Chapter 1- Outer banks

"We're the Pogues and our mission this summer is to have a good time all the time."

Our motto, well ours and friends. We all became friends as little kids, always tagging along my hero. My brother, John B Routledge, living out his paradise in his paradise on earth. The Outer Banks. A place where you either have 2 jobs or 2 houses. Kook, our word for rich stuck up assholes who don't know the difference between Money and sense. Only 1 person was an outlier to those, my best friend for 3 years Kiara Carrera. But here you have the Pogues, the working class side living in trailers and 90 percent only have one parent. That's different for us, forgot what my mum looked like and dad disappeared on a sea voyage 9 months ago.

John B doesn't believe that he's dead, says that he's out there somewhere but the one problem is the fact of that John B is a year older. So that makes him legally able to sign the death certificate. He blatantly refused but since DCS got wind about dad, they put Uncle T in charge. Haven't seen him since the accident, DCS don't need to know that.

Then we have the other Pogues.

JJ, John B's best mate since we were knee high. Pogue native, water baby and definitely a crook. But the best thing about him is those eyes of his, they're like the sea in summer. Secret? We've been dating for 6 months in secret but there's only one rule, No Pogue on Pogue macking but we just don't kiss when John B is around

Kiara Carrera, the humanitarian of the group. Her aesthetic is turtles, Bob Marley and.. well you get the picture. Kook by blood but she's been slumming it with us for as long as I can remember. She's like my sister.

Pope, he's like the Albert Einstein of the group, the brains of the operation. A bit of a wierdo but we love him just the way he is.

And then there's me, Georgia B Routledge or Georgie. Hopeless romantic, monthly listener of Fleetwood Mac and happy surfing the waves of OBX

I love the Pogue life and it couldn't be better, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

…

Oh how quickly the tables turn. Right now, John B and I are sitting in the DCS office with some woman named Cheryl eyeing us down.

"John B, Georgia it's come to our attention that you're both unemancipated minors on your own." She finally speaks, checking her phone. Obviously a kook.

I looked over at John B desperately

"No." He shook his head again and again "That's not gonna happen." I turned to him, rolling my eyes

"Honest answers please so that we can help you." She obviously didn't buy it.

"It IS honest, sherry. Girl scouts honour." I held up 3 fingers and was hoping she didn't see through my façade. I'd never been a girl scout before, they didn't have that in the Pogue side of the OBX.

"Cheryl, when did you last speak to your uncle and when did you last see him?" She looked from brother to sister, guilty for lying as each other.

"34 minutes ago on the phone and we saw him.. 2 hours and.. 42 minutes ago." I tried to stop my voice from going up 4 octaves as it normally does when I lie.

"Alright, we'll come out tomorrow to talk to your uncle. If he's not there, we'll move to foster care. Don't worry Routledge siblings, we'll find you a safe and loving home."

Jesus Christ, what script were they all reading off of?

…

Maybe luck was actually on our side today as Kildare just got hit by a massive storm Agatha.

"Georg, get up its breakfast." My door opened to find my brother shirtless and in a pair of loose fitting shorts I slugged out of bed to my wardrobe and pulled on a pair of faded jean shorts and a paled yellow vest top. I slipped on a hand me down jumper of John B's and stepped outside my room stepping over a sleeping form, hunched over and curled up on the hardwood.

"Bro you coming?" John B questioned the sleeping form

"I've got Polio, can't walk. Oh hey Georgie." He waved at me. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his wrists and started to drag him to the pull-out."Hmm thanks babe." I opened his eyes and as I thought, yellow around the edges and a bruise blossoming around his beautiful eyes. "Jayj, what happened what Kooks did you annoy this time? Let me guess, Topper, Rafe?" He chuckled and I shifted the hair out of his eyes "Right, I'm gonna get you some food before you start drinking at 7am." He rolled his eyes and pulled the blanket over his head. I hurried into the kitchen and quickly popped in and out 2 pieces of toast and buttered them with jam. I took them into the living room and handed one to him. "Thanks Georgie, lifesaver." I ruffled his hair and slipped on my sandals to find John B's rip off of a boat HMS Pogue docked at the corner.

