Bad Karma

one

Leilani Elrod

Episode 1. Pilot

We're the Pogues, and our mission this summer is to have a good time, all the time.

"That's, what, a three story fall to the deck?" Pope spoke, making us all turn our attention to John B as he stood on the roof, balancing on one foot. "I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival."

John B hummed and stuck his finger in his mouth, popping it out and holding it up to test which way the wind was blowing, "Should I do it?"

"Yeah, you should jump!"

I scoffed at Pope, "Don't encourage him!"

"Oh, come on." He groaned, turning back to JB, "I'll shoot you on the way down!"

"You'll shoot me?"

"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers!" Kie complained, walking out of the unfinished house.

This was something that us Pogues did often; Come to unfinished houses just to chill and snoop around.

I scoffed, "Of course they are." Typical Kook move.

"This use to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, I guess?"

"I can't have cold towels." JJ reasoned.

I turned to him, a frown on my face, "But the turtles, J!" He only mimicked my frown and I scoffed, pushing him playfully. He cared about the turtles and we all knew it.

"The hell is he doing?" Kie whispered to us, then looked up, cupping her hands around her mouth to get louder, "Can you please not kill yourself?"

"Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one!"

As if on cue, John B dropped his beer. It did not survive the three story fall.

"Of course you did, right when I said not to."

"Hey, uh, security's here! Let's wrap it up!"

JJ climbed down first, then helped me down, not being able to stop himself from taunting Gary as we fled. Poor Gary always had to put up with us.

As we drove off, Pope stuck his head out of the window, "Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise!"

JJ stuck himself out of the doorway, holding out his beer can while taunting Gary to grab it, but throwing it at him instead, "They don't pay you enough, bro!

I grabbed his shirt, pulling him back in, "JJ, stop."

I hated when they did this. Poor Gary.

"Oh, come on." He grinned at me, "That sort of initiative is just begging to punished."

"He's just doing his job!" I defended, crossing my arms.

"Yeah, but without kids like me he wouldn't have a job." He raised an eyebrow at me, but I just shook my head.

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

We all had our faces glued to the window as we drove through Figure Eight, gaping at the large houses. Well, all of us besides Kie.

All right. This is Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kook. So, guess where we don't live.

But our moods dampened when we arrived back to our side of the island.

And then, this is 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... drum-roll, please... the Pogues. That's us. Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest member of the food chain.

Okay. So, the downside of the Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. But the upside of the Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

JJ grinned and flicked my head, for no apparent reason. I scowled at him, snatching his hat off of him and hitting him with it, his blonde hair going just about every direction.

That's JJ, my best friend since the third grade. He's about as local as they 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. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.

"Leave her alone, JJ." Kie threw arms around me and I smiled smugly, sticking my tongue out at JJ.

And that's Kiara, or Kie, as we call her. When not saving turtles or listening to Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us. I'm not really sure why, though. So, 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. You know, I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. I guess we all have a thing for her, besides maybe JJ.

Pope turned around in his seat, "Can you guys shut up for two seconds? I can't hear myself think."

And that's Pope, the brains of the operation... finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person that any of us know. His father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us.

"Sorry, Pope!" I apologized, "Sorry that JJ's annoying you!"

"Hey-" JJ tried to argue against me, but I put my hand over his mouth, smiling at him while he scowled at me, before his tongue dragged across my palm. I shrieked, "Ew, J!" I pulled my hand back in disgust, turning and wiping my contaminated hand on John B.

And that's Leilani. Lei, Lani, Lee, she'll pretty much reply to whatever. The one that keeps us in check. Happiest girl under the sun, even though she might be the most fucked up one here. So, she has severe Aqua-phobia, or fear of the water, even though we live on an island and spend almost all of our time on the boat. One day, her and her parents went out for a boat day and got caught in a storm. The boat capsized and her parents used their last breaths to save her and push her on top of the boat. So, she moved into the Chateau with me and my dad, spends everyday with us. A true Pogue, and basically like my sister.

So, that's my crew.

The car swerved for a second before getting back in our lane, "Not on me, Lei!"

We ended up making it back in one piece, jumping out of the car and going into the house to crash for the night.

And that's me, John Booker Routledge. And this is where I live with Lei. An old fish shack on the marsh. The Chateau, as my dad used to call it. My dad disappeared at sea nine months ago, looking for a shipwreck. Who disappears at sea these days? I miss him. Mom split when I was three. Last I heard, she was in Colorado. I think it was Colorado. Since Dad vanished, Uncle T is supposed to be my legal guardian. At the moment, he's in Mississippi, building houses... which means it's just me and Lei right now, on our own, hangin' out with our friends.

Three months after my dad was missing, he was officially presumed dead. I refused to sign the papers. Until I see a body, I'm not giving up.

And that's where this story starts. My dad missing, my uncle MIA, and the Bride of Frankenstein threatening foster care. That's where the Pogue's and I's story starts.

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A/N

Okay, to clarify, this story is in Leilani's POV but the italics were John B (because I'm unoriginal and just used his introductions lmaoo)