There’s a storm comin’
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General Masterlist
Series’ masterlist
Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
Word count: approx. 9227
Episode: 1
A/N: underage drinking, language, yes I did the “escaping the police” scene like everyone do them bc it’s the only way, I would’ve had her lay down underneath the window but she would’ve fallen so...
Also, my first ever OBX & JJ piece so I want y’all to be honest and not sugar coat what I did “wrong” or what could be done better
***************************
"We're the Pogues, and our mission this summer is to have a good time, all the time.”
John B. was standing on the roof of a house under construction, looking out on the water in front of him, the wide and never-ending space. After taking a sip of his beer, he balanced on the edge on one foot looking down at Pope who was toying with a drill.
“That's what, a three-story fall to the deck?” Pope asked looking at his friends who nodded. “I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival.”“Hmmm…” The boy with a flappy haircut hummed before wetting his finger and lifting it up in the air as if he was calculating wind speeds. “Should I do it?” He asked getting the attention of the pair that was sitting on some kind of balcony platform, both a beer in hand. “Yeah, jump.” Pope encouraged John B. “I'll shoot you on the way down.”“You'll shoot me?” “Yep.” Pope answered as John faked shot him with finger guns.
On the “balcony-platform thing” Elizabeth and JJ were drinking their beers, sitting an inch apart as their bodies were stuck together.
“So, what do you wanna do, tonight?” The light brunette asked the blonde headed boy.“We could, go fish?” She chuckled rolling her eyes at her friend’s suggestion. “They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers.” The girl’s best friend, Kiara, got out of the house after doing a quick tour. “Of course. Why wouldn't they?” Elizabeth leaned over the railing as she answered her best friend. “This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, I guess?” “JJ can’t have cold towels.” She said her thumb going to her right side. “Can you please not kill yourself?” Kiara called out to the boy goofing around on the roof. “Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one.” JJ said while handing a second one to the girl next to him. Right as he said that, his own best friend lost his balance and dropped the beer. “That was smooth John B, d’you think it would’ve happened if JJ hadn’t said anything?” She teased him showing off the second can of beer in her hand. “Anyway, you get an A plus!”
Pope heard tires rolling on gravel making him check the front of the house where the driveway was only to see the security guards of the construction site.
“Hey! Hey, uh, security’s here.” He called out to his four friends. “Let’s wrap it up.” At that, JJ nodded his head looking at Elizabeth before the pair stood up, making her grab her beer tightly. “Oooh they’re early.” She walked to the edge to see the men in light blue uniforms. “Humpty Dumpty let's roll. Shooo!” “Yeah. Let’s go, boys.” Kiara called out before wrapping an arm around her best friend’s shoulder when she made it on the deck.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes before she stopped and waited for the rest of her friends.
“Gary, is that you? It’s me! And Beth look, she made it!” He said as the girl waved at the man. “Y’all are just asking for it!” The dark-skinned girl laughed before they started to quickly make their way out of the house. “C’mon JJ!”
The five teenagers went down the flight of stairs whooping and laughing as their bodies rushed with adrenaline, Beth and Kiara quickly making their way to the group’s main way of transport as they dodged the guards that were mostly busy with the boys. One of the guards, Gary, tried to catch the teenagers, failing to catch the blonde headed boy.
“Not much of a hugger!” Beth heard from the inside of the house making her laugh out loud.
The girls and John B made their way to the van and started the getaway car, going slow so that the last two could catch up. Elizabeth was filled with an adrenaline rush as she saw JJ and Pope go over the fence screaming and laughing out of breath. Her and JJ’s eyes connected, and she moved from her seat at the very back just as JJ jumped into the brown/orange van.
“Come on, boys! Whoo!”
Laughing, Beth picked up a beer from the cooler she and Kiara had saved and handed one to the teenager next to her lifting her chin quickly towards the outside of the van.
“Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise.” “Come on, G! You can do it!” The light brunette encouraged the man. “Wait. Slow down.” JJ called out to John B who was driving. “Hey! You're gonna give him a heart attack.” Kiara laughed as she saw that Elizabeth had happy tears forming in her eyes. “You're so close! You can do it. There you go.” JJ said encouraging and then throwing a beer to the man running after the much faster van. “They don't pay you enough, bro.” “JJ, stop. Stop.” Kiara called out, being the somewhat more responsible one but Beth was the one that pulled him back in the van by the sleeve of his t-shirt. “Oh, come on.”“Ki, he’s just asking for it honestly, he thinks he’s gonna catch us by running?” Beth asked settling down under the blonde’s arm.
The Outer Banks, Paradise on Earth.It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses.Two tribes, one island.The van passed by the richer house of the island. Making Elizabeth look out the window to see all the large boats and luxurious cars that littered people’s properties.All right. This is Figure Eight, the rich side of the island.Home of the Kooks. So, guess where we don't live.
The group went over the water, on the bridge, a smile settling on Beth’s lips as she started to recognize her neighborhood.
And then, this is the south side or the cut.Home of the working class who make a livin of busing table, washing yachts, running charters.The natural habitat of... drumroll, please... ...the Pogues.That's us.- Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish.
Pope, John B, Kiara, JJ and Elizabeth were all sitting on the HMS Pogue, hanging out and chilling, the first three laying down talking animatedly while the last two were sitting in the “seating area” watching them and talking in low voices.
Lowest member of the food chain. Okay. So, the downside of Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected.But the upside of Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.
John B lifted up out of the water a net full of fish and letting it fall on the boat’s “deck”, JJ was leaning back exhaling smoke, Beth sitting very close to him and grabbing the dark plastic out of his hand and taking a hit.
