Tidal Wave. | obx szn 1

What Happened Last Night Didn't Happen.

Pope sighs before going back inside. He walks to the kitchen.

"Pope, can you go check on Aurora for me please?" Harrison asks.

Jane scoffs from her spot on the edge of the dining room table. "She's being a bit dramatic."

Pope shakes his head. He leaves and slowly walks up the stairs. He prays that her door is unlocked.

He knocks twice. "Sleepy, can I come in?" She doesn't respond. "Rory?"

The door unlocks and opens. Aurora stands infront of Pope. She's in a Bob Ross shirt with light brown shorts. Pope's face softens at the cuts and bruises on the girl's face. His eyes trace her body. He notices every visible bruise on her.

"Hey, Ace," Pope smiles softly.

"We're gonna go out and pretend that what happened last night didn't happen." Aurora says firmly.

"Rory—"

"No, Pope. I seriously don't want to talk about it."

"The whole island knows. It was on a local news channel."

"Fuck," Aurora scoffs. Her head rests on the wall as her and Pope stand silently. "I'm still going to get dressed."

Pope nods. He waits for her outside her bedroom.

༄

Aurora doesn't answer the "are you okay" question from Lucca.

As they walk through the hallway to the front door, Aurora stops when she sees the blood stains on the floor and wall where Jane hurt her. Pope places his hand on her back for comfort, but she shakes her head and pulls away.
The pair walk down the same roads they walked the night before. She practically drags Pope out of the house.

"Rory, this isn't healthy. You can't ignore what happened with your mom—"

"Don't talk to me about my mother, Pope," Aurora snaps.

Pope faces the ground. They walk to the chateau in silence. Kiara is at the chateau waiting for them.

"Oh my God, Rory. I saw on the news what happened, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kiara," Rory replies blankly. She sits on the floor by the screen door.

Pope sits on the couch by Kiara.

Kiara mouths, "is she okay" to Pope. He shakes his head.

Aurora looks out to the marsh infront of John B's house. She loves living in the Outer Banks. To her, it truly is paradise on earth. The people, on the other hand, might not be.

Roughly an hour passes before John B and JJ make it back to the chateau.

JJ starts dramatically explaining the story of what happened at Lana's house. John B doesn't talk much. He stares at Aurora as JJ explains everything.

John B stares at Aurora until she looks up at him. "you okay?" he mouths. Aurora doesn't respond with anything. She looks to her hands and picks at her finger nails— a bad habit she developed from her mother.

"Square groupers, Pope," JJ says. Aurora and John B skeptically turn to JJ.

"S-square groupers?"

"Yeah, like, the guys who work with my dad. You know?"

"We get it, JJ."

"Okay so these guys are crazy. You see the paint in my hair—"

"JJ, shut up. We get it."