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rxsie-the-demon · 3 years

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Brooklyn Baby | JJ Maybank

chapter summary: Nikki and the Pogues devise plans for revenge. However, something they’re not aware of may completely skewer these plans! JJ and Nikki bicker, while the latter works to learn as much as she can about the Cameron family.

warning: marijuana usage. i don’t think this should be triggering for anyone but nikki and topper are smoking and i go into a bit of detail (shoutout google research lmao) and also swearing

a/n: lmao i said i wasn’t gonna disappear again and i did just that. a lot of the things mentioned aren’t canon- they’re just from my imagination btw

SERIES MASTERLIST | chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four

Chapter 5: High by the Beach

John B’s POV

I kept wiping the same spot on the counter, trying to suppress my nerves. Maybe she’s just a few minutes late, I told myself. But I had to laugh. She was never late. In the six months I knew her, she was never late.

I glanced over at the drink I had set out for her. I hope it wasn’t getting warm. I needed today, just today, go to well. If everything goes according to plan, then it’ll all finally be worth it.

I heard the door of the bar swing open, and saw the lady I had been waiting for walk in. She was an intimidating woman, with deep, mahogany skin and long, curly hair. She was wearing black heels, a black women’s suit, and was clutching a suitcase. Her hands, almost always perfectly done with red nail polish, were closed tightly in a fist.

But it was her eyes that carried her power. She was the kind of woman who made you nervous when you walked into a room, who made you straighten your posture and nod your head.

Miss Agumanu is a lawyer working for a firm that’s notorious for taking criminals as clients. One of these clients is a bank that holds black money, and at 4 pm sharp for the past six months, she would walk into the bar of the hotel Sarah and I had been working at since we wound up in Nassau.

It was completely luck; she wanted to become a lawyer to get rid of criminals and ended up landing a job helping them. I had very vaguely mentioned my situation, and through lots of hints from both sides, we finally figured out that she indirectly works for the bank holding the gold- my gold- in the Bahamas.

She placed her suitcase down on the chair next to me, and I jogged over and pushed the drink towards her. She chuckled, her Jamaican accent present when she said; “Am I that predictable?”

I chuckled a little. She downed the whole thing, and I felt my heart drop. I went on to make another. “So, I’m guessing bad news?” I mumbled, not wanting to turn around.

“No, John B. Not at all, actually.”

I spun around and almost dropped the bottle of rum. “What?”

“Make the drink and I’ll explain.”

I threw the ingredients into the shaker, pulled a chilled glass out, and poured the drink. I guess she could tell I was nervous, because she laughed and told me to calm down. Once she downed her other drinks, she started.

“For some reason, I don’t know how or why, but the bank cannot hold the gold. My guess is that they don’t have enough money to ensure it because the gold is worth a lot. So, this Saturday, they’re sending it back to the Outer Banks. This has been the plan for a few months but it only got finalized today.”

“Doesn’t it seem a bit rushed? It’s only, what, Wednesday?” I narrowed my eyebrows. I trusted her, but this seemed too good to be true.

She shrugged. “I’m too tired to explain all the nitty gritty details, but the main point is that the gold is going back to your home, which means you and Sarah can go, too. The gold is most likely going to be stored in Ward Cameron’s property- maybe his yacht, or one of his other boats, or even in his house.”

“Somewhere secluded would be smarter, though, right?” I asked.

“Yes, it would be. He seems like the type of man to build a place for storage but I am also aware of the fact that he barely managed to escape murder accusations, so he’s trying not to draw any unwanted attention towards himself.” Miss Agumanu shrugged. She got up out of her seat, grabbed her suitcase, and turned to shake my hand. “It was nice meeting you, John B Routledge. I hope to see you soon, but not too soon.”

I shook her hand and smiled. I was going home.

*********************************************

I flopped down onto our bare mattress and stretched. I was exhausted, having to work for from 3 in the afternoon to 2 am with only a half hour break, but it was all worth it. Sarah, who was in our shared bathroom, came out and crawled into bed next to me and pulled the thin, faded cotton blanket over us.

The nice luxurious hotel we worked out gave us the smallest employees quarters, with only a bathroom to accompany it. No bed, nothing. After all, our employment was suspicious. But we took it. We had no other choice.

A part of me felt bad for dragging Sarah into this. After all, she’s a Kook. She wasn’t used to this type of lifestyle. I was, so it didn’t bother me. But she wasn’t.

But when she smiled at me, I knew she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. “We’re so close,” she whispered into my ear. “Just one more week.”

I turned my head to plant a kiss on her forehead. “I couldn’t have done this without you. Words really cannot express how grateful I am for you, for all of this, Sarah.”

After six months of struggling, of working countless hours in this stuck up, Kook-like resort, of sneaking food in from the kitchen to our small living quarters and almost getting fired at least 3 times each, and of countless sleepless nights spent planning, Sarah and I can finally go home.

And we can finally bring that cunt Ward Cameron down.

*********************************************

Nikki’s POV

I snatch JJ’s phone from him. “We are not getting pineapple as a topping!”

“AND WHY THE HELL NOT?!” he snapped, jumping up from his seat on the couch to try to take his phone back. “Just ‘cause you- you cultureless mainlanders can’t appreciate real flavor-”

“REAL FLAVOR? Ok-” I dodge an attempt for him to grab it. “Listen. First, I’m a New Yorker. I think I know pizza. Second! Pineapples are delicious!! When they’re 30 feet the fuck away from the top of my pizza. They don’t belong there. Sweet. Does. Not. Belong. On. Pizza.”

“You’re a rich brat, you don’t know real pizza!”

“Pizza is pizza! Being rich doesn’t have anything to do with it!”

He tries to grab it a few more times, but I spun around and ran into the kitchen, where Kie and Pope sitting on the counter next to each other and giggling.

“Yes?!” JJ and I shout at the same time.

“Nothing,” Kie laughed

“Hey, if you’re laughing about the pizza, it’s not my fault this one here lacks flavor.” I jerk my head towards him, and he groaned in annoyance.

“Gimme my phone back.” He stomped around to face me and extended is hand out. “Now?!”

I smirked. “Why, so you could order that sad excuse of a pi-?”