“Nice haul, dude. Look at that.” JJ said as the fishes continued to move around. “Ugh, John B.” Both girls whined at the same time making the boys laugh. “Been all bait for, like, three weeks.” “It’s still gross.” Elizabeth said stepping away from the blonde headed boy, decided on sitting on the floor of the boat. She looked up at the boy a smile gracing both of their lips.
******************That's JJ, my best friend since the third grade.He's about as local as they come.Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water.Best surfer I know. Just don't tell him I said that.Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.
Sitting in Pope’s delivery boat, Elizabeth and JJ were sitting in the little booth, both wearing sweatshirts and shorts, as he showed her to drive the thing.
******************Kiara and Beth were both seated around a campfire and both were being chatted up by a pair of tourons.
“Don't even get me started on microplastic. Have you even heard about that island? That little island of just-” “Oh my god, yes. The island made of garbage?” Elizabeth interrupted the girl, leaning forward as they continued to chat, both boys leaving.
And that's Kiara, or Kie, as we call her.When not saving turtles or listening to Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us.I'm not really sure why, though.So, she's a rich kid, actually.- Foot in both worlds.Her family owns The Wreck, this Outer Banks institution.Total cash cow with the tourists.You know, I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us.We all have a thing for her.Except for JJ, pretty sure Ellie also has a thing for her. ******************Parked near the deck at The Wreck, Pope and Beth were lounging on the boat, looking at their friends as they talked about the recent books, they both read, it was their own personal bookclub.
“Dude, you gotta install that app, there’s like endless books and audio things and like those podcast thingies you like. Ki, got me on her account, it’s freeee.”
That's Pope, the brains of the operation... finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship.
- And the smartest person I know.Little bit of a weirdo.His father's this legendary character, Heyward.
Anything you wanted on the island; Heyward could get for you.
Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us.
******************
The small light brunette walked out of a small brick house, a golden retriever following after her, happily.
“Go back home Louis! You can’t come this ti-” She was interrupted as JJ ran up the pathway and picked her up, lifting her off the ground and turning the both of them.
“Hi Mrs. Miller!” The boy called out waving to the girl’s mother who was at the door smiling. She called back the dog and JJ wrapped his arm around the girl’s shoulder before they climbed on his bike, both heading to the chateau.
And that’s Elizabeth Miller, Ellie as we call her, or Beth as JJ calls her.
Ki’s best friend since the first grade, their moms grew up together in figure eight.
She was born a kook, but they lost most of their money when her dad left them, so they moved back home, with us.
She’s the pogue’s princess as a lot of people call her.
Knows everything and everyone on the island and tries to make our lives easier.
While Pope is book smart, Ellie is street smart and can get us out of most situations that JJ puts us in.
She also makes a mean chicken casserole.
We all had a thing for her at one point, especially JJ.
******************
And that's me, John Booker Routledge.And this is where I live.
An old fish shack on the marsh. The Château, as my dad used to call it.
There's Dad.
He disappeared at sea nine months ago, looking for a shipwreck.
Who disappears at sea these days?
I miss him.
And then there's Mom. She split when I was three.
Last I heard, she was in Colorado. I think it was Colorado.
Uncle T! That's Uncle T.
Since Dad's vanished, he's supposedly my legal guardian.
At the moment, he's in Mississippi, building houses....
...which means it's just me right now, on my own, hangin' out with my friends.
Three months after my dad was missing, he was officially presumed dead.
I refused to sign the papers.
Until I see a body, I'm not giving up.******************
In the morning, John B got out of the bathroom, looking to his right to see the room that JJ used whenever he would sleep over, a half-naked blonde underneath him.
“Dude! Come on, man. Get outta here.” JJ said throwing a can of beer at his best friend.
“Morning, Kie.”
“Morning.” The girl grumbled sleepily from her position on the pull-out futon.
He turned, facing the kitchen to see Ellie, her back facing him while she faced the stove, the smell of cooked eggs and toasts filling the air.
“You are a life saver, love you.” John B said picking up a buttered piece of bread that she had handed him, he kissed her on the cheek before walking out of the chateau and laying down on a hammock, a beer in hand.
“Ain’t good for you to drink beer in the morning John!” She yelled knowing he was probably already out of earshot.
She walked into the closed bedroom, throwing a quick look at the girl pinned under JJ, yeah she was cute. She thought before going to the drawer where the friends would keep some clothes.
“Do you really have to do that now?” JJ groaned as he started to get annoyed about people clearly co*ckblocking him.
“Sorry baby, gotta get my swimsuit, it’s nice out. Y’all should come.” She said, the red two pieces in her hand with a black pair of swimming short. She tapped his face gently before sending him a wink and exiting the room, leaving the door open behind them.
******************
And that's where this story starts.
My dad missing, my uncle MIA, and the Bride of Frankenstein threatening foster care.
But then, I caught a break.
******************
“Hurricane Agatha continues its steady march towards Kildare Island - on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.” A reporter announced on the tv.
John B and Ellie were standing next to each other before she ran out, quickly going to help other fishers and people at the marina to settle down their things for the oncoming hurricane.
“I need some sandbags over here!”
“We gotta board this up!” Someone said and Ellie went and helped them quickly, holding up the plank against the store’s window.
Elizabeth looked back to where John B was standing seeing him talk on the phone. It was quick and soon enough after he was walking towards her.
“You coming to surf with Pope and I later?”
“f*ck yeah. Isn’t crazy?” She said making the taller boy look down at her. “Wasn’t that DCS chick supposed to come here? Someone’s looking over your shoulder, my friend” She grinned tying up her hair, making sure that the store’s owner would be fine.
******************
Running after Pope and John B, Elizabeth had a hard time holding on to the board under her arm, her swimming shorts clinging to her thighs while she stopped next to Pope an excited smile on her lips.
“It's a double overhead out there, bro.”
“Double overhead?” Her and John B asked at the same time.
“Those aren’t surfable waves, bro.” John B laughed, sending the reckless girl a look before they both ran towards the water.
