THE EVENING EMERALD;; OUTER BANKS
series synopsis ; A mere year following her father’s tragic passing, Persephone Sallow is forced to reckon with a thief who had stolen the very last thing her father had gifted to her. With the help of Kiara and her own little band of delinquents, she sets off into the mighty world once more to take back what was taken. Along the way, hearts are captured, feelings are spilled, death is catching and the thief turned out to be someone she never expected. Will she be the one to fight for what she loves? Or die trying?
chapter one synopsis ; on an impulsive decision, Persephone Swallow appeared at the boneyard for a party for the first time. It hasn’t lasted long, but she became friendly with the infamous JJ Maybank.
pairing(s) ; JJ Maybank x Fem!OC, John B Routledge x Fem!OC
warning(s) ; swearing, mentions of blood, bullet wound, mentions of guns, mentions of being stabbed, mentions of scars, slight PTSD, underage drinking, mentions of violence, mentions of child neglect, mention of child abuse,
author’s notes ; Hiya lovelies! So, i’ve recently gotten really attached to Outer Banks and instead of the whole Royal Merchant journey, I wanted to spin it in my own way. So this story follows my OC and how she deals with the death of her father, and the last gift her dad had given her was stolen and therefore, she recruits the help of the Pogue’s, she’s also the secret friend of Kiara bc the boys can get a bit rowdy and it’s nice to have her own little friend away from them, and they travel across the globe to find it! My OC also pulls a John B and lives alone without telling anyone because she doesn’t want to go into foster care. I also wanted to say I’m a lot better at writing danger scenes than I am everyday scenes so be warned for the bad writing!! I hope you all enjoy my little love here :)
author’s notes pt.2 ; all pictures are sourced from Pinterest unless stated otherwise!! I also might do smut at some point, but I haven’t had much good experience myself, but I wanna try new things so hopefully i’ll be able to fit it in at some point :) I also don’t have a timetable or schedule for any updates !! I try to write whenever i’m motivated to do so otherwise the writing will be even worse lmao and i’m going through a lot of personal issues atm so it’s gonna be difficult to do so too lol :)
status ; currently unedited
word count ; 7k (big woah for me)
playlist ; the evening emerald
Worn down boots slid in the mud, scraping against the Earth as they descended down a dense tree path. Water trickled down from above, feeding the soil and slapping against the dirty fabric of her bandana that was tied around her head, a pathetic attempt of protecting her from the heavy onslaught of rain.
Gasps escaped her mouth as she continued on, feet taking the initiative to move swifter through the thickset trees when several gunshots rung out from a short distance behind her. Her heard pounded in her chest, her cheeks swelled with flush, despite the freezing, pouring tears from the sky. Her brain began to bang against her skull in a feeble attempt to be freed from the racing thoughts that overheated her thought process.
The heavy footsteps of her father followed behind, his own gasping prominent in the air as wisps of white puffed from his mouth.
“To the boat!” He yelled, his southern accent heavy with emotion. “We need to get to the boat!” His voice was almost completely muffled by the pitter patter of hail and the screaming of the squally. But she had heard him. She always strained her ears every time he spoke, every time the storm was calm, before they were driven straight into danger’s rearing ugly face, and even during their struggle against the men who held them captive.
Multiple further gunshots hit the heavens as they scrambled towards the small sandy beach. Waves hung like pythons raged from their seabed bed, awakened by the violence that consumed them whole. It was as if Mother Nature herself had heard their cries against the bindings that held them so very far and yet so very close to freedom. The tides crashed viciously against the sand, and sharp rocks, where a single, lonely sailor lay, his bones the only evidence of his existence from a much older, passing time.
There, fighting back against Mother Nature’s relentless pursuit, was the very boat they were aiming to climb aboard to escape the hell they were trapped in. She huffed out in mocking, “The fucking Codfather!” Rolling her eyes, she continued on as her father’s laugh bellowed him behind. “What a weird fucking name for a boat!”
“Weird?!” He teasingly shouted back. “Ya mean what a fittin’ name, darlin’!” He chuckled, his mighty moustache stretching with his smile as he pushed his daughter further towards his shared vessel that had somehow — finally — managed to travel close enough for them to climb aboard.
Despite the lighthearted banter, their thick, worn boots dug into the hull as they clambered to the solid wood floor of ‘The Codfather’, their sighs of relief were only temporary.
Gunshots rang out from the beach, silver bullets gleaming beneath the lightning that dominated the skies and thunder that roared with vicious vigour, one stray glided in the air, a whiff of smoke rising in the moist atmosphere as it headed for the girl.
