The Outer Banks, even though it is Paradise on Earth, has a lot of layers. None of them are very complex, but each of them is important if you want to understand the small islands off the coast of North Carolina. Since the beautiful beaches were usually vacation destinations, everyone that lived on the island knows each other. However, that meant that the small populated isles were roughly split up between the rich and poor. No one dared mixed the two because the outcome would result in a color of abyss black that couldn't be painted over. Rivalries were common between the adolescent teenager who either call themselves Kooks or Pogues, every one of the teenagers was proud of the tribe that they were a part of. Steph was proud to be a Pogue, even though that meant her life was filled with sleepless nights and stress about the loss of a copper coin.

The Kooks --or the stuck-up, golf-obsessed bitches as Steph liked to call them-- were the rich folks that lived on the south side of the island. The Figure Eight, as it is also called, was lined with three-story houses, perfectly cut green grass, and tall fences that protected their mansion from attack. Kooks were granted with the lifestyle of luxury, and even though cash was spent year-round, they still had enough to swim in. Even though Steph hated pretty much everything the rich bitches do, she couldn't deny that some of the houses, like Tannyhill Mansion, was a beautiful piece of art. From the structure to the glistening material that they used, it always caught Steph's artist's eye. But besides that, Steph hated everything about the unfortunate luxury that the Kooks have.

The Pogues-- or the coolest people you'll ever meet as Steph believed, were the poorer people that lived on the struggling half of the isle. People in the Cut had to do a lot more to survive, which meant working two or three jobs just to pay rent by the end of the month. Most of the houses lining this side of the island was close to falling apart and it didn't help that many storms hit the small chunks of land bringing the summer. But even though stress should be hanging over everyone's head, the Pogues were laid back, just enjoying every good day that comes to pass. Everyone lived in the moment, and that was probably Steph's second favorite thing about being a Pogue. The first was that they were ignored, which meant that Steph, alongside her best friend, could cause a lot of trouble. Without her best friends, Steph would have probably be depressed as fuck.

John B, or John Booker Routledge, was Steph's first friend, and ever since their parents introduced each other as small children, the two had hit it off. John B, even though no one will admit it, was the ringleader of our group. He isn't the responsible lead character that you read about in fairytales, but he cared deeply for each one of us and he was the sticky glue that kept us stuck together. The brunette boy spent most of his time working, surfing, or hanging out at the Chateau, which was the Pogue hangout and also his house. John B was definitely a lady's man, and no matter how many times Steph has told him this, he doesn't believe her. He has the hot surfer body, brown curlies, and a jawline that some would kill for, but he also had a good personality. Up until about a year ago, John B was just another crazy teenager trying to make every day better than the last. But after his dad got lost at sea and he was claimed dead, there were moments where John B got lost in his own mind. They all tried to ignore it, but even Steph-- who was god awful at reading a room-- could see the flaring emotions lingering under his tanned skin.

Kiara, or Kie as they called her was the definite mom of the group. Sure, the girl could be reckless and carefree, but if she didn't agree with one of the groups' plans, it would take a couple of minutes to convince her to come. Steph was thankful for Kie because, without her, there would never be a moment to breathe. Even though Steph would never ask Kie this, she didn't really understand why Kie hangs out with them. Kie was technically a rich girl, and she would be just another Kook if she hadn't stepped into their world. Her father owned a restaurant called the Wreck, which was a hub for tourists. Her parents hate us, and Steph knew that for a fact. They didn't like their daughter running around with lowlives, it was hard for Steph to believe that Kie was raised by parents that think that way. Other than hanging out with them, she listens to music and tries her best to save the goddamn turtles.

The third member of our five-person group is Pope, and he is by far the smartest, which makes him the brains of the operation. Honestly, he's a weirdo, and Steph had a lot of fun pointing that out to him. His favorite sentences to say are don't touch that, that's a bad idea, and no, the correct answer is. Pope is a finalist for a super big scholarship, and even though summer had just started, he's hasn't stopped talking about it. Pope had a crush on Kie, and the only reason Steph knew this is because he was terrible at getting drunk. Besides being a bit awkward, Pope was a really good listener, and Steph trusted him with things that she would never think of telling the others, fearful of judgment. But the nice thing about Pope is that he only judges you on logical things, not emotional. His dad, Mr. Heyward, was a bit of a legend. Anything you want, he can get you, and most of the time, Pope helped his old man with delivers. Even though Pope had a bright future, at this moment in time, he's a Pogue.

