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LAWS OF THE LAND
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"Hey!"
Harley jumped seeing John B charging over. The others were behind him and they didn't look pleased. She felt guilty. They might have thought she was ditching them. The last thing she wanted was to make them mad in only a few hours.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Topper beat her to it.
"Hey. How can we help you guys?"
"Harley, come here," JJ motioned for her. She started to shift whilst explaining.
"Topper wanted to buy me a drink. I was going to come back to you guys. I promise."
Topper reached out for her hand and held her in place. "These are the people you're with?" Topper scrunched up his nose. "You're better off with us, over there."
Harley glanced over at a semi rowdy table. Two random boys were looking over, as if analysing the situation.
Tension hung between John B's group and Topper to the point where it felt suffocating. Jaws were clenched, heated glares were exchanged, fists were balled tight. It was as clear as day that there was bad blood here.
Topper didn't look as angry as John B and JJ, nonetheless hostility still danced in his eyes contradicting his smile.
"Um, no thank you. I'm going to go back with these guys." Harley attempted to let go off his hand, Topper's grip didn't loosen.
"We'd be more than happy to let you join us." Topper spoke to Harley, yet his eyes were on John B.
"She said she's fine with us." John B ripped Topper's hand off a very perplexed Harley.
Two of Topper's friends came over. Seeing the two groups face off felt like some sort of gang rivalry or maybe they all just hated each other from school or something.
JJ wrapped an arm around Harley's shoulders and repositioned her beside Kiara.
Topper pushed John B after he had moved his arm away. John B shoved back ready to defend himself.
Topper nodded as if thinking to himself and analysing what John B did, before he stepped forward with a raised fist.
"What's going on here!" A woman walked out from the kitchen in a smart dress. She must have been Kiara's mum and she must have come from an office.
"He's trying to fight us." John B deadpanned pointing at Topper's fist.
"I'm afraid he's lying Mrs Carrera. I was buying Harley a drink and they all came over and ripped her away. Pretty rude if you ask me."
The gorgeous lady looked at Harley who was looking at Kiara completely lost on the situation. She suddenly felt overwhelmed and nervous. Kiara gave her a warm smile as JJ squeezed her shoulder to get her attention. She hadn't realised he was still holding on to her.
Harley looked at him who nodded towards Kiara's mom.
"Is that what happened?" She questioned.
Both boys told the truth, so Harley didn't know what to say. She didn't want to implicate John B.
"Mom," Kiara started. "Topper is lying."
Her mom frowned. "Ok. I don't care what happened. Kiara's dad will be here in a moment. Don't make me get him to throw you all out."
Kiara huffed crossing her arms. She knew as well as the others that the only people kicked out would be the Pogues.
Topper smiled triumphantly. "I'll have to buy you that drink another time, Harley." He walked away with his friends in tow.
"Jackass," Kiara muttered.
"You should have punched that cocky smirk off his face." JJ raved in annoyance. "Fucking Kooks, bro."
Kiara was first to head back to the table. The group slipped into chairs sending a few hate filled glances Topper's way, before focusing on each other.
"What are Pogues and Kooks? Are you guys in a gang? Or?" Harley searched their faces and stopped on John B. "Should I know what it means?"
"We're definitely not in a gang," Pope stated. He looked mortified at the idea.
JJ sucked in a breath between his teeth. "I mean, you could say we are. We're in a gang."
Harley started to believe him until he chuckled at Pope and said he was kidding to calm him down. Pope had looked like he was about to burst a vein. Pope was definitely the golden boy, it was endearing.
It was becoming clear that JJ was more the joker of the group. Harley studied him and he radiated chaotic energy, like he would be gone any second doing something he shouldn't be.
"It's simple really," John B shrugged. "The Outer Banks is paradise on Earth. It's the sort of place where you have two jobs or two houses."
"Two tribes, one island," JJ leant back resting his head on his interlocked hands.
"Alright. This is Figure Eight," John B grabbed the metal tissue box. "The rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks." John picked up a ketchup bottle and placed it on top.
"So, guess where we don't live."
Harley answered JJ, "Figure Eight?"
"Ding! Ding! Ding! Correct."
"Are you really making a diagram with condiments?" Pope questioned.
Kiara patted him on the back. "This is the most creative John B has ever been."