“Get us outta here, Derry!” Her father wailed, steadying himself with a tight grip on the rail leading towards the console and steering wheel.
She shrieked and withered at the pain in her upper arm, gasps leaving her lips as she was suddenly thrown back against the gunwale, the upper body of the boat digging into her back. A grunt left her lips before a pained sneer took over.
The rain pounded down heavier and faster as the boat forced its way through the troubled sea.
Lightning shot across the sky with power only the Gods could hold.
Thunder cracked and snapped like a rabid, starved predator in their ears, biting at their senses.
Hands reached out and grabbed at her, sliding her across the decking and holding her firmly against the boat’s side next to the cockpit. Not long after the southern drawl began whispering to her in comfort, everything went silent. Eery silence plagued their ears for minutes as they huddled close.
A seagull suddenly called out, making her flinch on impulse, deep breaths falling from her lips.
“We’re safe now, darlin’.” The man reassured, his voice steadier than it had been earlier. His warmth then moved, strong arms moving her to find blood. “Ye’re bleedin’?” A hint of panic sparked in his hazel eyes as they scanned her before they landed on her upper arm, where a clean but deep surface wound sat. He sighed in relief, his clambering heart finally calming.
His rough, callous-covered hands softly grabbed her left arm, carefully and slowly removing it from where she held it against her head. Her senses were invaded by the calming salty breeze, bring her back down to Earth, back to her father, the boat, but, most of all, the pain.
She yelled out as her father tightly wrapped her arm in the bandana that had once been wrapped around her neck, the stinging sensation burning beneath her skin, despite it being a skim.
“Ye’re alright. I got ya, kid.” He continued to reassure as he tightened it even further. She cringed at the memory of her blood and open flesh, her eyes fluttering closed and head falling against the starboard side. Blonde hair, dirtied with mud, blood and the salty sea water, stuck to her sweaty face, and she grimaced at taste as she wetted her chapped lips.
He then grinned down at her, pulling her up to stand by her uninjured arm.
“Yeah, okay. What now, Indiana Jones?” She teased with a relieved smile. Her face was hit with the cool air breeze and she tipped her back with fervour, hungrily devouring the clean, fresh air.
With a chuckle, he reached into the ruined leather satchel that lay against his hip, held by a strap across his torso. Something clinked in the bag as he rummaged through it, his eye lighting up as his fingers brushed against the very thing he aimed to find.
“Now, kid,” Derry, ever the quiet sailor, and her father’s best friend, grinned, a cigarette between his lips, “We sing ‘appy birthday.”
“My birthday was five months ago.” She giggled softly, eyebrows borrowing as she watched her father with curious eyes. They swirled in green relief, thankful he hadn’t gotten too badly hurt.
From the satchel he pulled a golden chain, the obvious obnoxiously large jewel strung along it hidden in the palm of his hand as the gold wilted around and hung from his fist. He turned his fist upwards and she watched in awe as he opened his fist to release the jewel, instead moving to quickly grip the chain.
The jewel was certainly large, definitely for someone important or Royal with its fiery essence. Secured in a pure gold casing was a gorgeous evening emerald green, sparkling in the sunlight that beamed down on them. It looked like the eye of a Goddess, she concurred. She was mesmerised by its beauty, eyes wide and lips parted in shock.
“Happy fifteenth belated birthday, babygirl.” He wrapped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. She smiled gratefully, her own arms wrapping around him (not without a quiet hiss) and squeezing.
“Thank you, dad.” She whispered, soft voice muffled by his wet jacket.
“Home we go!” Derry whistled with a laugh as his hands moved about the control board, dirty fingernail tapping twice at the compass that lay above the wheel.
Time had passed by slowly the following week after Hurricane Agatha bared her teeth and reigned destruction on Kildare. A storm like Agatha had barely-to-no affect on Persephone as she continued about her day as if the community around her hadn’t been half destroyed, but she did what she had to do to help the others who had lost their boats, signs, stalls or even their beloved pets.
Fortunately, no one had died and that was all that mattered in the long run. Although, the power surge had been a killer pain in the ass for her, especially with there being no signal, and, therefore, no way for her to contact her Godfather or Kiara.
She needed to contact her Godfather, who had been by her father’s side from kindergarten to the very minute he died, purely for the fact that Social Services had been meddling about in her business once again. Of course, it was understandable due to her being a sixteen —just four months shy of seventeen— year old girl living on her own, not that they knew it. They just suspected it. And they were right, unfortunately for her.
