Marley and JJ had skipped the last day of school to hit the waves at the beach, seeing it as a pointless occasion-heck, they thought most school days weren't worth their time. They spent the entire day there, rolling their own joints before taking to the water, both laughing when they failed to catch the big waves, enjoying each other's company.
After returning the borrowed surfboards they'd "acquired" from a nearby shed, they made their way to an under-construction building to meet their friends. Marley observed John B as he balanced on one foot atop the structure, beer in hand.
"That's about a three-story fall to the deck, isn't it?" Pope remarked, eyeing John B. "I'd give you a one-in-three chance of survival."
"Hmm," John B hummed, licking his finger to gauge the wind's direction. "Should I go for it?"
"I think you should," Marley said, exhaling smoke and extending the joint toward John B. "I'll let you have a hit if you do."
"Tempting," John B replied, glancing at her.
"Yeah, jump," Pope chimed in, pointing a drill at John B. "I'll shoot you on the way down."
"You'll shoot me?" John B teased, making a "pew" sound with his finger guns aimed at Pope.
Pope was the smartest of the Pogues, with a scholarship on the line that could offer him a way out of Kildare. He was the group's brain, though always up for an adventure. Most of the time, he served as the voice of caution.
Marley smirked as she watched Kiara leave the building, aware that JJ was about to be subjected to one of Kie's rants about the building's environmental impact.
"They're even putting in Japanese toilets with towel warmers," Kiara complained when she joined Marley's side.
"Of course. Why wouldn't they?" JJ quipped, taking a sip of his beer.
"This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, right?" she sighed.
"How could we live without warm towels?" Marley sarcastically added, passing Kiara the joint, which she accepted graciously.
"I can't have cold towels," JJ contributed to the jest, both siblings laughing when Kiara shot them a glare.
Kiara inhaled the smoke, blew it out, and then looked up at John B with concern. "Can you please not kill yourself?"
"Don't spill that beer; I'm not giving you another one," JJ warned. Despite John B's best efforts, he misplaced his footing and dropped the beer, leading Marley to laugh as he groaned.
"Smooth." "Of course you did," both Kiara and JJ chimed in unison.
"You dumbass, JB," Marley laughed as she received her joint back from Kiara.
Pope stood on the building's ledge, watching as a police car pulled up nearby. He quickly turned to address the rest of the Pogues. "Hey, uh, security's here."
Marley grinned and exclaimed, "Oh, shit, let's go."
She lived for the adrenaline rush of evading the police. The thrill of looking over her shoulder, wondering if the officers might use force or if she'd get arrested, was one of her favourite aspects of running. The uncertainty and anticipation were alluring.
As she made her escape, she saw JJ sliding across the floor, avoiding the officer. She called for Pope to catch up and ensured she was the first to jump over the fence, assisting the boy by sitting at the top with her legs on either side. Gary was left behind as JJ, Pope, and Marley leaped into the 'twinkie.'
As Gary struggled to catch up with the van, Marley popped her head out of the window, empty beer can in hand, letting the wind sprinkle the last few drops on him.
"Watch out, Gary, things are about to get sticky!" she laughed, allowing the can to drop but blow onto him. Kiara practically dragged Marley back into the van, laughing with her.
"Hey! you little pricks!" Gary shouted, visibly out of breath.
JJ instructed John B to slow the "twinkie" down so Gary could be teased by waving his beer around in his face, all while staying just out of reach.
"You're so close! You can do it. There you go," JJ laughed as he leaned out of the vehicle, half his body outside. Marley couldn't help but laugh at her brother's foolish antics; they shared many similarities. "They don't pay you enough, bro!"
"JJ, stop, stop," Kiara admonished JJ, just as she had done with Marley, pulling him back into the car and closing the door.
"Oh, come on. That kind of initiative is just begging to be punished," JJ chuckled as he leaned over Kiara to high-five his sister. The group shared laughter as they made their way to the chateau.
The group decided to spend the night at John B's place, the chateau. Music played, joints were occasionally rolled, and beer was consumed. One of Marley's favourite things about Kiara was her ukulele skills. She occasionally convinced Kiara to play something on her instrument, prompting everyone to fall silent just to listen to her.