“Says who?” She screamed as she gripped her board tighter, John B and Pope following after her, the trio running by the “Beach Closed” sign.
After crashing in a few waves, Ellie decided to sit down of her board, starting to paddle back to shore, but she saw John B stopped looking at the distance.
“What’s up John?” She screamed.
“I think there’s a boat!”
“What? Come on, let’s go home.”
The pair went back on the sand where Pope had decided to wait.
“C’mon let’s go. Gotta make sure the chateau doesn’t become Atlantis or some sh*t.” She said, board heavy as the walked back home.
All evening and all night, they could hear the hurricane siren and the rain thumping loudly on the roof.
The next morning, Ellie woke up in the guest room, water dripping on her face as she squinted because of the morning light that went through the drapes. She stood up and walked out seeing John B already in the hallway.
“Got service?” He shook his head. “What about power?” She asked even if she had the answer already. He shook his head and she rolled her eyes, sleep filling her body, making it heavy. The sound of the rooster crowing relaxed her a little, the animals were good.
“Yo, JJ, you been outside?” John B asked while Beth just let herself fall down next to the the blond, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.
“I have polio, bro. I can't walk.” He muttered sleepily, making the girl chuckle.
“Good morning.” She told him pushing away his arm and sitting up.
“Mornin’” He smiled lightly before stretching and standing up to go grab a beer.
Thunder was rumbling in the distance, making Elizabeth pause at the house’s door.
“Oh, man. That's no good. That is not good.” She looked at John B and bent down to pick up litter that moved during the night.
“Oh, man.” She said when she saw that the tree had been uprooted.
“Agatha did some work, huh?”
“Yeah, she did.” JJ burped making the teenage girl turn around.
“Y’all should really stop drinking beer in the morning.”
“It’s the one I didn’t finish last night. It’s warm, ugh.” JJ and Beth walked to the HMS Pogue where John B was.
“What you thinkin'?”
“I'm thinkin' that storm surge pushed all the crabs out on the marsh maze. All those drums are gonna chase the crab.”
“What about the DCS? Wasn't that today?”
“Nah, they're not gettin' on a ferry.”
“Come on, think about it. It's God tellin' us to fish.”
“It’s telling you to fish, it’s telling me to take advantage of the boat and tan.”
And that’s exactly what they did, right after they got ready for the day, swimsuits on, water bottle for the girl with a banana she picked up on the kitchen table.
“It's kind of a smuggler's boat.”
“Uh... Good mornin'!” Beth chirped at the fishers.
“Sure hope Guffy's boat didn't sink. He doesn't have insurance.”
“Yeah. Hi, Miss Amy! You guys get through it?”
“Still here.”
“That’s good to hear.” The teenage girl mumbled, after seeing the damage Agatha did.
“She totally looked at me.” JJ said smugly.
“I saw it. Dude, look at this place.”
“Agatha, what did you do?”
“She is a crazy lady.” Elizabeth huffed out waving at the people she knew.
“Hard-core. Hurricane surge”
“Yeah.”
“We'll be cleaning this all summer.”
“That is my nightmare.”
“Could be a worst way of spending our summer.” The girl said receiving disappointed looks from the boys.
“Well, look who we have here”
“Good morning!” The girl said in a good mood.
“We have a safety meeting. Attendance mandatory.” John B faked a talkie walkie.
“I can't. My pop's got me on lockdown.”
“Come on, man.”
“C’mon Heyward, let him gooooo” She said trying to convince the adult that wasn’t her biggest fan.
“Tssk. Your dad's a puss*. Over. Tssk.” JJ said towards his shoulder.
“Oh, I heard that, you little bastard.” She snickered.
“We need your son.”
“Yeah, and island rules. Day after a hurricane's a free day.” JJ stood on the front of the boat, Beth looking up at him with a smile.
“Who made that up?”
“Uh...”
“Like the government or some sh*t, I don’t know.” She shrugged.
“Pentagon, I think. We have security clearance. I have a card.”
“Think I'm stupid?”
“He doesn’t want us answering that, does he?” She asked her friends.
“I'll do it tomorrow. I promise. Tomorrow.”
“You think... No, no. Hell no. You doin' it right now.”
“Get in the boat.”
“Make a run for it.”
“Run bitch run” She whispered standing up as they never really stopped, she stepped away when Pope took a step onto the boat.
“Boy, if you get in that boat...”
“How does that feel?”
“Go, go, go. Bring your ass back up here.” Heyward said angrily
“I promise I'll do it tomorrow, Dad.”
“Whoo!” Ellie raised her arms in the air when the boat gained speed.
You gonna clean shrimp, clean fish. You'll clean your dirty-ass room!”
“Love you, Pops.”
“I’ll try and bring him back in one piece.” Ellie said taking a sip of her water bottle. “I promise!”
“And I don't like your friends!”
“You love us don’t lie! We make you feel young!” She yelled as they were getting away.
The four of them started to make their way towards Kie’s house, which was in Figure Eight.
“I hope your dad will still let me help on deliveries. Need the cash.” They said as they approached the deck of Kiara’s house.
“Oh, top o' the mornin' to ya.” JJ said in a weird accent.
“Good morning, boys.”
“Morning.”
“Whatcha got? You got some juice boxes?”
“You know, just some yogurts and carrot sticks.” Kiara said as JJ helped her in the boat.
“How about my kind of juice box?”
“Yeah.”
“Good morning Kie, baby.” Ellie said as Kie sat next to her on the bow. Kiara smiled at her and brought out beers out of her cooler.
“Brace for impact.”
“Salud.”
“Skoal.” JJ handed Ellie a beer and she cheered with Kiara and the blond.
“I still think beer in the morning is not a good idea, but I’ll take it. Thank you.”
