CHAPTER FOURTEEN

PERFECT PLACES — LORDE
All of the things we're taking
'Cause we are young and we're ashamed
Send us to perfect places

WHEN STELLA MOVED to Figure Eight, one of the first things her friends teased her about was having an Island Club membership. The boys would constantly ask her ridiculous questions like if her membership came with a knit sweater vest or if people polished her golf clubs for her. As the years passed by, their comments decreased in number, only returning on one day every year—Midsummers.

Stella stood in front of her mirror, staring at herself with a frown. The bracelets on her wrists matched the chain around her neck and the champagne coloured dress she had picked out with Kie complimented her figure nicely, hugging her in all the right places. She looked like the perfect Kook princess all the adults thought her to be. And while she knew she looked good, she couldn't bring herself to feel good about any of it.

"I hate this," she stated, her eyes meeting her mother's through the mirror. "There are bigger things going on than this stupid party."

Emma let out a small sigh and let go of the strand of Stella's hair that she was curling. "I know you're worried about JJ," she acknowledged, "I am too, but he wouldn't want you to waste your night in doing so. He's a big boy, he can handle himself. Besides, you won't be alone. At least Kie and Pope will be there, right?"

"I just don't get why we have to go. We didn't go last year."

"That's because I couldn't get off work last year." Emma let go of the last curled piece of hair and let it drop down Stella's back. "Dr. Thorton has been talking a lot of smack in the OR lately and I'm not going to give her something else to talk about."

Stella's eyebrow raised. "So we're going to Midsummers because Topper's mom will talk bad about you if we don't?"

"That miserable woman will talk bad about me no matter what." Emma tucked a flower behind her daughter's ear and smiled. "I just want us to go because I know we'll look better than her and she'll hate it."

Stella let out a short laugh before turning around, and together, the two Marx women made their way to their car and headed to the Island Club.

Cars lined the driveway of the club and the building looked packed. The familiar feeling of anxiety that came with making a public appearance to a crowd full of judgemental eyes filled her veins and she could feel her chest begin to tighten. That, on top of worrying about JJ, made everything worse. She just hoped Kie was already there so she wouldn't have to awkwardly follow her mom around like a lost puppy.

They walked into the party and heads turned instantly.

There were two types of Kooks in the Outer Banks: old money and new money.

The former came from a long line of wealth accumulated by people who were no longer alive and placed into the hands of people who didn't know what to do with it.

Then, there were new money Kooks who didn't come from wealth and had to work hard for their status. They were subjected to more scrutiny than most, so the truth of their backgrounds were usually buried deep under their desperate attempts to fit in.

The Marx women were different in every sense of the word. They were a new money family that still held onto their Pogue roots, but somehow managed to earn the respect of the North side of the island.

Some people disliked them for it, others were impressed by them, but everyone respected them.

So the Marx women couldn't blame onlookers for staring so shamelessly. Their reputation preceded them and it was hard to ignore strong women in pretty dresses.

A waiter passed by with a tray of champagne glasses and Stella easily swiped two of them before he could notice. When she turned to her mother, she was already staring at her with a look of disbelief.

"Seriously, Stella?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow. "Go put it back."

Stella just shrugged with a sheepish smile. "I'm going to need alcohol to survive tonight. I don't make the rules."

Emma let out a sigh and waved her off. "Go find your friends," she ordered. Stella nodded and started to leave, but before she could get too far, her mother called out to her. "Leave the drinks!"

"Got it!" Stella nodded, placing the two flutes on a nearby table. She turned as if she was walking away from them, but then glanced back to see if her mother was still watching. When she saw that her mother had disappeared into the building, she picked the drinks up again and walked away for real.

She weaved through the heavy crowd with her eyes open for any sign of her friends. She was walking around aimlessly before remembering that Pope was working the party and that she'd probably have better luck searching for him at an oyster station or grill than Kie, who blended into the crowd.

Stella headed outside and at the edge of the party, she could see Kie and Pope doing their handshake. She made her way over to them with a small smile on her face. Her friends' faces lit up when they spotted her.

"Damn, look at you!" Kie said loudly, giving her the once over. She knew that if JJ was here, he'd be on his knees worshiping her.

"Look at you!" Stella responded in equal tone, gesturing to the similar slip dress and pink flowers Kie wore in her hair.

Pope shook his head at them as the corners of his mouth lifted. "Yeah, yeah, you both look like actual Kooks for once."

Stella just laughed and handed Kie a champagne glass. "Figured we'd need it if we want to survive the night." She turned to Pope with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, P. I would've gotten you one, but I know your dad would freak if he saw."

He sent her a grateful smile before remembering something, causing his face to fall. "Have you heard from JJ?"

Stella shook her head and nibbled on her lip. "Not a word. Have you?"