“HAVE YOU TRIED IT?!”

“I HAVE, AND IT IS NOT THAT GOOD.”

“GUYS!” Pope shouted. “I get it, we’re hungry, it’s noon. We’ve been working hard researching the Royal Merchant. Nikki, please give JJ his phone back.”

I pouted and handed him his phone back. He stuck his tongue out at me and I kicked his shin.

“OW! Did you guys see that?”

“Guys.” Kie warned. She pulled out her phone and sighed. “I’ll order pizza with no toppings. Sound good?”

I nodded and JJ groaned. “Sounds good to me.”

JJ mimicked me in a falsetto voice, to which I spun around and said: “Something you want to say, Maybank?”

He snorted. “Nothing, Pillow Princess.”

“Ok, you know what-”

“Guys!” Pope and Kie shouted.

“Sorry, sorry!” I raised my hands up defensively, walking over to ice box in front of the fridge and opened it.

Inside were some glass Coke and Corona bottles. I shrugged and took a Coke, then walked outside to where there was a little campfire type thing with foldable chairs and ripped up bungalows.

I sat down on one of the ripped up couches and opened my Coke. February was coming close, and it was starting to warm up again. Luckily, today was really nice; 63 degrees with barely any wind or clouds. I closed my eyes and rested my head back. Oh, how I’ve missed this weather. It’s like spring in New York.

I felt a shadow pass over me and heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. “Ahem.”

I peeped an eye open and saw JJ to my left. “Yes, Maybank?”

“You’re in my seat.”

I opened both eyes and looked around sarcastically. “I can’t see your name anywhere.”

He huffed. “I always sit there. Always.”

I took a sip of my drink. When JJ was about to add more, I held up a finger and took another sip. “Yeah, I can tell. It’s nice and comfortable.” I turned to him and smiled. “Thanks!”

JJ covered his face with his hands and exhaled loudly. That’s when I noticed one of his three silver rings, the other two being plain with no design, had a skull on it. “Ooh, that’s a nice ring.”

He removed his hands from his face and smiled sarcastically. “Thanks! Can I have my seat?”

“Oh my- if it’s such a big deal, here, O Great Prince of the Pogues!” I stood up and bowed dramatically, making sure not to spill my soda. He flopped onto the seat happily

“Could you grab me a beer, sweetheart?” He smiled.

I bent down, picked up a handful of dirt with my free hand, and cocked my arm back. “What’d you call me?”

He put his hands up defensively. “Woah, woah! I just got this shirt!”

“Oh, please. That shirt is as dull as your personality.” I dropped the dirt and shook my hand, not wanting to wipe them on my jeans.

“Oh, fuck you, Kook. Not all of us can afford Gucci or Channel-”

“Chanel,” I corrected. “It’s French.”

“Whatever!”

I huffed. Yes, JJ Maybanks is an annoying prick, but he’s friends with Kie and Pope, so I have to deal with him. “I’ll get you your beer if I can sit in the seat.”

“We could share it.” JJ made a show of scooting over a bit and pointing at the empty spot.

“You’re insufferable. Even my baby sister wouldn’t fit. What do you want me to do, sit on your lap?”

“Oh, don’t act like you wouldn’t want to.”

My face flushed red. “You-” I began, but I didn’t know what to say; it was like my brain short circuited or something. JJ saw my reaction and covered his mouth to laugh.

“Oh, you’re so easy to tease, princess.”

I flipped him off and jogged toward’s the front of the house. I threw my empty soda can in the trash, then opened the door too see Kie and Pope making out in the kitchen.

“In front of my SALAD?!” I gasped loudly, hoping to scare them. Kie off the counter and Pope turned, saw me, then felt onto the ground in a panic.

“I hate you.” Kie covered her face.

“WE WEREN’T EVEN HAVING SEX!” Pope added, getting up

I laughed and went over to the sink to wash my hands, then I grabbed two Coronas and kicked the door open to go back outside. JJ was leaning back in his seat- ew, no, THE seat- with his hands behind his neck, head rested up and eyes closed. I tried not to notice, but I had to admit, he was attractive.

He was wearing a black Metallica hoodie, jeans, and normal, black vans. A simple outfit, but it fit well on him. And the way the sun fell on his tanned skin and blond hair made him look like what I’d imagine Apollo, the Greek god, would look like.

If only he wasn’t such a stuck-up ass...

I approached JJ and lightly tapped his shin with my foot. He peeped an eye open and squinted. “Could ya move just a bit to the-”.

“No.”

“But my poor eyes!”

I took a right diagonal step forward to block the sun from JJ’s face. He opened both eyes and clapped his hands together

“Perfect!” He smiled and stretched his hand out. I raised the beer up above my head.

“Say please.” I said sweetly. He raised his eyebrows and stood up. I took a step back as he took a step forward, and he leaned in close to my face. I awkwardly lowered my arm, and gulped nervously. What the fuck was he doing? Why was he so close to me?

He smiled and took the beer from my hand. “Thank you, Princess,” he said, then he flopped back onto his seat and opened his beer.

I took a deep breath. I felt like my brain short circuited, and when I had gathered the mental strength to say something to JJ, when Kie and Pope came out. “PIZZA’S HERE!!” Kie shouted.

I turned to JJ. “Hey, you said I could sit there!”

“I said you could sit here with me.”

“You little bitch-”

****************************************************************

“Alright, let’s go over the plan in parts again.” I shuffled nervously in the seat that I was sharing with JJ. I wasn’t going to sit in it, but Kiara more or less dragged me over and said I needed to start getting along with JJ.

She did also wink at me, but I have no idea what she was trying to do there.

The sun was setting, creating a kaleidoscope of purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows, and we had decided to have s’mores.

“Alright,” Kie said from the foldable chair across from us. “Basically, all you have to do is what you’re doing right now; get close to Rafe and Topper. Kelce was never much of a threat-”

“Except when he jumped me and JJ that one time we were delivering groceries.” Pope interjected.

“You deliver groceries?” I asked.

“My dad owns a boat and gets groceries. Like stuff you can’t find on the island.” Pope clarified, leaning over to hand me a s’more. I thanked him and took a bite.