******************
Later in the day, clothes had been shed due to the heat, leaving JJ and Pope shirtless, John B was still fully clothed with a hat on for whatever reason and the girls were in their bikinis, hair wet.
“Bet you can’t do this.”
“Tell the world!” JJ laughed as they cheered with their third and second beers. “Let me show you a party trick.”
“You got a lot of those, don’t you, Maybank?” Ellie asked leaning back as the cold beer flowed through her throat. She watched in anticipation as JJ stood up straight on the bow of the boat.
“Hey, Pope. Can you go a little faster?” JJ asked as he turned his back on his friends.
“Oh no, here we go. J you won’t get it.”
“Here we go. I'm movin'. Doesn't work.” John B said moving behind the steering wheel. “We've tried this like 6,000 times.”
“I got this. It's gonna work!”
Kie and Ellie just leaned back, trying to get as far away from the boy but not wanting to actually move. He went to the edge, lifting his beer up a few inches away from his mouth, trying to get the beer to go to his mouth, making the girl laugh as he was usually unsuccessful.
“You're getting beer in my hair!”
“Oh, my God.”
“JJ, there’s more on us than in your mouth, stop it.” Beth said laughing. “Ew I got some in my mouth.”
“All right. All right! All right, you're done.”
“All right, stop!”
Suddenly the boat started to rattle and stopped flying JJ over the bow and into the water, Kie surged forward, John B’s body ramming into Ellie’s as she fell down her seat, her body hitting the wall.
“Jesus, Pope!” John B and Pope groaned while Elizabeth stood up not seeing the blonde anymore. She turned around facing the water when she heard the mix of a gasp and a groan.
“You okay, J?” She asked leaning forward.
“I think my heels touched the back of my head.” She snickered quietly.
“Kie, you okay?”
“I'm all right.”
“Pope, what did you do?”
“Sandbar. The channel changed.”
“No sh*t.” JJ said while swimming back to the boat. Kie and Ellie were groaning, Kie walked closer to her best friend seeing a red spot covering a large part of her side.
“Well, this is gonna bruise.”
“Ugh, this is probably gonna mess this whole place up.”
“Hey, I saved the beer, though.” JJ said happy.
“Of course, you did.”
“Guys... I think there's a boat down there.” Pope was standing on the bow of the boat looking for the sandbar but seeing what looked to be a white boat.
“Shut up.”
“What?”
“No way.”
“Wait lemme see.” The light brunette said moving past Pope. “No, no, guys. He’s serious.” She said holding on to the boy.
“There's a boat down there. For real.”
“Guys... is this... It's a boat!”
“Holy sh*t, he's right. Let's go.” Kie said starting to get rid of her shorts.
“Wait ahead of you Kie!” Ellie said her shorts already off before she plunged into the water, diving straight for the boat.
“You think there's a dead body down there?”
“Guys, wait up”
“Whoo!”
“Get your ass in here”
“Come on!”
Having done natation for years, Elizabeth could hold her breath for a little bit longer than most. She looked up to see her 4 friends, coming down to join her. Focusing on not losing to much air, she tried to go into the cabin but a hand held her back. She looked behind her to see JJ, blonde hair floating, he looked unreal and she wished she could’ve taken a picture to show him. He gestured for her to go back up and she pushed off the boat along with the other. When they all got back to the surface they were all panting and gasping for air.
“You guys saw that?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Yeah.”
“What was it?” Beth asked pushing down with her hands and legs to stay afloat.
“What the... That's a Grady-White. A new one of those is like 500 Gs, easy.” They were all laughing excitedly. “That's a primo rig.” They all made their way onto the boat, both girl wringing out their hair.
“Yeah. That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge. Maybe it hit the jetty or something.”
“You surfed the surge?”
“I went with him. That’s what you saw before we left?” John B nodded at the girl.
“Yeah. That's my boy. Pogue style.” He said clapping his best friend.
“What the heck?
“Wait, wait. Do we know whose boat that is?”
“No, but we're about to find out.” John B said getting out the anchor.
“John B, it’s too deep.”
“Oh, for the weak and feeble, Miller”
“Well, I'm not resuscitating you. I'm just making that clear up front.”
“That's fine.”
“John B.” Kie said warningly, she sent the other girl a look, Ellie holding the same expression.
“What?” He replied oblivious.
“Diver down, fool”
“Diver down.” John B salute his friends.
“Yeah, he is.” JJ pushed the brunette off of the boat.
“JJ, c’mon.” Elizabeth sighed putting on her sunglasses.
Kie and Ellie went to the edge of the bow, trying to catch movement from below the surface. They tried to see, starting to get worried after a while, JJ and Pope joined them, starting to get worried too.
“Should we go get him?” John B’s body broke the surface of the water, gasping and coughing.
“f*ck John that took forever!”
“Ah, jeez.” Pope said relieved. “Any dead bodies?”
“Looting potential?” Beth hit him on the arm.
“No. No. I found this motel key.” He held up a metal key with a greenish yellow accessory.
“A key...”
“Yes, a key, Pope.”
“Great! We salvaged a motel key.” JJ said while he got the anchor back.
“No, not we, he did the whole thing, you stayed there and whined that there wasn’t any beer left.”
“Guys, we should report the wreck to the coast guard. Maybe we'll get a finder's fee.”
“Yeah, and not work all summer. Thanks, Agatha, ya batch.”
******************
On the island, the U.S coast guard had been informed of a body that was floating a few feet away from the land.
“How much is a finder’s fee anyway?” Elizabeth asked JJ.
“Don’t know, it depends on the kind of boat they find, I guess. Looking to buy yourself a lil outfit?”
“No, just that John hasn’t had real food in his fridge for like a few days, would be good for him to fill it up a little.”
“Look at you and John B playing mom and dad!”
“Ew gross.”