Pope and Kie shook their heads. "No."

"He'll be alright," Kie said unconvincingly. She took a sip of her drink. "He's got the survival instincts of a cockroach."

There was a beat of silence before Pope spoke again. "It's all my fault."

"No, it's not," Stella said with conviction. "If it's anyone's fault, it's Sloppy Toppy's and Riff Raff's."

Kie nodded in support. "You didn't do this, Pope. Topper almost killed you. Remember?"

There was cheering that arose in the large crowd before them. The three teens turned, just in time to see Cameron family enter the party with smiles on their faces.

"Here come Lord Capital and the Exploiters," Kie snorted.

Their eyes landed on Rose Cameron who was wearing a very questionable headpiece.

"She's gonna poke somebody's eye out with that," Pope commented.

Stella downed the rest of her champagne. "I hope it's me. That way I can go home early."

Kie and Pope nodded in agreement, their eyes scanning the area once more before freezing and sharing a look.

"Hey, Stel?" Pope called in caution. "Isn't that your dad?"

"What? Where?"

Stella joined his side and followed his line of sight. To her surprise, her father was standing next to Ward Cameron, chatting with him like they were old friends reuniting.

"What is he doing here?" Kie questioned, glancing at her friend. "And why is he talking to Ward Cameron?"

Stella shook her head and tore her gaze from the two men. "I don't know," she replied, a sinking feeling starting in her chest. Her eyes searched the crowd for her mom. "Legally, he can't be within five hundred feet of me or my mom."

"Legally?" Pope looked down at her. "You got a restraining order? When?"

Stella shrugged, realizing that she had failed to mention it to anyone other than JJ. "The other day when we went surfing. It's why I was late, I was at the courthouse." Her shoulders deflated when she failed to find her mom and she concluded that the older woman was probably inside the country club. "I need to go find my mom," she muttered, starting towards the building.

Her two friends shared a look of concern before Kie handed Pope her drink and followed after her. "Hold on," Kie called, not wanting to leave the girl alone in a time of need, "I'm coming with you!"

Stella stopped and waited for her to catch up. After a supportive nod from Pope, the pair linked arms and began their search for Emma Marx.

HOURS LATER, THE day had faded into night and Stella was sipping her fourth glass of champagne.

After finding her mother and explaining the presence of their unexpected guest, she was advised to stay as far away from her father as possible. If Figure Eight was a vortex, Midsummers was at the centre of it and there was no room to make a scene. Both of them knew that calling the police or asking security to remove Stella's father would only end in the ruining of their reputation. It was a tough situation for them to be in, but thankfully when the sun left the horizon, it seemed to have taken the man with him before he ever thought about approaching them.

She and Kie were currently leaning against one of the bannisters overlooking the dance floor. Kie was going on about Jaden Smith's water company and its impact in the recycling industry when something behind her caught Stella's eye.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked out onto the dance floor. "Is that JJ?" she questioned, eyes squinting.

Kie turned to follow her gaze. "Where?"

In the middle of the dance floor, JJ was dancing with Sarah Cameron. He was wearing a suit to look like staff, probably in an attempt to keep his presence under wraps, but was drawing a lot of attention to himself from how bad his dancing was.

Kie saw the worried expression on Stella's face and took her drink out of her hand, nudging her forward towards the boy. "Go."

Stella nodded and hiked up her dress to walk down the steps to the dance floor. But at the bottom of the stairs, she was stopped by none other than Rafe Cameron.

"Hey, Stella," he greeted, nodding his head at her. "You look nice."

She didn't bother suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. "What do you want, Rafe?"

"I want a lot of things," he replied. "Starting with a dance."

Her gaze shifted to the side of the dance floor where she could see his father watching their interaction with a careful eye.

In the two years since formally meeting the Cameron family, Ward had never shown interest in Rafe's pursuit of her. The older man knew his son would never be able to capture her attention, so he never bothered giving his.

Until now.

And Stella found it very odd that the day Ward decided to care about her nonexistent relationship with his son was the same day her father was seen speaking to him. There was no such thing as coincidence and she liked to believe that she knew better than to brush this off as one.

Turning back to Rafe, she met his stare. "Does it ever get tiring?" she questioned with the tilt of her head. "Trying so hard and having nothing to show for it?"

He furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, Stella patted his arm and gave him a smile void of any sincerity. "Tell your dad I say hi, yeah?"

With a small smirk, she walked past him and stepped onto the dance floor.

JJ's back was turned to her when she found him and when he felt a tap on his shoulder, he spun on his heel with his fists held up.

When he saw that it was Stella and not security or a group of Kooks looking for a fight, he visibly relaxed and placed a hand over his heart. "Stella-Anne!" he scolded. "Don't sneak up on me like that right now!"