Kie and Marley were best friends, but their affectionate teasing and couple-like behaviour during their time together often led people in OBX to believe they were more than just friends.
The next morning, after their run-in with the police officer, they lounged on John B's pull-out couch. Marley sat upright while Kiara rested her head on Marley's chest, both absorbed in Kiara's phone. They hardly noticed John B walking into the living room.
"Morning, Kie, Mars," he greeted them, unfazed by their lounging position on his couch.
The two looked up from Kiara's phone and softly replied, "Good morning." Marley, however, kept her eyes on John B as he examined a picture of himself, his dad, and his uncle before returning her attention to her phone.
John B's father had disappeared, and he had changed since then. Most people believed John B's father was dead, but Marley silently sympathised with him because he never gave up hope.
That night, JJ and Marley were chilling, both aware that their father could return at any moment. While JJ rolled a joint, Marley scrolled through her phone. She cringed upon seeing a picture of Sarah Cameron, the Kook Princess, supposedly "helping" protect the environment. She didn't bother liking the photo and continued scrolling until she came across a news item.
"Hey, Jay, there's a hurricane warning," Marley pointed her phone at her brother, who matched her grin while licking the paper's skin.
"You know what they say? Every day after a hurricane is a free day," he smirked, walking over to the kitchen counter to grab his lighter and sparking the joint as soon as he reached it.
"At least we can go fish-" Marley was cut off when they heard the front door slam open. A loud bang echoed throughout the house as the door was forcefully shut. JJ wore a worried expression as he watched his sister clasping and unclasping her hands behind her back, sweat forming on her palms.
Both siblings watched as a drunken figure stumbled through the living room doorway, filling the room with the stench of alcohol. Marley and JJ were taken aback by the strong smell emanating from the man. JJ quietly set the joint in an ashtray and moved closer to his sister as they both observed the man sinking into an armchair.
In the heavy silence of the room, all three of them, father and siblings, stared at each other, anticipating what he would say. Marley and JJ were ready for whatever might come next. The young girl swallowed hard as she watched her father reach for a half-empty beer bottle on his side table, taking a swig before sighing heavily.
"I got a call from the police station," his words slurred with anger. Marley briefly closed her eyes, and her emotions seemed to vanish, replaced by a cold resolve. Despite her fear, she was prepared for the worst. "Now, which one of you terrorised that fat officer, Gary?"
"Me," Marley replied quickly, JJ watching her with wide eyes. She glanced at her brother and nodded. Their father was clearly too inebriated to notice the silent communication between the siblings.
Holding the beer bottle in his hand, Marley's father slowly rose from his chair. The situation escalated rapidly as he threw the glass bottle against the wall behind the girl, a shard of glass slicing her cheek just under her right eye. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she winced in pain. JJ immediately pushed their father away from her, resulting in their father shoving JJ back with greater force, causing him to fall to the ground.
In his angry state, their father grabbed Marley's shoulders and shook her roughly, pushing her hard against the wall. After pausing to catch his breath, he noticed the glazed, shocked look in Marley's eyes, tears trickling down her cheek as her body trembled with fear and stifled sobs. He chuckled softly.
"I thought I told you never to come back here if you got in trouble with the police again," he rasped, inches from her face, his grip leaving marks on her shoulders. Marley fought hard to suppress the urge to gag from the stench of his breath, now intensified by the metallic odour of blood. JJ watched in shock, unable to move.
"I didn't think you were serious. We both know you're prone to dramatics," Marley managed to say, her voice trembling slightly as she smiled through her teeth.
"Get out," his voice dropped to a chillingly low tone as he grabbed her shoulder and pushed her toward the door. Despite stumbling slightly, Marley maintained her composure. JJ followed her out of the house, afraid of leaving his sister all alone.
The two instinctively made their way to the chateau. JJ kept glancing at his sister, who stared at the ground as she walked, not paying attention to her surroundings. But from that moment on, Marley would make it her mission to get rid of her father for both her and JJ's sake.