╭ ╮
━━━━ " 📂 "
𝙏 𝙃 𝙀 𝙎 𝙀 𝘼 𝙍 𝙀 𝙏 𝙃 𝙀 𝘿 𝘼 𝙔 𝙎
╰ ╯
WHEN EVIE WOKE UP the next morning, JJ's head was between her legs. Quite literally, his breath warm against the thin material and nose brushing against where she was most sensitive, arms circled around her thighs and her knees squeezing together instinctively, extra responsive in early morning haze.
"J." She hummed, arm stretching out before slipping beneath the thinnest of covers stretched over her legs and finding his head, fingers knotting in the blond hair. "Way to wake me up." She added in the same quiet murmur that was heavy with sleep and not completely awake yet.
"Hey, it was supposed to be a surprise." She could still feel his breath even as his head lulled to the side, resting on her thigh. "You wake up too quickly, angel."
"Maybe you just make too much noise." Evie replied, fingers twisting and his slight movements stilled for a moment. "Hm, J? Too much noise?"
"We've gotta be quiet anyway, babe." JJ's fingers were sliding beneath the hem of her underwear, teasing and for a moment she considered it. It was dangerous. Everyone was awake - or soon to be anyway - and it was much harder to get away with things in broad daylight. "Yeah? Come on, pretty girl." He hummed, pressing a kiss over her inner thigh.
The door swung open and slammed against the wall behind it.
"No Pogue-on-Pogue making." John B's voice was unwelcome and Evie let out a sigh as her head turned towards the open door. His gaze, still a little sticky with sleep, dragged over to the lump under the covers where JJ was. "God - dude, gross, not in here. Get out of there before everyone else wakes up."
"...Fuck sake." JJ mumbled. "Fine." He added, a little louder, although there was still some kind of superiority in his tone because they all knew that it had happened before and it was bound to happen again.
"I'm leaving the door open." John B informed them. "If Kie or Pope decide to go to the toilet you're both fucked, so think about that."
And Evie did, because suddenly she was sitting up and dragging herself away from beneath JJ's hands, the rough calloused skin dragging against her bare legs. "He's right, JJ," she hummed, watching as John B disappeared out of sight, a murmur of conversation as he greeted Kiara and Pope in the adjacent rooms.
"Yeah, but is it really that bad if they find out?" He asked, pushed up on his hands and out from beneath the thin sheet, coming to sit beside her, hands sliding over the smooth, bare skin of her thighs. "Do you care if they find out?" His head tilted. "You embarrassed of me?"
"Yep." Evie replied without hesitation. "You know, I don't hang out with you every day, know you better than I know anyone and trust you implicitly or anything."
"You're embarassed of me." JJ reached for her waist and arm wrapped tight around it, head resting on her chest and pushing her down into the mattress. "I don't care... Would never care." He added in the kind of voice that made him sound like he was still drunk and he almost was, the hangover still not full setting in and the lack of sleep.
It was moments like that when Evie considered whether or not it was a good idea for them to have this sort of... friendship. They were close even before, but once they disregarded the boundaries set in place by the no-pogue-on-pogue macking rule and crossed the line because, really, friends weren't supposed to kiss each other they were even quicker to trust each other. A friends with benefits situation wasn't supposed to have so many feelings involved, really, but Evie and JJ had grown not to care because neither of them enjoyed the serious conversations such a predicament between them ensured and had just... ignored the ideas that perhaps this would all be a bit too complicated.
Because moments like this seemed to forget that they were doing all this secretly, that they most certainly not in relationship yet acted like they were and Evie just didn't know where to stop. There weren't supposed to be feelings, but there was a warmth in her stomach as he laid there and she decided it was too early to be thinking her life through and instead relaxed.
Until they began to hear shufflings about and paranoia got the best of them. JJ let go with a kiss to her temple, muttering something about changing his shirt.