His hand fell to his side as his eyes travelled down her body. It wasn't the first time he had seen the dress, but seeing it draped over her figure instead of a hanger on the back of her bedroom door brought a sense of life into the fabric that he knew wasn't there before. If anyone else wore the same dress, he immediately felt bad for them because no one would ever compare to the girl standing in front of him.

"Oh shit, Stel, you... You look great." His and bridged the distance between them and rested on Stella's hip. "Hot damn, you're the most beautiful girl on the island."

Stella shook her head and her hands reached for the sides of his face. "JJ..." she trailed off with a frown. Like she suspected, he was donning new cuts and bruises.

"Shhh," he shushed quietly, shaking his head as he leaned in to kiss her. When he pulled away, he gave her a reassuring look. The last thing he wanted her to worry about was his relationship with his father. "It's okay. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing." At his silence, Stella knew better than to push the subject, so she let out a small sigh of defeat. "What are you doing here?"

JJ looked around before looking down at her. "John B found a new lead on the gold. I'm undercover right now."

Her brow raised. "A new lead?"

The blond nodded then scanned the area again. His face dropped when he spotted a group of familiar Kooks making their way across the dance floor. "Shit," JJ swore, turning to cup Stella's cheeks. He gave her a quick kiss before letting her go and moving to leave. "I'll explain later, but I gotta go."

Stella looked over her shoulder and saw Rafe headed towards them with Kelce and two other boys she didn't know. "Yeah, yeah, go." She nodded, waving him off. "I'll hold them off. Go."

JJ placed a quick kiss on her cheek before backing away and leaving Stella to deal with Rafe and his henchmen.

Rafe stopped before her and glared, but his threatening expression was met with a fake smile.

"Hey, Rafe," Stella greeted, acting as if nothing was wrong, "What's up? You still want that dance?"

"Get out of my way, Stella."

He tried to step around her, but she mirrored his actions. "Once in a lifetime offer, Cameron."

"Move," he demanded once more.

"A 'please' would be nice."

"Move, please."

Stella raised her brows. "Wow, I didn't think you'd actually beg."

The older boy rolled his eyes and began stepping forward, forcing Stella towards the stairs to the deck. "Move and I won't tell everyone about that little stunt you pulled at the movies."

Stella stopped walking once her heels hit the first step and she scoffed at him. "You mean when I pulled a gun on you?" she asked, careful not to speak so loud to avoid eavesdropping adults. She held her ground, straightening her back before stepping closer to the boy. "Are you really trying to threaten me right now?"

With the shake of her head, she let out an amused huff. "Go ahead," she urged, a small smirk on her face. "Tell whoever you want, because who are people going to believe? The trouble child who dropped out of college after daddy had to bribe them for a spot or the perfect daughter of one of North Carolina's top surgeons who spends her free time volunteering?"

Rafe's jaw clenched. He knew she was right. It didn't matter what he said or who backed him up. No one would ever believe that Dr. Emma Marx's daughter touched a gun, let alone pointed one at him.

People regarded her as warm and golden as the sun, but what they often forgot was that the sun was a blazing ball of fire, burning anyone who dared to fly too close. She knew she had everyone fooled and she used that to her advantage.

Without a word, Rafe pushed her to the side and headed over to where JJ was stuck listening to an old man's drink order.

Stella watched as the blond was chased away and cursed under her breath.

"What was that about?" Kie asked, coming up beside her before she could follow after him and help.

"Just Rafe being Rafe." A waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes passed by and Stella reached for one. "JB has a new lead on the gold."

"What is it?"

Stella shrugged and passed Kie the rest of her drink. "I don't know. JJ didn't have time to tell me."

Kie nodded and finished the champagne. She looped her arm with Stella's and the pair walked over to one of the tables near by. "The adventure never ends, does it?"

"Oh, with the boys? Never—"

The sound of a door flying open stopped Stella from completing her sentence. The two girls turned to see what the cause of it was, only to find JJ struggling against the hold of a security guard.

"Look, man," JJ started, his voice sounding rushed. "I can walk myself. I got legs. Can you see that, brother? I really appreciate what you did back there. Let me just walk out by myself."

Stella and Kie shared equal looks of worry before following them to the stairs.

"Mr. Dunleavy, I see you got your drink. Good, that's really nice of you." JJ reached over the table and picked up the older man's drink. "I'm actually gonna down that."

Stella felt someone come up behind her and tensed up, only relaxing when she saw it was her mother.

"What is he doing?" Emma asked, watching as the blond continued to make a scene, picking up every drink he passed and drinking it.

"Ah! Whoo! I really appreciate the discretion, Daryl, you know?" The guard's grip tightened as he ushered JJ out. "It's okay, everybody! Do not panic. Leave it to the men and women in uniform! Let's hear it for them."

