THE SMELL WAS the same: salty, sweet, warm and enveloping all in one. It all looked the same: untouched, but also a gigantic mess. The sounds were the same: music blaring in the distance, both so loud and so quiet at the same time. For a moment, it felt as though she'd never left. But there was something that felt different; her. Something inside her was different.

Mika Riley had an eye for a party. She could find one anywhere. They were easy to spot, and even easier to crash. The moment she got a waft of the cheap beers and heard a shrill scream of excitement, she knew exactly where her feet would land. The boneyard. The cross between two worlds. One of which she used to be part of. The life she'd left behind. The life she came here to retake. The life she'd lusted over for an entire year. She was finally here.

Home at last.

A smirk curled onto the corners of her lips as she manoeuvred around the drunken teens, spotting a couple she'd recognised from a long time ago. They'd looked up at her, their eyes had widened, but she didn't stop to greet them. She wasn't one for small talk, and these people weren't important to her. They weren't the people she was here to see.

At last, Mika had made her way to the keg, where an arrogant blonde she knew all too well poured her a cup of the warm, yellow liquid inside. "You're not trying to serve me piss, are you?" she questioned, raising her head so that her eyes met his.

A moment of confusion passed through his blue eyes. Then shock. And at last ... Mika's feet were no longer on the ground and instead floating in the air, as her favourite golden retriever threw her up into a hug.

"What the —" JJ Maybank dropped her down, shaking his head and running a hand over his sandy hair. "Mika?!"

The girl winked, grinning. "Hi, Blondie," she greeted. "Long time, no see."

JJ barked a laugh. "Yeah, no kidding," he agreed. "Oh my —" He shook his head. "Nah, let's get drunk."

Mika giggled in agreement. She and him were the same. There was no reason for a lousy catch-up and an exchange of 'I missed you's when they could simply move on like nothing ever happened.

"I can't believe you threw a whole party for me," she admired sarcastically, taking in the view. "Pope must've knew I was coming." She nodded, then gasped. "Look, you even invited the Kooks. How very generous of you, JJ."

The boy nodded. "What can I say? I'm the king of generosity."

Mika snorted. "More like the king of cheap booze."

"Yeah. Well, I don't see you getting served anywhere."

She shook her head and pointed at him. "See? That's where you're wrong," she told him, pulling her hands towards her cropped tank top. "The year gave me some time to grow these baddies. Alls I have to do is pull my neckline down a little and I get anything I want."

JJ nodded. "Yeah, I can see that working out well for you."

"It does."

They both laughed a little, sipping their drinks.

God, it was good to be back. At first, Mika was nearly nervous to arrive here. She wondered if anyone was angry with her. She'd definitely be furious if somebody pulled the move she did on her. So she was grateful JJ swore by the motto 'let's just move on and drink beer'. She really loved that motto. Even though she was pretty sure the blonde made it up. Nevertheless, she was happy to be home.

Within the next ten minutes, JJ re-enacted the story about him and the others nearly getting shot while down at the quarry earlier. Mika wasn't so sure she believed it, as he was known to over exaggerate often, but she was happy to listen. Supposedly, they'd all found some boat that led them to a motel, which had a shit ton of money and a gun. And it all belonged to Scooter Grubbs? The local junky?

"A gun, blondie? Really?" Mika cut in, shaking her head. "You know, I was playing along for self-entertainment reasons at first, but you're really crossing the line into fantasy world now."

JJ laughed. "No, I'm serious," he said, then crossed his eyebrows as she begun walking away. "Meek! Mika!"

"Lost another girl's attention? Shame on you," a new voice suddenly cut in, causing him to spin around.

John B was tutting with a grin, holding out his empty cup for his best friend to pour him.

As he did, JJ glanced between John B and where Mika had just been standing. Just a moment ago. She was there, wasn't she?

"I'm so blazed." JJ shook his head with a chuckle.

John B raised a brow. "You've already lit a blunt?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

✫彡

ACROSS THE SANDY beach, over the cobbled footpath, away from the noise, until the music was nothing but a blur in the distance and the people dancing were simply a scene in the movie; Mika Riley knew she would find a certain boy sitting right there. Tucked into his books, watching all his drunken peers go past on their ways out.

"Still not a party guy, then, huh?" she'd remarked, announcing herself, drink still in hand.

Shamelessly, she perched herself down beside the boy on the log. She grinned as she watched every emotion flicker through his eyes. Knowing he'd be speechless for a little while, Mika playfully rolled her eyes. "Earth to Pope," she joked, talking slowly.

Pope Heyward was possibly the sweetest guy she'd ever met. Adorable, socially awkward, a bit strange, but mostly adorable. He was Einstein smart and had the biggest heart in the world.