"You want a beer?" He asked, throwing over the once neatly folded shorts to her and she pulled them on, nodding. "If we have them."
"John B has one." Kie's voice at the door startled them, and Evie was beginning to think she should get someone to install a lock on it. "Also, you two need to stop hogging the mattress." She added wearily, whilst Evie was pushing on shoes and heading out the room. "Pope's on the porch, give him a shove for me?"
The girl nodded, settling in to a momentary half-hug from her best friend, the both of them still weary from sleep. Then, Evie pressed a kiss on the top of her head and turned her towards the bathroom. "Go pee, babe." She added and Kiera nodded, disappearing in. "I'll be outside, J."
Wishing for a beer and the idea of exposure to early morning sunlight - at least Evie thought it was early morning, but it might as well have been midway through the day already considering the temperature - she found her shoes and forced them on over bare feet, making her way through to the porch, fingers brushing against the doorframe she had been pressed against in the dark the night before.
"Pope?" She asked, spotting him half-asleep on the couch, arm hanging off the side at an awkward angle. His hand flinched upwards into what could perhaps be a wave, but otherwise remained silent and still. "Bro, wake up." She sat down on his curled up knees, laughing as his eyes instantly flashed open and scowled at her. "Welcome back to the land of the living."
"Thanks, V, thanks a lot." Pope tried to curl back up again and drift back off, but Evie had reached for one of his hands and was smoothing her fingers over his nails. He let out a groan of annoyance. "Alright, yeah, I'm up... asshole."
"You're so sweet." She hummed as she stood up and let him stretch out his legs, few words exchanged after before she excused herself and made her way towards the swinging, hardly stable door that kept the porch separate from the sweeping natural world that was the garden.
Warm sun hit the bare skin revealed by the ultimate lack of clothing, grass dry and crunchy beneath her feet. The wind, whilst not as strong as it could be, was warm too and smelt of an oncoming storm that Evie wasn't looking forward to witnessing. Storms wrecked havoc on The Cut; they would most likely be suffering for weeks - or even mo the after it - and she refused to sit by in her family home with it's generators and hired help cleaning up the mess when people were struggling. Nevertheless, the weather that morning - or maybe it was early afternoon, she couldn't tell and her phone was chucked somewhere in the room she and JJ had crashed in - was beautiful and she didn't mind the idea of a storm so much .
John B was slouched in the hammock hanging from the ancient tree, the remnants of last night's fun scattered behind him in a semi-neat pile of crushed beer cans, the stone circle and ash of the fire pit as well as JJ's grinder and someone's shoes left by their seats. A beer hung from his hand, and he only glanced up when he heard someone coming.
"You and JJ finished in there?" He asked, in a tone that she supposed was some attempt at humour.
"You're a bit of a mood killer, JB. A cockblock, if you will." Evie came to a stop by the hammock and watched as he tried to hide his smile. "We'll... I'll wash your sheets when it comes to it. But what's up with you? You're looking all... depressed and mopey."
"No I'm not." He denied vehemently. "Just tired trying to keep up with everything. You and JJ, this whole social worker foster care thing is fucking up my summer - not you and JJ, who knows what's happening there but it's the foster thing mostly."
"I smell a storm, so I don't think anyone from mainland is coming anywhere close." Evie replied knowingly, her eyes on the horizon.
John B's features, set in contemplative blankness, crumpled into a frown and looked up at her. "Just because you can smell-"
Evie's eyes flickered away from the sight of the marshes, calm and sunny before her, down to him, eyebrows jerking upwards. "And when I have I ever been wrong?" She asked, arms folding against her chest.
John B didn't say anything for a moment before shifting haphazardly in the hammock. "...Right." He admitted, before his fingers brushed over the material next to him. "Come sit" He offered.
She took the chance, carefully lowering herself into the curve of the fabric and wedged an arm below his neck as the other draped over his chest in a hug. Because she knew why he had that distant look on his face, why he had a sadness to his smile and why his focus drifted almost always in the conversations of the past few days.
