Chapter Two
Pretty Girls Don't Cry
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THE WINSLOW FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN for the miracle that fell out of nowhere on the Outer Banks. They were once, those people who had nothing, and one day everything was put in place and life smiled on them even more. Some of the people believed that it was only luck, that it couldn't be what they had managed to accomplish after years. And the other people, they decided to believe in the true story, and to think that everything was possible after that. And there were people like Eden, who believed that what had happened was only because it had to happen, that it was the destiny of her life.
But now it's your turn to make up your own mind. Here is the story of their life. . . Thomas Perez, a man who worked with Heyward, but who only dreamed of one thing : to find treasures, to discover the world. He wanted to live things, but it was not possible with the little money he had. And then, Yasmina Winslow, she worked as a nurse, but all her money that she earned was just to pay for the house and to feed her two children.
Eden didn't know John B, JJ and Pope for nothing. She knew them because she was living the same life as them before she fell into the hands of OBX's wealth. She spent her childhood days with them, stealing food from stores when it was night, going to the beach and bringing back shells ( and crabs that JJ and JB collected, while Eden and Pope were busy taking starfish in their hands), and spending nights imagining what life would be like as a rich man. But Eden has always been closer to John B, and there were reasons. Thomas and Big John were teammates in finding treasures, so sometimes she accompanied her father and stayed with JB all day ( and night, sometimes ).
Everything changed the day Thomas Perez embarked on an adventure alone, without telling Big John, then came back with gold in his hands. Never, really never, Eden and even Yasmina Winslow knew how he had succeeded. He kept the secret, and took the gold to buy one of this houses on Figure Eight. The girl always asked the question, how and why? How had he found this gold, and why didn't he want to talk about it? She never got an answer because a few months later Mr. Perez decided he was going to go to sea and never come back.
End of the story.
Eden looked at the stuffed polar bear in front of her who seemed to be listening attentively with his big black eyes, and his ears cocked forward. "Oh, but what happened after that?" She said, taking the high-pitched voice of a five-year-old child.
She plopped down on her bed, feeling anything but silly when she talked to her teddy bear. "The end is yet to be discovered, Mr. Potato." She answered herself, rolling onto her stomach until she fell in front of her mirror where pictures of her father hung. She sighed, "I miss you, Dad."
Here's the thing, Eden Winslow was anything but the kind of person to confide in everyone. She only told her biggest secrets, or what was on her mind, to Mr. Potato or Wheezie Cameron, whom she considered a sister. She hated telling her stories, how she feels, how she lives with her problems. Not that she was ashamed of her problems, on the contrary, she was well aware of everything that was going on in her head, only sometimes she refused to face them and preferred not to think about them.
For example. . . When Eden has a math problem to finish for Monday, and she can't solve it, she prefers to leave it aside and come back to it at the last minute to understand it and solve it. This is how she dealt with her problems. She let them pass, before they became unbearable and she really had to deal with them. ( P.S. she never understood her math problems. Who understands math, anyway? ).
The bright tear that rolled down her cheek snapped her out of her miserable thoughts. Pretty girls don't cry, they just take it and then break down one day. For the moment, Eden was losing her emotions, but she still managed to manage them and display the magnificent smile that everyone wants to see when she appears in the background.
She got up from her soft bed, took her phone and left her room for the first time that day. 11 a.m. isn't that bad, actually. As she walked up the stairs, she noticed a lot of people standing through the windows, all dressed like workers. She frowned, and suddenly something hit her mind : Hurricane Agatha. She decided to pop in last night, what a crazy thing. Eden was lucky to live in a big house like hers, and to have the means to arrange everything. Unfortunately, people like. . . You know, who can't even afford to protect themselves well or whatever. And here again, she was worried about them. Argh. She hated the Pogues for having so much control over how she felt about them.
"Mom, my hairbrush is broken!" You might think it was Eden, or some little girl saying that, but that's just the wonderful drama queen : Noah Winslow. "Help. I repeat, help!"
Eden rolled her eyes, looking stupidly at her big brother while Yasmina simply shrugged, putting on her golden earrings. "Noah, I don't have time for that. I have to take care of the repairmen, I don't want them to break the house down any more than it is."
Eden laughed, sitting down on a stool in the kitchen. "I really live with two drama queens, great life to me."
Yasmina gave her a look, but she didn't take the smile off her lips. "Ed', don't forget to tidy your room." She nodded, even though she knew full well she was going to forget and just never do. Anyway, her room was pretty well put together ( if you don't pay attention to the laundry on the floor, the bed not made, the chocolate wrappers on the bed. . . ), no need to put it away. Eden likes to live when it's not perfect.
"Actually, I can't. I'm taking Bella for a walk later. Don't have time." And at that moment, a hairy head came to rest on the girl's knee. This dog was Eden's best friend, in a way. A beautiful Golden Retriever, what more could you ask for? It has always been Eden's favorite race.
"Fine then." Yasmina sighed, raising her arms in the air. She opened a kitchen drawer, pulling out a hairbrush. "Here, son. Don't lose this one, I'm warning you."
Noah frowned, taking it slowly. "Uh, thanks? But why do you have this in the kitchen?"
