GABRIELLE CALLAWAY HAD NEVER BEEN SURE OF WHAT SHE WANTED. She just knew what her mother wanted for her, and she decided that that was good enough for now. Her mom had always wanted the best for their family, and ever since Bree's father left, she had tried her hardest to give her daughter everything she wanted.

In turn, the young girl made sure to give back to her mother. She worked at the Wreck, a restaurant owned by the Carreras, and whenever she got her paycheck, she used most of it to buy groceries or pay the bills.

As she walked into the kitchen, she grabbed an apple from the bowl and bit a chunk out of it, causing Allison to look up from her magazine. The younger Callaway turned to her mother at the kitchen table, informing her, "I'm gonna go get the mail. You need me to do anything else while I'm out there?"

"No, I don't think so," the woman answered, going back to the article she was reading. Just when her daughter was about to open the door, she stopped her. "Wait, actually, can you take the trash out?"

Rolling her eyes, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed the trash bag before heading back out. She made her way to the bottom of the driveway, and used her strength to swing the black bag into the green bin.

She was about the reach out and grab the mail when all of a sudden, a large van came speeding down the road. She stepped out of the way just as it whizzed past her before coming to an abrupt stop just a few yards away from her, and when it wasn't in motion any more, she quickly recognized the vehicle.

"Oh, my God, John B. Are you trying to kill us?" A male voice — following a loud thud — came from inside the van, and Bree realized it as the voice of JJ Maybank.

Forgetting about the mail, she rushed to where they stopped. Once she reached them, none other than Kiara Carrera, the daughter of her boss, poked her head out the open window.

"Hey, Kie," the Callaway girl called as she approached the side of the car. She looked to her in concern, peeking past her friend to make sure that the other boys were still alive.  "Are you guys okay?"

The Carrera nodded, waving her off. "Yeah. JJ's just being dramatic."

"I almost died," argued the blonde boy, trying to also stick his head out the window, but they couldn't both fit. So, Kie just put her hand over his face and shoved him back inside.

After staring after JJ with a weird look, Bree turned back to her friend with a change in subject. "So, are you guys ready for the storm?"

"Yeah, my dad's been prepping the restaurant all day," Kie informed her, then she made a face like she had just remembered something. "Oh, he was wondering if you could come down tomorrow to help clean up. He say's he'll pay you time and a half."

"Sure, but he doesn't have to pay me at all. I'm happy to come help. Tell him I'll be there," the Callaway girl told her with a shake of her head.

Kie smiled back at her. "Alright."

"Y'all stay safe," Bree ordered them with a playful but still serious expression. The car began to move forward at a slow pace, and she could hear John B yell from the driver's seat.

"No promises."

And that's Bree. She works with Kie at the Wreck. I'm not sure why though. Her family is like mad rich. She does though, and ever since Kie realized that their names rhymed and invited her to hang out with us one day, we all decided that she was the only Kook we could tolerate. She doesn't come out to the Cut too much unless it's for work because her mom hates us, and she has her own fancy, rich life to live when she's not with us. She's also dating probably the worst Kook there is, Rafe Cameron, but overall, she's not too bad.

Just as they were driving off, someone came walking across the street, and Bree smiled at the sight of her boyfriend approaching her. He lived just a couple houses away, so he walked over every once in a while to come see her.

"Hey, babe," Rafe greeted her, and when he made it safely to her driveway, he leaned in to give her a kiss. 

In response, she pecked his lips swiftly and sweetly before staring back at him. "What can I do for you on this fine afternoon?"

"What, a guy can't come see his girlfriend without a reason?" the Cameron boy asked, his lips curving up into a grin as his arms snaked around her waist. When she let out a small giggle, he continued, satisfied. "I was wondering if you wanted to do something tomorrow."

"I'm sorry. I have to work," she told him.

He raised his eyebrows at her with a frown, pulling back a little bit so that he could see her face more clearly. "But there's a hurricane tonight. You have to work the day after a hurricane?"

"Well, Kie asked me to come help clean up," she explained to him. She ignored the face he made at the mention of the Pogue. Since the Carreras were rich, he kind of felt offended for some reason that she hung out with JJ and John B. "And I said yes."