“Basically,” JJ leaned close to me. “His dad’s the plug.”

I felt my heartbeat start to pick up. Why. Was. He. So. Close. To. Me.

“NO, DO NOT-” Pope started.

“Pope, I’m not going to ask your dad for drugs. JJ, shut up. But ok, get close to Rafe and Topper. What about the other Kooks?”

“Scarlett is fine, she’s not a bad person,” Kie scratched her head. “Kelce...ok, keep tabs on him. Rafe and Topper are our main threats. Especially Rafe. I know you think he’s changed, but we can’t trust him. Getting close to him and his family is our top priority.”

“It’ll be easy for you to win Topper over, if you haven’t already,” JJ said, shrugging. “He wants to bone you.”

I made a face. “Gross.” I turned my head back to look at Kie. “But he’s right, Topper does wanna fuck me.”

“Ok, who else does that leave?” Pope asked.

“Ward Cameron.” JJ responded through a mouth-full of his s’more. “The fucking psycho himself.”

“My family and I have to get close enough to the Cameron family to gain access to the house on a regular basis.” I began.

“And be able to go in one day when Ward and Rafe aren’t there to search the office for anything incriminating.” Kiara said.

There was a silence after she said that. It’d be bad, and I mean bad, if I got caught. Ward Cameron isn’t a gangster by any means, but he’s a rich, powerful man, who covered up a murder once. Who’s to say it wouldn’t happen again?

“But I got it,” I said dismissively, “This will be a peace of cake. Topper wants to hang out tomorrow after school by the beach. I have a plan on getting his guard down.” I winked.

Pope gasped. “That wink...GIRL ARE YOU GONNA- YOU KNOW- ?!” He covered his mouth with his hands. “IN PUBLIC? DAMN.”

JJ chuckled. “Wow, didn’t know you were into that.”

I was confused for a second, before it hit me. “Get your heads out of the gutter!. First, a friend of mine likes Topper-”

“Who?” All three Pogues asked.

“It’s a secret. Second, I meant weed. I’m gonna get him high. So, JJ, do you have any weed and wraps to spare?”

JJ looked at me with utter disbelief. “You want me to give you my weed, so that you and Topper can smoke it together? Hell fucking no. It’s bad enough you’re a Kook, and now you want to give my weed to someone who literally tormented all of us?”

“NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ABOUT POGUES AND KOOKS, JJ!” I stood up out of the seat. This whole Kook-Pogue thing wasn’t funny anymore; JJ was beginning to really piss me off.

“Listen, sweetie,” He stood up as well. “You haven’t been here long enough, but everything on this island is about Pogues and Kooks.”

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief, and from the corner of my eye I could see Kie and Pope shoot him a dirty look, but he kept going.

“Sorry if your privileged ass can’t see it-” He pointed a finger at me when he said this- “but that’s just how it is. Pogues and Kooks don’t mix. We aren’t friends. Kie and Sarah were the only exceptions.”

“This isn’t about Pogues or Kooks!” I shoved him. “This is about your friends- not mine, by the way, died. This is about the fact that I’m risking my ass for two kids that I’ve never met while you sit around here and do next to nothing.”

JJ was silent. He looked away, and I could see he looked embarrassed. But I kept going.

“I get you hate people from Figure 8. I do. I’m sorry that your life is hard. But you don’t have to make me feel bad about it all the time, especially since I’ve never done anything to you.”

I expected him to snap back at me with something but there was a look in his eyes when I finished that made a part of me regret going off the way I did. He awkwardly sat back in his seat and I walked across him to sit in one of the cold, empty chairs.

I took a bite of my s’more. The silence was uncomfortable, and I was going to apologize for going off when Kie said, “I think we should head home. We have school tomorrow. Nikki, let’s go,” she shot finger guns at me.

Pope stood up and stretched. “Yeah, you’re right, we should head on home. See ya!” He started to walk towards the house, and Kie walked around the fire towards me to head to my car.

I took a couple steps before I stopped and turned around. “Isn’t he gonna go home?” I whispered to Kie. JJ was still sitting on his seat, hands stretched towards the fire. It’s not because I cared or anything, but it was weird that we were all going home and he hadn’t moved at all.

She hesitated before she answered me. “Uh, yeah, he will. His dad works late so he’s probably gonna stay here til he gets off work.”

A part of me thought she was lying, or there was more to it, but I shrugged it off, figuring that it was none of my business. “Alrighty, let’s go.” I nodded towards my car.

Kie kept turning to face JJ, who was now just sitting in his seat, facing the fire. I couldn’t see his face, but it seemed like he was sleeping or resting; his hands were in his hoodie’s pocket and he was slouching. There’s definitely something going on there.

But it’s not my business.

“Last one to the car loses!” I shouted, sprinting towards the car. I wanted to cheer Kie up, and it worked. She spun around and cried out, “NO FAIR!” Before proceeding to sprint after me. But I had won, and smacked the top of my car.

“Ok, you know what’s my fav part about this car?” I inhaled loudly, resting my hands on my knees. Kie stumbled to a stop and shook her head.

“No, what?” She put her hands on her hips and steadied her breathing.

I straightened myself up and pressed the unlock button. “The doors.” The my two car doors, which one would assume would pull out, went upwards like wings instead.

“You’re such a show off,” Kie sighed. “But you’re right, every time I sit in your car I feel like a celebrity or something.”

“Right?!” I exclaimed, beckoning her to sit in the car. We got in and buckled ourselves up. “The best part about it is that this particular Aventador is that it’s a hybrid car. Better for the environment.” I put the car in reverse and began to back out, then turned it around and drove forward to get onto the road.

“Wow.” Kie sounded impressed. “You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t, actually, I’m not much of a car person. But I researched this car!”

“Well, don’t tell that to JJ. Between you and me, he likes your car.”

I tried my best not to turn my head to face Kie, because I wanted to keep my eyes on the road. “Wait, actually?”

“Well, who wouldn’t like an Lamborghini? But he’ll never admit it to your face. He doesn’t want to give you the satisfaction of knowing something Kooky impressed him”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course not. Maybe I’ll be nice and offer to drive us all somewhere so he can sit in it. But he better not take any pics of the car. At least, not without me.”