Kie now relaxed on the side of the boat, sipping a beer. "Jayj, hurry up or we'll leave you behind. We got to go fish." He pulled himself up and fell down onto the deck. I slumped down next to Kie and cracked open a beer, JJ tried to reach for one but I shot him a warning glance "Absolutely not Maybank." As I felt the hot sun beat down on me, I pushed the idea of foster care out of my mind.

"Pope, faster buddy please." JJ shouted half engrossed in a lit cigarette, I rolled my eyes at his plain foolishness but did agree, Pope driving skills were at a snails level. John B put his head in his hands and laughed.

"It's not going to work JJ."

JJ took a beer from the box, cracked it open and moved to the front of the boat. He tipped his head back and tipped the beer high, letting the liquid flow into its mouth using the motion of the boat to help him out. The boat suddenly lurched forward. A hard thump came from under the boat as I flew from my seat, hitting the front of the boat. As I watched in horror, JJ flew through the air, 360-ing and landed head first into the water. John B burst out heaving with laughter as was Kiara "Jayj.. Oh my god!" I burst out laughing and he bobbed to the surface and shouted "Jesus Christ Pope, not that fast!" Pope hurried down to the surface and stared hard at the ocean "Is anyone else really tempted to push Pope in?" John B questioned and I burst out a loud snicker.

I bent down over the side of the boat and reached a hand to JJ, he smiled his usual JJ smile that always had me going a deep crimson. He reached for it and pulled him back onto the boat and handed him a towel "Stupid ass." I sat back down playfully rolling my eyes, he crossed his arms and smiled "Yeah but you love that stupid ass." I stopped, he kinda wasn't wrong. Kiara winked at me and smirked.

"Umm guys, there's a boat down there, a Grady-white I think." Pope turned back with a worried expression on his face, I bent over the boat and gasped, he wasn't wrong. A white Grady-white laid at the bottom of the ocean, JJ scurried over and looked over "Holy Crap dude!" I shoved him back and wrapped the towel around him and pulled back his hair. "Shush shush, calm down and you won't feel so cold." He sipped his beer multiple times, I shot him a judgemental glare. "Do we know who's boat that is?" Pope asked running muscled hands through his hair.

"Nope but we're gonna find out." John B smiles, picking up the anchor.

"I will not be jumping in to saving you remember that remember that JB." I joked, if something had happened to him I would jump in without a shadow of a doubt. "Love you too Georgie." He kissed my head before he sat on the edge and dived down into the depths. The others and me are waiting for about forever before John B's head pokes up and we scuttled like crabs to the edge.

"Any dead bodies?" Pope asks, concern filling his voice

"Any loot, gold?" JJ asks, throwing a joking look back at me and crimson filled my cheeks once again.

"Nope none of that but I found this. Looks like we have our guy." He holds up a rusty motel key.

…...

I scanned the destroyed motel once we docked in, or what was left of it. This was where our mystery person had been staying. "Ladies and Gentleman this is your captain Mr JJ Maybank speaking. We will now begin the docking of the HMS Pogue in T minus 15 seconds." I laughed and I could feel JJ's eyes on me. I smiled and tied the post to the decking as JB and JJ jumped off "Try not to get killed either of you please." I warned, looking between them both. "I will, he'll try and be the dashing knight to my fairy princess." JJ put on a high and squeaking voice "Oh John B, give me a kiss." He lunged toward JB but he pushed him away with a simple elbow nudge. Before they start walking, Kiara calls out "John B!" He turns to look at her, eyes softened "Be careful okay?" He nodded and blew her an air kiss.

…...

"Oh John B, be SO careful!" I joked with Kiara as we laid out at the front of the boat laughing while Pope was on lookout. She rolled her eyes and chuckled "You can't say nothing, you've been blushing and flirting every time JJ talks to you." Pope laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder "You know, maybe the feelings are mutual." I shoved it off and laid down on the boat front.

"Guys, I need to tell you something, me and Jayj have been dating for a few months now, it's not a crush anymore." They slapped their hands to their open mouths. We talked and we laughed until a blue SUV rolled up and deputy Shoupe stepped out. I sprinted out of the boat and started throwing rocks, Pope understood and threw but none came even close "Aim at least!" I hissed, I threw one like a curveball and JJ's hair poked out "COPS!"

….