"Why do you even work there anyway?" Rafe questioned.

She sighed because she had answered that same exact question what felt like a million time, and she couldn't tell him the real reason. "Because I like it. You know, it wouldn't kill you to do some work every now and again."

"But what if it did?" he asked playfully. "Then, I would be dead, so I'd rather just not risk it."

"Okay. Whatever you say." She rolled her eyes, smiling up at him with a shake of her head.

Rafe checked his watch, his left hand leaving her waist. He dropped it back down as he informed her, "I gotta go. My dad has me prepping for the storm with him. You sure I can't see you tomorrow?" 

"Maybe when I get off work," she responded before pressing her lips to his again in a kiss and pulling away. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," he said, stepping away from her and crossing the street again to head back to his house. She stood there and watched him walk away for a moment, thinking about what it would be like to be with him forever. She knew that that was what was probably going to happen. Her entire life had already been planned out for her when she was born.

By the time he reached his driveway, she was gone.

《✵》

AGATHA WAS A COMPLETE AND UTTER BITCH. The hurricane had not only kept Bree awake all freaking night, but it knocked out their generator. Her mom told her that they might not be able to get their electricity back for a couple of days.

Now, she was at the Wreck, helping Mr. Carrera and the other workers clean up the place so that they could open up as soon as possible. She was outside, picking up trash, when the door to the building opened.

"You headed to hang out with the boys?" asked Bree when she saw Kie walk past them with a cooler.

The Carrera girl nodded in response, glancing at her friend with a smile as she passed. "Yep."

"Have fun," the brunette girl told her, reaching across a table to grab an empty trash bag.

"You know, you're always welcome to come along," Kie suggested, stopping in her tracks and turning toward the girl. "I'd love to have another girl around to balance out the stupidity."

Bree shook her head slightly, looking down. "I wouldn't want to get you in trouble for bringing a Kook."

"They'll get over it." Kie waved her off, but when she saw that her friend was still hesitant, she sighed, stepping over to her. "Come on. It'll be fun."

"You sure things won't be weird?" the Callaway girl questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Promise."

Bree looked over to where Mr. Carrera was standing to make sure that he was okay with her leaving him to deal with the mess. She felt bad for agreeing to come help and then ditching him. He gave her a nod that signalled that they would be fine without her. "Go ahead. You girls have fun. We've got it handled."

"Thank you." Bree grinned at him, dropping the trash bag and brushing the pieces of wood off her shirt. "I promise to come help when we get back."

"Don't worry about it. Enjoy your young life," he ordered with a kind smile. 

They made their way down to the dock to meet the boat that was pulling up to it. The blonde boy on board smiled at Kie as they got closer. "Top o' the mornin' to ya."

"Good morning," the Carrera girl greeted, and Bree trailed awkwardly behind her. 

"Whatcha got?" Pope asked, eyeing the cooler in his friend's hands. "Got some juice boxes?"

The raven-haired girl shrugged, looking down at her feet to make sure she didn't fall. "You know, just some yogurts and carrot sticks."

"How about my kind of juice box?" JJ questioned with raised eyebrows. All of a sudden, they all seemed to notice the presence of the other girl behind Kie. "Why hello, Miss Callaway. May I ask what you are doing here?"

"Don't be rude, JJ. I invited her. She is guest on this boat, and we must treat her like one," the Carrera girl ordered, glaring at the blonde boy. 

He raised his hands in surrender as the heat rose in Bree's cheeks. She definitely didn't want to be an imposition. "Okay, sorry."

Kie jumped onto the boat, and when the Callaway girl went to step on, JJ offered his hand out to assist her. She stared at it for a second before placing hers on top of it and using him as a support as she stepped onto the vehicle. She looked up at him once she was on. "Thanks."

"Welcome aboard," he said in response. She released his hand and went to go sit by Kie as the girl opened up some of the beers from the cooler. When she handed one to Bree, the brunette smiled in gratitude.

