ISSUES 2 II OUTERBANKS S3/S4

telling one's story

"History's only a map of the past."

❥

"How'd you spent your time at Tanneyhill?", Pope asks me as him, Cleo and I sit down by the water. At first I grin remembering what's happened last night then I try to find a good answer. "Don't tell me.. no, Iz", Pope groans. "What? I didn't say anything." "I see the look on your face", Pope sighs making Cleo watch me curiously, "Dear god, how can I make you stay away from him?" "Whom?", Cleo asks.

"Rafe", I answer shortly. "The guy who tried to steal our cross.. who actually stole it", Pope tells her more precisely, "We fought against him. on the boat." "That polo dude?", Cleo chuckles, "Didn't expect that one around you." "Polo dude.. actually yeah", I agree laughing, "Who'd you expect around me?" 

"JJ obviously, right?", she replies shrugging, "You may not admit it but you're actually like John B as a girl. JJ and John B love each other so JJ and you love each other, too." "Never heard a better compliment", I joke. "So Rafe and you, hm?", Pope questions. "Wait let me guess. So you're a kook right..-" 

"I'm a pogue." "She was born a kook", Pope confirms Cleo making me a roll my eyes. "Good, kook. And he's a kook. Your dads know each other. Oh that one's great. He's the secret boyfriend you couldn't tell anyone about because he's older and Sarah's brother. Your dad found out and made you break up with him but he's still all over you?", Cleo tells her imagination about our story but I shake my head laughing. "Not at all." 

"Fine then you hmm.. oh I know something! You were super attracted by the dirty pogue and kook thing going on so you started a secret pogue-kook-relationship and you guys broke up because you fell for JJ because nothing beats the female John B and JJ." I laugh about Cleo's thoughts. "God, you're so creative." 

"You're getting closer", Pope supports her and Cleo thinks about another constellation. "I'm getting closer.. About the pogue-kook part or the falling for JJ part?" "I leave that up to your imagination", I giggle. 

"Okay.. what they both have in common is family issues and a love for guns.. wow, you fall for the hardship cases. Girl, you won't be able to save them, you know? They're broken like a damn bottle on the ground.", Cleo notices but continues speaking her thoughts, "Oh that one's good. You thought you've saved Rafe so you moved on to repairing JJ but in the meantime, Rafe was left heartbroken and his issues weren't solved so Rafe tried to get his support back but you were busy working with JJ." 

"That one's my favorite", Pope comments and I think about it. She's somehow not wrong about any of her statements but she's also wrong. At least I've never intended on cleaning up their mess or having a dirty pogue-kook-relationship although the last one sounds tempting. Well, it's too late for that. 

"You really want to know how it all started, hm?" "I know the pogues' story, now I want to know yours. It seems fucked up which I like so", Cleo shrugs. God it's crazy how some people can mean so much to you in such little time. I admire Cleo for having survived all these years without someone who cared about her. 

That makes her helping us even more meaningful. She could have moved on with her life, she had somewhat like a job and knew what to expect from her life. It may not be a lot, but it was more than when she jumped off that boat for us, with us. She just lived there on this island with us for a whole month. 

"My parents and I have actually lived in New York-" "Very kookish." "Well, they weren't amused with me and needed someone else to waste their time on guarding me so here I was, my younger self being sent to Kildare to live with my aunt and uncle, Kie's parents." "Giving me a prince of Bel Air vibe." "You know the Prince of Bel Air?", I ask surprised and Cleo hits my upper arm. 

"I'm poor, not stupid, kook." "Damn, a good left hook." "I know right", Pope agrees probably remembering how we fought against her at first on the boat. "Continue." "I went to kook academy and my dad's friends with Ward so Rafe and I kind of grew up together. Well, Sarah and I grew up together but Rafe's her older brother so." "What a cliché", Cleo laughs. 

"Yeah, sadly my life didn't continue being a rom-com", I agree, "I also met this really weird kiddo John B when I moved here. I got lost on the island and ended up on the cut. John B and I became friends and he took me home with him-" "So you and John B-" 

"We were six or seven", I chuckle, "I had no idea how to get home and he asked his dad for help. Big John knew my dad as well, what a surprise. They've been friends when they went to pogue school as kids." "Your dad went to pogue school?", Pope asks surprised and I nod. 

"Have I never told you? Dad, Ward and Big John went to pogue school together. JJ's dad as well. Dad and Ward became kooks. From what I know my dad actually stayed friends with Big John but we'll see about that soon maybe." "Crazy. I thought your parents were born rich." "Only my mom. And Kie's mom, obviously. They're sisters." "So you and John B became friends?", Cleo assumes and I nod. 

"John B was my actual first friend who wasn't my friend because of any family rituals. Big John called my uncle who picked me up. Dad tried telling me to stay away from the cut but I feel like he wasn't so strict about it earlier. Apart from not spending time with me, he wasn't as bad when I was younger. I think the gold rush changed a lot in him and Ward." "I remember your dad actually being quite nice", Pope nods. 

Yeah, there was this one situation where he picked me up because JJ and I were stealing something from a supermarket and Pope got pulled into it without having done anything. Dad visited Ward back then so he picked us up and bought us what we planned to steal. I think he had a soft spot for Pope because he reminds him of himself. Pope the good pogue who works hard. "Yeah, he used to be great the few moments I've seen him around."