With her father’s passing being only early last year, it felt brand new whenever they could call her for a welfare meeting or for support in her mental health, which is where they got their suspicions from. It was like the ocean had opened up and swallowed her whole, or a bucket of freezing cold water had been thrown at her while she lay comfortably in bed.
Kiara, her friend —borderline best friend—, had been told the basics, but not the whole truth. She hadn’t been knowledgeable to the existence of her late father’s career in finding the ancient unfindable cities lost in the passage of time, or the fact that he started taking her on these expeditions when she was newly nine-years old.
Being kidnapped, stabbed and shot all before the ripe age of twelve made her dizzy just thinking about it, but it had been her normal routine at that point, and if it had meant she spent time by her father’s side, then she’d say ‘suck it up and fuck it’.
Persephone had wished to tell her only friend about such troubles, but with Kiara’s almost constant attention on being a Pogue and hanging around with the infamous John B Routledge, JJ Maybanks and Pope Heyward. Either way, it was impossible. They liked to believe they were invisible and able to get away with all the trouble they had caused or crashed fist first into, but she knew different. Especially with the number of how many times John B and JJ, just two seventeen year old boys, had been arrested in such short time spans. They always got released, luckily for them.
She just wished Kiara wasn’t so dismissive of her sometimes, but when they did meet up, which was at least once a week or every fortnite, they had the time of their lives. Calm, but fun and happy.
The two girls were seated on their surfboards, side by side, both in their bikinis and hair blowing behind them. And as the early evening sun shun above them, beginning its narrow escape beneath the horizon, leaving its golden and pink streaks across the sky, they smiled and laughed softly. The water kissed their thighs and waists as they hobbled softly in place.
“I remember when we got so drunk at Haley Green’s party and decided taking a midnight stroll in Figure Eights was a good idea.” Kiara chuckled softly, palms pressing against her surfboard she sat upon.
Persephone giggled, cheeks slightly red from her previous laughter. “Hmm, and then we decided to have a competition of who would be the better stripper if it came down to it.” Her shoulders shook as she rolled her head towards her friend, who playfully narrowed her eyes at her.
“You still have the videos, don’t you?”
“Yes, yes I do.” She smiled softly and hummed wistfully. “That, that was a good night.”
“Hmm,” the brown haired girl hummed, “I think JJ and John B actually snuck into that party not long after we left because there were so many rumours the next day about the ‘dirty pogue boys causing utter disaster as per usual’.” She laughed, shaking her head.
Persephone feigned shock, “No way! How could they ever accuse your precious angels of causing problems at a Kook party.” She shook her head, huffing a laugh through her nose. “I don’t know how they do it.”
“Honestly, me neither.” Kiara chuckled, recounting all the times her two most chaotic friends had caused so much ruckus and come out free, but not unscathed. Her mind suddenly reeled, though, as she looked over the younger girl beside her properly. Faint scars, hidden by make up or the faded over time dotted across her body, mostly around her torso. On her left thigh sat a relatively new wound, the tissue pink compared to her light tan. A round, slightly sunken scar lay on her right shoulder, just centimetres from where her necklaces lay against her collarbones. On her left arm say an almost matching thin slit. “Hey,” she started, quietly concerned, “you know you can tell me anything, right?” Her voice was soft, her brown eyes gentle as they gazed down at the girl, who continued to smile innocently.
“Yeah, I know.” The blonde responded, looking down at her legs, lightly shifting them in the water below as the ocean waved around them.
“So, you can tell me about the months-long disappearances and coming home bruised, bandaged and flinch-y that stopped last year? You used to disappear every month or two and come back almost a year later,” Kiara raised an eyebrow, and despite the specification, Persephone shook her head, letting out a small laugh in disbelief.
As she steadied her hands against her white and green surfboard, Persephone looked over the horizon, looking for something, anything, to help her change the subject. All the times she had been ready to tell Kiara and she was shut down by hurried goodbyes are pings would erupt her phone or she was happy enough to not want to fall back into that headspace. She then spotted her distraction.
“Hey, isn’t that John B and JJ?” A finger pointed in their direction and Kiara had almost forgotten about it.
It was, in fact, the figures of John B and JJ skidding across waves further down the sea line, headed their way with a trail of sea foam following.
Persephone hadn’t officially met the rest of the Pogue’s, and tended to avoid them. It wasn’t because she didn’t like them, but because she knew they meant trouble, and with all the dangerous drama she had escaped only a year before, she couldn’t risk being put on blast and discovered due to her friend group.
