𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 21.

━ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗸

𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐊𝐈𝐀𝐑𝐀 to drop me off at the end of Kingsley street.

Since my grandparents were told I was hanging out with Sarah Cameron, I would be thrown questions if they saw a dirty brown van pulling up outside their home— something in which a rich person certainly did not drive. I didn't know if they were awake, if they were waiting for me in the living room like the last time I had come home late, or if they were already sleeping. I did not know what time it was.

The car ride was mostly quiet, the radio simply playing in the background softly as we turned and drove down empty streets, no other cars or vehicles around us. At one point, I had closed my eyes, almost fell asleep, and thought about John B. I had never kissed a boy before.

Back in New York, there was only one boy my age who lived in my building. His apartment was one floor below mine, and the first time I had ever seen him, was when Anne was taking me to get groceries when I was nine. We never hung out, and I only saw him when Anne happened to take me somewhere (which was occasional), because my parents wouldn't let me talk to him. They were always afraid that I'd spill information I wasn't supposed to. I never knew his name, but still he was still the closest thing I had ever had to making friends. He moved away when I was twelve.

Because my life had morally consisted of staying inside, by myself, no social interaction with kids my age, I had resulted to the next best thing, which was watching movies and shows about love and romance. But when John B almost kissed me, everything I had ever thought about, had vanished. For years, I dreamed about my first kiss, when I would fall in love, like how it happens to the people in the movies, how I would feel, and when it almost happened that night, every scenario I had ever made in my mind up until then— had disappeared. I couldn't decide how to feel about my possible first kiss being with John B.

It felt like everything had somehow shifted. Everything. I didn't want to look at him different, I was going to try not to, but when I closed my eyes and thought about him, while sitting in his van and wearing his sweater, my stomach began to swarm with butterflies again. It made me smile, but still, I didn't know what to do about it. It was only my first week on the island, the first week of summer, and the first week of the next year I'd be spending in Kildare County.

Caroline and Daryl were asleep when I had slipped into my bedroom and shut the door. I had kept John B's sweater on, as I climbed into bed. It smelled of the ocean and vanilla.

"Okay, bug," I heard Caroline shout from the living room, as usual, "We're on our way!"

Now, I was sitting on my bed with a book in my hands, in the middle of the day, the time that they normally left— to go to the motel. I stepped onto the floor, and walked into the kitchen to say goodbye like every other day.

When I had woken up, earlier than anticipated, Caroline had made pancakes again. She asked about my time with Sarah, and I lied about the whole thing, talking over breakfast about all the things we "did".

"What time are you guys home at?" I asked with a comfortable voice, while leaning my arms along the top rim of the dining chair. Daryl was already outside, placing the cardboard boxes they'd brought in the day before, into the cargo bed of the beige truck.

"The usual," she huffed, while sliding on her last shoe. "I promise this is our last day cleaning up at the motel," her face softened into a sad look as she approached me, "Then we'll be home a bit more during the week."

"Okay," I softly smiled back at her.

Her arms wrapped around my shoulders in a delicate motion, only lightly squeezing me, as Daryl walked into the house. While Caroline and I were eating breakfast, he had been working outside in the back, apparently organizing some of his boat parts that he'd put away before the hurricane.

"Hey, uh— guys," I uncomfortably shoved my hands into my back pockets, speaking awkwardly, but figuring it was a good time to bring it up since they were both in front of me. And they were about to leave, which would give them time to mull things over. They looked at me, waiting for me to go on. "I met some people at the docks— last night," I continued slowly, "I thought, maybe, you'd want to meet them tomorrow, if that's okay."

Caroline's face lit up with a certain excitement, glancing back to Daryl who only widened his eyes a little bit with surprise, before a bright smile took over all of her features. "Yes— yes of course!" She beamed happily, while grabbing my shoulders. "That's wonderful, sweetheart."

"They nice people?" Daryl huffed, smiling.

"Yeah," I nodded, slightly biting the inside of my cheek at the thought of the Pogues.

"That's awesome," Caroline rubbed the sides of my arms, a genuinely happy look on her face. "I can't wait to meet them."

"Well they're, um," I swallowed, thinking I should mention, "They're from the Cut— or Pogues as they say it." I squinted my eyes, afraid for some reason that they wouldn't accept it. But Caroline and Daryl weren't rich either, so I didn't know why I was treading so lightly.

"That's alright, bug," Caroline whisked her fingers through the air, "That stuff's just nonsense anyways."

"They comin' over tomorrow?" Daryl stepped up beside his wife, his hands placing onto his hips.

"Maybe— I don't know yet." I said honestly. I didn't know what was going to happen next, or how things would run, now that I was apart of John B's group.

"I'm glad you're making friends," Caroline folded her hands together over her stomach, glancing up at her husband.

"Okay— well you guys better get going," I said, realizing that I was wasting their time.

