sweet | outer banks

c h a p t e r / t w e n t y - t w o

HI BFFS!!!! last chapter is here :') what do we do with ourselves now

thank u SOOOOOO SO SO much for 38k reads on the story that is so fucking insane i don't know what i did to deserve that but i appreciate every single one of u beyond words <333 thank you for everything

ps if you keep reading until the very end of this chapter there's a special little note at the bottom that u won't want to miss!! ;)

ENJOYYYYYYOYOOYOYOYOY -katie <3

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

b r i e l l e

The sun wakes me up in the morning, along with the quiet sounds of the birds outside and the floorboards creaking as someone stirs around the house. I keep my eyes closed for a few minutes until I'm ready to face the bright morning light and eventually open them to the comforting sight of my friends scattered around me.

Kie lays awake next to me on the pullout and we greet each other with two sleepy smiles and puffy eyes. I sit up and let my legs hang over the side of the bed to stretch my limbs and catch Sarah's eye from across the room where she sits peacefully in a wooden chair, scrolling on her phone. She looks over at me with a wave and her own tired grin, breaking the silence with a soft 'mornin''. Her hair is messy but still manages to fall perfectly around her face, and her entire body appears to be glowing as the sun shines directly on her through the window.

Out of pure habit, I reach for my phone on the table next to me and check immediately for a text from JJ, expecting there to be some sort of notification there since he didn't spend the night with us. Memories from yesterday flood my brain as I stare down at my empty screen and remember why I haven't heard from him. Oh yeah. Kinda forgot that he called me a cheating bitch then left the Chateau before I could show him just how wrong he was.

I force myself to shut my phone off and put it face down on the table to rid my head of the thoughts that just clouded it, and stand up slowly from the pullout to head to the kitchen. I can't ignore yesterday forever, but I think I deserve to set it all aside for just a day and focus on getting myself back to normal.

"Hi, Pope." I greet the boy with a voice crack as he pours himself a glass of water and looks out the window above the sink.

"Morning, Bri." He responds with an adorable smile. "Doing okay?"

"I think so." I tell him truthfully with a nod, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the counter. I join Pope at the window for a moment and feel a slight smile tug at my lips at the sight of the beautiful day outside before deciding to step out onto the porch to enjoy the weather before the humidity kicks in.

The screen door creaks as I push it open and snaps shut behind me, and I'm immediately met with the cool morning breeze and the sight of John B sitting quietly on the couch on on the porch with a can in his hand and his feet propped up on the railing. He looks up at me when he hears the door and shoots me a classic JB peace sign that I return as I take a bite from my apple. He pats the cushion next to him, inviting me to sit down.

I do just that and sit on the couch next to John B with my knees pulled close to my chest, and he wraps a bare arm around me to lean my body closer to his. The two of us sit silently for a few minutes as we bask in the end-of-August weather and enjoy our sort of breakfasts. My eye catches Kiara's colorful surfboard that leans up against the wall next to us, and only one thought comes to my mind.

"We were supposed to go surfing yesterday." I say just above a whisper, not needing John B to hear me but rather just wanting to say it out loud so the idea of our failed surfing plans doesn't rot in my mind all day long.