“I better head out.” The younger girl gave Kiara a smile that hadn’t quite reached her eyes before she turned on her board and paddled towards the shoreline. Her friend watched with surprise, not having put a word in before she was already halfway gone, too far to call out to.
“Kie! Yo, what you doin’ out here on your own?” The infamous, rugged JJ Maybanks swooped to a crouch before dropping his backside against his board, landing a little distance away. He swam closer.
John B followed shortly after, his landing a lot smoother as he had slowed down quicker than his best friend. “You ditch us for those turtles again?” He grinned jokingly as he leaned forward.
“Damn, dude, what have those little mutated ninja’s got that we don’t?” JJ feigned hurt and offence, hand to his bare chest.
Kiara shook her head, quietly stuttering over words. “No, I, uhm,” she stole a glance towards the beach where Persephone was collecting her belongings and making a swift break for the forest, “I…” she paused, “I just needed to think. You know, like, what if another hurricane like Agatha shows up again?”
John B gazed at her suspiciously, eyes swiping over to where she had been looking. All he caught was a tiny flash of a white surfboard before it disappeared into the evergreens. His eyebrows furrowed, but he didn’t mention it.
JJ, the free, careless spirit he was, none the wiser, laughed. “Like a hurricane can stop us from doing anything’ we usually do. Agatha was nothin’.” He ran a hand through his wet hair, pushing it out of his line of sight.
“Where’s Pope? I thought he was hanging out with you guys tonight?” Kiara then switched the topic smoothly.
John B didn’t call her out on it, either. Instead, he scoffed, “His dad’s got him on lockdown since he ran off with us last week.”
JJ then raised his hands, palms facing his friends. “And as I said, Mr Heyward is a tight-ass.”
The other two laughed at him.
Hot water cascaded from the shower head, releasing it’s soothing, but invisible comfort and washing away the sorrowful sensibilities down the drain. The drain swirled and gurgled the water combined with hair and body products, loudly gulping as if gasping for air and a break. Persephone wished she could catch a break.
She had been stood in the shower for almost an hour, muscles slack, hair soft, skin washed and exfoliated, but fingers and toes pruning. Her nose began to block as the steam blinded her sight, reminding her of the mists that took hold of the island that fateful day. It reminded her of the unwavering storm as it pelted down its rage, burying her in her own personal grievance.
She closed her eyes from the sting, hands smoothing back her sopping, wet hair to fall against her rear.
The echoing blasts of gunshots cried in her ears once more. Every individual water drop that fell against her skin suddenly burnt like the flames of a licking fire.
‘It should have been you.’
A cold, spine-shuddering whisper sang from the back of her mind, buried deep and huddled with her self-doubt, paranoia, and guilt.
The doubt that she should have lived that day.
“Happy fifteenth belated birthday, baby girl.”
The nonstop feeling that spread underneath her skin like goosebumps that someone was there, waiting for her: sleek, loaded gun in hand, sharpened knife ready in pocket.
‘They’re going to find you one day, and you will suffer greatly for it.’
Her guilt seeped into the very cracks that made up her soul, dripping out like tears as she slowly splintered like glass. The guilt of living, and having watched the only person she had left slowly dampen with death.
“We’re safe now, darlin’.”
“No, he wasn’t. And you won’t be for very long!”
The whisper had turned into a growling yelp as it bellowed in her ears, vibrating through her mind.
With a gasp, her eyes shot open and she slammed her hand into the button that shut shower off. The water ceased, and so did the bullets, the fog and the voices.
Her chest heaved as tears gathered in her eyes, lips parted to inhale more air as it filtered in through the small, slim window above her. She felt closed in.
She needed to get out, and away.
Throwing the curtain aside carelessly, Persephone made a grab for her towel, fastening it as she hurried for her bedroom. She cared less for the water dripping from her body and hair as she was distracted by her mental unease. Her phone lay screen down on her bedside table, white cable charging it being ripped out and she rushed to type a message.
kie what are you doin rn 21:02
The reply came back almost immediately.
now i know that can’t be persey i know 21:05
you never wanna come to parties 21:06
what changed hun??? 21:06
did something happen???? 21:06
im a changed woman now 🤧 21:07
be there in an hour 😊 21:07
Her phone screen turned black as she switched it off, throwing it onto her double bed and turning to fling open her closet. The device pinged several times before going silent. She ignored it.