"Bet you can't do this," JJ exclaimed as they pulled out and into the marsh. "Let me show y'all a party trick."

Kie raised her eyebrows at him as he made his way to the front of the boat. "Terrifying."

"Hey, Pope. Can you go a little faster?" asked the blonde boy which made Bree a little nervous. Nothing that involved him standing on the front of the boat while it was speeding up would end well. 

"Here we go," John B groaned, and the brunette Kook giggled a little bit. "I'm moving."

Pope insisted, "Doesn't work. We've tried this, like, 6,000 times."

"I got this. It's gonna work." Bree looked to Kie in question, wondering what JJ was trying to do and why they were so reluctant to let him do it. 

The Carrera girl sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend's stupidity. "You'll see."

The Maybank boy then stood that the very top of the boat with his beer in hand. He tilted the bottle back and opened his mouth. 

"Oh, my God," Pope exclaimed as drops of the drink flew everywhere, hitting all of them. 

Bree threw her hands up to shield her face as Kie leaned out of the way and told JJ, "You're getting beer in my hair."

"All right, all right," the Heyward boy said as the rest of their mouths spilled out protests. "All right, stop!"

The boat came to a sudden stop, and the motor rattled. The teenagers cried out in shock as the blonde boy that was once on the boat flew through the air, doing flips before landing in the water in front of them. Bree fell back into the aisle, Kie landing next to her.

"Jesus, Pope," the black-haired girl yelled as they slowly got to their feet. 

They all let out groans, including the Maybank boy that had just resurfaced. "You all right, JJ?"

"I think my heels touched the back of my head," JJ informed them, and the Callaway girl used the seat of the boat to climb to her feet.

"Kie, Bree," John B called to the girls from the other end of the vehicle. "You guys okay?"

Kie nodded, even though he couldn't see her as she glanced at her friend to make sure she was all right. "Yeah, we're fine."

"Pope, what'd you do?" JJ shouted from the water, and Bree peeked over the side to see him floating on his back. 

"Sandbar," Pope answered with a moan as he looked around to see if any major damage had been done. "The channel changed."

The blonde boy glared at him as he swam back to the boat. "No shit."

"Ugh, this is probably gonna mess this whole place up," John B groaned, staring out into the marsh. 

JJ grinned proudly, staring at the still half-full bottle in his hand with a sense of accomplishment. "I saved the beer, though."

"Congrats, JJ," the Routledge boy told his best friend sarcastically because that was not the biggest thing going on at that moment. They almost just broke every bone in their body.

"Guys." Pope grabbed all of their attention by staring down at the water with an interested and confused look. Bree slowly joined him and followed his gaze. When she spotted what he was looking at, her eye widened. "I think there's a boat down there."

"Oh, my God," Bree muttered to herself as she stared down at what definitely looked like a sunken boat. It must've been from the hurricane.

John B shook his head, still recovering from their sudden stop. "Shut up. What?"

"No way," Kie murmured.

"No, no, guys. I'm serious," the Heyward boy insisted, and Bree turned around to nod at Kie and John B and confirm his words. "There's, like, a boat down there. For real. It's a boat!"

The Carerra girl and the brunette boy approached the side of the HMS Pogue to see what their friend was talking about. Kie exclaimed, "Holy shit, he's right. Let's go."

"You think there's a dead body down there?" Pope questioned as they all pulled off their clothes that were covering their bathing suits. 

As the Callaway girl pulled her jean shorts down to reveal white bikini bottoms that matched her white and pink floral top, she noticed the eyes of JJ, who was in the water waiting for them. He was staring at her with an unreadable expression, but when he noticed that he'd been caught, he quickly turned to John B who was already diving him beside him.

Ignoring the weird feeling she got when their eyes met, Bree jumped off the side of the boat and into the water right after Kie. JJ yelled to the boy still on the vehicle, "Get your ass in here, Pope!"

As Pope did a cannonball in right after them, the brunette Kook took a deep breath before plunging down into the murky water. She swam after JJ and John B toward the sunken ship.

