Underground {OBX}

Part 38

The way life works is, it gets worse before it gets better. People suck, places suck, but it gets better. Trust me, I know. I've been there.

I carry table seven's dirty dishes to the kitchen to get washed. When I finish, I dust my hands off and walk back out to the restaurant. I hear shouting. I notice the customers glancing at something and whispering. I follow their gazes to find Mrs. Carrera and Kie outside, screaming at each other. Mr. Carrera stands behind his wife, nodding his head in agreement.

"It's always about the boys," Kie groans. She turns her head inside, realizing that I can hear their conversation. She rolls her eyes, sending the 'I can't stand them' signal.

"Yes, Kiara, it's those boys," Mrs. Carrera remarks. "They're dragging you down. Do you wanna be a Pogue?"

"Do I want to be a Pogue," Kie repeats. "Mom, I already am a Pogue!"

"Kiara, you are not a Pogue," Mr. Carrera chimes in.

I turn my head away, searching for something to do to distract myself. I walk to table nine. "Hey, y'all," I exclaim. "How are we doing over here?"

"Oh, well, those employees that are arguing outside are kind of disturbing us," the woman at the table complains.

"Right," I sigh. "I'll see if I can quiet them down for you."

"Thank you so much," the woman gleams. I turn on my heels and start for the Carrera's. Taking a deep breath, I pull the door open. I step outside just in time to hear Mrs. Carrera shout, "Forget it, Kiara! You're fired."

"Oh, uh.." I mutter. "Table nine is complaining about the noise."

"That's alright," Mrs. Carrera smiles. "We're done here." She stomps past me. Kie and I look to Mr. Carrera, who shrugs and follows his wife inside. Kie grunts. I rest a palm on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"No," Kie mumbles. "Whatever, I just.. I need to go."

And with that, she walks away.

~

"Kie," I call. I drop the keys to Kie's car on the kitchen counter. "Kie!"

I take a few steps in the living room before I notice a head full of curly brown hair flowing on the Pogue. I carefully step outside. I walk to the boat and climb on. Taking a seat next to her, I ask, "How are you?"

There is a brief moment of almost complete silence. The waves smack beneath us, and the warm wind blows in our ears. I patiently await the girl's response.

"Not sure," she answers. "Kind of dont want to go home."

"I feel you," I tell her. I'm unsure of what to say for a moment. Once I have an idea, I shift towards her more. "Okay, how about I take you home to grab some clothes. You can just crash here for a couple of days."

Kie thinks about this. Then, she nods her head. "Okay."

"Yeah," I ask with a smile.

"Yeah," she repeats slowly, smacking her lips together.

"If you don't mind me asking," I begin softly. "What was the argument over?"

Believe it or not, the boys," she chuckles. "I made these plans with Pope, and I was telling my parents I couldn't make it to work on Friday. They didn't like that too much."

"They got mad at you for calling out once?"

"Yeah, something about family business and I keep screwing them over for the Pogues, even though I'm not one."

"Woah," I mutter. "Well, you are a Pogue, Kie.. Whether they like it or not."

Kie just smiles softly at me. I take a deep breath. "Okay.. Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Kie breathes. "Let's go."

The two of us walk back to the house. In the kitchen, JJ is making a sandwich. When he hears the back door slam shut, he notices us walking inside. "Oh, hey, guys. I was wondering where ev-."

I interrupt him with a kiss. He moans into my mouth comedically. "We'll be back."

"Wait where are you..," he trails off.

"We'll be back," I repeat, following Kie to her car.

~

Kie parks her car next to the sidewalk. She sighs, leaning back in her seat. I glance up at her house. I can imagine this isn't easy for her. "Do you need me to come with you," I ask softly.

"No," Kie answers, shaking her head. "I'll be okay."

I watch as she hops out of the car and walks into the house. Once she's out of my sight, I relax. The wind blows against my skin. I feel Jack kick a couple times. It always makes me smile when I feel him move.

There is yelling. I perk up my ears, searching for the noise. I find Kie and her parents fighting on the back porch. "Fine," Mrs. Carrera screams. "You wanna live like a Pogue? Go live like a freakin' Pogue!"

She dumps a basket full of clothes over the railing, into the yard. This is surprising, coming from Mrs. Carrera. She's always seemed so sweet. I jump out of the car.

I meet Kie in the yard, picking up her things. I help her grab some clothes and stuff them into her backpack. Then, we hurry back to the car. Her mom screams, "Kiara," but we don't listen.

I jump in the driver's seat, allowing Kie to calm down, and drive home.

~

"What are you doing driving," JJ shouts from the front door.

"Not the time, J," I breathe. "We've got a situation."

Kie steps out of the car, wiping away her tears. According to the expression on JJ's face, he knows what happened. He trots to her, pulling her into his warm embrace. When they let go of each other, Kie grabs her bag from the car's floor, and the three of us walk inside.

"Look, it could be worse," JJ exclaims. "You're always here, anyway. Now, you don't have to make the trip."

Ignoring him, I reach for Kie's hand. "We'll set up the couch-bed for you. We can find you another job. Everything will be okay."

"Thank you," she squeals.

"Of course," I respond softly, pulling her into a hug. After a moment of Kie crying into my shoulder, JJ wraps his arms around us. Kie moves her face into his chest.

I get what she's going through. I know it's hard at first, but it will get better, especially with true friends.