JJ Maybank was Steph's best friend since they were in the third grade, and their matching personality always kept them attracted to the hip. JJ was always reckless, and coming up with stupid things to do, because he believed that he had nothing to lose because he was going to be in jail before he graduates high school, if he's even able to do that. The Maybanks have made their living from the ocean that surrounds the island, with some smuggling here and there. JJ was the best surfer Steph knew, and if she ever told him that, she would never let her hear the end of it. When he's not surfing or doing something stupid, he is spending his time getting high on substances. Drugs of some kind always lingered in his pockets, and he's always prepared for a party. He's a huge flirt, and he enjoys it when the new batch of pretty blonde tourists come to the parties on the beach. But there is more to JJ than the smuggling family and the hookups, to Steph, he was sweet, kind, loving, protective, and a gentleman when he wants to be. Ever since they were kids, John B has been trying to convince Steph that JJ has had this big crush on her, but she never believed him. Up until recently, John B's statements didn't mean anything to her, but now, she kinda wished that he wasn't joking around.

Then lastly, there's Steph, or Stephanie Ashford if you want to be professional. Steph was born and raised in the cut by her father, Raymond, who has been the only adult figure in her life since her mother ran off before she could walk. Her father owned a restaurant, just like Kie's family, but he was very unsuccessful which led to a lot of nights where the air was clouded with stress. Just like JJ, Steph was crazy and didn't give a fuck about anything. She wasn't one for rules, so she spent most of her time trying to find some sort of trouble to get into. Most of the time, it was harassment of the Kooks, like messing up their fancy dinner parties or stray painting a nice new boat. These pranks gave the girl a reputation as the bad girl, and honestly, Steph liked being known that way, even though most of the reckless things she did happened when she was high on substance. Steph wasn't the only Ashford family member that had a reputation, basically, everyone in her family was a Pogue, and her father even believed that their family was the first Pogues ever. When Steph isn't acting insane, she has a slightly calmer side. The Ashford girl had a talent for photography, and wherever she goes, Steph has a camera hanging around her neck, trying to find any moment in time that speaks to her.

And that was them, the six Pogues that were all different from each other, but still able to call themselves friends. Steph never wanted to think about life without her best friends, because it was too painful. Even though the Ashford girl loved her family, the Pogues had become a true family to her. A family of fun, laughter, and stress-free days. They never judged her for the consent need to break rules and how many beers she had over the last couple of hours. She needed each and every one of them to keep going because the loss of one, would break the perfect circle of harmony that danced through them. Their lives were perfect together, and now that summer had returned, the enjoyment of the Outer Banks could finally return.

Currently, Steph was hanging out inside of her father's restaurant, humming along to the song that was blaring from the speaker. There was only one customer in the small building, and it was their first customer of the day, even though it was almost noon. The brunette girl was sitting on the countertop, swinging her legs to the beat of the song, waiting desperately for her shift to be over. A black apron was wrapped around her waist, Ashford's Diner was written on the side in big bold lettering.

Steph absolutory hated working at her father's diner, but she would never tell him that, she was too much of a chicken too. This was Steph's second job, her other was cleaning yachts but that was only on the weekends. That job made her good cash, but working at Ashford's Diner, made her nothing since every penny made goes into the rent of the restaurant and our house. Steph never understood why her father continued to run this place, if they sold it, they would a decent amount of money for it. On the outside, the building looks run down but the inside was actually really nice. The place was made of dark wood, and there were windows everywhere. The kitchen was small but still good. But running this place was dad's passion, and Steph would hate if someone forbid her from taking pictures. At that moment, the large camera around her neck grew heavy, and she tried to ignore the surge of guilt that read through her.

