𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬:: rafe cameron

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞.

𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞 and Dawn's shared room felt smaller by the minute as they reluctantly packed their belongings into cardboard boxes, the Texas heat continuous. With a furious sigh, Dawn threw a shirt into her suitcase and glared at Amelie.

"Could you pass me those shoes?" Dawn asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Even though Ami rolled her eyes, she gave in and silently gave the shoes. Their stepfather, Scott Everett, or as Ami liked to call him, the wannabe dad, was about to come in, and it was obvious that tension between them was building.

"Hey, sweetheart! we're leaving in the morning tomorrow"

Ami looked up with a guarded expression from where she was folding clothes. With a short response, "Got it, Scott," she avoided meeting his gaze.

Dawn glanced at Ami and then turned to smile deliberately at Scott. With a false smile, she exclaimed, "Can't wait, Scott!" as her eyes narrowed a little.

Scott looked around the room, obviously not impressed with the atmosphere, his brow raised. He said, "I want everything to be packed and ready to go by morning," with a firm but slightly aggressive tone.

Feeling an emotion of resentment towards the man who attempted to act like a father without realising their struggles, Ami tightened her jaw. With her eyes flashing with frustration, Dawn bit her lip.

"Yeah, new place, new problems," Dawn muttered under her breath.

Scott narrowed his eyes at Dawn's comment. His tone sharpened, "Watch your tone, young lady," he said.

Ami gave Dawn a sly glance, indicating that they both had a grudge. Both of them were aware that Scott was more focused on keeping up appearances than on their welfare.

(~~~)

Ami was sitting on her bed, texting her friends Nini and Maggie with her phone in hand.

ami: hey babes, guess who's on the move AGAIN 🙄

nini: ugh, seriously? can ur family just pick a spot and stick with it for more than five mins?

maggie: i swear, u've probably seen more states than most ppl see in a lifetime. where's the new place this time?

ami: outer banks. apparently, we're inheriting some family hotel in figure 8 or whatever. more like inheriting scott's headache.

nini: lol u're headed to the land of kooks and pogues

maggie: kooks and what now?

ami: wait, what are kooks and pogues? tell me, nini.

nini: kooks are the rich snobs, all about fancy boats and country club parties. y'all are probably richer than all the kooks. 😏

maggie: ah, got it. ami, u'll fit right in with the kooks.

ami: haha, i'll take that as a compliment.

Ami: thanks, guys. seriously, u keep me sane in this crazy world. can't wait till we can hang out in person again. ❤️

maggie: no prop girl, ur my soulmate anything 4 u

nini: ofc xx, oh and pogues are the opposite of kooks. they're the working-class locals, surfers, fishermen, you name it. kooks and pogues don't exactly get along in the outer banks. there 2 different tribes.

ami: girl how do u know 😭

nini: my aunt lived there lol

The messy bedroom was lit by shadows cast by the afternoon sun as it tilted through the window. With a sudden swing open, the door let Tristan, the eldest Monroe sibling, walk in with his characteristic arrogant confidence.

Ami looked up, her face cautious. With a hint of irritation in her voice, she said, "What do you want, Tristan?"

Dawn, occupied with folding laundry, gave Tristan a bleak glance. "Tristan, get lost. We're trying to pack here," she yelled, growing irritated.

With a sly smile, Tristan leaned carelessly against the doorway. With a mocking tone, he replied, "Just making sure my darling little sister doesn't screw up again".

Ami furrowed her brow. "Tristan, give it a break. She shot back, clearly frustrated, "I've moved on."

Dawn's eyes narrowed as she folded a shirt. With a sarcastic tone, she shot back, "Oh, Tristan, speaking of screw-ups, remember that time you almost got arrested for trespassing on private property?" Tristan's smile wavered a bit. "That was different," he said as he tried to defend himself.

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "But was it? And let's not forget your mistakes at school," she said in a calm, collected tone. "You've done way worse than Ami, and you know it." Tho Tristan's was unpleased by Dawn's remark he remained silent, acknowledging Dawn's valid point.

Finally, Tristan moved away from the doorway, sounding a little irritated. "fine, do what you want" His eyes gazed on his sister as he turned and walked out of the room, "But mark my words, Ami, you better watch yourself in the Outer Banks."

(~~~)

Ami woke up the following morning as sunlight came through the curtains. She let out a quiet groan, still exhausted from packing through the night. Her mother's voice came from the hallway as she sat up in bed.

"Wake up, Amelie! We've got an hour before our flight," Jillian called out, her tone filled with firm.

Ami swung her legs over the side of the bed and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, Mom, I'm up," she said in a somewhat sleepy voice.

Dawn, still buried under a mass of blankets, muttered something from her nearby bed.

Jillian stepped into the doorway, determination and impatience mixed together in her expression. "Amelie, get moving. She urged, her eyes sweeping the room, "We need to leave soon."

Ami nodded, her thoughts gradually opening up. She assured her mother, "I'll be ready, Mom," getting up and stumbling towards the loo.

Their nine-year-old stepbrother, Theo, came out of his room down the hall and was already wearing a grumpy expression. "Mom! I don't want to go. Can't we just stay home?" he whined, his voice tinged with annoyance.

Jillian sighed trying not to lose her patience. "We've talked about this, Theo. Her tone was serious but gentle as she explained, "We're heading to the Outer Banks to help with the hotel in figure 8."

Theo grimaced, obviously not persuaded. "But I hate having to get up early, and I miss my friends," he objected, a pout protruding from his bottom lip.

Hearing the conversation, Ami couldn't help but feel sorry for Theo's situation. "Theo, don't worry. She added, "I don't want to go either," with a flat, uninterested voice.

When Dawn eventually broke free from her blankets, she raised her arms above her head. "Yes, Theo." she said, giving Ami a sly look.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

𝐇𝐈, 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 💋

𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐓𝐛𝐡 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐛𝐱 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬. 𝐈𝐌𝐎, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐚, 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 :)

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐁𝐗 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧!!!

𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞,

- 𝐒𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐚

Word Count: 1172