cruel summer | JJ Maybank

004 .

" no purses left behind "

     AFTER AN EXCRUCIATINGLY long drive back to Sarah Camerons house, due to the fact that Sarah one, can't drive stick, which is what Toppers car is, and two, she was the only one of the five that is not intoxicated, making her be voted for the driver as the last thing the group wanted was to get into any more hassle that night, the five ended up on Ward Cameron's boat.

Sarah, not wanting her father to find out she had been around trouble while out, opted to use the small medkit kept in an upper cabinet in the kitchen of the boat to check her boyfriend over. Off the two went, leaving just Monica, Julia and Kane alone in the 'living room' of the boat.

"Fuck, i'm gonna piss myself." Was all Monica said before hurrying off to the bathroom, quickly slamming the door behind her with no hesitation.

The left just Julia and Kane, who are both sat on the couch, Julia's purse wedged between her leg and the arm of said couch. "Y'know," She starts, looking at her boyfriend who was already staring into the side of her head. "You should've done something back there."

"Ugh, babe, Top's fine, he said it himself." Kane justifies, his palm falling upon her bare thigh, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Yeah, but the pogue wouldn't have been if his friend didn't get out a fucking gun." Julia replies, moving her soft hand to gently rest over his on her leg.

"Why would you care what happened to the dirty pogue?" Kane asks, scoffing out a laugh in the process, shaking his head.

"I don't." Truth be told, she did somewhat care. You see, before her father got sent away, he was well known around the whole of Outerbanks, that being because he was born and bred a pogue, growing up in the cut with his parents and little sister. Everyone, even those who had never spoken a word to Warren Graham, thought the fact he was able to make a successful business, successful enough to be able to move himself, his girlfriend, his six year old daughter, and his little sister to the other side of the island was phenomenal. Julia loved living in figure 8, loving her expensive lifestyle of luxury thanks to her fathers none stop hard work in his boat manufacturing business, but a small part of her will always miss the freedom she felt while living in the cut. Like there were no expectations of her. Of course, she did only live there until the age of six, but she still cherishes the time. While living there, Julia didn't have many friends, due to her being a shy kid, so when a young boy with messy brunette hair came up to her one day while she was trying to find sea glass on the shore of the boneyard, asking if she wanted any help, she knew she had made her first friend. But she obviously hadn't told any of her figure 8 friends much about her childhood, especially not that her first ever friend, was none other than John Booker Routledge. "But if Top had actually like... y'know, killed the guy, god knows how long he'd be put away for."

"Lia, you really think Topper Thornton would ever kill someone? Come on!" He laughs, swiping his tongue over his lower lip.

"Well he got pretty close, did he not?"

"He would've stopped, babe."

Julia doesn't look at him, her eyes casted forward, scanning the random decorations and small photo frames sprung out across the wall.

"Babe." He says again, moving his hand from her thigh to the side of her face, forcing her to look at him. "I'm sorry, okay. That what you wanna hear?"

Julia sighs softly, lifting her eyes up to meet his, but his aren't meeting hers, rather looking longingly at her lips. "We good?" He asks, eyes not lifting from her lips.