"Not important. Look, kids, don't forget that Fred is coming to eat with us tonight, okay?" Eden froze while Noah looked at his sister to see how she was going to take the news.
Fred Barrow, Yasmina's super, nice, new boyfriend. Noah adored him, Eden hated him. She had refused to talk to this man, she felt that if she got too close to him, or even liked him, she would be betraying her father. There would always be something that would tell her not to talk to him, because she would betray her father. She would betray what she shared with Thomas. She had promised herself that no one would ever replace her father, and she still keeps that promise.
Eden sighed. "I will not be there. There's a party on the beach tonight, I—"
"Yeah. Anyway, that doesn't surprise me. You constantly refuse to see him." The mother cut her off in her words, facing her daughter with her wide eyes. "Listen, sweetheart, Fred is slowly coming into our lives. And soon, he will be part of the family. Whether you want it or not."
Eden opened her mouth to speak, shaking her head. "That's not fair. You can't make me accept him when dad just disappeared. He might be—"
"Still alive? Here we go again." She cut her again, frustrating Eden. "Your father is gone. It's not my fault you're stuck in the past, honey."
"Mom. . ." Noah huffed, putting his head to the side. Yasmina lowered her head, sighing even more as Eden was already leaving for the door of the house, Bella at her feet following her.
The mother walked around the counter, breathing heavily. "Eden, I'm sorry. I—" In response, she saw the door close and her daughter disappear behind this one.
What? You really believed that Eden Winslow had no mommy issues? Wrong. She was always closer, and more herself with her father. She wanted to do like him in her life, look for treasures, save her family from poverty, discover the world. . . Yasmina had none of that. Since they were rich, and even when they were poor, she only cared about clothes, boyfriends, healthy eating ( a copy of Eden right now, but she was an adult ) Anyway, she was a perfect mother, wasn't she? She dreamed of the best for her children, while Eden only dreamed of one thing : To live without knowing what will be next.
But by being Kook, they already know their future. They'll go to a prestigious school, meet a mama's boy ( like Topper, just an example, of course ), have kids, and live in a big white house. But everything will eventually die out, and their life will have been a fairy tale for two minutes.
Eden wanted to live in a fairytale forever. She wasn't a Kook, her Pogue side was still flowing through her veins. Only, she refused
to—
"Holy shit!" She screamed, her hands reaching for her body to protect herself. When she opened her eyes again, she looked at the car, well, the van, and her rage immediately rose in her blood. She looked down at Bella, making sure she was okay, before making her way to the van door, throwing it open. "Are you fucking crazy, guys?!"
JJ turned to her, his arm resting on the head of the seat. "Sorry, Ed'. Sir, right there, really can't drive."
"John B, have you lost your mind or what?" This time, it was Miss Carrera who spoke, the person who probably hated Eden the most for no reason since when she left the Pogues, Kiara joined them. So they never spoke to each other.
"Is the dog okay at least? If you want, I can give him a cardiac massage. I read about it." Pope Heyward offered, his hands clenched on the seats, still in shock.
John B sighed heavily, turning to his friends. "Guys, calm down. She's alive, and so is the dog. Everything's fine." His gaze fell on Eden who looked at him with her arms crossed. "Huh, pretty girl? Everything's good. Except your t-shirt which has water on it."
Eden put her eyes on her pale blue sweater, which fit with her blue skirt with white flowers. She sighed, rage constricting in her throat. "Fuck off, John B. That was my new outfit."
He chuckled arrogantly. "Just watch where you're going. That's twice already."
"Mh-mmh. Y'all should watch your buddy. I think he needs to redo his driving course." She then pointed to the sign which said 'stop'. "In response, I watch where I'm going. Asshole. . ."
He rolled his eyes as she closed the van door, and started walking again. What a prick, she thought.
To her smallest surprise, she saw out of the corner of her eye the van driving at the same speed as she was walking. She huffed, not paying attention to them. "Hey, Eden." John B called out to her, making her turn to him. "Little present for you to wipe your shirt."
She frowned, seeing the bandana he handed her, but took it anyway. "You don't deserve a thank you."
He smirked, going a little faster to pass her. "By the way, it fell in the mud this morning!" He yelled to her, his head popping out the van window, as she wiped herself with it.
She made a face of disgust, quickly pulling it away from her chest where. Luckily, no brown spots had appeared. She gave the van a middle finger, even though he couldn't see her.
Good. He wants to play like a asshole, and then be nice, okay. But don't count on Eden to be like that. She's either mean, or nice. The first choice was going to be the hardest to play since she is always nice ( except to John B, and Fred, and. . . Topper. She actually hates this guy ), and the second choice is easy to play. But Eden still wants a little difficulty in her life. It helps her to get what she wants, so she was going to be the little bitch that John B wanted to contradict over the summer. She was going to be the same person she was with the Kooks : A ghost.
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THE BONEYARD WAS THE PLACE ON OUTER BANKS where everyone could come together regardless of what side of the island they were on, or who they were. Kooks, Pogues, Tourons, all were invited to change their minds and left their adult side to make way for their immaturity to face. No one cared who they talked to, it was just the freedom to be whoever they wanted to be and have fun with anyone without paying attention.
