Golden~ JJ Maybank

Prologue

Sunsets at the beach never got old. A thirteen year old Maria sighed in content, treading lightly on the wet sand, gathering delicate shells before they were whisked away by the rolling waves. The music of the water sent soft symphonies into the air, its rhythm matched by the calls of the gulls. Soft gusts of wind played with her hair as she hummed a familiar tune that she had forgotten the name of. Basked in golden light from the lowering sun, her only company seemed to be her shadow, following every step she took. Aimlessly walking along the beach had more purpose than Maria could ever comprehend, for it was her only escape from home.

She felt freed by the water, at home almost. It captivated her, and she dreamed of one day exploring its entirety. Stepping into the sea to paddle, Maria didn't mind that the waves lapped at her jeans. Her steps faltered, however, at the call of her name.

"Mia!"

She sighed, before turning around, slightly annoyed by the disturbance from her trance. But her mood soon lifted at the sight of the brown haired girl running towards her.

"Kiara," she replied, lips stretching into a relieved smile.

The girl stopped running, her vans almost touching the water. Kiara always wore vans, they were kind of her signature thing.

A few weeks ago, Maria would've called Kiara her best friend. Her cousin Sarah, her, and Kiara used to spend every waking hour together, whether it be in the former's pool, at the Wreck, or saving baby sea turtles on the beach. But Sarah had Kiara out, and she had no idea why. The two had fallen out and there remained bad blood from both sides, Maria had been torn between them.

She was sure that as Kiara now had a vendetta against Sarah, that she would treat Maria the same, but perhaps she was wrong.

"Mia I'm sorry." The girl said, her brown eyes filled with regret.

"What for?" She returned, walking towards her friend, leaving her solace behind.

"This whole thing with Sarah, it hasn't been fair to you. I'm sorry for blanking you these past few weeks, it was stupid, I really don't want to lose you as a friend." She admitted, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders.

The dark blonde paused, feeling a little more than relieved that Kiara didn't hate her. "It's okay, Kie. You have nothing to be sorry for. Sarah's my family and I love her, but you're my best friend, and that won't change. But I'm gonna stay neutral if you don't mind."

Instead of a response, Mia was met with a mouthful of Kiara's curls, and as the girl threw her arms around her, she'd never felt so content.

"You know just because you go to Kook academy, it doesn't mean we can't hang out after school." Mia said, dropping her flip flops on the floor and slipping her feet in.

"About that.." Kiara said, a mischievous smile spreading on her lips, "I'm moving to your school."

Maria was dumbfounded. A Kook in an all Pogue school? "What?!"

"Yeah, I'll have you and the boys." She grinned, gesturing behind her. "John B, JJ and Pope."

Following her direction, Maria's eyes landed on three boys stood a few metres away, holding surfboards. One of the three boys, a blonde, was messing around, but after being shoved by his friend stood up straight and waved in their direction.

"Okay.." Mia trailed off, waving back slightly confused. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I want you to join us."

Ignoring Maria's quiet protests, Kie
dragged her over to the three boys, and after an only slightly awkward introduction, the three made their way into the water, paddling on their boards.

After changing into their swimming costumes and throwing their clothes into the sand, Kie and Mia ran hand in hand to the water, swimming to catch up with the boys.

"Hey, Mia? You ever surfed before?" The blonde, JJ, asked her.

Leaning on his board with her elbows, she looked up at him, green eyes gleaming in the setting sun. She shook her head.

JJ looked down at her, smirking. "Want me to teach you? I'm the best surfer in the Outer Banks." He boasted, cerulean blue eyes glinting with a hint of mischief.

Finding herself captivated by his eyes, Mia could only nod. If only she knew what she was in for...