Pope, Kie and Beth waited outside while JJ and John B went in, trying to talk to someone only to get shouted at. Many people talking over the others wanting their problem to get fixed.
“Well, that went well.” Pope sighed joining the other boys while Kiara and Beth stayed behind.
“So, what's the plan?”
“I know how we're gonna find the guy who owns that boat.”
“We don't know whose room that is. It could be anyone.” Beth sent JJ an excited look, making him throw her the keys that she grabbed.
“I'm in.”
“Come on. I'll be lookout.” Kie tempted him.
“Finder's fee. Just sayin'. And, hey, at least you'll only be an accomplice.”
“Man...”
“Come on, bubba.” John B said to Pope making Beth, who was waiting on them, laugh.
After looking up the coordinates on Kie’s phone, they made their way to the run-down motel that looked even worse with the aftermath of the hurricane.
“And you thought the Château looked bad.”
“This place is a sh*tshow.”
“Motel or meth lab?”
“I vote meth lab.”
“You be the judge.”
“Doesn't look like a place somebody with a Grady-White stays.”
“No. Looks like a place someone with a Grady-White would get killed. All right. Here we go.”
“This is your captain speaking. HMS Pogue comin' in for landing. Whoo!” JJ jumped off the boat landing on the grass.
“We good?”
“Yeah, we good.”
“All right. Here goes nothin'.”
“Yo, you coming with us or?” JJ asked the light brunette, she extended her hand making him grab it and help her get off.
“Hey.” JJ and Beth looked back.
“Yeah?”
“Don't let him do anything stupid.” Pope said to JJ and Beth.
“You’re asking her?” Kie said surprised.
“Oh, we will. I'm not making promises.”
“Yeah, I know.” He sighed.
“Uh, be careful.” Kie handed John B the key. “I mean it.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Let's go!” He jumped off joining the other two.
“Why are all these mattresses out?”
“After a hurricane, they ditch 'em 'cause they're moldy.”
“Look at you, stating facts!” Beth said, her hands, on JJ’s shoulder.
They climbed the rusted stairs, unsure if they were safe or not.
“Just be so careful, John.” JJ rubbed himself against his best friend, the girl following them snickering.
“God, you're so weird.”
“What was that about?”
“I don't know. Maybe she wants us to be careful.”
“You know anything about that?” The girl shook her head, no. “Since she heard you're being threatened with exile, she's just been, like, "Oh! Be so careful, John B."”
“Get off.”
"Oh, give me that John D already." When are you gonna swoop on that, man?” JJ said trying to make his voice sound seductive. Elizabeth released a loud laugh.
“Bro, you know the rule. No Pogue-on-Pogue macking. You're the one always hitting on her.”
“Of course, I'm hitting on her. She's a super-hot, rich, hippie chick slumming with us.” JJ yelping quietly. “Don’t worry baby, I hit on you too.” She simply rolled her eyes and started to walk ahead of them. He turned around to John B. “Why is she hanging with us? I can't figure it out either, but who cares, bro? I know that door's locked because I've tried it. Have you?”
“You need help. Not a little help, you need a lot of help. It's like every girl who just has a heartbeat, you're like... "Uhh!"” JJ watched the girl in front of them, black swimming shorts with a shirt similar to his, a beer company’s logo on it her usually darker brown hair now turning a light brown, tanned skin glowing. She stopped in front of the last door
“What? It's not a big deal. Is that us?” She nodded “Twenty-nine.”
“This is it.” JJ knocked.
“Okay. Housekeeping.” JJ said in a high pitched voice while the girl looked in the window. He put his hand on her waist, moving her slightly so her could see for himself.
“Should we try it?”
“Yeah. No hay nadie” (There is nobody.)
“Y si están bañando?? Eh?” (What if they’re showering?) JJ just shrugged, encouraging John B to unlock and open the door.
“No power. No security cameras. No one's gonna know.”
“Huh. Okay. Check the bag. See if there's a name on there somewhere.”
“A jacket.”
“Denim slides.”
“No name on the jacket. It's a nice jacket, though.”
“Definitely over 50. He's got New Balances.”
Ellie walked around the room, flashing her cellphone’s flashlight with the little battery she had left. She paused at the nightstand next to the bed seeing a map and other papers. JJ walked over to where she was and looked over her shoulder.
“Yo, dude, come here. Maybe this is where they were fishing.”
“Let me see.”
“Right there”
“No, that's off the continental shelf. That's Big Swell. Nobody fishes there.”
“Okay.” JJ mumbled before continuing to flash around the torch. Ellie went to the bathroom, looking inside the shower.
“Coffee?” John B tried in a posh accent.
“Yeah. Standard. Tissues for when you get lonely...” JJ continued making the girl snort quietly.
“Ooh! Won’t you look at that?”
“Did you find anything?”
“She found really awesome Dopp kit you won't let me steal.”
“JJ, no.”
“Yeah, 'cause we're not stealing sh*t.”
“JJ, yes” He mumbled pocketing a bottle of deodorant. She flashed the light in his race, rolling her eyes before reaching in his pants’ pockets and getting it out.
“No.” JJ’s jaw went slack at her action. “I knew you wanted me.” She elbowed him and went back into the main room with John B.
Elizabeth sat down, shining a light towards John B and the safe he was trying to crack.
“One, one, one.” John B mumbled trying the combination. “One, one, one, two.”
“Punching sh*t at random. That will... definitely work.” She rolled her eyes, her head turning towards the small desk. She stood up and walked over there, taking the piece of paper.
“Here try this.”
“I don't know. I don't know about the second one. These coordinates, they... Wait. My cousin said you could catch swordfish here.”
“Six, one, six, six, six”
“Nah, that wouldn't make any sense.”
“Did it work?” Ellie asked John B.
“Yeah, holy sh*t” he breathed out looking at the money.
