Paradise On Earth

.1.

Our mission this summer is to have a good time all the time.

* I'm standing on the edge of a building that is being built but when no workers are there it's a good spot to hang out. I'm gonna kill myself one day. "That's what a three story fall to the deck. I give you about a one- in-three chance of survival." Pope says. "Should I do it?" I asks with his foot off the edge. "Yeah Y/nn you should jump." John B yell. I holds my heart and act all offended. "My own sister wants to jump." He fake cries too. Worst actor I've ever seen. "Come on I'll shoot you on the way down." Pope holds up a drill and acts like it's a gun. "They're gonna have Japanese toilets and towel warmers." Kie, the only sane one walks in. "Of course why wouldn't they?"JJ says. This used to be a turtle habitat but who cares about the turtles I guess." She looks up at me "Can you please not kill yourself?"
"Don't spill that beer I'm not getting you another one." JJ yells. As soon as JJ told me that, I drop the fucking can. No surprise for us. " Of course you did." Someone says. "Nooooo" I cry. "Hey uh security's here." Pope yells. "Yo JJ is that Gary?" Gary is the security guy that likes to throw JJ out of places. "Gary! Good to see you man!" He yells. Kie stands in front of us laughing. "You guys are just asking for it." She throws her arm around my shoulders. Then we split. Her and John B went to get the van while me, Pope, and JJ ran the opposite way. Gary tries to grab JJ but he fails. "Not much of a hugger man" JJ says grabbing my hand. We ran to the side of the house and hopped the fence, but Pope fell. "Go go go go go Pope." I help him up. "Get back here you little pricks." He yells cus he's to fat to hop the fence. We get in the van and see Gary chasing us. " Yo JJ check out Gary running for a raise." I hold the door open. "Come on you can do it. There you go." JJ throw the beer can at Gary.
"They don't pay you enough bro."
"JJ, Y/n stop you're gonna give him a heart attack." Kie pulled us back inside. "Oh come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished." I say as JJ pulls me next to him.

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The Outer Banks. Paradise on earth. It's the kind of place where you either have two jobs or two house, Two tribes, one island.

All right. So first there's Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks, so guess where we don't live.

Then there's the south side or the Cut. Home of the working class who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters. The natural habitat of drumroll please 🥁🥁🥁... The Pogues.

That's us. Pogues, Pogies, the throwaway fish, lowest member of the food chain. Okay, so the downside of Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. Upside of Pogue life we're ignored and neglected which means we do whatever we want whenever we want.

JJ, My best friend since the third grade. He's about as local as they come. Latest in the longline 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. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.
Also my crush. But the rule, no pouge on pouge macking.

Kiara or Kie as we call her and when she not saving turtles or listening to 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 which is this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. I guess we all sorta have a thing for her. She my best friend. And my favorite person ever.

Pope, the brains of the operation. Finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit scholarship and the smartest person I know. Little bit of a weirdo. So his father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island Heyward could get it for you. Now I'm not sure if Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son but it didn't matter. He was a Pouge just like the rest of us.

My brother John Booker Routledge. He thinks of himself as the leader of the group and I have to agree. He makes the decisions and is kinda like the main character. He's very overprotective of me but I can't blame him. A little reckless at time. But always makes sure we are safe. Pretty sure he has a crush on Sarah Cameron, Kook princess, but you didn't hear it from me.

That's my crew and that's me, Y/n Garcia Routledge and this is where I live. John B's dad adopted me when I was 11. We've been like twins ever since.

An old fish shack on the marsh. The Château as my dad called it. Dad. He disappeared at sea nine months ago looking for a shipwreck. Who disappears at sea these days? I miss him. Then Mom she split when John B was three. Last we heard she was in Colorado. I think it was Colorado. Uncle T. Since Dad's vanished he's supposed to be our legal guardian. At the moment he's in Mississippi building houses. Which means it's just us right now on our own hanging out with our friends. Three months after my dad was missing he was officially presumed died. John B refused to sign the papers. Until he sees a body he's not giving up. Me, I don't believe he's still alive

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"John, Y/n, it has come to our attention that you are two unemancipated minors living on your own?" The social worker lady told us.
"No...No" John B scoffed. The social lady looked at me. "No" I softly spoke.
"John, Y/n, I need honesty to help you. That's what we all want, right?"
God her voice is annoying.
"Yeah we're being honest." "Okay and when was the last time you spoke your uncle?" She asked. "Uh..34 minutes ago." John B just said a random number. "And when was the last time you saw him?". "Two hours and 43 minutes ago?". I said tiredly. "Guys, we're gonna come out there tomorrow to talk to your uncle. If he's not there we're gonna move forward with foster care. I want to asure you that we're gonna find you a safe and loving home " Not that shit. They actually thought I was gonna be happy to hear that.

And that's where the story starts. My dad missing, my uncle MIA, and Bride of Frankenstein threatening foster care. But then we caught a break.

Hurricane Agatha coming in the same day DCS was supposed to do our assessment.

John B and Pope left don't know why.  I went to sleep cause today sucked  ass.

I woke up the next morning and went to check my phone, but of course no service. I heard a knock at my bedroom door and saw it open slightly. "Hey no service, no power. We're gonna die " JJ came into my room and sat on my bed. "What?!" I yelled rubbing my eyes. "Yeah sorry byeee." He blew me a kiss and quickly left. I hate life. I threw myself out of bed and slowly made my way to the living room. I saw John B getting the branches out of the HMS Pouge. I went to help, but in my way I saw JJ sleep on his stomach on the couch. I slapped his back. "Yo JJ you been outside?" I asked him. "I have polio bae I can't walk.". I walked out back and saw John B staring at a big tree that fell over. "Oh, man" "Agatha did some work huh?" JJ said from the back porch. "Yeah she did" I replied. John B and I took most of the branches out of The HMS Pouge. "What ya thinking?" JJ's cut off John B's thinking. "I'm thinking that storm surge pushed all the crab o the marsh maze. All those drum are gonna chase the crab." "What DCS wasn't that today?" JJ asked. "Nah, they're not getting on a ferry." I answered. Come on, it's god telling us to fish" John B said.
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