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K O O K C O M P R O M I S E
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John B groaned as he sunk in his chair. He rolled his eyes and screwed up his face in disgust at what his dad was telling him.
"Surely, I can have the day off today. Harley is here, I can take care of her, maybe show her around a bit more and get her comfortable with things."
"Nice try, Bean. You've had more than enough days off this year and you won't use Harley as an excuse to have another." John handed his son his phone and house keys. "If you don't get a move on and leave in the next ten minutes, you'll be late."
"Fine. Fine." John B shovelled a spoon full of cereal into his mouth.
Harley sat crossed legged on her chair quietly eating her cereal and observing father and son. It was interesting to see how they operated in the morning, especially since it wasn't a secret John B skipped some of his lessons or took 'personal' days off.
Harley had been awake pretty early, because of the naps she'd had the day before. So, when she heard John telling John B to get up, she followed and got ready herself. Surprisingly, she had been the first one to enter the kitchen which left her a little lost. It felt rude to just rummage around the cupboards and fridge for food as if she lived there, even though she did now. Calling this her home and acting like it would still take her a little getting used to.
"Hey Harley," John B got her attention.
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to walk with JJ and I to school? Not all the way, just a little so you know your way back."
She didn't know what to say. Despite the immediate smile that formed on her face and the small happy feeling she got at just being asked, she was uncertain about being left to find her way back, the idea alone was quite daunting. Plus her memory still wasn't the best.
"John B, no. What if she gets lost on the way back? She still doesn't know the island."
Harley gazed at John who looked very concerned.
"That's why I said not all of the way. Harley's gonna be stuck here all day, otherwise, bored out of her mind."
John sighed. "I'll give you and JJ a ride and Harley can join." He turned to her. "How's that?"
"Alright. At least then there's no possibility of me getting lost."
"Sounds good to me." John B grabbed his and Harley's empty bowls, leaving them in the sink. "Let's go, Harley."
Harley shadowed John B as he pocketed his phone, keys and shoved a couple of books into his bag. On the way out he grabbed his dad's truck keys and held the front door open for Harley who'd slipped her trainers on.
"How far away is your school?"
"A couple of minutes by car. Maybe around fifteen when walking." John B unlocked the truck and opened the back door for Harley. She stepped up and slid in. He made his way around the other side and sat in the back with her. "It's close, but the island is a fairly big place, so having a car to get around is easier."
"Can you drive yet?"
"I can drive, but I'm not old enough for a full licence. I can only drive when supervised." John B glanced out of the window and buckled his seat belt. "Can you drive?"
Harley stopped to think about it.
"Yeah. I think I do."
"Cool! Next time my dad and I do a practice session, you'll have to show us how good you are."
"That will be fun."
John slipped in behind the wheel and reached for the keys from John B. "What will be fun?"
"Harley remembered that she can drive, so I said she should show us the next time we do a driving lesson."
John fixed his glasses and started up the car heading to JJ's home. "Oh, that's great. Maybe you'll be able to show John B how to not exceed the speed limit and stall the car."
Harley laughed. "I thought you said you could drive."
"Pretty much," John B tried to play it off, but his dad wasn't letting it happen.
"No. I'm afraid he's lying to you Harley. You've still got a lot to learn son."
"Dad, c'mon," John B whined. "I'm not even that bad."
"I beg to differ."
John turned down another dirt road and walking up the path was JJ. The car slowed and John B rolled down the window.
"Dude, get in."
Harley swung open her door and scooted to the middle so that JJ could get in.
"Well hello there," he greeted Harley. "Are you coming to school with us?"
"No, just dropping you and John B off. Apparently you guys don't have long left before summer break, so there isn't much point in me enrolling."
"That's a shame."
"It means I don't have to watch you flirt with Harley twenty-four seven," John B sighed in relief.
"I haven't even attempted to flirt," JJ denied.
"And now you can spend the school day away from Harley, so that she won't suffocate in your boyish charm."
"So, you admit I'm charming, Mr R?"
John slowed the car to a stop and looked at the kids through the rear view mirror. "Most definitely not, JJ."
Outside of the car, kids strolled up the street to a large building. On impulse Harley leant over JJ and stared out of the window, one hand by his thigh the other on the door handle. The school wasn't some extraordinary, mystical castle, with tall winding spires, built of oynx brick. It was normal. School was such a mundane concept and yet it bred an infantile fascination in Harley's mind, tapping on the door of lost memories. Memories that would hopefully swarm back.
"Our school's not that great, very boring actually. That gaze of amazement would be better suited to the Kook academy on the other side of the island." JJ's low voice held disdain, whilst his breath tickled her neck. He had pushed up from his slumped position ever so slightly, allowing Harley to feel just how close they were and the mistake of her hand placement.
Harley pulled her hand away and eased back. "Sorry."
JJ fixed his white hat with a quirked smile. "Don't be."
"We gotta go JJ," John B pointed out grabbing his bag. "I see Pope."
"See ya later Mr R."
"Bye Dad."
Both of the boys slipped out of the truck, but John B held his door open and looked at Harley.
"Do you wanna jump in the front?"
Harley smiled gratefully. "Yeah, thanks." She slid out and opened the passenger wide door. She turned around and waved at JJ and John B before she hopped in. "Bye guys."
Once she was settled and Mr Routledge had watched the boys push through the school doors, he then decided to drive off.