In turn, John B rolled his eyes and grabbed another tissue box placing it below the first. "This is the south side or The Cut. Home of the working class, who make a living busing tables, washing yachts and running charters. The natural habitat of... drum roll please..."
The group appeased John B, drumming the table lightly whilst he grabbed a salt shaker.
"The Pogues." He placed the salt on top of the second box. "That's us."
"Pogues," Harley repeated.
"Pogues. Pogies. The throw away fish. The lowest of food chain. Although we may be smaller," John B shook the salt. "We're an essential part of this island. Kooks may be bigger in terms of money and status, but they are not exactly needed all of the time."
JJ pushed over the ketchup bottle for effect. "Kooks and Pogues do not get on."
"The downside of Pogue life, is the that we're forgotten and neglected. The upside of Pogue life? We're forgotten and neglected, which means we can do whatever we want, whenever we want."
Harley tried to picture a fancier side to the island in comparison to the side they walked through to get here. It was hard. Next, she imagined all of the things Pogues got up to.
"Why don't you get on? Topper seemed fairly nice when I bumped into him."
"They're arrogant assholes" JJ stated.
"With ignorant mindsets," Pope added.
"He was putting on an act." JJ shrugged. "Everybody knows you washed up on JB's land. He would have known you were here with us."
Harley couldn't make an excuse. Other than Topper's group, they were the only group inside at the moment.
John B continued to explain to Harley. "It's just the law of the land. You'll find out and experience it first hand if you end up staying here."
Kiara rested her chin on her hand and had a sip of her milkshake. "You guys make it sound like some gang movie. It's not that bad, Harley."
"If you say 'no' to any of JJ's suggestions before he finishes and carefully think through John B's plans before putting them into action. . . You'll hopefully make it to eighteen."
Harley's light laugh floated around, although in the back of her mind she couldn't tell if Pope was being serious or not. Kiara joined her laughter, the two girls giggling at John B and JJ's expense.
"My plans are pretty fool proof."
"And my suggestions take you down a path of enlightenment."
"Enlightenment? That's what you're calling it." Kiara raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Enlightening you to a path of fun and adrenaline."
"You mean chaos and danger?" Kiara smiled.
"Those sound like synonyms to me." JJ perked up.
"Shut up, JJ," John B laughed.
Harley observed the group listening and laughing at their banter. She sipped slowly on the strawberry milkshake taking the time to familiarise herself with the taste. Something told her that strawberry may have been her favourite flavour.
Harley's mind conjured up an image of a blue room. She pictured herself, exactly as she was now, sat at a table with blurred and distorted figures. It was like watching abstract art smear and move along a canvas. Just shapes and colours with no clear features scrambling in Harley's head. The incongruous and mystifying scene caused throbbing pain and a headache.
John B noticed Harley's spaced out gaze. It was similar to the look she had whilst laying in his bath. A lot like the way cats stared intently at nothing with large, sinistrous eyes.
There had been a cute, black kitten with green eyes that had stopped in front of John B and just stared through him before dashing off. The kitten then used to turn up around John B's home to be fed and petted regularly. Harley reminded him of that same kitten. Unfortunately, the fluffy creature had wound up dead by the side of the shack.
Harley's milkshake began to slip through her hands. John B reached over and stopped it making the daydreaming girl snap out of her daze. She gasped and flinched quickly looking at the glass John B rested on the table and then to him.
"Woah, careful."
Harley realised what had almost happened and started apologising, especially to Kiara; the thought of being a nuisance put Harley further on edge. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry. I didn't mean to almost drop that."
Kiara waved off the apology as if she were being silly. JJ scrunched up his brows slightly perplexed at why Harley would apologise so much for something that hadn't even happened.
"It's fine. You didn't drop anything." John B tried to ease the tense girl, but it didn't work.
Harley suddenly felt overwhelmed and trapped. She shot up surprising the group. "I need some air. I'll be back in a minute."
Harley rushed for the entrance they came in through ignoring Topper's playful calls as she passed. She stepped off the ramp and crouched in the grass.
Nausea rolled over Harley in waves whilst her heartbeat echoed in her head. She felt hot, constricted and dizzy, which made her panic.
The doctors had listed off after-effects of amnesia and the head trauma she suffered, yet Harley wasn't prepared for this. It was one thing being told you might get fragments of images of the past, it was another thing experiencing warped memories. The ordeal had knocked Harley off an equilibrium she barely had her feet on.