Kie through her head back and laughed, and I joined her. It seemed both of our moods had improved.

*************************************

I flopped onto my bed and sighed. I had dropped Kie home, took a shower, did my skincare routine, and now I lay in bed.

One of the agreements I had with Krish and Mal was that I could decorate my room however I wished. My walls and bed set were both a light purple. My bed, dresser, and hanging mirror were black. Behind my bed, which was pressed against a wall, was a black and white sun and moon tapestry; a picture of the moon with a face on it, and two halves of the sun beside it.

TikTok lights, like, the stereotypical ones, lined up the walls near the ceilings, set to purple. And purple fairy lights were on the wall across from my bed, near my dresser. And lastly, at the farthest end of the room, was a small, purple couch.

It’s safe to say my favorite color is purple.

One of the best parts about moving to the Outer Banks was, in fact, my room. I didn’t feel comfortable in Krish and Mal’s house in New York, even though New York is my home. It didn’t feel right, it felt like I was intruding.

But here, it was a fresh start. Even if it was abrupt. A fresh start meant no more nightmares, no more panic attacks, no more -

Beep!

I turned my head quickly, and winced when I got whip lash. I was so lost in thought that the notification on my phone spooked me.

I grab my phone, still having my hand on my neck, and unlocked it to see who texted me.

“Who the hell..?” I whispered. It was an unknown number.

‘Hey’ the text said. I frowned. I saw the area code and searched it up quickly and saw it was a North Carolina area code. I didn’t open it immediately, and saw the person was still typing.

‘Come by the Chauteau tmrw before you get to school’

I narrowed my eyes again, then I put it together.

‘is this jj?’ I asked.

‘Ye’ he responded. I quickly added him to my contacts. A part of me wanted to say more to him, but I didn’t.

At least the texts sent blue, I joked to myself. I put my phone down and dimmed my lights. My phone beeped again, and I picked it up.

‘Sorry about earlier’

‘it’s alr idc’

To which he left me on read. A part of me thought the ‘I don’t care’ was a tad bit harsh. So I added. ‘i’ll see u tmrw. gn jj’

‘Goodnight’

******************************************************

“You sure you don’t want me to pick you up?” I asked Kie through Facetime as I leaned right into my mirror to applied some mascara.

“I’m good, don’t worry. I’m gonna hang out with Pope and have breakfast with him before I go to school.”

“But are you sure-”

“Girl.” Kie laughed. “I promised JJ isn’t gonna murder you or something.”

“You never know...” I said. Closing the mascara tube and readjusting my outfit. I was wearing a dark blue cardigan crop top with white and light blue squares on it, like an argyle style. Complete with high-waisted patchwork jeans and black vans.

Kie smacked her hand against her forehead. “Just get the weed and smoke with Topper. And try not to get caught, ok?”

I laughed. “I’ll try. But wait, were you the one who gave him my number?”

Kie gave me an evil little smile through the screen as she walked throughout her house. “Perhaps...Look, I know you may think otherwise, but I know JJ and he’s totally into you, he just doesn’t know it yet.”

“Um...girl? No fucking way. And I don’t want to be with someone who’s so rude to me.”

“I know, I know, which is why I’m gonna tell him to get his shit together so he has a chance.”

I scoffed. “He hates Kooks, and he reeks of bad boy energy. He’s probably going to get me arrested or something. And let’s say he does get his act together, he’s gonna have to do a lot of hard work on his end to make up for the shit he’s said to me.”

“He means well! And despite what you think, there is a sweet side to him.”

“Mhm, right. Totally.”

“Just trust me. And don’t tell me you aren’t attracted to him. I see the way you guys look at each other, it’s like you want to rip each other’s cloth-”

“ALRIGHT, alright, I’ll admit he’s attractive, but that’s it. He’s funny, can be nice, and is hot. That’s it. That’s all there is.” I rubbed my temples.

Kie scoffed. “I call it- you guys are going to keep having your little moments, but still argue a lot. Then things will happen, the two of you will be vulnerable to each other, then you’ll actually become friends and then you’ll date.”

“You read way too many fanfics.”

“I actually see the two of you long term together!”

“I- Ok, we should probably get going now. See ya!”

“Bye! Don’t forget what I said!” Kie hung up, and I chuckled a little.

I grabbed my hairbrush and combed out my straightened hair, which fell a little below my shoulders, then put the brush down. Cute outfit, straight hair with middle parting...what am I missing?

A belt. I went to my closet and pulled one out, a melt chain belt, like rings or loops, and quickly looked it around myself.

Wow, I’m hot.

I grabbed my Kanken backpack and ran down the stairs.

I headed to the kitchen, where Diya was sitting on her height chair, with apple sauce all over the tray, her face, her hands, and the floor. “Good morning, gremlin” I leaned over to kiss her forehead, and took the seat to her right. She turned to me and began giggling and babbling. I picked up the apple sauce-covered spoon and scooped the tiny bit that was in the bowl in front of her and put it near her mouth.

“Open sesame.” I said. She opened her mouth and bit the spoon. I fed her a couple more bites before she shook her head and refused to eat more.

I shrugged, taking the bowl and spoon and placing it in the sink, then grabbing a napkin and quickly wiping up the floor, being careful not to get any on my clothes.

“Oh, Nikki, you didn’t have to clean up.” Mal sighed, walking down the stairs. I stood up and turned to see her. She was in sweats and a shirt, and her hair was tied up. “I was changing because this tiny gremlin got apple sauce all over me.” Mal laughed and ruffled Diya’s hair, who seemed confused. Probably because she didn’t even realize her mom left.

“It’s alright,” I got a fresh napkin and wiped Diya’s face. “She finished her food. But I’m not cleaning the tray.” I made a face and we laughed. Diya laughed, and I leaned over to kiss her again. She squirmed and giggled.

“That’s fine. But make sure you eat something before you leave!” Mal picked Diya up and put her on her hip. Then she stopped. “Wait, why are you leaving so early?”

I blinked twice. “Uh. I need to go to something.”

Mal laughed, and Diya reached for her mom’s hair to pull it. “Like what?”