“sh*t.”
“Uh... JJ?” She called out.
“Hm?”
“You're gonna want to see this.” John B waved the money over his shoulder.
JJ walked over to where his two friends were, immediately grabbing the gun.
“Dude, dude, dude!” JJ said excitedly.
“Oh my god, JJ put it back.”
“You grabbed the gun.”
“This is a SIG Sauer.”
“Put the gun back, JJ!”
“This is a f*cking spendy gatt, man.”
“How do you even know this?” She asked worried, she just wanted the safety to be on.
“Just... Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!”
“We are not stealing anything.” John B said at the same time as JJ put the gun to his face jokingly, making the girl take a deep breath.
“Just take a pic of me. Right here.”
“You want me to take a picture of you?”
“Not right now, JJ, c’mon.”
“Yeah, dude, like...” JJ said posing with the gun.
“Make our own incriminating evidence? Is that what you're talking about?”
“Wait, what was that?” Ellie heard something coming from the window.
“What?” John B joined her, seeing Pope and Kie gesturing to the side.
“Cops. Cops! Cops!” They said quietly.
There was knocking on the door, John B went to watch who it was quickly.
“JJ, put it back the cops are here.” She quietly scolded the boy. He went ahead and closed the safe.
“Kildare County Sheriff's Department!” The trio looked back at the door, trying to come up with a place to hide.
Ellie thought fast and climbed on the nightstand, she tried to open the old rusted window as quietly as she could but as fast as she could.
“C’mon, they won’t check there.” She grabbed JJ’s hand pulling him with her.
She made them go first, one on each side. She started to exit when she heard the key going into the lock, she was grabbed by her arm, her eyes closing as she thought she was gonna fall, she felt hands steadying her. She opened her eyes, seeing blue irises looking into her green ones. She looked down, not really afraid of heights to see JJ’s legs on either side of her own. She looked back up to see that JJ was looking at her lips, noticing that he had been caught he sent her a charming smile, winking.
“JJ, it is not the time.” She whispered almost silently.
The two boys looked at each other shocked, probably they could hear what was being said in the room since the window wasn’t properly closed, but she couldn’t hear, too focused on JJ’s loud breathing in her ear. To not get caught by the police the boy had her literally trapped between his body and the brick wall, both of their bodies pressed together. Elizabeth could see, if she moved her head a little, Pope and Kie on the boat. For an unknown reason to Ellie, JJ turned around to look at their friends, clearly frustrated by the situation happening inside the room, making the gun fall out of his pocket, creating a loud sound that was clearly heard by the officers inside.
All five of them groaned in frustration and stress. JJ turned around, hand gripping tightly on the girl’s hip as he let his head fall forward on her shoulder, his body tense.
“Oh my god.” Ellie breathed out, her head resting on the wall, they heard the door open and then close.
Making sure they were gone, they waited for Kie and Pope’s signal, John B getting back in first, followed by JJ and then Beth, who repeatedly hit JJ’s shoulder as soon as her feet touched the ground.
“Are you out of your f*cking mind? I thought you had put that back.”
“I’m keeping it.” She rolled her eyes and joined John B back outside.
They got into the boat and made their way back home.
“Well, that was fun.” He said his arm draping over Beth’s shoulders. “Could have warned us sooner.”
“We would have, except Pope was on the math team.”
“You were on the math team?” Ellie high fived the boy, never having the capabilities to make it.
“The cops took everything like it was a crime scene.”
“Did you guys find anything?”
“You could say that. Bozo here thinks he’s James Bond.” Ellie pointed a thumb and the blond headed boy sat next to her.
“Did we find anything? No, I don't think so. Oh, yeah, we did.” He said taking the gun and a wad of cash out of his pockets, his face showing clear amusem*nt.
“What the hell?”
“Dude, what?”
“JJ, you promised.”
“Dude, chill. Come on. And I never promised anything.”
“Why take that from a crime scene?”
“Better than cops having it.”
“You serious?” Kie said towards John B who was clearly amused.
“I'm gonna lose my merit scholarship.”
“Hey, hey, hey. Sh, sh, sh. sh, sh.” JJ put the gun over Pope’s mouth.
“At least you have us, right?”
“I'm living the nightmare.”
“Ok, I ain’t happy but I wanna know how it works.” Ellie became slightly curious and excited while JJ explained it to her.
******************They walked in the middle of what looked to be some sort of crisis center in the middle of the marina when the group heard a woman crying out.
“Scooter? Scooter? Oh, God!”
“Who's that?” John B asked a group of teens that were witnessing the scene.
“It's Scooter Grubbs. He was out during the storm.”
“Oh no.” Ellie said sadly. “Poor Ms. Lana” She rested her head back hitting a hard surface, she looked up seeing JJ’s face. He was stood on a cement block. He looked down at her, a sad smile on his face, he leaned down a pressed a quick and subtle kiss to her forehead, making her close her eyes.
“Check out this pic I got.” A girl sitting next to John B said, extending out her cell phone. Beth moved her body in sync with JJ’s as they moved closer to the younger girl.
The man’s bloated and red face was disgusting to look at, Ellie’s heart jumping in her throat at the sight.
“Oh my god I’m gonna be sick.” She said turning around, her face ending up in JJ’s chest.
“Dead body.”
“Insane.”
“Holy sh*t.”
“What kind of boat did he have?” JJ asked his eyes following the light brunette that had to walk a few feet away to get the image out of her head. He finally looked down to John B who sent him a knowing look.
“Somehow, that dirtbag copped a brand-new Grady-White. Everyone's out looking for it.”
The five decided to leave, Kie going to check on her best friend.
“Hey, you good?”
“Yeah, just the image of Scooter, ugh.” She said, feeling sick a little. “Queasy stomach. Pope probably had a blast, huh.”