He shook his head. "Wha —" He didn't even know what to say. "Bu —"

Mika laughed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I missed you too, sweetheart," she said, then jumped up. "So, whatcha reading? Anything exciting?"

Pope furrowed his eyebrows, confused. It'd been a year. And she was back. Just like that. The same way she'd left.

Eventually, he shook his head again, setting the book down on his lap. "It's a case study..." He glanced between her and the book. "...on the psychology behind John Wayne Gacy's brain."

"Right." Mika nodded. The grin never left her lips. Oh, how she missed this. "Of course it is." She ruffled his hair a little. "Never change, Pope."

He laughed shortly, still beyond confused, but also insanely excited at the same time. She was actually back. Here. Now.

She rose from her seat. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have some more people to tick off my list," she explained, "and I'm pretty sure they won't be as nice as you and JJ."

"JJ?" Pope questioned, lifting his head up.

Grinning once more, Mika winked. And then she vanished.

Pope wondered if she was even there in the first place.

✫彡

MIKA RILEY HAD been dreading the next few moments ever since she decided to return to Outerbanks. She'd left a lot of people behind, with not much explanation. She didn't wait around to see how they'd react, nor did she let them express their feelings about her sudden departure. She just took off and never looked back. Until now.

Of course people were mad. They were bound to be. Pope and JJ were too, in the beginning — she saw the tiny flash of anger in their eyes — but they'd had the time to get over it. By now, they were simply happy to see her again. They weren't as badly affected as others were. They didn't feel the need to shout in her face. They probably didn't spare much time to think about her leaving; when they thought of her, they thought of the good times.

However, the moment she set her eyes on John B she knew that she'd hurt him a lot more than she'd wanted to. Fortunately for her, he was a little bit too preoccupied in a fight against the snobby Topper Thornton to pay much attention to her right now. But she knew his wrath would come soon, as she was planning on crashing with him again. Like old times. It wouldn't be long until she'd be shouted out. Maybe she should've brought presents with her. That would've been smart.

"Kick him in the dick, John B!" she cheered on the fight anyway.

Her voice seemed to startle something.

Someone.

Amongst all the chaos that surrounded them, the moment Mika Riley spoke, the attention Kiara was paying to the fight was immediately broken. Her mouth opened a little as she turned to her left, seeing her within the crowd of Pouges and Kooks.

Kie blinked.

There was no way.

Her heart stopped for a moment.

"I wouldn't take that if I were you, Johnny!" Mika roared again, unaware of the pair of eyes set directly on her. "I didn't raise you to be a pussy, bro! Boot them balls!"

Kiara gasped. It really was her. She hadn't changed one bit. She was the exact same. It felt as though a mirror of time was set out in front of her, and she didn't dare step through it. Although she had dreamed of this moment for so long, she froze. She didn't know what to do.

She was there. Mika was really there. After all this time.

"Mika," she breathed, the name sounding foreign, yet familiar in her mouth. Her throat went dry.

For a moment, nothing happened. Kiara nearly convinced herself she was seeing things. That her obsession with this girl had finally gone too far, that it was starting to eat around her rotted brain.

But then the girl's head turned towards her, and there they were. Mika and Kie, staring at each other once again, neither one knowing what to say. Time stood still between them, as the rest of the world moved fast.

"Kie," Mika whispered back, only loud enough so that she could hear it. She was about to take a step forward, to get close to her again, but she was rudely interrupted by —

Gunshots.

JJ, John B and Topper were all in the sea now, the tall blonde holding up a deadly weapon he needed to be more careful with.

"He wasn't bullshitting," Mika remarked, raising her eyebrows.

And then she noticed her former brother passed out under the water, and she ran towards the sounds, rather than away like everybody else. Everybody but her and Kie.

Moments flew by, but Mika didn't hear anything. Topper and his girlfriend, Sarah Cameron, were the last of the Kooks to clear off the beach after JJ issued a very illegal, very threatening warning.

Only the Pouges remained.

All five of them.

Just like old times.

"Mika?" John B questioned, knitting his eyebrows together.

The girl offered him a tight-lipped smile as all her old friends looked at her, stared at her. "You've got a little something..." she gestured to his bloody cheek.

John B rolled his eyes. "Yeah," he said bitterly. "Thanks."

Mika nodded.

Well, she'd expected that much.

Nobody's eyes left hers.

Her eyes only managed to find Kie's.

She was just as beautiful as she was the night she fled.

There was so much Mika wanted to say, but she didn't know how to start.

AUTHOR'S NOTE
chapter one !!
i hope you enjoyed it
love, tay </3