“Uh, my friend needs to be dropped off at...the other high school. Kildare County High School. It’s in The Cut, and they don’t have a car.”

Mal looked at me for a couple seconds, than rolled her eyes. “You’re an awful liar.” She proceeded to go upstairs. “Whatever you do, don’t make bad choices!”

“I won’t!” I shouted back. “Wait, where’s Krish?” I asked, pouring myself some cereal.

“He had an emergency surgery. Nothing super serious, just someone’s appendix burst or something.” Mal shouted from upstairs. “Don’t clean the tray up, I have the day off so I’m gonna catch up on some house work and go shopping with Diya. Just eat and make sure you’re at school on time. Krish packed a sandwich and some apple slices for you in the fridge if you want it!”

“Alright!” I shouted back. I grabbed the food from the fridge, an ice pack from the freezer to keep my food fresh, shoved it in my lunchbox, and finished up my cereal. I grabbed my keys, shouldered my bag, and headed to my car.

I threw my bag into the seat next to mine and buckled up, then hooked my playlist up and pulled out of my driveway.

When I arrived at the Chauteau, I saw someone sitting outside on the steps with their hands on their head. They were wearing a black hoodie, and it was pulled up over their head so I couldn’t see who it was.

As I got closer, I realized it was JJ, and he was wearing the same outfit from yesterday.

“Hey!” I called out to him. He looked up and gave me a quick nod, then beckoned me to come inside. I obliged and slipped my keys into my pocket, then jogged quickly to catch up with him.

“The weed’s in my room. Just wait on the couch and I’ll get it for you.” He mumbled as held the door open for me, then headed inside. I nodded and flopped onto the couch. JJ reappeared a couple seconds later, holding a black dispensary bag with a smily face on it and some paper wraps.

He headed to the kitchen and put them in a gallon sized Ziploc bag, then walked towards me. I noticed that, the entire time, he had his head down, and his long blond hair was parted to cover his left eye.

“Here.” He said, not meeting my eyes.

I grabbed the bag and bid him a farewell, then turned around to ask him if he wanted a ride to his high school, when I saw his swollen, bruised eye underneath the wisps of his hair.

“Wait, do you ne- Oh my God, JJ, what happened to your eye?” I walked towards him and covered my mouth. Shit, I thought. It looked pretty bad. The eyelid above his eye was swollen and beneath his eye, it was an ugly purplish blue.

“For fuck’s sake, dude,” he groaned.

“Woah, woah,” I raised my arms up in defense. “I just asked. Anyone would’ve if they saw someone with a black eye.”

He flopped onto the couch. “I’m fine. Fan-fucking-tastic.”

“Your eye is swollen.” I said firmly.

“And your eyes work.” He sassed back.

“Oh my- I have an ice pack in my car. Do you want me to grab it, or do you want to sit here and be a bitch to me?” I crossed my arms.

JJ raised his eyebrows at me. I stared back.

He sighed. “Whatever, I don’t care.” I scoffed to myself, thinking about how ungrateful he is, and ran out to my car, grabbed my lunch box, and ran back inside. I told JJ to sit down and I pulled the pack out and handed it to him.

“Just press the pack against your eye.” I told him. He gave me a look.

“This isn’t exactly like a bag. It’s a big blue block of coldness.” He put it down on the couch and flexed his hand. “And it’s really cold.”

“Well of course it’s cold, it’s an ice pack! Are there any paper towels here?”

“Under the sink, yeah.”

I walked towards the kitchen and ripped out a couple, then went back to the couch to wrap the ice pack. I held it for a couple seconds so that the napkins would start to get cold, then I turned and handed it to him.

He picked it up and brushed his hair back. I flopped down onto the couch and checked the time on my phone. I still had a good fourty minutes before school started, so I was fine.

JJ pressed the pack against his eye, then pulled it away. “I don’t feel anything.”

I took it from his hands and scooted next to him. I reached my hand out towards him and he leaned back.

“Uh, what are you doing?” His eyes were wide.

“Icing your eye for you. Because apparently this big blue block of coldness is too difficult for you to use.”

He squinted his eyes. I sighed.

“That was a joke,” I explained. Then I beckoned him closer to me. “But come on, now, I need my ice pack for lunch. So either you do it or I will!”

He mumbled something about not being a baby and scooted closer to me. I brushed some of his hair aside and he flinched. I pulled my hand back immediately.

“Shit! I’m sorry, did I touch your eye?” God, this is so awkward.

“No, no, I’m fine.” He quickly reassured, awkwardly brushing his hands with his hair. He looked down and was fidgeting with his hands.

This is so, so weird. I touched the pack against my hand, and felt for where it was the coldest. Then, I gently brushed some of JJ’s hair away from his eye and pressed the cold pack against his eye.

He pushed his hair back and scooted closer to me. “This feels good.” He whispered under his breath; I almost didn’t hear him.

I felt a hint of a smile forming. “Well, I’m glad,” I laughed. “My dad’s a doctor. He’s Chief of Surgery, I think, at the hospital on the next island over. The one here’s pretty small, but that’s one’s big. We moved here, though, because we had a house here.”

JJ nodded. “Cool. What does your mom do?”

“She’s a lawyer.”

“Wow. Ok.” He laughed. “That’s chill. My dad’s a professional alcoholic.”

“I- Oh.” I clamped my free hand over my mouth.

JJ pulled away laughing. “It’s ok. You can laugh. It’s funny.”

I shoved him lightly. “That’s not funny. Are you alright?!” He looked at me with a smile.

“You’re laughing.”

“I’m not- Oh my god, I’m laughing.”

“It’s fine, Nikki. Really.”

I rolled my eyes, but then I got serious. “But, he isn’t the one who did this to your eye, right?”

JJ looked away from me and cleared his throat. “Nah.”

I saw his hesitation, and

“Nikki, I’m chill.”

He nodded. “Much. Thanks...Kook.”

I kicked his shin. “You’re so annoying.”

“OW! That hurt.”

I grabbed the plastic bag and ran out to my car. “Bye JJ!”

“Fuck you, Kook!”

