deflagrate || rafe cameron

Chapter One

Skylar's POV

The breeze off the water ruffled my shirt. It had been so long since I stood on this ferry, making my away to the island. The last time I was on this boat, my parents stood beside me. Now, I stepped off the boat completely alone.

"Skylar, honey, you are so big!" My aunt Marie smiled, opening her arms. I gave her a small hug and nodded.

"Hey Sky," Topper, my cousin, stepped forward to hug me.

"Hey. Thank you guys for taking me in. I know my parent's probably made me sound like a handful," I chuckled. Aunt Marie shook her head.

"We're always here for you, honey. We missed you. Haven't seen you in a couple years. How are you holding up?" She questioned. I had been asked that question about a million times. The answer seemed so easy, yet so hard.

"I'm okay," I told her.

I followed Topper and my aunt to their car as we drove to their huge mansion. The houses on this side of the island were huge. Back on the mainland, my house was a decent size. It was good for a family of three. Pulling up to their house, I realized that my life was going to be very different. Aunt Marie went inside, leaving Topper to show me around.

"Bask in all the Kook glory," Topper joked as he stretched his arms out, showing off the house.

"What the hell is a Kook?" I laughed. We walked upstairs as he showed me the room I would be staying in.

"Oh little Sky. You have so much to learn! We're Kooks. We have money and we live on the Figure Eight side of the island. The other side of the island, the Cut, is where the Pogues live. They're poor and dirty. Okay. We don't like Pogues. Kook life is where it's at," He smirked at me. I placed my suitcase on the large bed in front of me.

"On the mainland, we just have people," I joked. Topper sat on my bed and crossed his legs.

"So, how was mainland life? Any boyfriends or besties you're missing?" Topper questioned. I rolled my eyes at his question, unpacking some of my stuff.

"No boyfriends. Most of the time I'd just hook up with someone at a party and leave it. Not really a relationship person I guess," I shrugged.

"Well this is a small island. Everyone knows everyone. Careful who shack up with," Topper informed me. I hadn't really thought about "shacking" up with people when I came here. Truthfully, I haven't thought about how life would be at all when I came here.

"What about you? Girlfriend?" I asked him. Topper smiled and fumbled with his hands.

"Yeah. Her name is Sarah. She's awesome. You'll love her! She'll make you feel welcome," Topper told me.

"Okay well I am going to go for a walk. Explore a little," I told him.

"Okay. Be careful. I'm going to head to Sarah's," he told me.

As I walked downstairs, I realized I didn't know much about the island. I had come here a few summers back, but I was young. I don't remember everything. I started to walk in a random direction. As I walked, I came across a dock that didn't look like it belonged to anyone specifically. My feet brought me to the end as I sat down. The water was calming and made me think of my parents. As my mind wandered, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Hey. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't expect anyone else to be here," The guy said. I looked up at the brunette in front of me.

"It's cool. You can sit," I shrugged. He plopped down next to me. The silence between us was deafening, but oddly comforting.

"Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, actually. I just got here today. You're looking at Outer Bank's newest...cool? Cook? Chef? I don't know," I admitted. He laughed at my awkwardness.

"You mean Kook," he told me.

"Yes! God, I have to learn the terms," I pointed at him. I watched as his shoes almost touched the water.

"I'm John B," he turned to me.

"I'm Skylar...T. Why do I have to call you John B? Like why not just John?" I said to him, pulling my leg up.

"You can call me John. Everyone calls me John B because my dad was John too," he explained. I noticed he said 'was' when talking about his dad, but I let it slide. I know I don't like to talk about my parents.

"Does the B stand for bandana?" I joked, pointing to the black bandana wrapped about his neck.

"If that's what you want to think, then yes. Call me bandana boy," he laughed. I pulled myself to my feet, running my hands through my blonde hair.

"Well I should go before my aunt freaks out. See you around bandana boy," I smirked at him.

"Same to you new kook," he smiled. I shook my head and tried to remember the way back to Topper's house.