto the more interesting people.
Firstly, there's JJ Maybank. My brothers best friend since third grade. JJ is the life of the party, he's a very tall man with messy blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. He's about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Best surfer I know. Just don't tell him I said that. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat but we all love him, no matter because he's one of us.
Then there's Kiara, or Kie, as we call her. My best friend since I was 10. The only female friend I've ever had. When she's not out saving turtles or listening to Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs with us. I'm not really sure why though. My brother, Pope, JJ and I aren't as wealthy as Kie. So, she's a rich kid. Foot in both worlds. Her family owns The Wreck, this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. Her parents love me even though I'm not from Figure Eight they still treat me like a daughter. I'm not really sure how they feel about the boys, though. I guess, it's because all the boys have a thing for her.
Next, there's Pope, the brains of the operation. Finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. He's the smartest person I know and my best friend. He's a little bit of a weirdo but we love him no matter, I admire his dedication to getting his scholarship and actually trying to get somewhere in his life unlike the rest of us. His father's the legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island. Heyward could get for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us.
Then we have my older twin brother, John Booker Routledge, also know as JB or John b. Literally the spitting image of our father. He's the leader of our group. It's just him and I and sometimes JJ that live together in our home called the Chateau. Our father went missing at sea nine months ago, looking for a ship wreck. Our uncle T was meant to mind us after dad's disappearance, he was supposed to be our legal guardian. At the moment. He's in Mississippi, building houses, which means it's just us right now, on our own, hanging out with our friends.
Lastly, there's me, Jackie Olivia Routledge. The glue that holds our group together. I'm very stubborn and always stand up for my friends. Whenever there's a party, I'll always be there. I have long curly brown hair with hazel eyes and tanned skin. If I'm not smoking or at a party than I'm hanging with my brother and our best friends.
***
I flip the pancake on the pan as Kie lays out on the pull out bed behind me. "You want some pancakes?" I ask. "Yes, please." Kie smiles at. "Morning, sis. Morning, Kie." John b yawns as he makes his way into the kitchen. "Is JJ in your room?" I ask and John B sighs as he leans on the counter beside me. "Yeah." He answers and I glance up at him with an annoyed expression.
"What did I say to you two about bringing girls around here? They're not allowed here while I'm here." I argue pointing the spatula at my brother as I place the pancakes onto a plate. "Why are you giving out to me? It's JJ who brings people here unannounced." John B defends putting his hands up with annoyance as I just roll my eyes.
"Thanks for the pancakes." He smiles at me before grabbing a couple of them, giving me a kiss on the cheek before walking over to Kie.
I let out a sigh as I put maple syrup on my pancakes and sit down at the table to eat. I look around my home as a smile appears on my face. It's an old fishing shack on the Marsh. The walls were decorated with all kinds of our fathers research and pictures of our family. After a while, I clean up the dishes. John b walks outside to the hammocks waking Pope on his way out, I decide to follow after him "Everything okay?" I ask as I sit down beside him. "No." he sighs before rubbing his temples in frustration. "What's wrong?" I ask curiously. "DCS called and want us to come in for a meeting." He rolls his eyes and my jaw drops open. "L-Like, right now?" I stutter. "Yeah." He answers. "What do they want? Are they going to take us away?" I start to panic, my brother notices and wraps his arm around my shoulder.
"Hey, hey. Don't worry. They just need to check in on us and see if everything is okay. I got this, Jackie." He assures me as I take a deep breath. "Do you want me to come?" I ask and he shakes his head. "No, you stay here with everyone. I'll be back quick." He says giving me a reassuring smile before getting up and walking over to the van. I let out a sigh of frustration before making my way back inside to the group.
After an hour, Kie and Pope left to go home while JJ was still asleep in John B's room. I was sitting on the couch watching my favourite show when I hear the door slam and John b storms in anxiously. "How did it go?" I quickly ask as I rush over to his side. With us being only sixteen and there being no adult at our house, DCS have been nagging us for a while.
"They asked when was the last time we've seen uncle T and I told them 34 minutes ago." He lets out a sigh. "So, everything is fine?" I shrug and he shakes his head. "Nope, they're coming out here sometime today to speak with him." He explains and I sigh. "It's going to be okay! I'm not going to let them separate us. We'll be okay, I promise." He says with a soft smile, pulling me in for a hug.
I was so anxious and nervous for DCS to come over and to find my uncle's not in Outer Banks but then my brother and I caught a break. Hurricane Agatha, coming in the same day as DCS was going to do our assessment.
My brother smirks at me before walking out of the crowded shop making our way home. As we walk home, the sky had gone dark grey and the wind was picking up speed, my brother talked to DCS and told them that we had to reschedule because there was a storm coming and thankfully they decided not to come today.
John B and I were so relieved we decided to get Pope and go surfing down at the beach. "It's a double overhead out there, bro." Pope says as we run down the beach while the rain was pouring hard from the sky and the wind was picking up even more speed. "Double overhead?" John B says as we stand near the ocean looking out into the chaotic storm. "These aren't surf able waves, bro." Pope warns John B. "Says who." He smirks patting Pope on the shoulder before racing down to the waters. "Come on, Pope. Stop being so tense." I say before running after my brother.
After a few minutes, Pope decides to go back to shore while my brother and I stay out in the ocean. I paddle into the wave that was coming towards me before I could push myself to my feet the force of the wave sends me flying off my board. I swim to the surface, pushing my hair back as my brother paddles up beside me.
"You okay" John b asks and I nod. After a moment of silence, I notice his eyes widen in shock, he looked like he was just after seeing a ghost. "What's wrong?" I ask and he points over to the distance behind me, I quickly turn around and see a boat. We watch the boat in amusement until the waves wash it out more into the ocean, where my brother and I didn't have a good vision because of the lashing rain and wind.
To Be Continued...
{A/N: I just wanted to say I hope you all enjoyed the first episode of my first story, Audacious. Stay tuned for more of Jackie :)