“Yeah.” She laughed, her attention going to where Pope, John B and JJ were. “Hey, did something happen with JJ?”
“No, why?” Beth answered truthfully.
“I don’t know, he’s been watching you all day.” She said making the light brunette look up to see the blonde’s eyes on her.
“Oh, I don’t know. He hasn’t said anything.” She shrugged playing with a flower she had picked up a few minutes ago. “Here. Take it.” She handed her best friend the purple flower.
“Are you trying to mack on me, Miller?”
“You wish, Carrera.” She laughed as they made their way to the boys.
They decided to make their way back home, seeing as it was soon dinner time, Pope saying he had to go home but would join them in the next hour or so.
******************
JJ, John B, Kie and Elizabeth were sat on the porch of the Chateau. Elizabeth being hungry, ate what was left of the ground meat and veggies she had made the night before. She was sitting on the blue/green rattan chair, JJ on the cushioned chair to her right, Kie on the sofa and John B was chilling near the door. The steady rhythm of the clicking of JJ’s lighter was all that could be heard between the teenagers that were waiting on Pope.
“Okay. So, um... we didn't see anything. We don't know anything. We need to have total and complete amnesia.” Pope said as he got to the chateau, panting.
“Actually, Pope’s right for once.” He stood up from the chair sending a look to a snickering Beth. “See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny.”
“Guys, we can’t keep that money.”
“Okay. Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara.” He sent the girl a look, Kiara and Ellie rolling their eyes.
“We have to pass that off to Lana Grubbs. Otherwise, it's bad karma.”
“Bad karma to be implicated in a felony, too. We gotta go dark.”
“If that means we get to keep the money, then I agree.”
“I don't agree.”
“Yeah me too.” Ellie said standing up to go inside to rinse off her dishes.
“What? Why?”
“Just think about it. This is Scooter Grubbs we're talking about. Same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the Porthole.”
“JJ, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas.” Elizabeth said as she exited the house, having heard their conversation from the inside.
“We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket, and all of a sudden, he's got a Grady-White? Just sayin'.” He said looking at Elizabeth, glad that someone agreed with him.
They all looked at each other before, in silence, JJ grabbed his fishing gear and walked out. Ellie rolled her eyes and followed after him, being followed by the rest of their friends.
“All right, so think about it, Pope. How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?” John B asked sitting on the railing next to Kiara.
“Prostitution.”
“Square groupers, bro. Okay, flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance. They don't do that stuff during a hurricane. What does that mean? JJ?”
“They were straight smugglin'.”
“Smugglin'.” Elizabeth muttered leaning forward on the railing between JJ and Kie.
“And I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband in that wreck.”
“Hell, yeah. Fish on!”
They moved inside after JJ had caught the fish, Kie grabbing her ukulele.
“For the record, if that is a smuggling ship with illegal contraband on the inside of it...” Ellie looked back to Pope, laying down next to him on the bed, but facing JJ.
“Mm-hm?”
“...it probably belongs to someone else.”
“Minor details.” Kiara said making her best friend huff out a laugh.
“They could come looking for it. Taking it would be catastrophically stupid.”
“Right. Well, stupid things have good outcomes all the time.” JJ said leaning forward and grabbing the cash from Pope’s hands, separating the bills. Being a few inches away from Beth, he lowered down the green papers and winked at her. “All we need to do is figure out a way to get into the cargo hold of that wreck. Until then, we just lay low. Just act normal.”
“Right. And how exactly do we do that?”
“Kegger?” Kie said looking at her best friend.
“f*ck yes, I love you.” The light brunette exclaimed standing up and getting off of the bed.
She was all for drinking beer until she couldn’t see straight, just at normal hours not at nine am like the others would do.
“I’m going home to change and grab some clothes and I’ll be right back to help set up. JJ?”
“Mmh?”
“Need anything?” She asked as he had some clothes at her house, too.
“Nope.”
“Okay, BRB.” She said, the door shutting loudly behind her.
JJ had a stupid smile on his face, attracting the attention of the three others.
“What’s going on, between you two?” Pope asked.
“Nothing. I’m following the rule, don’t worry.” JJ said going outside.
******************“Tally-ho.”
“Hey-up.” John B and JJ lifted the keg over a fallen tree, while Pope was carrying the cups and Kie the beer line with the pouring thingy.
That’s when her favorite moments would usually start, they set up the keg in the middle of what they called The Boneyard, getting out red solos cups as they messed around. John B was sprayed by beer, the girls were chased down in the ocean by the boys, they hung out for a while all five of them before people started to show up.
“Chug it! Chug it! - ”
You can't understand the Outer Banks without understanding the boneyard.
It's kinda like a three-layer burrito.
There's us and our friends, the working-class derelicts.
Then, there are the Kooks, the rich second-homers.
They're mostly from poncey-ass boarding schools, just rich trustafarian posers.
Our natural enemies.
And then, there are the Tourons.
Totally clueless. Here for a week on vacation with their families.
Chum for the sharks.
Elizabeth, Kie and JJ were sat on logs, surrounded by Tourons, as they told stories about the Island. JJ was being followed around by the almost sunburnt redhead that had claimed him as hers for the night. Kie and Ellie usually stuck together, charming their ways to bullsh*tting tourons, Pope was sat with a girl, she seemed really nice and like usual he talked about dead bodies... John B had taken a like to the tanned blonde girl that had charmed him earlier. JJ moved from group of girls to group of girls, charming each and every one of them, making them think that they would have the summer love they read about.
“We are family!” JJ shouted standing on a log but losing his balance quickly. A hand grabbed his bag and stabilized him.
“Careful sea cowboy.” Beth said as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “So, who did you have in mind?” She asked him as they stood next to each other looking out at the sea of teenagers.
“That’s very funny Beth.” His words slurring a little.
