Sunshine State Of Mind ☼ JJ Maybank

Chapter Seven: Boneyard Makes Me Want to Eat the Rich (including myself)

"A lot of people will look at you but only a few will see you"

-c.c.aurel

Kiara was braiding my hair in John B's room while the boys took care of getting the keg. My hair must have needed it desperately after all the salt water, and it reminded me of sleepovers with Dale when we would have nothing to do but sit around and talk. Just how we liked it. Her fingers worked effortlessly through my curls, and I could feel each slight pull as she moved the hair between her fingers. It felt good to be taken care of, even if just for a moment. And then Kiara's voice flowed from the mutual silence, "How are you liking it here in Kildare?" The question was bigger than it seemed. I paused, wanting to think about it as her hands fell through my hairs. It was like my life had ended on a swivel, all the bad things about New York just seemed to dissipate here as if they never existed at all, and all the good things, well I missed a lot. Like Dale. But I felt more free here. My parents wanted me to go out, have fun, (with little consequence) as long as I was safe. It felt right. And it was all due to the pogues. How could I explain that simply to Kiara? She would understand, I knew, whatever I did end up saying. But I also didn't want to put any pressure on my new friends. Nobody was perfect, I knew that, and there was still a lot about Kildare that I had to learn. But finally, I felt ready to do the learning. I felt ready to feel the sun on my skin again. And JJ...well that was one hell of a kiss. Not that he wants to talk about it. And still, Kildare felt like a piece I was missing.

I turned my head slightly, even though I could only see her tan leg because she was busy behind me, and I said, "It's better than I expected, if that makes sense. I just thought New York was it. That that was where I was meant to be...but maybe not. I think I was wrong." I smiled, "It helps that you guys found me. Thank god for Randy, right?"

Kiara laughed, finishing up the first braid of the left side of my head, "Trust me. No one is saying that. But I am truly thankful for that pothead's supply." She started the next side of my head, "You didn't really seem like that when we met, just..."

"Like a light had been switched off?"

She let out a soft chuckle, "No. You just seemed like you needed us. Which is not a bad thing at all, just that maybe we needed you too. We'll see how it plays out though, you could even have your own 'Kook Year'."

I turned around to look at her, "First of all, what is a 'Kook Year' and are you trying to insinuate that you had one?"

"I'm not trying to insinuate anything." But she had this cheeky smile on her face that she did exactly that, and wasn't trying to hide it.

I burst out laughing, "That's just great. What did you do? Who did you do? I want to know everything." Knowing Kiara was part pogue, part kook, gave me a little hope that I wasn't going to be totally iced out by JJ...maybe he just needed time. And maybe I just needed to see that being a Kook wasn't all that it was made out to be, like Kie. Bad idea or not, I wasn't going to cheat on the pogues, but it wouldn't hurt to scope out the other kooks at the bonfire that night.

"Just turn around, let me finish your hair first." Kiara said, lightly pushing me back to the front. While she put her fingers to use back in my hair, I stared around at John B's room. There were so many drawings and pictures and maps taped up to the walls it was hard to know what to look at first. There was an air conditioning unit sticking out of the window to my right and a red electric guitar to my left, resting against the wall. I'd have to ask John B if he ever played, or was one of those people that bought the thing to learn but never did. This made me wonder what JJ's room looked like. Or Pope's. Or Kie's. I wonder what color their sheets were (John B's were blue) or what they had on their walls. I'd hopefully have the opportunity to learn. I could picture Kie having chokers upon chokers and bracelets upon bracelets on her bureau. Pope having lots of books, and maybe some posters on the walls. JJ's room however, I can't picture, however much I'd like to.