With his father M.I.A. (Big John was not dead, despite the wish for the police of the county to legalise it as so, and if John B truly believed his dad was alive somewhere, who was Evie to deny that factor, considering she had known the man almost her entire time whilst living there and if anyone was to survive something like that it would certainly be him) DCS was always a threat to his way of living. In the past couple of weeks though, it had become active and alive with the horrifying idea of John B's living status being looked into and the truth wouldn't be hard to reveal; his uncle had left three months earlier to build houses in Mississippi and he was an unemancipated minor living alone. Not something DCS could allow, and the threat of fostering had come into play.
"You're not going anywhere, JB," Evie hummed to her best friend, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as if it confirmed the promise. "Swear on it."
"How d'ya know?" John B asked, ignoring moments of hesitation and adjusting to curl into her touch, finding comfort in a best friend indifferent to the rest of the world around them.
"They were supposed to come today." She could remember him telling her because she was the one to wait outside as he spoke to the lady in her office about the matter. He had been more upset about it than he cared to admit and she had held his hand all the way home. Now, she mirrored that action, reaching for his hand and squeezing tight. "With the storm coming and all, nobody's gonna be getting on the ferry."
John B's head rested on her shoulder, eyes studying the tree above them. "You sure? About the storm, I mean?" He asked.
"Yeah." Evie nodded. "I mean, it might even be a hurricane. It feels strong." She shrugged. "I don't know, I chucked my phone somewhere in the Twinkie last night and haven't touched it since... should probably fish it out."
"And you'll find two million calls from Eli or Rafe or something." He teased, the mention of her older brother and his best friend making Evie shudder; she had long since been close with either of them, despite many of Elliot's attempts to return to what they had as kids and the direction of Rafe's attention being primarily flirty and uncomfortable - not something she wanted to think about
"Fuck off." She told him, but she knew he had a point - about Elliot anyway. "I'm supposed to be having dinner with them tonight, the Camerons. But with the storm..."
"Stay here, slumming it with me and J."
"Is it slumming it if I practically live here anyway?" Evie hummed. "I don't think so."
"Fine." John B admitted, not particularly wanting to fight back to prove himself correct. His gaze drifted over her, up to the tree and down again, forcing himself to sit up with just enough care to not rock the hammock too much, although at the jolt of movement, Evie was up away, clutching at his arm to steady herself.
"Ass." She punched his arm. "What's with the sudden inspiration?" She questioned, legs extracted from the material and swinging over the side, managing to push herself upwards and holding out hands to guide him into doing the same. Steadied, they began walking back to the Chateau.
John B shrugged. "Not gonna mope around when I've been given more time." He grinned. "Not enough wind to surf but how about a bonfire at the beach?" And when Evie nodded, their steps only sped up as they headed to their friends.
⎈
The bonfire had been a success. They had picked up the necessities from Heyward's with a little pleading from Pope and the promise of any food they 'borrrowed' would be paid back in hours of work and by the time they had got there the storm Evie had predicted was quickly approaching and the winds had picked up enough for them to surf. Smores and hotdogs meant they were well-fed, but even then it wasn't enough to distract John B.
He seemed content enough with the idea of it all, and even though Evie kept on about the coming storm, he didn't really believe it. He went off by himself, sat on top of a dune amongst all the scratchy grass as his four best friends made the best of the rest of their afternoon; sat on the beach with a campfire of driftwood made up in front of them.
It didn't take them long to eat the food they had scrounged off Pope's dad, and the beer each they had left even less; Evie had ended up watching JJ sneak a few sips of her own, hand resting on her thigh, thumb rubbing over her bruised and scratched skin as he did so. And so, with a pat on John B's shoulder, they made their way back over to the Twinkie, headed into town for some more cheap beer. As much as they could get.