***************************************************************

The cool sand between my toes felt strange. I was always used to sand being burning hot, or at least warm, but this was a nice, cool feeling. Wintertime in the Outer Banks wasn’t freezing, which meant I could still visit the beach.

The sky had turned grey, but the sun was still shining bright between the clouded sky. The ocean, though, had taken on a very dark blue-green color.

I spun around, shoes in one hand and backpack in the other, to see Topper a couple feet behind me with something in his hand. I raised a hand above my eyes and squinted.

“Whatcha got there?” I questioned while beckoning him to follow me farther. In order for the plan to work, I needed the two of us to be alone. Which meant sitting farther away from where the people and lifeguards were.

“A surprise.” Topper winked. Whatever he had in his hand was slipped into one of his pockets. I feigned laughter and ran up ahead. There was a nice secluded area on the beach; no one was there, and better yet, it appeared there was a little place for people to hide behind big, dark rock formations on the beach.

“Hey! There’s a place for us to sit over there!” I beckoned Topper without turning around and went ahead near the little hidden area on the beach. I plopped down onto the sand and dropped my bag and shoes next to me. Topper appeared behind the rock formation a couple seconds later and threw his stuff onto the ground next to mine.

He sat down next to me- wearing khaki cargo pants and an orange polo shirt- and kicked his flip flops off.

“So,” I began, “This is nice. Right?”

Topper pulled whatever he slipped in his pocket- a small, white sea conch- and handed it to me.

“Yeah,” he smiled brightly. “This is nice.”

Oh, goodness. It’s painstakingly clear that Topper had feelings for me and I need to shut that down, fast. So I said the only thing I could think of.

“Hey, Top, did you know one of our friends has a crush on you?” As soon as the last word left my mouth, I regretted it. I can’t out Kelce, but there’s no way I can just avoid this.

Topper’s neck snapped towards me. “HUH?” His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped, and I fought back the urge to push his jaw upward to close it.

“Yep...” I turned around to grab the weed from my bag, hoping Topper would just drop it. But I knew better.

“Ok, but like who?” He asked. I paused. UM. I needed to think of something quick.

“Um, can’t say,” I shrugged, trying to play it off. I took the bag out and placed it on my lap. “I was sworn to secrecy.”

“Oh, c’mon!” He threw his arms up in the air, then crossed them and pouted. Gross.

“Yep, my lips are sealed.” I decided to just say it: “It’s also the reason I don’t do anything about your...flirtiness. Our friend likes you, and I don’t see you like that. You’re like...a brother. A good friend.” I smiled.

Topper nodded, then reached for his bag. Confused, I leaned over, then I saw him pull out a cheese wheel.

“You want some cheese?”

I slapped my hand over my face and laughed. “Do you usually care around cheese wheels?”

He shrugged. “No. I only bring them when I’m hanging out with special people. People who are like...sisters to me. Good friends.” He winked.

I chuckled. Then I pointed at the bag on my lap. “Do you wanna get high?”

Topper dropped his cheese wheel. “Is that..?”

“Yeah, it’s weed. Oh, c’mon, hot stuff, don’t tell me you haven’t smoked before.”

He shook his head. “Usually, uh, Pogues smoke weed.” The emphasis on the word Pogues ticked me off a little. But I knew Topper didn’t know any better, so I brushed it off.

I snorted. “Well, where I’m from, everyone smokes weed. I personally don’t love doing it, but it’s a good feeling. So we’re going to, too. Unless you’re not comfortable. Or allergic.”

Topper shook his head. “No, not allergic. I’ve just never done it.”

“Right, but you’ve done coke.”

“Oh, shut up.”

I pull the tiny, black bag holding the weed out of the Ziploc and open it up. Topper, who was peering over my shoulder, threw his head back dramatically at the smell of the plant.

“Oh, gross!” He gagged. I looked at him.

“Weed itself smells fine, it’s when you smoke it does it actually smell bad. Stop being so dramatic.” I brought the bag to his face. “Here, smell it!”

Topper was hesitant, but I beckoned him closer. “Trust me, your high is gonna be really bad if you’re nervous. Just try to relax.”

He sat up and took the bag from me. Topper sniffed the bag, then sniffed it again. “It smells...minty, kind of.” I pulled out the weed grinder JJ had packed for us out and took the bag back from him.

“See? Not too bad, right?”

He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and dumped the weed into the weed grinder. Topper looked over at me curiously as I ground the bud into shake (kind of a powderish leftover), then set it aside.

Next, I pulled the paper wraps out. I stuck my hand into the bag again and felt around carefully. I hoped JJ packed a- found it- blade for me to cut the wraps with.

I began to cut the wraps vertically, lengthwise, then lifted it to my tongue and licked it just a bit so that it’d stick.

“That doesn’t seem very hygenic,” Topper said through the cheese in his mouth. I turned to face him and opened my mouth, and he broke off a piece and fed it to me.

“The weed only smells bad when you smoke it,” I explained to Topper, then lifted the blunt up to show him the finished product. “Ta-da!”

Topper’s eyes went wide. “It’s so perfectly wrapped.”

“Yeah, I dabbled in origami as a child.” I fished around for the lighter, then lit the blunt and started to twirl in between my fingers to make sure the blunt burned evenly.

I put the blunt to my lips and breathed in, feeling the smoke fill up my lungs. I breathed out, took another hit, and passed it to Topper. I pulled a water bottle out and set it down next to him. “You’re gonna need this.”

Topper took the blunt and scoffed. “I’ll be fine,” he said, and proceeded to take the tiniest drag and cough his lungs out.

I took the blunt from his hand and took a drag, then handed him the water bottle. “See?” I exhaled. “Told you you’d need it.”

“Why-” he hacked, “-did I-” hack, “agree-” hack, “-to this?”

“Because of my amazing persuasion skills.” I could start to feel the high get to me; it felt like an out-of-body experience and my head started to feel light. The only downside was the god-awful smell.

I smacked my lips together. The back of my throat was really dry, but the euphoric, light-headedness I was feeling made it better. I passed the blunt back to Topper, who took a smaller drag, held it in, and exhaled. Then he took another and handed it back to me.

Topper seemed to be getting the hang of it, and pretty soon his eyes were red and he was laughing at everything.

