" 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.
all right, this is figure eight. the rich side of the island, home of the kooks. so, guess where we don't live.
and then, this is the south side, or the cut. home of the working class who make a living busting tables, washing yachts, running charters. the natural habitat of... drumroll, please... the pogues.
that's us. pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish, lowest member of the food chain. okay. so, the downside of pogue life is we're ignored and neglected, but the upside of pogue life? we're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.
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.
and that's kiara, or kie as we call her. and when she's 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 sort of have a thing for her.
all except for pope, the brains of the operation. finalist for the lucas t. vanderhorst merit scholarship. and the smartest person i know. little bit of a weirdo. alright so his fathers this legendary character, heyward. anything you wanted on the island, heyward could get it for you. now, i'm not sure what heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. he was a pogue, just like the rest of us.
remember how i said pope was the only one who didn't have a thing for kie? yeah, well, that's where evangeline, or eva, comes in. eva tries her best to stay out of trouble, which i think we make a lot harder. she's not what you would think a typical pogue is, she doesn't believe in the pogues v.s. kooks, says it's all bullshit. she also won't go near alcohol or anything of the sort. her dad passed away a few days before she was born from a drug overdose, and after that her mother was never quite the same. eva always steers clear of staying at home for too long, and i guess that's why she hangs out with us.
now, pope and eva had been friends since they were young, but kiara and her bonded over their love for animals the summer after eighth grade, and suddenly she was one of us. pope and eva are hopelessly in love with each other, but both of them are completely oblivious to it. i don't know if they'll ever realize, or if they do, admit it to the other. we made a rule for ourselves, no pogue on pogue macking, and under zero circumstances can that rule be broken.
so, that's my crew.
and that's me, john booker routledge. and this is where i live. an old fish shack on the marsh. the château, as my dad used to call it. there's dad. he disappeared nine months ago, looking for a shipwreck. who disappears at sea these days? i miss him.
and then there's mom. she split when i was three. last i heard, she was in colorado. i think it was colorado.
that's uncle t. since my dad vanished, he's supposedly my legal guardian. at the moment, he's in mississippi, building houses. which means, it's just me right now, on my own, hangin' out with my 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."
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒．．．
i'm sorry this was such a boring and short chapter but i felt that john b's commentary about the crew was necessary as this was a chance for yall to see a little bit about eva and how she came about to hangout with the pogues! to make up for how short this is, a longer chapter will be published tomorrow or tuesday! again please don't be a silent reader, i love to read comments and i would really appreciate if you voted for this chapter! also constructive criticism is always welcomed and encouraged. thank you for reading!!💗