As JJ tried to clap, an idea came to mind. His eyes brightened almost instantly and a smile spread across his face.

He was done waiting for the perfect moment. He was going to take the moment and make it perfect, because what would be a better grand gesture than a public display of affection?

"Actually, can I get everyone's attention?" he asked, even though he knew he already had it. "Hi, hope you're all having a good night. Stella-Anne Marx, where are you?"

Stella's eyes widened at the sound of her full name as heads turned in her direction. "Oh, God."

"Ah, there you are, stargirl—" JJ yanked his wrist out of the guard's hand. "Let go of me."

"This should be good," Kie muttered, watching the scene unfold.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you've heard of Stella Marx, if not then you've certainly heard of her mom, Dr. Emma Marx. Hi, Mama Marx. You look fabulous."

Emma gave him a tight-lipped smile before leaning closer to her daughter. "Is he drunk?" she asked the younger girl.

Stella studied the boy for a moment. "I don't think so."

"Is he high?"

"You don't want me to answer that."

JJ clapped his hands together and pointed at Stella. "For those who have the displeasure of not knowing her, Stella Marx is the golden girl of Kildare. Top of her class, volunteers at the hospital, future curer of cancer—"

Kie stifled a laugh. "Oh, my god. It's happening."

Stella merely glanced at her. "Should I go stop him?"

"Yes, you should," Emma nodded, glancing at the crowd around them. "Before our club memberships get revoked."

JJ continued, "And if you do know Stella Marx, you're one of the lucky ones. Stella is a perfectionist, and a know it all, and too stubborn for her own good, and she also happens to be the love of my life—So, Stella!" He spun on his heel so he was facing her, only to find that she was already making her way towards him. "Will you do me the honour of letting me be your boyfriend?"

Stella reached him just as he finished his sentence and discreetly took a hold of his wrist. "JJ," she hushed, glancing at the people around them wearing judgemental stares. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing'? I'm being romantic! It's a grand gesture like those movies you like." He took her hands in his and gave her a smile. "So, can I? Can I be your boyfriend?"

Stella's gaze softened at his excited expression and despite her efforts to fight off the grin threatening to make an appearance, she gave him a nod and laughed. "Yes, J, you can be my boyfriend."

Their small moment of peace ended as soon as it came because the security guard clamped a hand on JJ's shoulder and pulled him away.

"Real touching, you two," the guard drawled, tightening his grip on JJ. "You're coming with me."

As security dragged the blond towards the exit and Stella opened her mouth to protest, Kie hurried down the stairs and stood beside her.

"You can't boot him!" Kie shouted, ignoring her parents who had been standing nearby trying to silence her.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" the guard replied.

Stella nodded, taking a step forward. "I invited him here!"

Emma appeared and took a hold of her wrist. "Stella," she warned. Making a scene was the one thing she wanted to avoid tonight and as much as she loved JJ, she knew that his proclamation and the involvement of Stella would negatively impact their reputation.

Stella ignore her mother as she continued, "I'm a member of this club, he's my date!"

JJ took the girls' outburst as a distraction and pushed the guard, sending him crashing into two party guests. "Sorry about that," he quipped before turning to the girls. "Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon's, ladies. Pope, you as well, alright? Rixon's Cove. Let's roll."

Stella turned to her mother with an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry," she said quickly, trying to get out of her mother's grasp. "I have to go. This is really important. Please, just trust me."

Emma pursed her lips and stared at her while she debated the pros and cons of letting her go. Finally, she sighed and loosened her grip on her daughter's wrist. "Stella-Anne, don't make me regret it."

"Workers of the world unite!" JJ shouted, clasping his hand around his wrist in the air. "Throw off your chains!"

Stella nodded, whispering a quick 'thank you' before pulling her wrist from her and taking Kie's hand. "Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. C!" she shouted over her shoulder as she pulled their daughter away.

The two girls pulled their dresses up and started to run for it. Their laughs only amplified as they locked eyes on their way to their boys.

"Come on, Stella baby!" JJ shouted. He was waiting for her with open arms.

When Stella was close enough, she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing as he spun her around. When her feet hit the ground, he took her face in his hands and pulled her in for a kiss. She could feel every emotion JJ was harbouring and smiled before pulling away.

"You're my girlfriend now," JJ mused with a toothy grin.

Ahead of them, Pope turned around. "About time."

His quip earned an eye roll from JJ before he turned to face the party. He gave them a salute and slung an arm around Stella's shoulders. "Later, losers!"

The group followed John B and JJ to the HMS Pogue in a flurry of laughter, recounting the shocked faces of everyone who forgot what it was like to be young and free.

RAE SPEAKS!