"You know Dad would kill you right now if he saw you sitting on the counter," A voice said, and Steph turned to see her brother, Julian, standing in the doorway. Steph smiled at the sight of her brother because if he was here, that meant her shift would soon be over. Besides wanting to leave the empty restaurant, she was also meeting John B at the docks then they were gonna head back to the Chateau. The afternoon would be spent on the boat, enjoying the water and hoping that Hurricane Agatha doesn't come heading in our direction.

"Well, Dad's not here so I guess you're stuck with me," Steph deadpanned, and the expression dancing across her face made Julian's lip turn upward.

The two Ashford siblings were a year apart in age, which meant that their father had a lot of work on his hands when he became a single parent. The two had the same heart-shaped face and lean figures, but besides that, the two didn't share many of the same features. Steph has long brown hair that twists at the end, and her eyes were a dark shade of brown. But there were light sparks of hazel that glistened brightly in the summer light. The Ashford girl looked very much like her father, who had the same brown hair and brown eyes. Julian, who goes by Jules, looked very much like the mother that he didn't remember. His hair was short and blonde and they matched with his light blue eyes. All the girls swooned over him, but Jules was never interested. He was mostly focused on leaving the beautiful beach by the time he turned eighteen.

"Wow, the place is super busy today," Jules commented as he walked over to his younger sister. His finger sliding over the countertop as he walked, dust collecting on his fingers.

Steph snorted, "I know. Our first customer came at eleven, I think that's a new record."

"That calls for a party," Jules commented.

"Yup," Steph said, popping the p of the word. The brunette glanced up at the clock that was hanging overhead, and her grin quickly widened when she read the time. At that moment she jumped from the counter and instantly started unwrapping the apron from her waist. Jules grimaced at the sight, and Steph knew that her older brother didn't like working here as much as she did. But he had it worse than her because he was focused to work the night shifts, which meant missing the parties and the star-filled skies. "So, my shift is over, so see you later Jules."

Steph handed her brother the black apron, and he instantly released a groan, which made Steph laugh lightly. Jules gave her a nice wave goodbye before he wrapped the apron around his lean figure. The brunette didn't give her older brother a second and was quickly out of the door. She instantly took a deep breath, drinking in the warm, summer air. Once she took her moment to praise the nice weather and the beautiful afternoon, Steph marched forward, heading in the direction of the docks.

Since Steph had grown up on the isles of the Outer Banks, she knew her way around. The brunette knew several different ways to get to the docks, even though they were not very far from Ashford's Diner. Today, she decided to take the quicker route, wanting to escape to the Chateau as soon as possible. Whenever was worked at her father's business, it seemed like there were strings knotted around her joints. She would dance around like she was a puppet, unable to do anything for herself. But these strings of stress instantly disappeared once she was out of the front door. Now, energy was coursing through her veins, and a small smile was painted across her rosy cheeks.

As she walked with a skip in her feet, she waved to people she knew and took pictures when her eye caught something. Today, Steph had taken pictures of the sky, which was bright with color but was about to be overtaken by the dark clouds that we heading in this direction. A hurricane was heading in our direction, but currently, it looked like we weren't getting the messy part. Steph liked it when it rained because of the patterns the droplets make on the window and the sounds of exploded off of the cars. The brunette had many pictures of rain, and she was hoping that more would be taken tonight.

Suddenly, she caught sight of John B, and the Ashford girl instantly wanted to bolt at him, and throw herself into his arms. But then, she caught sight of the boy's shocked expression and the relief in his shoulder. He was holding his cellphone to his ear, and he was talking to someone on the other line. Worry filled Steph, and she immediately thought of the worse. She didn't think John could handle any more terrible news. Foster care was already coming after him since he's not living with an adult, and his father had been dead for a year, even though John still believes he's out there somewhere.

"Hey, what happened?" Steph asked John B as she walked up to him. His cellphone had dropped from his ear, and at the sound of Steph's voice, he instantly looked up. A wide grin was dancing across his tanned skin, and Steph tilted her head in confusion, the change of the emotion threatening to cause her whiplash.

"Hurricane Agatha turned, she's heading straight for us," John B exclaimed.

"What a bitch," Steph muttered.

authors note

well, this chapter is pretty boring but still

now you know more about steph, and you met her brother

i hope you are enjoying this so far... have a good day

- swift wolf