❛ she tangled her slender hands in my hair, massaging my scalp as if she was sculpting a clay figure, and she needed every touch just gentle enough to avoid a dent or a crumble. i counted her gorgeous freckles and every last eyelash that sat above those striking blue eyes, aching and longing to taste the coconut chapstick that coated those perfect lips. my mermaid, my waterlily. my girl. my marley.❜ — kiara carrera
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THE OUTERBANKS. paradise on earth. it's the sort of place where you either have two jobs, or two houses. two tribes, one island.
figure eight is the rich side of the island. home of the kooks. and then there's our home. the southside— or the cut. home of the working class: who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters— and the natural habitat of: drumroll please... the pogues. that's us.
pogues, pogies, throwaway fish. lowest members of the food chain. the downside of pogue-life is we're ignored and neglected. but the up-side? we're ignored and neglected. which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.
first there's jj, my best friend since the third grade. he's about as local as the come. latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. best surfer i know (just... don't tell him i said that). he's also a mild kleptomaniac and future tax cheat.
and there's pope. the brains of the operation. finalist for the lucas t. vanderhost merit scholarship (and the smartest person i know). also a little bit of a weirdo. his father's this legendary character, heyward. anything you wanted on the island, heyward could get it for you. i'm not sure he knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. he was a pogue, just like the rest of us.
and there's kiara. or kie, as we call her. when she's not saving turtles, listening to bob marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us. (i'm not really sure why, though). she's a rich kid, actually. foot in both worlds. her family owns the wreck— this outerbanks institution. total cash cow with tourists. though, i'm not really sure how her parents feel about us? i guess we all sort of have a thing for her.
( and ) marley summers
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( the mermaid ) portrayed by kristine froseth
and then there's marley. marley was the last to join our squad - becoming friends with us just a little while after kiara did. we met her on the beach a few summers ago, where she was collecting seashells to make jewellery. she too was a kook, blessed with all the perks of being rich, but also all the adventure of being friends with us pogues. the special thing about marley (besides her ability to light up a room with her smile) was the fact that she was a mermaid. no, i'm not shitting you - the girl is half-fish. get a little water on her, and in ten seconds, those tan, slender legs transform into a scaly mermaid tail. we all love marley, and would do anything to help her keep her secret - but none of us guys could ever care about her just as much as kie does. the two are joint at the hip - matching friendship bracelets, sleepovers every other night, stolen glances across bonfires, linked pinkies while sun bathing on the hms pogue, and quiet whispers that us guys ceased to understand.
so, that's my crew. apart from me, of course: john booker routledge.
we're the pogues. and our mission this summer: is to have a good time all the time.
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MARLEY'S SUMMER PLAYLIST
SIDE A 🐚🍓 𝖎. heaven knows im miserable now ; the smiths 𝖎𝖎. as it was ; harry styles 𝖎𝖎𝖎. pleaser ; wallows 𝖎𝖛. three little birds ; bob marley 𝖛. carolina ; harry styles 𝖛𝖎. high school lover ; cayucas 𝖛𝖎𝖎. up up ; sandollar 𝖛𝖎𝖎𝖎. head over heels ; tears for fears
SIDE B 🥥𖤐 𝖎. c u girl ; steve lacy 𝖎𝖎. marceline ; willow 𝖎𝖎𝖎. mary ; alex g 𝖎𝖛. fade into you ; mazzy star 𝖛. blackbird ; the beatles 𝖛𝖎. luna ; the smashing pumpkins 𝖛𝖎𝖎. good looking ; suki waterhouse 𝖛𝖎𝖎𝖎. no surprises ; radiohead
❛seriously, wren? go trip over a knife.❜ — marley summers
disclaimer. marley's mermaid concept is based on h20: just add water (2006) this is a work of fiction.
