𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲

one: Paradise On Earth

SUMMER wasn't really Kai's favourite season, but he didn't mind it. The heat from the sun, the many beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Kai liked it. And being sixteen was always the prime of your life, even if you're suddenly thirty, look back and realize how much of a fucking idiotic teen you were, it was still the best time.

Because it was the time to party. Have a good time.

"That's what, a three story fall to the deck?" Pope said and Kai glanced up to see John B on the roof, at the very edge, trying to balance.

"I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival." The dark skinned boy adds making the curly haired brunette hum, lick his finger and raise it up to the air, checking where the wind was coming from to play along with the joking.

"Should I do it?" He then asked as he glanced down to Pope. "Yeah, jump. I'll shoot you on the way down." He said as he aimed a power tool and Kai rolled his eyes at the two.

"You're gonna shoot me?"

"Yup." Pope nods as John B pretends to shoot him, making a pew! sound effect. "They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers." Kie said as she came out of the patio door.

"Of course they are. Why wouldn't they?" JJ said and Kai sighs. "This use to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles... right Kie?" He glanced down at the girl who puts her hands on her hips to turn to face where he and JJ were sitting. "I can't have cold towels." JJ says.

Kie then takes notice to John B, "can you please not kill yourself?" She asked and JJ looks over at John B as well. "Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one." He called out.

"Woah! Oh, shit." John B says as the beer slips from his hands, landing onto the deck with a thud and the alcoholic beverage spilling out of the can. "Of course you did, like right when I told you." JJ said in disbelief as John B stared down, groaning loudly at the fact he dropped it.

"A-plus." Pope says. "Dumbass." Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "Hey!" Kai heard a man shout as Pope turns around, "hey, uh, security's here. Let's wrap it up." He tells his friends.

"Boys are early today." John B says as JJ looks over. "Humpty Dumpty, let's roll." He says to him as he and Kai go to climb down. "Let's go, boys." Kie says and JJ looks over. "Gary, is that you?" He shouted out, Kai jumping down and walking over to Kie, both him and Pope telling JJ and John B to get down. "Gary, good to see you, man!" JJ shouts, before jumping down onto the deck. "Yeah, you're just asking for it." Kie says before they head inside the house, all of them whooping.

They run through the second floor and run down the stairs, laughing and shouting excitedly before they go to the left, only to run into the security and have to turn the other way, run out from the back of the house. "I got him!" One of the guards says but JJ slips out of his grip.

"Not much of a hugger, man!"

They run out the side of the house, towards the van that John B and Kie started up as JJ, Pope and Kai caught up. "Bus is leaving!" John B shouts as he honks the horn. "Come on, boys! Whoo!" Kie cheered as the three boys hop into the van, Kai going to the passenger seat.

One of the guards come running after them, "check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise." Pope said and they all laugh as JJ looked out the window. "Come on, Gary!" He says and Kai laughs, shaking his head. "Wait, slow down." JJ says as he goes to the window. "Guys, you're gonna give him a heart attack." Kie says as JJ held himself outside the door. "You're so close! You can do it. There you go!" He tossed the beer at the security guard.

JJ groans, "they don't pay you enough, bro." They continued to laugh as Kie grabs JJ. "JJ, stop. Stop." She said and JJ looks at her.

"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished." He says, smiling as Gary gave up, groaning as they drove off.

Tney pass that familiar sign. Welcome To The OUTERBANKS Paradise on Earth. Kai smiled to himself as they drove across the bridge. People here either had two jobs or two houses. It was two tribes and one island. There were two parts, Figure Eight which was the wealthy side of the island. It belong to Kooks, the rich people.

And then there was the south side or the cut. Where people who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters lived. Where the pogues lived. They're Pogues. Pogies. Throwaway fish. It was home to Kai. The cut.

They do whatever they want, whenever they want. So it was a big win. They go fishing, swimming, surfing, or either sometimes party.

There's JJ, he's been Kai's best friend since third grade which is roughly around the same time that they met John B. They were kind of a trio of best friends who kept no secrets. JJ is a good friend, Kai loves spending time with him. And they spend a lot of time together because of the shitty, abusive and asshole dad that JJ has.

And then there's Kiara, but they call her Kie. She's a total sweetheart and doesn't at all deserve to be considered a Pogue. Neither a kook, really. She was just Kie to Kai. She's a rich kid, living in both worlds and her family owns The Wreck. Her parents seemed to not really like them. In a way, they all kind of like her, excluding Kai, he sees her as a sister but JJ, John B and Pope seem to all really... be into her or something of the sort.

And then there's Pope, he's the smartest one out of all of them really. He's a finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship, most definitely going to leave the Outerbanks and actually make something of himself. He's kind of weird, John B told Kai he said he wants to be a coroner once at a party and Kai wondered why anyone would even want to be a coroner. His father, Heyward, was a really cool dude who could get you anything that you want on the island.

And John B... Sometimes Kai stares at him and realizes how lucky he is to have a friend like him. Any troubles he'd have, he can go to John B, tell him and he would be supportive, or give really good advice. Like the same with Kai's recent interesting encounter with a Kook named Sterling that he ended up beginning to see. He was supportive of Kai, he respected that he was out and he didn't really mind that he was with a Kook.

John B lived in an old fish shack on the marsh, The Château, is what his dad use to call it. His dad got lost at sea nine months ago, looking for a shipwreck. And his mom, she split when he was three. Last Kai remembered John B saying was she was in Colorado. Maybe. And then his Uncle T. After his dad vanished, he's supposedly John B's legal guardian but he wasn't here, he was in Mississippi, building houses, so John B was sort of on his own, getting to do whatever he wants.

Kai loves his friends. They're the best.

authors note hi here's the first chapter. how ya'll doing? :)