“Can I ask you something?” I took a drag of the blunt and handed it back to Topper.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“What’s, like, Rafe’s deal? I hear all these shitty things about him and stuff and he doesn’t seem like that at all. Like, what’s this whole...drama shit with him and like Kiara’s Pogue friend group?”

Topper’s eyes were as wide as half-dollars when I finished my question. It made me glad he had exhaled the smoke, otherwise he’d have been coughing his lungs up for another couple minutes.

“Um, well-” he handed the blunt back to me. “It’s like- ok. The Pogues, Kiara’s friends, they’re Pogues, right?

“Well, yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, but like, what’s wrong with Pogues. Just because they’re poor doesn’t mean they don’t deserve our respect.”

“Well, yeah, but like...” Topper trailed off. “I forgot what I was gonna say.”

“You were talking about why you and the other Kooks hate Pogues.”

“Right! Yeah, ok, so it’s like...they just don’t care about anything? They have no regards for anything, they don’t have any morals, or ambition, or anything! And I don’t just mean JJ and Pope and them, I mean all of them.”

I held back a scream. “Have you considered their, uh, ‘lack of regard and amibition’ stems from the fact that they’re stuck in a cycle of poverty? It’s easy to lose hope in things getting better when everything around you tries to bring you down.”

Topper shrugged. “I guess you’re right. But like, our groups have just hated each other for so long. And it’s not like it’s just us who hate them, they hate us back!”

“Well, yeah! You- we- flaunt our wealth in front of them and treat them like trash. Like, ok, fine, we’re rich, but that doesn’t mean we have to rub it in their faces. And treat them like trash. And jump them. And-”

“OK! Ok, I get it. But like...I don’t know. Rafe, on the other hand...he...well, he isn’t like this anymore, but he always had to prove he was better than everyone. That he was the best at everything.”

I nodded. Topper kept going.

“Don’t tell him I told you this, but Mr. Cameron always put Rafe and Sarah up against each other, and Sarah always won. Sarah was the smarter one, the nicer one. She didn’t fuck up, and when she did she could fix her mistakes and get away with it. She could do whatever she wanted. Rafe...couldn’t. He’s the black sheep, the screw up.”

I tried my best to hide my surprised face. Rafe, the screw up? He seems like the perfect Kook, if there had to be one. “And he took this out on the Pogues?”

“Yeah. This plus the fact that he was raised a Kook and Kooks are- I mean, think they are- better than Pogues, made him really butt heads with them. Especially JJ.”

“JJ? Why JJ? If John B was the head of the Pogues wouldn’t Rafe butt heads with him?”

“You’d think so, but Rafe and JJ are both very- well, you’ve met them. Hotheaded. Opinionated.”

Emphasis on hot, I told myself.

Shut up.

I was about to ask more about Rafe’s childhood when Topper’s phone buzzed.

“Ah shit, it’s Kelce, he’s outside my house. I forgot him and I were supposed to play FIFA.” Topper began to stand up and put his cheese wheel away.

“Do you need me to drop you off?” I got up as well.

“Nah, he said he’s on his way. You want us to drop you off?”

I waved my hand dismissively. “No, it’s alright. I’ll stay here for a bit.”

Topper waved and jogged away, and i turned and face the ocean. I could see that the sun was starting to set- I guess we had been here for about an hour- and the sky was turning gold. Most of the clouds had dispersed, so the sight of the sun near the water was a pretty one.

I inhaled. The warm sunlight against my skin was peaceful, and I didn’t want to go home yet.

Home. The Outer Banks is a nice place to live, but a part of me longed for New York. I missed ditching school with my friends and driving around the city. And eating at my favorite restaurant at the food court of the Manhattan mall.

Yet, New York feels...wrong. So foreign, and far away. Too filled with painful memories. Watching my father die in front of me left a permanent scar somewhere deep inside of me.

Will I ever feel at home here? Or anywhere?

A cool ocean breeze swept over me, pulling me out of whatever trance I was in. I checked my phone, and saw that JJ had texted me to ask that I drop by the Chateau. I shuffled around for a minute, not wanting to leave yet. I picked up the shell Topper gave me and put it in my bag.

I stood up, dusted myself, and headed towards my car.

**************************************************************

“Ok, what did you learn from Topper?” Pope asked once we all settled down around the coffee table.

“A lot, but it really depends on this. I need to know what you guys know about Rafe and his childhood.”

We all turned to Kie. The dim orange-brownish lighting made my head hurt, especially since Kie’s back was to the light and her faced was covered in a shadow, but I managed to focus on her while she talked.

“Um, Rafe’s childhood...ok.” Kie pulled her hair up into a ponytail and rubbed her temples. “I know that Sarah and Rafe- Sarah especially- had a difficult relationship with their stepmom. Their mom, the first Mrs. Cameron, passed away when Sarah was two. So she didn’t really remember her mom, just bits and pieces you know?”

JJ, who was spread out on the couch across from me, nodded grimly. He ran his ringed fingers through his hair and had a sad look on his face. I squinted, but before I could process, Kie continued.

“Rose married Ward less than a year after Sarah and Rafe’s mom died, and then had Wheezie soon after-”

“Sorry, I just never understood what sort of name was Wheezie.” JJ laughed. I bit my lip to hold back my laughter. Couldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s actually funny.

“It could be short for Elizabeth or Louise or something.” I rebuttled. JJ raised an eyebrow.

“Elizabeth? For Wheezie?”

“It’s common for people to have unique nicknames for fancy names.”

“Sounds like a rich person thing.” JJ rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, can I have my weed back now?”

I clenched my fists. Him and I were fine this morning! Why was he being like this? I pulled the Ziploc out of my backpack and threw it at his head. He caught it with one hand and winked. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart.”

“Sorry, Pillow Princess.”

“CAN YO-”

“Ok, back to what I was saying.” Kie interrupted. “Yeah, so from what I gathered, Rafe never liked Rose when they was younger. I guess he thought she was trying to replace their mom? But as he got older he just didn’t care as much? Or at least that’s what Sarah thought.”

I nodded slowly. “Ok, so like, Sarah never noticed anything weird about Rafe growing up?”