In fact, those were Eden's favorite moments. When she came to this beach releasing the air of her family's deliverance, she could finally have fun the way she wanted. She talked with strangers, took beer without counting the number of it, she flirted as if she knew everyone, and ended up completely drunk. But at least she was having fun. She did whatever her head told her to do without even thinking about the consequences. Because that's what all teenagers do, right? When it's a big party like this, they act like it's the last of their lives and enjoy like crazy? Well, that's what Eden was doing.
She took the beer that Rafe handed her, sitting down next to her. She gave an awkward smile, letting him take his place on the tree lying on the sand after having collapsed that night like a soldier. "So, you having fun?" He started the conversation, letting his gaze wander over her face and her dress. "That kinda suits you."
She looked down at her pink dress, lowering it to her knees. "Thanks." She would never like the way Rafe had of telling her she was. . . Beautiful? Or whatever he meant. If he really liked her, he would use better words, right? Or maybe Eden is just too romantic to date a guy like Rafe. "Uh, have you seen Drea or Josie?"
Rafe nodded, finishing the sip of beer. "Josie is with a certain. . . Caden Miles? Anyway, the guy she was with at the beach the other time."
"Oh, shit. He's here?" She asked, her eyes wide. Rafe tilted his head forward again, frowning. "Shit, the only time Josie brought a guy to a party with her, that was a bad end. I am going to—"
"Eden, relax." He stopped her, grabbing her hand as she stood up, putting her back where she was. "Josie knows how to handle herself. No need to panic like a crazy girl. Damn." Eden's eyes moved from her legs to Rafe Cameron's arrogant gaze. "What?" He said with an innocent tone, putting his arm over the girl's shoulders.
"Get off of me, asshole." She snapped, pushing him away from her. She tucked her stiff hair behind her ears, not even giving him a last look.
She made her way to her friends in the distance, saying terrible things about Rafe that luckily no one could hear. Although she would like to tell him his four truths, to this guy so arrogant that she finds him somehow attractive.
As she arrived towards her group of friends, her gaze fell on John B who was sitting on a tree falling on the sand too, a girl with a green dress sitting next to him, laughing like a pick me. She rolled her eyes, her gaze filled with stupidity for him, then left to refill her drink of beer not far from them. When she managed to get John B's requested attention, she gave a complimentary middle finger, just because she was tempted. He frowned, at which she shrugged, playing the innocent.
When she had finished filling her beer, a warm hand came to rest on her shoulder. She blew in the cool air, and turned. "Oh, John! What's up, dude? I had not seen you." She pretended to be surprised, putting her hand on his cheek.
He made a face of incomprehension. "What are you doing, Eden? I was trying to flirt with her." He complains, pointing to where he was with the girl, now where there's no one. "Great. Well done. You fucking screwed me up."
She sneered. "Oh, come on! We both know that you and flirting make two." She tapped his shoulder, a smile that John B could never tire of seeing. "But hey, good luck, buddy."
"We both also know that I was pretty good at flirting with you before." He replied as she was about to leave. She stopped in her path, waiting for him to continue talking. "I remember how your cheeks turned red when I looked at you without taking my eyes off you, mh?"
She finally turned her head, looking at him with a lingering gleam. "And we both know it was just a game. So, actually, you never made me blush. But it's nice to believe in your dreams, JB."
"I believe your a good actress, but not at this point." She was probably the best actress on Outer Banks to manage to smile while she is helpless inside herself.
"Hey, John B, we're doing a shot contest. Come on, come quick!" A girl of nowhere called out to him, motioning for him to move his ass.
John B let his gaze wander over every beauty feature on Eden's face, but his gaze showed only hatred or nothing for her. And she did the same. Her eyes were once the light that John B sought day and night to finally smile, now they are just eyes like any other. They mean nothing. She means nothing to him.
He looked down at her wrist, and a smirk appeared. "Cute bracelet, Ed'."
She was careful not to move her gaze from his eyes, wanting to show no weakness. John B winked before turning on his heels, leaving to join his friends who were already taking shots.
Eden let a sigh she didn't know she was holding escape her mouth as she put her left hand on her hip. She glanced briefly at the bracelet John B was talking to, and took a deep breath before taking a sip of her beer ( which she finished in a hurry ), then tossed the drink on the floor.
This bracelet, which he was talking about, was the one he had given her to somehow 'sign' the contract to be Eden's fake boyfriend. He's always liked to give her presents, so it wasn't surprising. Only, Eden refused to throw it away or even take it off her wrist, just to still feel its presence close to her sometimes.
John B was once her best friend, then her fake boyfriend, and now her enemy, but it wasn't as easy as you might think to forget who you were closest to.
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authors note: YEAH CHAPTER TWO!! more jb and eden interact in that one, yayyayaya. also yasmina being presented, don't know what i'm thinking about her. like shes....... i actually don't know what is she, ANYWAY!
so, in the next chapter, the plot twist gonna start ( my own twist about thomas' death )
love you all!! oh and guys, please don't be a ghost reader. i would really like to see your reaction ( just comment lol ) or anyway. thank you <3