Anxiety pricked at the hair on her nape, fingertips begging to be picked as she stared at the huge variety of different clothes she had bought but most, never worn. Stripping herself of her towel, she quickly dabbed herself dry before wrapping it around her soaked hair.
Nevertheless, the shadow of doubt that crept in the depths of her mind lingered, small and insignificant for the time being. She pushed it away. She pushed everything out of her mind besides one thing; an outfit impressive enough to be noticed at one of many of the best parties in the Cut.
‘It was time for change.’
A new voice of hope soothingly crawled through her bones with a newfound shiver of giddiness.
With a deep breath, she shuffled through her best clothes.
She hoped tonight went well, and smooth.
The soft material of her blue just-below-knee linen skirt flowed in the gentle wind of the night, tickling the tanned skin of her legs. A moderately stronger breeze pushed through the fabric, revealing her full left thigh, the slit parting from the thin waistband that hung snug against her hips. A waist chain of gold coins, matching her generously various necklaces, wrapped around her belly, rubbing colly against her hot skin with every step she took closer towards the entrance to the boneyard. On her feet were thin beach sandals with braided straps that ran around her ankle and between her first and second toe.
Persephone stilled for a moment, taking a breather as she unclipped the pink and white flower pin from her waistband. With a shaky hand, she then readjusted it to clip just above her right ear, her bright blonde hair dry, fluffy and soft as it discreetly whipped with the wind. She then pulled at the top of her white tube top, hands pushing up her push-up bra through the tight textile, it was easier to breath in as it was designed to scrunch at the sides of her upper abdomen.
It was overkill, of course, but exactly what she needed. It was time for a change, and if that meant wearing clothes she would never dare to wear to a casual party —that she wouldn’t have even thought of attending— was necessary, then so be it. It was going to happen.
With a few mental words with herself, she took off towards the shadows that creeped through the trees. Bass music thumped louder the closer she approached. Voices of laughter, flirting, and various others melted together, reaching her ears in a thundering realisation of what she was signing herself up for. Her heart hammered under her ribcage in a delightful, but sickly excitement that made her stomach churn silently. It twisted and shrivelled, but she pushed through it. Just like she always did.
Standing, just shy of the party, where the trees ceased and the path of sand became more prominent beneath her feet, was Kiara. Her arms were crossed against her chest, the bonfire was lit and raging behind her, illuminating her side profile as she watched her younger, more timid friend tread towards her.
Not long before, the brown haired girl had been sipping on the alcohol in her red solo cup, nibbling away at the rim in nervousness. She knew that Persephone had never even thought of attended parties before, especially at the boneyard due to its late night endeavours and the distance from her home on the other side of the island. Standing with her in a miniature circle of their own, secluded from the rest of the bustling partygoers of Pogues, Tourons and a small group of easygoing Kooks, was Pope, John B and JJ.
While JJ decided to do what he did at every party and refill his drink every time he threw it back like water and become unaware of his female friend’s inner turmoil, the other two had caught on. Pope had stood to Kiara’s right, glancing down at her every so often in concern before he had been forcefully whisked away by a few unnamed Pogues to participate in the Kegger, JJ staggering behind him with whoops of laughter.
John B, on the other hand, was taking it easy on the drinks, watching the girl like a hawk from his position that had been next to Pope. He had been suspicious of her for a few days — three days ago, exactly, on the waters of the banks. First, it had been the second figure of a girl sat by her side on a surfboard of her own in a white bikini, then the unknown girl’s sudden departure after pointing himself and JJ out, the stuttering and jumbling of Kie’s words, the underlying anxiousness she had shown the following three days. And then, at the party, where she almost made a snack of her thumb if he hadn’t pulled her aside and demanded to know what had happened to have made her so reclusive and off-key.
“What is going on with you?” He had murmured, releasing his grip on her elbow.
“What do you mean?” She had scoffed in his face. “There’s nothing going on with me. Don’t make stupid assumptions, John.” Despite her defence of frost and a clenched jaw, the mushroom of guilt growing in her chest had won as she uttered out a half-assed apology.
“You’ve been weird for days.” He then had to follow after her as she made her grand escape towards the trees.
“Just leave it, John.” She gently pushed him away when he tried to grab at her elbow once again.
Somehow, he somewhat understood her obvious, sudden departure as he watched, from further away, a girl dressed in blue and white approach his friend, finger and thumb picking away at her cuticles. She was pretty underneath the moonlight, but when the low light of the bonfire’s stretching brightness hit her as she escaped the darkness of the shrubs? His jaw went slack, breathing hitching as it bubbled in his throat.