“Well she always thought of him as like, problematic? Which is clear in his behavior. And dramatic, too. He always took things too far, and she never knew why. Her best guess? His issues shifted from the mom figure to the dad.”

I nodded again. “Alright, alright. That makes sense.”

“What did you learn from Topper?” Pope took his arm off from Kie’s shoulder and leaned forward. “Did something happen in Rafe’s childhood?”

“It fits with what Kie said. I think Ward neglected him in favor of Sarah. I know I’m not a doctor, but it’s kind of obvious when you think about it; he’s fueled by rage. He’s angry because he feels like he’s never enough. He goes out of his way to try to be the best, the greatest, the biggest, all to do what?”

It was silent for a second, when I saw it click in JJ’s mind. “Praise. He’s desperate for Ward’s praise and approval.”

I snapped my fingers and pointed at him. “Exactly. A neglectful yet present paternal figure that he’s desperate for the love of, and the absence of a caring maternal figure. That plus his previous drug addiction sounds like a recipe for fucking disaster.”

When those words came out of my mouth, I could see JJ’s face drop for a second time. Kie didn’t notice, and neither did Pope, and when JJ saw me staring at him, he just looked away.

Pope said, “We know Ward favored Sarah, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have her issues- uh, no offense, Kie.” Pope gave her an apologetic look and ran his fingers through her hair.

“No worries,” Kie dismissed him. “Rose was never particularly warm to her, and regardless of if you’re the favorite, being raised by someone like Ward Cameron is going to give you some sort of damage.”

“What’s Mrs. Cameron’s deal?” I asked. “Did she hate Sarah and Rafe?”

“No, not that,” Kie said. “It’s not that she hated them, she just isn’t a warm person. I guess their relationship never progressed passed ‘dad’s wife’ and ‘husband’s kids’.”

We stayed silent for a second, collecting our thoughts. Finally, Pope said, “Ok, so we know Rafe’s, uh, past-” He put past in quotation marks, “-behavior was fueled by trauma, not solely because he’s a bad person. That helps confirm what John B had told us about Ward before he died. And it’s possible Rose is abusive, or at least knows and doesn’t care.”

“You don’t think she could be a victim?” I asked, leaning forward.

Kie snorted. “Trust me, Rose Cameron could never be a victim.”

“So Rafe is trauma-filled, Ward is mentally abusive, and Rose is absent ...that’s good to know about Rafe, I guess, if we want to do some psycho-fucking with him or whatever, but how does that help us?” JJ jumped up off the couch and stretched.

I thought for a second, then a thought occurred to me. Then another, then a few more. I slapped my hand over my mouth. “Wait, fuck, holy shit. Oh my FUCKING GOD.” I also stood up from my seat.

“What is it?” Pope asked, getting up as well. JJ squinted and walked over to me.

“Ok, so, this theory is so out of pocket, I’m probably really wrong but it just came to me.”

“Just tell us.” JJ said.

Kiara got up to stand on my other side. “What are you thinking?”

“So Ward’s first wife died when Rafe and Sarah were young, and then like almost immediately after he got married to Rose and had another kid?” I asked.

“Yeah why- wait a second...” Pope said, eyebrows furred. Then, his eyes went huge, and I mean huge. “You don’t think..?”

“What?” JJ asked, then turned to me. “What is it?”

“What is Ward and Rose were having an affair and killed Rafe and Sarah’s mom?” I asked. Kiara gasped.

“Ward and Rose were both from the Cut! They could have been, like, childhood lovers, which could have explained why Ward ‘moved on so fast’.

Pope added, “And because Ward wasn’t rich before, that could explain the lack of a prenup. So when he got rich and his wife found out he had an affair...”

“He offed her before she could divorce him and take the money!” JJ finished, covering his hands with his mouth. “Ok, that is super far-fetched, BUT, considering everything that happened, I would not be surprised if this ended up being true.”

“So, what are we supposed to do? If this is true, this is a crime from years ago. How would we even be able to solve this?” Kiara rubs her temples.

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a shot, right? I can still try to sneak into Ward’s office to try and find something.” I offered.

“That was part of the original plan, but now the stakes are higher...what if you get caught?” Pope asked.

I shrugged. “I’m in too deep anyway. And this isn’t about me, it’s about Sarah and John B. They deserve justice. They don’t deserve to have died for nothing.”

Kiara smiled at me and gave me a hug. “You are awesome.” She pulled away and hugged Pope, squealing. “Finally! We can bring that fucker Ward to his knees.”

Pope kissed Kie, and right then, Mal texted me asking me to pick up some yogurt on my way home. “Ah, I should probably get going.” I said. “See you guys tomorrow?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Pope and Kie smiled. I waved, then went to grab my stuff while Kie and Pope went off to talk about something.

As I was heading for the door, I felt someone grab my arm. I spun around and looked up to see JJ glancing around nervously.

“Hey, uh, thank you.” He mumbled quietly. He cleared his throat and looked me right in the eyes to say: “Thank you.”

I didn’t know what to say. “Is this about this morning?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, then ran his hands through his messy, longish blond hair. He was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. “Yeah. And right now.”

We were quiet for a second. I didn’t look at his eyes; rather, I was trying to look at the floor, or something below his eye level, but I could feel him trying to look into my eyes. He kept speaking.

“We were all in a kinda shitty place before this and we had no idea how to go about any of it. So, thanks, Kook.”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Here you go with the Kook stuff again. You’re welcome, your Pogueness.” I bowed dramatically.

JJ scoffed. “Oh shut up! God, you’re so annoying.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I lightly kicked his shin. “See you, blond.”

“Bye, Kook.”

*************************************

me: i’m back and i won’t take a hiatus again! also me: ...

but for real, i’m out of school soon which means YAY more chapters. however, i should note that i will most likely not be following the plot of season 2 of OBX, since ik it’s releasing soon. my fic is my interpretation of what i would like season 2 to be, so it’s solely based on season 1

#jj #jj x oc #jj outer banks #jj obx #jj obx fic #Outer Banks #outer banks fanfic #outer banks fanfiction #john b #john b routledge #pope #pope heyward #kie #kiara carrera #john b x sarah #kiara x pope #jj fluff

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