The drive back to the house was quick and filled with light chatter and dad jokes that Harley couldn't help but laugh at. Unsuprisingly, talking to Mr Routledge came easy, since he was such a lovely man.
Once the two got back inside the house, Mr Routledge offered Harley a cup of herbal tea. He placed the steaming mug on the coffee table and placed the remote beside it.
"I have a few things to do in my office, but you can watch whatever you want or do whatever you like. If you need me just call or knock on the door," he explained.
Despite her desire to not be alone, she didn't want to disrupt his work. If he could work in here, she was certain he would. Plus she had to learn to be by herself, although she had John B and Mr Routledge right now she had to remind herself it was temporary. Eventually, she'd leave and go somewhere else unless her family finally came for her.
Instead of watching TV or finding a movie, Harley found herself sat in the middle of her bed reading one of the A Series of Unfortunate Events books, whilst sipping gingerly on her tea. The book hadn't fully captured her attention and pulled her in amongst the pages, and so it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.
That's how Mr Routledge found her, sprawled on her bed, one arm over the open pages of the book. Her body tense, and her face moulded into one of discomfort.
Mr Routledge gently rubbed her arm and lowly called her name. At first she didn't budge. Then after a few tries, her eyes flew open in shock.
Harley blinked a few times to swipe away the ebbing memory of her nightmare. Vicious, wild waters that drowned her in her dreams, dried up out of her mind as she focused on John. She returned his smile, "Hi."
"Hey Sleepyhead. Do you feel like going out?"
Harley pushed herself up and closed her book. "Where to?"
"I've got a few errands to run, but I checked in with John B a few hours ago and he said he was going to be at The Wreck after school. I told him I'd drop you off there a little bit before they arrived. So, you can go there if you like or you can tag along with me."
"Umm. Can I go to the Wreck?"
John chuckled. "Of course you can. Do you think you can get ready in five minutes?"
Harley nodded, all she really had to do was fix her hair since her clothes were fine.
"Great. By the time I drop you off, John B and the others shouldn't be too long. And I'll give you some money to buy yourself drinks and food."
"Thank you, Mr R- John. Thank you, John." Harley smiled gratefully.
⚓
The sky was still brightly lit up by the sun, a couple of hours had gone by, unbeknownst to Harley. The shack wasn't that busy. A few small groups occupied some tables, most of them outside.
Harley had been sat in a corner sipping on her drink, whilst daydreaming. There were not particular notions, she let her mind wander to wherever it wanted to go.
"Hi," Mr Carrera came up to Harley's table with a friendly smile. "Would you like another drink?"
Harley startled from her reverie and stared questioningly at Mr Carrera. "Sorry what did you say?"
"Would you like another drink?"
"Oh. Um, no thank you. I should probably get going." Harley realised she'd been through four drinks and a small side of fries, yet John B and the others hadn't showed up yet. Maybe if she started heading out they would bump into her. "Thank you though."
She gave him a few dollar bills and started to get up.
"No problem. I hope to see you again," Mr Carrera called after her.
Harley waved goodbye, whilst pushing open the door. She wasn't looking where she was going and crashed into a boy.
"Hey look who it is!" Topper's familiar voice came from behind the boy she'd bumped into. Topper stood amongst a group of his Kook friends.
"The castaway girl?"
Harley looked up at the boy right in front of her. He was blonde like Topper and wore similar clothes to Topper, but he was taller, maybe older. He was a Kook. He had a confident swagger about him that differentiated him from his friends behind him. The sparkle in his eye as he took in Harley replicated that of somebody seeing something shiny and new, but that was lost on Harley.
"Um, my name is Harley, actually."
"Oh of course, my apologies." He briefly held a hand to his heart and showed a transient apologetic look, before giving a half smile. "Hi Harley."
"Hi... "
"Rafe."
"Is that short for something?"
The boys laughed making Harley realise she asked something silly. Rafe saw her switch in demeanour and cut the boys a hard glare to shut up.
"Ignore those asshats. It's not short for anything, just Rafe." He shoved his hands in his pockets and peeked into the diner behind Harley seeing she was alone. "Are you not here with anybody?"
Harley shook her head. "JJ and John B were supposed to meet me here."
"Those Pogues forgot about you?" He scoffed.
"I'm sure they're just late. I might just ask Mr Carrera to call Mr Routledge."
"No don't. I can give you a ride."
"Dude, we just got here." Topper threw his arms up in the air.
Rafe shot his group a fierce glare again. He turned back with an enticing smile. "So?"
Harley tilted her head to the side. "But you just met me."
"And I want to help you in your need for assistance. Your new to the island, I want you to feel welcome here. Everyone here is nice and are always willing to help."
Only a couple of days ago, John B had explained the inner workings of the island. Kooks hated Pogues and vice versa, but Harley couldn't help but wander if John B had exaggerated a bit. It didn't seem like Kooks were arrogant assholes. Topper had been nice to her and now Rafe, so it was polite and respectful to be lovely in return.
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen. You can see my licence if you like."
"No. It's okay."
"So you'll let me drive you home?"
"I don't want to take you away from your friends."
"How about a compromise. Stay with us and have one drink, just one. As soon as you finish, I'll take you home. Deal?"
Harley thought about it. If she stayed a little longer maybe John B would turn up and if not then at least Rafe would take her home. She had already been there for ages, another few minutes wouldn't hurt, it definitely beat getting lost trying to get back to the house.
She slid her hand into his and they shook on it. "Deal."