She walked with an almost invisible nervous tick, but she held her head high in false confidence. He caught on, because he had done that —from when his father had disappeared nine months prior and the pitying looks were shot to him everywhere he went— and still was.
He realised with a sudden blink of the dim lightbulb in his head that this was most likely the girl from three days ago, on the water with Kiara as if they had been long time friends. His eyes trailed down her slim figure; from the flower clipped into her long, wavy blond hair just above her right ear, to the tube top, then the skirt —lingering a moment longer than they should have when they reached her bare thigh— to the sandals on her feet.
When she had reached Kiara, who stood sternly but worried from the slump of her shoulder at the sight of her, he could pinpoint a scar that curved on her right cheekbone, just below her eye. Its shape reminded him of the corner of a bent boomerang, strangely.
John B stayed close enough to be out of sight, and therefore, mind, but to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Persey,” Kiara started softly, wrapping her fingers around the girl’s her wrists to pull her into a hug when she was close enough, “hey, are you okay?” Her tone was soft as she pulled away.
Persephone smiled, suddenly optimistic, “Yeah, Kei. I just, you know,” she paused, “wanted to be social. A little party couldn’t hurt once in a while.” Her voice was smooth and quiet, but almost unsure of herself.
Instead of throwing up her vomit of questions at the girl, Kiara just sighed, before grinning lightly and pulling her towards the party. “Come on, you can finally meet my friends!” With a grab of the girl’s hand, she squeezed it reassuringly before laughing merrily as she pulled her towards the party.
John B was gone by the time they reached the branches scattered around, having hurried away after catching sight of JJ walking past and necking another red solo cup.
Persephone’s stomach twisted with that new, exciting feeling. She’d felt the giddiness before, when she had been off adventuring, but that was more nervous than anything. This feeling was new and different, just as her environment as the bonfire became more visible once the tall trees were behind her.
The beach was nothing new to her, and despite how packed this specific spot was, it was beautiful. The large bonfire resonated in the centre of the party, licking up at the sky in fever as the partygoers conversed and danced away. The embers burned bright as the smell of crackling wood and smoke surrounding the air like a big bubble.
She was gently tugged through the crowd towards a couple of kegs that sat off to the side, stacks upon stacks of red solo cups were placed nearby. Kiara let go of her hand temporarily to take a cup from a smaller tower, placing it under the little removable tab connected to the Keg, and filled it with beer. With a smile, she handed it over to the blonde, watching warily, but also happily.
Kiara was almost jumping at the idea of Persephone meeting her friends, and hanging out with them. The five of them would sit around at the Château in the hammock and a few pull up chairs and drink, smoke and laugh away. They would go surfing together, meet at her parent’s restaurant, The Wreck, and relax for a few hours. They would take the HMS Pogue out to anchor in the banks and swim, searching for nothing but water fights and playful teasing. It had her stomach spinning in anticipation as she observed the younger girl sip from the plastic cup. Kiara exhaled a sigh of silent relief at the sight of a smile pulling on her friend’s lips after a couple mouthfuls of beer. It would be nice to have another girl around when the boys were causing mischief.
“My dad used to like this stuff.” Persephone’s smiled turned into a fond grin as she watched the golden liquid foam around the edge. “Used to steal a bottle from the outhouse whenever he wasn’t looking.” A short laugh fell from her lips as she gazed up at Kiara from the rim of her cup.
“Well, we deserve only the best as Pogue’s.” She beamed back, jokingly. The beer wasn’t the absolute best of the batch, but it worked nonetheless, and that was all that mattered. Her mind suddenly shifted as a thought came in passing. “So, wait, why did you—”
“Kie! Bro!” JJ’s obnoxious chant came from the crowd. He was pushing himself through the bodies, ignoring the dirty looks and side eyes as he spotted his friend by the kegs. “Where you been? You missed Pope almost knock himself out cold after a keg stand.” He hunched over in his laughter, his dirty blonde hair ruffling as he did so. With a final exhale, he regained himself, a toothy grin on his face as he peered at the beauty that was his friend. The side glance he sent was a mere second towards Persephone, then back to Kiara. His head then swivelled back to the blonde, watching her watch him.
Kiara cleared her throat after a few moments, before grinning. “JJ, this is Persephone. She’s my best friend.” Her fingers tapped against the younger girl’s elbow. “Persey, this is JJ, one of the beasts I hang around with.”
“Right, so I’m gonna let you off callin’ me that,” JJ pointed an accusatory finger, not even waiting for a reply before turning back, “and yes, I am JJ.” He pointed at himself, tipsily. One corner of his lips pulled up into a mischievous grin.