“C’mon.” She said tugging on his hand as she pulled him away from the crowd before she noticed a figure sitting on top of a broken red structure. “Is that Sarah Cameron?” She asked and the blonde turned around seeing the girl with her boyfriend, Topper.
“Seems like it.” He hummed before turning around and pulling the brunette in a hug.
“You, my friend had way too much to drink, you’re getting clingy.”
“You love it.” He smiled down at her.
They abandoned their ideas to leave their friends deciding on going back to them. The sun set an hour later, people starting to settle down as a fire was lit in the middle. Beth and JJ had stuck together, going to people and offering them drinks, being the good host, they were. They spotted John B a few feet away, JJ grabbed a cup and walked towards his best friend whistling to grab his attention.
“How you doing?”
“John B.”
“What're you doing?” John B asked seeing the pair.
“Yo, what's up? I got this for you. Want it?”
“For me? Yeah, I'll take a sip.”
That’s when the Kook princess and Topper walked near them, making their way home.
“Oh, wait.” He said to the girl next to him as she wanted to sit. “Hey, hey. Hey, Sarah!” He called out walking towards her. “Sarah, can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?”
“No thanks.” The girl said looking between JJ and the cup.
“Is it not fancy enough for you?”
“No. We were just leaving.” Sarah said calmly.
“Hey, you know what? I'll take it. I'll... Thank you, man. I appreciate it.” Topper said in a condescending tone that Beth knew would piss of JJ.
“That's nice, but I didn't ask you. If you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't.” Ellie chuckled under her breath, earning a flick on her shoulder from John B.
“Oh, pretty please.”
“Yeah. Sarah” JJ said handing the alcohol to the blonde girl. “You can have it.”
“Pretty please?” Topper pushed. “She doesn't want it, you...” Topper said hitting the cup of out JJ’s hand, making the beer fly everywhere.
“Okay. No, no, no, no.” Sarah said panicked.
“You're so funny, man.” JJ said after being restrained by Pope and John B.
“Hey.” Beth called up at him. “JJ, calm down. Breathe!” She said sternly.
“Dirty Pogues!” Topper said making John B retaliate by hitting him in the chest.
“You kinda looked for it Topper.” Elizabeth said, her hand resting on JJ’s shoulder silently keeping him from going after the Kook.
“John B.” Pope called out, grabbing his friend. “We're supposed to be incognito, remember?”
“Babe, babe, babe, babe...” Sarah tried to distract her boyfriend, but it didn’t do much when Topper’s right fist collided with John B’s jaw.
“Guys? Guys! Chill!” Sarah called while Pope, Ellie and Kie tried to restrain JJ.
“Hey, John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?” Topper said kicking and dragging the teenager into the water.
“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” This only encouraged the two boys as John B stood up and hit the blonde back, grunts and groans leaving their lips as their fists hit flesh.
“Give it to him! John B, let it go!” A random guy next to Beth encouraged John B and she shoved him away from the crowd.
“Stop, you guys!” Kie said panicked.
“Topper! Stop!”
“Come on, John B!” Pope said, Ellie slightly discouraged as she watched Kie with her hands on her head.
“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” John B punched Topper.
“That's what I'm talkin' about! Come on!” JJ encouraged his best friend and Ellie’s mood changed seeing that people were actually encouraging it. “Don’t encourage him, J” She said as he looked down at her.
“Come on!”
“Yeah, you wanna go?”
“Stop! John B!” Ellie and Kie called out to their friend.
“Oh! Topper! Come on, Topper!” Sarah tried.
The fight continued, Topper bringing the Routledge boy into the water, his legs on either side of his as he started to drown him.
“Topper! Topper, stop! No!” Sarah called but Ellie was mostly focused on the blonde boy next to her. He had tensed up and she could see from his expression that a fight was going on inside his mind too. He was about to do something stupid.
“He's drowning him.” Pope said to a distressed Kiara.
“No! I know.”
“Topper!” Sarah screamed but didn’t actually moved from her spot.
Both JJ and Elizabeth moved at the same time, Ellie wanted to go shove Topper off her friend, but JJ had a different idea and it all happened so fast, the next second JJ had pulled off the gun safety and stuck it to Topper’s head.
“JJ.” She gasped seeing the boy breath heavily.
“Yeah, you know what that is. Your move, broski.” He said, a sick look in his eyes that made Ellie shiver in fright.
“Come on. Chill, dude!” Pope screamed as they all lifted their hands defensively.
“- JJ! Stop! JJ! Put the gun down.”
“Did you say somethin', princess?” JJ called out over his shoulder.
“JJ put the f*cking gun down, right now.” Beth said a few inches behind him her hand wrapped tightly around his bicep, her nails digging into his skin with anger.
“We're good. We're good. Put the gun down! All right? Come on, man!” Topper pleaded.
“Kie! Can you check your psycho friend, please?” Sarah called but received no words from Kie only a death glare from Ellie that made her shut up.
JJ shoved Ellie off of him and turned around, gun raised in the air.
“Okay, everyone, listen up! Get the hell off our side of the island!” JJ screamed, his voice rough and cracking as he emptied two bullets into the air.
Not a lot of people had stayed when JJ got the gun out but the ones that had left running when the blonde shot. Ellie stayed behind with John B, helping breath and get back to his senses as she watched JJ in anger.
“Are you crazy? You idiot!”
“Stupid!” Kie screamed her voice rough.
“Why do that? It's not worth it!” They yelled at him, more scared than anything.
“I'm saving his life, okay?” JJ argued.
“Stupid!”
“You're gonna jeopardize everything!” John B watched as his friends fought the main sound in his ears being his panting and Ellie telling him that he would be okay.
******************So this was the first part of Episode 1 from OBX rewrite ! Let me know if you have any feedback or anything!
I hope you’re gonna like it!
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