"Hey - you hear that." Evie was in the passenger seat, JJ driving. She turned back to face her friends, seatbelt hanging against the side of the car. "What did I tell you - storm sirens."
"I didn't hear any sirens." Kie looked apprehensive.
"Can you not feel it in the air? The electricity?" She rolled down the window even further, peering out into the island as it passed. "There's a storm coming. A big one - maybe even a hurricane. DCS won't get you now, JB."
"I think you might be in denial, Evie." Pope pointed out. "Look, none of us want John B to go... but I don't think there's a storm coming."
"Please, I havven't been out here two minutes compaared to all of you and I know there's a storm coming." She pushed. "There's a storm coming. Here you go - more sirens. And look, a shit ton of people out on the front."
"Oh shit."
"Oh shit!" John B sat up, having been slumped despairing in his seat. "There's a storm - a big storm for the sirens."
"See." Evie faced forward in her seat, smug with happiness. "There's a storm coming."
And JJ brough the Twinkie to a stop not far from the group of people, all five of them piling out to go and join them, a lone TV screen causing their crowding. Hurricane Agatha, the news reporter was saying, was sweeping over North Carolina and was predicted to have catastrophic effects. Of course, that was never good news for the islands of the Outer Banks, but they would much rather take a hurricane than their best friend being lugged off to the main land in an attempt to better his living situation - why ruin a good thing after all?
"I told you." Evie smiled. "Told you that there was a storm coming. You should've trusted me, you should all absolutely trust me blindly with all of my weather predictions."
"You're like that chick in that movie - that one who can tell if its raining from grabbing..." JJ said, bringing his hands up to his chest and forming curves of his palms, moving them up and down. "You know who I mean - what's her name."
"Shut up, JJ." Kie shook her head, laughing. A storm siren blared above them, as John B made his way out fom the group, tapping the screen of his phone. "Evie is exactly like Karen Smith, totally."
Evie smiled, before turning up to the blond boy beside them. As if on cue, he took the brief moment of eye contact to step away from the group, dragging her along with him. Kie and Pope wouldn't notice anything, supposedly, but as they backed away suspicious glances were certainly shared.
"You know what this means, JJ?" Evie smiled, head tilted. "Means I can skip that dinner."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, y'know, with Agatha coming the island has to prepare... which means my dad has to order a million people with sandbags around and my mom will be up all night with Noah because he hates storms... and we can surf the surge."
"Surf the surge?" He repeated, eyes alight.
"Yeah, just gotta drop Kie off on our way, because you know she would try and stop us and Kie's dad would try and kill us all if their kids stayed at the Château during a hurricane, then its me, Pope, you and John B." Evie continued, head tilting as his hands found her waist and a thumb slipped under a denim belt loop there. "We can surf the surge, J, it'll be perfect."
The storm siren repeated, and John B hung up the phone. "What the fuck are you two on about?" He asked.
"Never you mind, JB. C'mon, we gotta drive the kids home." Evie said, pulling JJ away with her, stealing her hat as he went.
"Hey!" He exclaimed as he trailed after her. "That's mine."
"I got you this hat, dickhead."
"No you didn't."
"Yes I did. On the mainland when we passed that shop and you saw it!" His birthday trip, infamous for it's length and number of misdemeanours committed upon it, forever in her mind as the point of comparison for her parents to throw at her in moments of tension. "We'd just seen everyone off on the ferry and were going back to the room and I bought you it." Evie insisted, the deck below her feet creeking uneasily as the wind began to pick up.
"Then you gave me it. Transaction of ownership."
"I'm starting to think Agatha might be a blessing in disguise." Pope lead the way for the others, as they headed towards the Twinkie once more. "I can't stand this anymore."
⎈
The storm was really and truly on her way as the three of them reached the beach once more. They had raced back to the Château at a speed they could only dream of on the normal hazy days, but with the promise of a truly good time waving somewhere ahead, they had managed the journey in record time.