He was gorgeous. With his messy, dirty blond hair swept off to the side, strands wafting over his forehead, to highlight his unbelievably bright, ocean coloured eyes. It was like the sun beaming down on the ocean, kind of blue. The blue she adored when she was out on her board. Hanging on a thick, black thread was a shark took that was cuddled between his collarbones, leading down where his near-black button up shirt was undone, revealing his smooth, built chest. The black shorts he wore flaunted his tanned legs in the fierce light of the fire. Brown, worn down boots finished off his look of ragged, but composed and hot.
“You dork.” Kiara chortled, leaning over and slapping his arm lightly.
“You wound me, Cerrera!” He yelled dramatically, shifting on his feet to be closer to the new girl. “So, how you likin’ the boneyard so far?” He raised an eyebrow, ocean eyes slowly darting around her face as he awaited her response. He didn’t dare ask about the scars, specially the most prominent ones, them being underneath the corner of her right eye or the one that ran over the corner of her lips, the flesh very much healed and considered Saturday news on a Sunday morning. What he had wondered, most of all, though, was the dilation of her right eye, just above that thick scar.
His eyes almost sparkled as she grinned, showing off her pearly whites. “It’s… definitely something.” Her gaze was on a couple in the crowd, who were grinding and smirking at one another, not caring who was watching.
JJ followed and latched on quick. “Oh yeah, you’ll catch a lotta people doin’ that at parties. Why you so surprised anyway? What? Daddy never let you out after seven?” He teased with a grin, and a wink towards Kiara who subtly and lowly glared at him.
Persephone, with a sudden burst of confidence, chortled. Her best friend reeled back, confused, but JJ chuckled back at her, leaning in closer to wait for her answer. “Oh please, you say that like i’ve ever had a curfew. You look like you need one, though, blondie. How old are you again? ten? What are you doing out so late at a party?” She coo’ed jokingly, pinching his cheek.
Kiara snickered at JJ’s gobsmacked look. “Babe, you’re literally blonde.”
She shrugged back with a smile. She didn’t know him well enough for a proper nickname just yet. It had been only a year and a half ago that she’d even given Kiara a proper nickname instead of ‘Donnie’ after the ninja turtle.
The first time they had met in The Wreck’s bathroom, as they washed their hands, Kiara had been muttering under her breath about the turtles hatching in a few days and how she had to devise a plan to save them. It made her laugh as she recounted the fond memory.
“Where have you been hiding this one?” JJ then proclaimed airily, left arm wrapping loosely around her waist. He had bent his knees slightly to prop his cheek against her shoulder as he looked at Kiara.
Persephone was flustered at the sudden touch, but brushed it off. She had watched from afar whenever she was in the market and spotted the group, where JJ would wrap an arm around another’s shoulder or playfully kiss their cheeks.
“Me? Hiding her?” Kiara grinned, crossing her arms. “She’s been hiding herself, honestly.” She was referring to her friend’s new confidence. Persephone was confident and loud when it was just them, but so far that night, she had been much more open than usual with her biting comebacks. Childish comebacks, but still a good sign according to her.
JJ then wrapped both of his arms around Persephone’s waist as he loosely hugged her from behind. His chin resting on her shoulder, lips formed into a drunken, playful pout. “Gotta come out of that shell one day, turtle.” He teased, voice low.
Persephone responded with a puckered lips in the direction and a scrunched face to match his. “Maybe it’s high time you shrunk back into yours, hun.”
He rolled his eyes, mocking her words under his breath childishly, his arms tightening around her stomach in a gentle squeeze. Her skin was soft, he realised, and warm compared to the gold waist chain that hung there. His fingers brushed against her skin and she shuddered silently, but kept the facade of playfulness up.
But he noticed it, and he smirked, roguish, half lidded eyes glued on her face as she turned her head back to Kiara in an attempt to change subject. His throat bobbed against the back of her shoulder as he snickered. He straightened his legs and leaned his cheek against her temple. She was struggling to compose herself after that. Despite no actual knowing in the teenage life of dating and such, she always knew she was an absolute sucker for a guy who was taller.
Despite her quick idea of continuing a normal conversation with Kiara, Persephone couldn’t help but lean into his hold subconsciously. It was nice, being held, even though she had just met him. Her dad didn’t hug her unless he felt it was absolutely necessary, like making up for not being there for her birthdays or if she got injured. JJ didn’t have an excuse to hold her like he did, but he did it anyways. Kiara and her had spent times where they would lay next to each other or lay their legs in each other’s laps while they gossiped or relaxed, but that was that. She had never hugged another boy, not since kindergarten when she thanked another little boy her age when he helped her up after she tripped.