A shadow crouched beside Harley. "Here." John B offered a bottle of water and helped Harley over to the ramp so she could use it as a support. "You don't look so good. I won't call an ambulance, but should I call my dad?"
"No." Harley tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace to John B. She could tell he remembered how she didn't want an ambulance when he first found her. "I'm okay. It's just my head, but it will pass."
John B's hands hovered around her in case she toppled over. "Are you sure? Is it like a headache or migraine?"
Harley hummed a 'no' as she unscrewed the bottle. She took a tentative sip. "I don't know it was like I was remembering something, but it was all messed up and made me feel..."
"Made you feel what?"
Harley didn't want to think about it right now. She wanted to forget what she saw, but then she didn't really know what she saw. It was crazy and didn't need attention. All she had to do was wait for the throbbing to pass.
"It doesn't matter." Harley smiled at John B again and this time it looked like her usual sweet smile. "Thank you for coming out after me. You didn't have to."
"I'm supposed to be looking out for you today. I'd be doing pretty bad at my job if I didn't check on you." John B smiled and placed a hand on Harley's back rubbing it gently. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah." Harley placed a hand on her head. "Maybe you were right about it being a headache or something."
"Do you feel lightheaded?"
"A little."
Just then the other three Pogues came skipping out of The Wreck. Pope and JJ each had a bag in hand, whilst Kiara walked between the two. They came over on the ramp.
"We got our food to takeaway, so we can bring it back to yours," Kiara pointed to John B.
"Because of me?"
"Ye-" Kiara subtly kicked JJ's shin.
"No. We thought we could go home and watch a film or documentary."
JJ shook his head. "Definitely a movie. I've had enough documentaries about global warming for this week."
Harley felt bad. If she hadn't caused a scene, they would all still be inside. John B had also mentioned going to the Boneyard which was a beach. All of them could surf, and according to JJ he was the best.
"Okay let's head back then," John B seemed fine with the change of plans. "You still seem a bit unsteady, I can carry you."
Before Harley could decline, JJ hurdled the railing placing his bag on the ledge.
"I can carry you. I volunteer as tribute."
Pope looked scarily taken aback by his friend's enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Kiara pointed accusingly at JJ.
"So you weren't asleep when we watched that movie. You were pretending."
"I don't know what you're talking about." JJ feigned innocence, then quickly picked up Harley by the waist and jogged ahead using her as a shield. Harley squealed and held onto JJ's shoulders for dear life. "Do not throw anything at me otherwise you will be injuring an already injured patient."
Kiara began to shake the can. "Oh really. I've got pretty good aim."
"Not the best," Pope commented.
John B laughed before pretending to make a static sound. "Sergeant Maybanks. A hostile has been sighted on the bridge."
"Copy that Officer Routledge. She appears to be wielding a weapon."
"She's not going to throw that right?" Harley laughed, but held onto JJ tighter as he braced himself.
Pope jumped the railing and landed beside John B. "Run for cover!"
That set Kiara off. A can went flying toward Harley and JJ and shot up spraying over them. Harley shrieked feeling liquid spray over her arm and back, then laughed seeing it spray over JJ's head. Another can soared towards John B and Pope. John B leapt at Pope, as if his friend would catch him. Unfortunately for them, they both went crashing down.
Harley was laughing so hard, she didn't have time to process JJ doubling over in hysterics. JJ lost his balance and the two went toppling down.
"JJ!" Harley screamed.
"Crap," the blond groaned loosening his cocooned hold on Harley. He had managed to protect her head and side. "I think I broke my arm. But, the way you screamed my name makes me feel better."
Harley gasped looking at his cheeky smile and bright, blue eyes. "Don't say that."
"What? I was flirting."
"I know what flirting is, but you've only just properly met me."
JJ sat up and pulled his hat back on. "That's more than enough time." His cheeky smile was back.
John B raced over and stood over the pair on the floor. "Harley are you okay?"
Harley nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah. JJ broke my fall."
"I'm okay. Thanks for asking buddy." JJ mock saluted John B.
"Come on guys! If you don't hurry up I'll put on a documentary on saving wildlife habitats and recycling."
"That is our cue." JJ jumped up and pulled Harley up after.