Kie were hesitant to go, but the realities of her home life bled through and they were dropped off, leaving their best friend calling promises behind them of staying safe down at John B's and shacking up for the night with beer, a little tiny bit of weed and just enough topics of conversation to keep them entertained. Besides, JJ was going to try and teach them Blackjack again, so why the hell would they put their effort anywhere else?
And then, from her bag of mismatched clothes, Evie had found a proper swimsuit - none of those two pieces that JJ liked a little too much because they would fly off in a tide that strong - and pulled her shorts back on before leaving. The boys had thrown sandbags in corners and pushed all the shit on the floor that needed to be higher up on tables and there were towels on the porch and in the Twinkie for when they were done.
"Come on - come on." John B urged them forward as they scrambled up the dunes, the rain pelting down making it no easier for them to climb. They reached the crest and looked out, one hand covering their eyes from the downpour. "Holy shit."
"It's a double overhead out there, bro." Pope said.
"Double overhead?" John B repeated. "Hey - Evie, you sure you can handle that?"
"Fuck off, all of you." Her voice was almost lost in the wind as she replied to their taunts. "You both know I can handle that better than either of you. You taught me to surf, so you of all people should know that."
"Those aren't surfable waves, bro." Pope shook his head, wary. Rainw as already beading against his forehead.
"Says who?" John B laughed.
The waves crashed against the shore in heavy, foaming froth. The sky stretched out, angry grey and blue for as far as they could see, waves mounting high in the distance. A twinge of excitement settled in her stomach, and once again she found herself incredibly happier that she hadn;t returned to her home.
Of course, she expected nothing less of a beration when she returned; why would she want to hang out in some shack on the Cut in the middle of a hurricane when she could be home in a building made of actual stone. A building that her parents designed to be safe. Kie would kill her if she didn't die in this. Make a face and say something about her supposedly having more sense then that.
"I figure she'd be pretty good at it." JJ's voice joined the fray, reaching the top of the dunes. "I'll keep an eye on her."
"Fuck off, JJ." Evie rolled her eyes, pushing down the sand and heading towards the waves. "What are you waiting for?"
Cold water crashed against her ankles as she fought against the waves to wade further in. The rain pelted down above her, coating her skin before she could even submerge herself. But finally, she had swum out far enough to settle down on her board, the trusty patterns still there thoughh dull and faded.
Paddling out was just as much of a hardship, but soon enough the four of them were out far enough to actual surf, eyeing the waves and waiting for just the right moments to push themselves up into their feet, balance thrown way off by the wind.
Thunder crashed above her and somewhere along the horizon lightning struck, and exhilaration flooded her veins. She had known, long ago, that the Outer Banks was her proper home, somewhere for her to stay, and she had thanks any and all gods that had blessed her on that day she was stung by a stupid man-o'-war and the three boys that found her little boat had decided the best thing to do was pee on her leg.
That memory she had felt slightly quesy about on several occasions, but she had never been more glad for it than the day she turned up at the Château and been handed a freshly-waved surfboard with a promise of being taught how to surf. Because all the thrill-seeking, the sneaking into her parents' building sites, the sneaking around with JJ, the living in John B's home at a steady rate and avoiding returning to her house on Figure Eight, none of it compared to this.
Even when she had wiped-out more than few times, the wave simply being too strong, too high for her to get a proper balance, and she was plunged into the icy depths. She resurfaced each time and tried, tried again, eventually finding more comfort in just sitting across her board, drifting over to John B.
"You okay there?" She shouted.
"Yeah - yeah." He nodded, eyes out to sea. "Hey - do you see that?"
"See what?" She yelled back, squinting as she struggled to slick her hair back away from her eyes. Perhaps a hair tie would have been a good idea this time. "Oh... oh shit - dude - JB - we have to go."
"Yeah - yeah, you're right."
Because if any of them got dragged too far out, she was sure they would have the same fate as that boat.