The dirty blond grinned as he rested a hand on her hipbone, unintentionally inhaling more of her perfume. Water jasmine and vanilla. He internally groaned, and when he thought she couldn’t get any better. Not only was she gorgeous, she had sass and she smelt good. That ticked off his boxes for a hook-up immediately, but reality came crashing down on him when he finally remembered Kiara introducing her as her best friend. That was his issue. He couldn’t hook up with no strings attached with the best friend of his best friend. It wasn’t going to happen, he realised with a slight pout, his eyes darting between the pair.
It was when his fingers moved down to rest on the waistband of her skirt, just above the long slit, and his index accidentally slipped beneath and brushed against a deep rivet in her skin that she flinched. He furrowed his brows, trying to figure out what it was in his drunken stupor when she pulled away from him. Why was there a small sunken, slightly rough patch on her abdomen? His mind conjured on possibilities, but with the amount of alcohol in his system, all that came up was white noise and scribbles. Why was she just covered in scars?
“Hey, woah, you okay?” Kiara’s voice pulled him back to Earth. She was asking Persephone if she was okay. Why wouldn’t she be? JJ’s mind reeled and wrecked for a possible answer, but still, nothing popped into his head. He decided to leave it for now, but maybe, when he sober, and if he saw her again after tonight, he’d make sure to ask. But he would understand if she didn’t want to. He understood it from his own scars.
“Yeah, no, I’m fine.” Persephone reassured, goosebumps finally disappearing back underneath her skin. She wasn’t spooked by him finding the scar, but more towards the fact of his hand placement. She never even considered anything like that happening tonight, but with her innocence to everything a teenager would be up to, she felt out of place all of us sudden. She felt like she was trapped in a bubble on her own, surrounded by nameless strangers who were used to parties, used to socialising and kissing and hugging, who weren’t afraid to be suggestive in a public place where no one cared.
‘Why did you ever think you could?’
The ugly, bulbous doubt was back.
She hadn’t even been there for half an hour and she was already mentally preparing to leave. All she could do was pat herself on the back for showing up in the first place and mingling. Other than that, her hopes of making friends went out the window. No one there was interested in making friends when they could drink as much as they wanted and end the night in someone else’s sheets, no regrets surfacing.
‘Maybe it’s high time you shrunk back into your shell, hun.’
Her own words sunk their fangs into her tongue, venom paralysing her from speaking.
“Maybe we should get out of here.” Kiara suggested, gesturing towards the shrubs.
Yes, yes I should. The blonde thought to herself pathetically.
“We can head back to John B’s.” The loudest of the trio spoke, but he was quiet, almost thinking intently on something before it disappeared in a flash and back was his mischievous grin. “I left my stash there. I’m gonna roll the second we get back —hold on. You ever smoke?” He turned to Persephone, tensions from earlier completely gone. She shook her head, a small smile present on her lips. “You should totally try it. I’m willing to share.” He winked, before necking the rest of his temporarily forgotten drink.
“Well, luckily for us, John B said he wasn’t drinking tonight.” Kiara added, scrutinising the way JJ shifted unsteady on his two feet. She then whirled around, head raised as she searched the crowd for their friend.
Meanwhile, momentarily blending into the background beside JJ, who also began to swoop the area to search for him, Persephone began contemplating her options.
Should she leave before they find this John B and sulk around in her empty house? Or go along with it, find John B, travel to the Château and have her first ever joint, and have the most possible fun in a group for once?
The first option seemed safer and more reasonable. But the second she went to open her mouth to tell Kiara she was leaving, she stopped herself.
Out of the crowd, headed straight for them, was a tall, lean, but well-build boy. His brown, wavy hair framed his face, his square jaw soft but sharp at the same time. His eyes were honey brown, but light hazel in the firelight. The outfit he wore showed off the muscles of his tanned chest and stomach with a yellow button up shirt, one button done up in the wrong hole, and his brown khaki shorts showed off his long, thick legs. Around his neck was a blue bandana slightly dirtied, but in reasonable condition. God, he looked like a God. Just like JJ did, but in a less subtle way.
Her breath had caught in her throat when she saw Kiara smile in relief from the corner of her eyesight.
“Persey, meet John B. John B, this is Persey.”
Holy fuck, did the world had it out for her.
