Kook Year {Kiara x Sarah (Outerbanks AU)}

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟛

"Yo, how are we gonna get through this corn maze Sarah?"

Sarah put one hand on her head and shielded her eyes from the setting sun with the other.  The sky was lit up with brilliant shades of purple and orange and dotted with hundreds of small fluffy pink clouds.  They had been stuck in this corn maze for nearly an hour and a half and her phone was already dead. Kiara's phone was also about to die- she had already texted her parents that she might be late due to their lack of navigation skills. "911?" Kiara held up her dead iPhone in one hand. "Nevermind. Maybe we should just scream really loud."

Kiara shrugged, "worth a shot." She cupped her hands around her mouth and let out a yell, "help!" The two paused for a second, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. "Now what?"

Sarah looked up, "we still have some daylight. I guess we just keep walking until we get out."

"Do you have anything that we can use to mark where we've been?"

"Nope. Just the clothing on my body... if you want me to streak-"

Kiara put her hands up for Sarah to stop, "I'm not asking you to streak Sarah."

The two continued to navigate through the maze as the sky grew darker above them.  Sarah could tell Kiara was begging to grow worried as they met another dead end, but she was having a grand old time.  She loved the thrill of adventure, no matter how dangerous.  It seemed to Sarah that Kiara, on the other hand, found comfort in avoiding dangerous situations.  Maybe tonight would be the night to change that.

Sarah thought to herself quick, if Kiara began to panic they would likely never be able to get out of the corn maze and it wouldn't be an enjoyable experience for either of the girls. So she figured she would just ease the tension along and keep Kiara distracted from the fact that they were utterly lost.  "I'm just saying if you wanted me to streak," she joked again.

Kiara folded her arms, "you're your own person Princess."

"Just kidding, it's too cold for that," Sarah hugged herself. The temperature was definitely getting cooler. She felt Kiara's shoulder brush against hers as they walked, "y'know, despite the weather getting colder, fall is definitely my favorite season."

Kiara smiled, tucking her chin in and shaking her head, "no way. Summer is the best season, by far."

"Sorry, fall's got it beat."

"In another universe maybe."

"Fall has the perfect mixture of rainy and sunny days- and the leaves are so pretty when they turn color! Plus there's so many fun things to do in the fall: apple picking, pumpkin carving, pie baking..."

"...getting lost in a corn maze..."

"It is the best season; summer doesn't even compare."

"Not true. You can't get any good surf in after October 1st, and all those leaves fall down and you have to rake them." Kiara lead them right at a fork in the road, "Summer has parties every night, lake days, beach days, pool days, water park days, amusement park days- and it has fresh mango!"

"That's a valid argument. But fall's still better."

Kiara grinned and rolled her eyes, "whatever."

As the pair further endured the tiresome complexity of the maze Sarah thought back to when she and Kiara hung out a few days prior. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"What kind of question?"

"A personal one I guess,"

Kiara thought about it for a second and then nodded upon agreement, "sure."

"When I asked you about your parents the other day- and you said that you 'don't understand each other at all,' what did you mean?"

Kiara looked down at her feet, "I don't know. I guess they kind of just have this perfect vision of my life that they need to see happen or they'll lose their shit. If I'm anything besides their perfect daughter, I'm not good enough." She paused, taking another moment to translate her thoughts into words. "I wish they could just see that I'm still only a kid and that I still have a life to live.  They don't understand that holding me back from the world isn't going to prevent me from making mistakes."

Sarah wrapped her arm around Kiara and drew herself closer to her, providing moral support. "I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you I know what that feels like but I don't- but I still want you to know that I'm here for you."

Kiara leaned her head on Sarah's shoulder and wrapped her arm around Sarah, "thanks, Sarah." She tilted her head up and they locked eyes, "that means a lot to me."

The two teenagers continued to make their way through the corn maze, unknowingly headed in the right direction. "It feels like we're just aimlessly walking," Kiara huffed. "It's so frustrating!"

Sarah gently grabbed hold of Kiara's forearm, "hey- I got an idea."

"Shoot."

"I can lift you up on my shoulders so that you can see over the walls of corn. That way you can see which way is out!"

Kiara nodded, "okay, good plan."

Sarah crouched down so that Kiara could swing her legs over her shoulders and sit. As Kiara wrapped thighs around both sides of Sarah's head, Sarah placed her hands on top of her thighs to make sure she was stable before standing upright. "Ready Kie?"

"Yep."

Sarah pushed Kiara up to see over the corn wall as she stood up on her own two feet. "See a way out," she called from underneath Kiara.

"Yeah," Kiara exclaimed. "I know the way out now."

Sarah lowered Kiara to the ground and the two unattached from each other. "Lead the way Lady." Kiara took off on a jog, darting through the corn maze with precision and agility while Sarah followed in tow. Within about ten or so minutes the girls found the exit.

"Yes!!" Sarah jumped in the air hugging Kiara as the two of them headed out of the maze and towards the street. Luckily the corn maze was not a long walk from either of their houses. "Thank God we made it out."

"Only thanks to your brilliant idea," Kiara poked her in the chest, letting her finger linger for a second.

Sarah felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she laughed nervously, "hey, teamwork makes the dream work."

"You're such a weirdo," Kie bumped her shoulder playfully.

They came to the foot of Sarah's driveway and stood for a moment, "then you're an even bigger weirdo."

"Maybe." Kiara enclosed Sarah in a tight hug before she let her go to go inside, "goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight Kie."