"Yes," Daryl pointed a finger at me, "We're just about to leave." He said it like I didn't know.

"She knows that," Caroline rolled her eyes as he stepped away from behind her.

"I apologize, Carol," he rolled his own eyes, speaking to her with a childish attitude.

"Go get the truck started," she ordered, turning her head back to look at him.

"Go get the truck started," Daryl mocked her, exaggerating a facial expression to add emphasis. He put his cap back on, glared at her foolishly, and headed for the door again. "Hey, there's some money for you on the counter, bug. Maybe you wanna go get something for lunch on your bike." He was stopped in the doorframe, smiling back at me.

"Yeah, sure," I smiled in return, nodding slightly.

"And tomorrow I'll take you for a boat ride, if you want," he said, glancing to their small boat floating in the water next to the dock. "We'll be home."

"Okay," I grinned brightly, growing excited at the idea.

"The truck," Caroline groaned.

"I'm going!" He shouted with annoyance to his wife, widening his eyes. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." He let the screen door shut behind him and he marched over to the truck.

She turned to me, after we watched him walk away, a wide smile on her face, "I just like seeing him angry," she let out a laugh, her eyes crinkling. "He looks funny." She sighed out, still laughing, shaking her head from side to side.

I laughed too.

"Ah, I've been doing it all week," she waved her hand in the air, smiling widely. "No reason for it." She stepped away and grabbed her bag from the table.

I put my hand over my mouth, chuckling. The truck's engine started, roaring through the trees.

"Hey, where'd you get that sweatshirt," her eyes softly narrowed, suddenly looking down at the sweater on my body. "Were you wearing it when you left last night?"

My stomach tightened. "No, Sarah found it in her car. I got cold on the docks so she gave it to me," I quickly came up with the idea, making it sound believable.

"Oh good. I thought I was loosing my mind," she rubbed a hand over her forehead, laughing lightly, "What time did you get home at?"

"Caroline!" Daryl shouted from inside the truck.

"Shut up, Daryl!" She yelled back, looking at him through the screen door, "I'm coming!" She said angrily.

"I don't know." I answered. "Do you know any good places to eat on the Cut?" I asked, calming down my laughing.

"There's this place down by Dean street, called The Wreck," she thought for a moment, her lips slightly pursing. "Daryl and I go there all the time, real good food. Just keep driving into town and you'll find it." She smiled, firmly.

"Alright, thanks." I nodded. "See you later, grandma."

"See ya," she grinned, while slinging the bag over her shoulder and pushing open the screen door. It clattered against the doorframe as she stepped down the porch.

After waving to them through the window, and watching the truck skid down the street with a cloud of smoke evaporating behind it, I smiled to myself and skipped over to my bedroom. It felt liberating that I finally told my grandparents that I made new friends, even though I lied gravely about how I met them, and I failed to mention it was the Routledge kid, whom Caroline and I had talked about. I knew they had an idea of who Pope was, because of his father, but they never mentioned Kiara or Jj.

Once in the bedroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was glad that no one had noticed the bruise— which was still there in a dark purple colour on my hip. It didn't hurt to touch anymore, but it was still clearly visible.

As I looked at each item in the closet, each shirt, each pair of jeans, each pair of shorts, and each pair of shoes— they were all perfect for summer in New York. I thought about Kiara, who had been wearing a pair of white-washed jeans and a flow-y white tank-top that had a sun printed on it, and I tried to fumble in my piles of clothes to find something like it. But all I had were loads of tube and thin-strapped tops, silk shorts with ties at the stomach, a few pairs of denim shorts, and the one dress Caroline had given me. My wardrobe looked like a collection of things Sarah Cameron would froth over.

That's when I realized how similar we really were. Everything I had in my closet could be worn by Sarah, and I was sure that every little thing she owned could be worn by me too, and no one would even know we swapped closets. It then began to make sense in my mind, how everyone had assumed I was a Kook on my first few days on the island. I looked at my clothes, thought about Sarah, and then thought about the new friend group I had joined, the Pogues. None of my articles were Pogue worthy, but I tried to find the next best thing.

Then, soon after, I was walking out of the house wearing a simple pair of denim shorts, and a deep red, ribbed, thin-strapped top. I didn't look like a Pogue, and after imagining all of the outfits I'd ever seen Kiara worn, we didn't look similar. You could tell from a mile away that I wasn't a Pogue. I was wearing my stained white shoes, and white socks despite the heat, and my hair was pulled back into a loose pony-tail, which hung over my shoulder.

When I hopped on the bike with the few bills clutched in my palm, I debated whether or not I should go. For all I knew, John B had the tendency to show up at my location unexpected, and drag me along with him on the next mission, so I figured he might do just that and show up while I was out. And I thought it would be rude to not be present for our first part of the new project, even though he had never mentioned we'd be starting that day, so I thought for a moment. But, when my stomach rumbled loudly, I barely thought twice again, and pressed down on the pedals.