"You could've warned us!" JJ points at me jokingly but goes back to slouched and his arm wrapped around my shoulder

"We would but Pope was on the math team." I groaned "Anyway, did you find anything?"

JJ smiles his wicked smile "Oh yeah we did!" He holds up a gun and some cash and he holds the gun James Bond style.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN! I'M GONNA LOSE MY MERIT SCHOLARSHIP!" I got up and hugged Pope

"Its okay bubba, you won't." I look him straight in the eye "Okay?" I ruffled his hair and he smiled. "Put that away goddamn it, we're pulling into shore." Kie scolds. Confusion knots my brows as there's a stretcher pulled from the water. I jump out and scurry "Georgie come here." John B opened up his arms and I squinted to see if it was dad, all the Pogues gathered around me but we all breathed a sigh of relief when it wasn't him but revolted at the sight. "Scooter.. scooter Grubbs." I grabbed onto the nearest thing near me. JJ. His hand and been bitten off so you could see bone and his face was skeletal. My breathing started to go irregular and tears rolled "Come on, let's sit down." JJ sat me down on his knee and he brushed a hair out of my face "Come here." He opened his arms and I fell into them instantaneously. He rubbed my back and kissed my forehead, "Did you think it was your dad?" I nodded and wiped my eyes. "I thought.. I mean, I'm glad its not him but at the same time, I want to know its him so that way we can finally put this mystery to bed." I got up and folded into a tight hug.

"Georgie, JJ. We need to go. We just found out Scooter Grubbs had a Grady White." Kiara came up to us and looked between our joined bodies. "We'll talk later."

…...

"Right so what we need to do is act chill, we didn't see anything." I nodded and crossed my arms "Right chill and how are we gonna do that?" Pope asked, head in hands.

"Kegger?"

As I sat down with a slipped drink from JJ, I smelt strong cologne coming in my direction. I spun around "Christ." Rafe Cameron, kook prince. I huffed and spun around "Hey Rafe, how are you doing?" He smiled and looked me up and down "Little Routledge, yeah I'm good, nice seeing you." I smiled briskly before I heard a yelp from by the beach, a Sarah Cameron sounding yelp "John B, get off him." Oh no, I got up and ran toward the beach to find Topper and John B fighting harshly in the water, I tried to get in between them but JJ held me back by cuffing my arms together "Don't, if it gets bad, I'll do something." He was right, it escalated to Topper starting to drown john b. I unlocked myself from JJ and ran toward Topper, blood roaring in my ears, unaware of the size difference, I threw myself onto Topper but it caused him to join the crack of his elbow to the space between my cheek bone and nose. I flew back onto the rocks and yelled in pain as the back of my knee split open "Georgie!" JJ yelled as he pulled the gun from his shorts pocket and cocked it at the back of Toppers head, my eyes widened in fear and shouted "Jayj, think about what you're doing!" Topper dropped JB almost immediately and JJ shot the gun twice into the sky

"GET THE HELL OFF OUR SIDE OF THE ISLAND!"

Once everyone had scampered off like rats, he ran to me and checked me over but stopped when he saw the blood on the rocks "Georgie.." John B ran over and squatted

"Why sis, don't put yourself in danger for me okay?" JB touched my cheek but turned back around when Sarah Cameron came back, Kiara turned back around and I touched her arm, her and Sarah had a history. "Hey Georgia? I'm sorry what Topper did, it wasn't right." She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled down at me, JJ growled "Your boyfriend tried to hurt her so no, it wasn't right and also, tell that kook boyfriend of yours that if he hurts my girlfriend- oh crap." Damn it, he'd just spilled our secret, to a kook and my very protective older brother. "Excuse me, girlfriend?" JB looked between us and looked down at our hidden conjoined hands."JJ MAYBANK AND GEORGIA BOOKER ROUTLEDGE!" he yelled and we knew that we were done for "You're dating? And you thought not to tell me?" His eyes softened as he sat next to me "I thought you wouldn't approve." He hugged me tightly and rubbed my back "Look, songbird. If you wanna date JJ, I don't have a problem anyway." He gave me that nickname when I sung for the first time and he called it beautiful. I looked back at jj and then back at JB "Really?" He nodded and smiled as JJ's arms wrapped around my neck. I turned back and kissed him softly, he scooped me up and carried me all the way back home, back to our castle, our Poguelandia.