Upon closer examination, she realized that the boat was a Grady-White — one of the nicer boats that someone in the Outer Banks could have. She tried to take a peek inside, but she had run out of hair. So, she pushed off the marsh floor and allowed herself to float to the top.

"You guys saw that, right?" JJ asked once everyone had resurfaced.

Nodding in slight shock as she treaded water to keep herself afloat, Bree replied, "Yeah, I did."

"That's a Grady-White," the blonde boy informed them as the other teenagers laughed in amazement. "A new one of those is, like, 500 Gs, easy."

"At least," Bree commented, not mentioning the fact that her father used to own that very same model before he left. She didn't want to make things weird.

"Yeah," John B told them as they were climbing back onto their boat. "That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge. Maybe it hit the jetty or something."

Kie looked at him in shock and slight worry. "You surfed the surge?"

"Yeah. That's my boy. Pogue style," JJ said, but Bree was a little confused. She saw the waves the night before, and they weren't surfable because they broke in weird places.

"Wait, wait," Pope called, moving the conversation away from John B's adventured and back to what they just saw. "Do we know whose boat that is?"

The Routledge boy shook his head as he made his way over to the front of the boat, opening up a compartment and pulling out the anchor. "No, but we're about to find out."

"Dude, it's too deep," the Maybank boy told his best friend, looking over the side of the boat and down to the sunken one, trying to judge the distance and remember how far down they swam.

John B groaned as he pulled the piece of metal up. "Oh, for the weak and feeble, JJ."

"Well, I'm not resuscitating you," JJ informed the brunette boy. "I'm just making that clear up front."

"That's fine," the Routledge boy muttered, standing up and holding the anchor against his chest, his back facing the water.

Both Kie and Bree were staring at him with worried expression, knowing that this wasn't a good idea. The Carerra girl warned, "John B."

"What?" he scoffed.

While saluting his friend playfully, Pope smiled up at the boy. Bree was surprised that he didn't see the dangers of this as well. "Diver down, fool."

"Diver down," John B repeated, his gaze flitting from Pope to JJ.

He grunted as the blonde boy paced both hands on his chest and pushed him into the water. "Yeah, he is."

The rest of the teens waited impatiently above, watching the surface of the water from the boat. The water was too murky for them to see any more than 10 feet below them, and they were beginning to get worried after about 45 seconds.

"Should we go get him?" Pope asked. Just as he said that, John B resurfaced, coughing up water and taking in the air.

"Oh, my God," Kie breathed as the rest of them sighed in relief that their friend didn't drown. "That took forever."

The Heyward boy gazed at John B curiously as he questioned, "Any dead bodies?"

"What is with you and the dead bodies?" Bree quizzed, turning to Pope with raised eyebrows. He almost sounded hopeful when he asked. JJ let out a small snort, so quiet that she almost missed it.

He simply shrugged as JJ called to the Routledge boy in the water. "Looting potential?"

"No. No," he answered before holding up his hand, and the teenagers gazed at it, trying to figure out what it was. "I found this motel key."

"A key?" Pope questioned defeatedly, standing up as JJ hauled the anchor back onto the boat. He's probably sad that there were no dead people.

John B nodded, "Yes, a key, Pope."

"You know," the Callaway girl spoke up, making the motion of a key turning in a lock. "The thing you use to unlock stuff."

"Great. We salvaged a motel key," JJ commented sarcastically, flashing a small smile at Bree while Pope glared playfully at her.

As they were heading back to the Marina, Kie suggested that they do the right thing. "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," the blonde boy added before turning to the brunette that was seated in front of him. "Well, it wouldn't really make a difference for you."

"JJ," the Carrera girl scolded, but the Kook, not looking at the Maybank boy and staring off into the distance, simply held up her middle finger and flipped him off. Instead of being offended, JJ just let out a small chuckle.

Little did he know that if she didn't work her ass off, she would be in the same position as him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

welcome, everyone to the very first chapter of cruel summer. i didn't realize this before, but in this show, they talk so much. like, everyone's talking at once if you know what i mean. also, she's really quiet in this chapter because she's not, like, best friends with them, but don't worry. she'll warm up to it. anyway, love y'all, and i'll see you next time.