I slowed down the bike as I fully neared The Wreck, it wasn't hard to find. It was sort of an old shack, painted a faded blue colour, with a big sign on the front saying it's name in large letters, a few small tables out on the front porch. A small smile lay rested on my lips as I walked the bike up to the side of the restaurant, hoping I'd eat inside quick and that it was okay to leave the bicycle leaning on the exterior wall. I gently placed it against the paint chips, and grabbed the money from inside the basket, clutching it in my hand.

When I entered the small restaurant, the bell overheard notified everyone inside that I had arrived, which left me standing there awkwardly with an uncomfortable smile on my lips. There were not many people inside, an older couple sitting at the far end near the main window, a group of three adults who sat at a round table in the middle of the room, platters of food in front of them, and one person sitting at the counter around the kitchen.

I'd never been to a restaurant on my own before, but I took a leap and headed for the counter area, despite the hard glances from the one group of adults. I stopped, at a good distance away from the man at the counter who was downing the largest hamburger I'd ever seen in all my life.

A tall man with dark hair, caramel skin, and a slightly grey beard noticed my presence after a few moments, and marched over to me. He placed a dirty rag onto one of the other counter tops as he approached, my eyes quickly reading the logos on his beige shirt.

"Hey, what can I get for ya," He smiled kindly, seeming a bit stressed, but nonetheless coming off nice.

"Can I get a cheeseburger, please, " I asked as nicely as possible, my voice somewhat loud over the quiet music playing and the low voices talking behind me. At the counter, it smelled delicious, a fresh scent of good food.

"Yep, coming up," He tapped the counter with both hands.

He told me I could sit wherever since there wasn't really much business going on, and that my food would be ready in no time. So, I smiled at the kind man, and turned around, choosing to ignore the adults who were still clocking me, and walked right over to an empty table near the window.

I was staring outside, looking at all the people passing, when a plate slid onto my table after a few short minutes. Slightly startled, I looked down at it, shoving a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Charlie?" The waitress said in a very recognizable voice, which caught my attention and caused me to look up. It was Kiara, and she had a small apron wrapped around her waist, holding a tray with drinks on it. "No way," she laughed.

"Hey," I laughed too, placing a hand on the table. "You work here?" I asked, eyebrows narrowing.

"My dad owns this place," she chuckled lightly, while placing the tray on the table and sliding her body into the chair across from me.

"That man?" I turned my head and looked to the guy who had taken my order, his back crouched as he wiped down the counter.

"Yep," she followed my gaze and nodded, "That's my dad."

"I see it now." I nodded, and grabbed the cheeseburger with my two hands, taking a big bite.

"Yeah, business has been kinda slow lately," She slouched back in the seat.

"Is it because of the hurricane," I asked, less as a question. I took another bite.

"I guess so," she shrugged lightly. "Hey, the boys were supposed to come and pick me up soon. You coming?"

I swallowed. "Where are you guys going?" I asked, my eyebrows softly narrowing.

"Country club." She replied, rolling her eyes, "They have computers there. Gonna look up coordinates of the boat stuff," she said it covertly, and didn't mention it's name, since the restaurant was pin-dropping quiet. "They have their generators."

"Oh, I see." I nodded, understanding. I took another large bite.

"I'm assuming John B is expecting you to come with," she laughed, "and well— you're sort of apart of our group now."

I laughed, smiling at her.

Before I could reply, everyone in the restaurant heard the front bell ding loudly, which caused everyone to look back. My breath hitched when John B, Jj, and Pope paraded into the place casually, looking around as if they'd done that exact thing a thousand times.

"Speak of the devil," Kiara mumbled, moving to sit up straight. "Over here, boys," she called.

The three of them followed her voice, all pairs of eyes soon landing on me and her sitting at the table, as I placed my food down. The group of adults had left, and no one else was really paying attention. They walked up to us, seeming surprised that I was there.

"Hey Charlie," John B swiftly stepped over to me, lightly trailing a finger through a strand of my hair as he passed.

"We were actually just about to go and pick you up," Jj told me, as he leaned against the table closest to us.

"Hm," I nodded, a smile growing on my lips. "Were you."

"Yeah— so, you're coming with us," John B said, standing beside Jj. "And we're leaving. Right now." He grinned, excitedly.

"But I'm not done eating," I glanced down at my food, before glaring up at him.

"Kie'll get you a box, you can finish that on the way," his grin grew larger as he stared only at me.

"What, you've got this whole thing planned already?" I looked at them dumbly. "I'm not getting my bike then."

Pope hit Jj's shoulder, signifying it was his duty.

"Hurry up, Charlie," John B was still smiling, so brightly.

"Wait." I wiped my mouth with the napkin.

The bell jingled as Jj exited, and through the window I saw him grabbing my bike.

John B snapped his fingers, then bent down, curtsying childishly, "The country club awaits, m'lady."

༄

𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 !!