✯ North Star ✯

Part 1

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

I look up to see John B at the top of the house. Balancing on one foot,  beer in his hand
"That's what a three-story fall to the deck? I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival." Pope tells him
"Hm" John B hums sticking his finger in his mouth then holding it up
"Should I do it?" He asks
"Totally" I tell him
"Yeah you should jump." Pope says holding up a drill
"I'll shoot you on the way down." He adds
"You'll shoot me?" John B asks then points his finger like a gun at pope
"Pow." John B says
"Yep" Pope says
"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers." Kie says walking out of the house
"I don't doubt that for a second" I tell her
"Why wouldn't they?" JJ says
"This used to be a turtle habitat but who cares about the turtles I guess?" Kie says
"I can't have cold towels" JJ tells her
"Really John B can you please not kill yourself?" Kie says looking up at him
"Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one" JJ warns him
"Whoa!" John B says almost falling off and in the process drops his beer
"Oh shit." He mumbles
"Of course you did." JJ says
"Smooth" Kie says
"A-plus" JJ tells him
"Nooo." John b groans
"You're a dumbass" I roll my eyes
"Ouch" I hear him mumble with a hand in his heart
"Hey, uh security's here. Let's wrap it up." Pope tells us
"Boys are early today" JJ says
"Humpty Dumpty let's roll" Pope yells
"Time to hit the road" I laugh
"Gary is that you?" JJ taunts
"Get down" Pope says
"It's me. Gary, good to see you man!" JJ yells  climbing down.
"Is it time?" John B asks
"JJ!" I hear Gary yell
Just a few seconds after I make it to the Twinkie with John B. Kie right after me

"Bus is leaving!" John B yells as pope and JJ make their way over
"Come on boys!! Whoo!" Kie yells
JJ and pope jump in as John B started to drive faster
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" Gary yells running after us
"Check out Gary gunnin' for a raise" Pope laughs
"Come on Gary!" JJ shouts
"Wait. Slow down." JJ says hanging out if the van some
"Hey!" Gary yells
"You're gonna give him a heart attack" Kie tells JJ
"You're so close! You can do it. There you go." JJ says throwing him a beer
"They don't pay you enough bro." JJ tells him
Kie pulls JJ back into the van
"JJ stop stop" she says
"Oh come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished." JJ tells her as we drive off laughing

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. This is Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks. Which also happens to be where I live, surprise. And then there's the south side or the cut as some people call it. Home of the working class who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters. The natural habitat of... drumroll please... the Pogues. Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest member of the food chain. Okay. So, the downside of being a Pogue they are ignored and neglected. But the upside of being a Pogue? They are ignored and neglected, which means they do whatever they want, whenever they want. They surf, party, drink, and just have a good time.

Let me introduce you to some.

First up. JJ, 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, besides me. Just don't tell him I said that. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.

Next is Kiara, or Kie, as we call her. When she's not saving turtles, listening to Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she's with the Pogues. She's a rich kid actually. Like me, one foot in both worlds. But to be honest I'm pretty sure she's an all in pogue now.
Her family owns The Wreck this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. Her parents like me, but I'm pretty sure they don't feel the same about the boys. Maybe it's the fact that they all have a thing for her.

Next is Pope, the brains of the operation... finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know.
Wants to be a coroner so he's a little bit of a weirdo. His father's is a 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.

And the last member of the crew, John Booker Routledge, of course we don't use full names here so he goes by John B. He's kind of the "unofficial official leader". Lives in an old fish shack on the marsh. The Château, as his dad called it. His dad disappeared at sea nine months ago looking for a shipwreck. Who disappears at sea these days?
His mom hasn't been around since he was three.
And his Uncle T was supposed to be his legal guardian but he hasn't seen him in three months. So right now it's just John B and his crew.

Then there's me. Stella Lee Cameron. Yep that's right I'm a Camron, the richest family on the island. Most people know me by the "kook princess" which I hate by the way. Don't get me wrong there's some upsides to being a kook but nothing brings me joy like being with the Pogues.
So yeah I've got one foot in both worlds, constantly wanting to be with the Pogues but being pulled away forced to go to kook events.
Why don't I just be a full pogue like kie is you might ask? Guilt is the answer. Guilt is always the answer. Well I should probably back up a bit

Ward, my dad and my mom were happily married with a little boy, Rafe. Not to long after they wanted to have another child. Once they got pregnant they were told it was a little girl. 9 months later my mom gave birth to Sarah, little did she know she actually was having twins. Yep that's me. Few minutes later I was born, least to say my mom was not to happy about that. She only wanted to have a girl and a boy, nothing more, nothing less. Ward somehow convinced her it would be ok and took it upon himself to name me. And obviously he chose Stella, meaning Star. Two year after Sarah and I were born my mom started to gain a drinking problem. My dad tried to get her to stop but nothing seemed to work. Next few months it only got worse. My dad thought for Sarah and I's third birthday it would be a good idea to take us down to a beach house we owned. He hoped it would take my mom's mind off of alcohol.

A little bit later into the day I was down at the beach with everyone except my mom who was probably drinking.
Rafe and I were playing in the sand while Sarah was playing with my dad not to far away. I was building a sand castle and rafe went down to the ocean to get me some water. And I guess my mom thought that was a perfect opportunity to get what she always wanted.
One daughter and one son.
She made her way over to me with a glass of vodka in her hand. My 2 year old brain thought she was coming to play with me, but of course that was not even close to being right.
She moment she was close enough she grabbed me by the throat. Mumbling things like "I wish I never had you" "you look just like your dad" all that type of stuff.

As black dots started to cover my vision as I saw my dad grab her off of me. Not too long after I blacked out. Woke up in a hospital, throat feeling like it was on fire, and a killer headache. My dad stayed with me the whole time in the hospital not once leaving my side. He would sing me the song "city of stars" and would always tell me I was his star to try and comfort me.
A few months later my dad brought us three into a room to tell us our mom died. He never told us how she died exactly, but if I were to guess it would be overdose.

So basically I feel like I can't ever leave my dad because he was the one who saved me. He comforted me in a crazy dark time in my life and somehow managed to keep me alive. So that's why I live one foot in both worlds.

And how might I remember that if I was 3 when it happened? Cause it haunts me every time I close my eyes.