Kook by Birth, Pogue by Association // JJ

1. the one where i move to paradise on earth

FLASHBACK - a year and a half ago

Alexandria Delfine felt like a fish out of water, which was fitting, considering her new home was on Kildare Island, a hunk of land in the Atlantic literally surrounded by water. It made her feel trapped.

Her parents had talked up the place. Paradise on earth, they had called it. More like prison on earth, which was where she was headed if she didn't get her act together. Her parents had money and influence, but that could only get you out of so much. After two shoplifting incidents, more than a fair share of underage consumption and public intoxication citations, and an accessory to arson charge, her parents had had enough of her shit.

She was shipped off to Kildare Island between Christmas and New Years. Her uncle had somehow agreed to let her move in with him for a while. He had claimed he wanted to help his brother, but Alexandria knew better. He had wanted to help himself, and the hefty child support-type payment the Delfines had agreed to give him, in addition to paying for her private schooling at Kildare Academy and making sure to always supply her with complete financial support certainly didn't do anything but sweeten the pot. The man was money hungry, and a fantastic liar, so he and his niece had always gotten along. Trouble attracts trouble.

Uncle Blaine was a jeweler. He owned the only jewelry shop on the island, and he catered to the rich, which made him rich in turn. Even though he had more money than he could spend, being a perpetual bachelor in his mid-30s, he was pretty down to earth and laid back once you got to know him. He didn't bother Alexandria, and she didn't bother him. They were more like roommates than a child and her legal guardian. She was allowed to come and go as she pleased, as long as she was diligent about answering phone calls and texts, a promise she had had to make to her parents and her uncle upon entering into the new living arrangement.

She tried to see Kildare Island as her chance to start over fresh, with new people, in a new place. Make new friends, do new things. Legal things. But things never seemed to work out the way Alexandria planned.

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I hit the snooze button for what felt like the tenth time that morning. I was not looking forward to my first day at my new private school.

"Lex, you've gotta get up. Your parents will kill me if I don't get you to school on time for your first day," Blaine says through the bedroom door.

I groan and roll over to shut off the alarm for good. "I'm up, I'm up. I'm getting a shower," I say as I haul myself out of bed. I head into the en suite bathroom and turn on the shower to let it warm up. I walk back into the bedroom and look at the crisp uniform hanging on my closet door. The words Kildare Academy are embroidered into a patch on the front pocket of the sweater. A black pleated skirt that hangs much too long and a long sleeve white button up will complete my look.

I shower and dress quickly, growing more nervous with each passing minute. In a small place like Kildare Island, it could be assumed that getting a new kid at school didn't happen very often, especially in the middle of the school year. At least I was starting with a new semester instead of trying to start halfway through, struggling to catch up with my peers academically while simultaneously trying to befriend them.

Downstairs, I gulp down a cup of coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. Blaine reads the paper as I gather my things for school.

"You ready?" he asks me as he folds the paper and places it on the counter.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I respond, pulling my backpack on my shoulder.

Blaine and I make our way to his white Mercedes and head towards the school. Kildare Academy is nestled in one of the state parks sprinkled over the island. Built in the 1700s, it used to serve as a maritime academy for merchant marines. Since then, it's become a private school for rich kids.

Blaine drops me off out front and I follow the other students inside. I make my way to the main office and introduce myself to the lady behind the counter, who smiles from ear to ear upon hearing my name.

"Ah, Miss Delfine! Delighted to meet you. Here is your class schedule. Just follow the room numbers! I hope you have a good first day," she says sincerely. I smile, thanking her for the schedule and well wishes.

I find my first class with ease. I'm comforted by the fact that it's English, my favorite subject. I take a seat on the far side of the room, near the window. There's not much of a view due to the thick forest of trees surrounding the property, but it's something.

A pretty girl with long curly hair and caramel skin takes the seat next to me. She glances at the stickers on my binder as it rests on my desk.

"Are you a conservationist?" the girl asks, eyeing the sticker for NCTR.

"Yeah. I've volunteered at the North Carolina Turtle Rescue the past two summers," I tell the curious girl. Her eyes light up.

"Oh! Me too! I wonder why I don't recognize you?" she says, pulling her hair over her shoulder.

"I worked at the one near Wrightsville," I tell her.

She nods knowingly. "I worked at Chapel Hill. That explains it. I'm Kiara, by the way. Most people call me Kie."

We shake hands. "I'm Alexandria. But Lex is fine." She smiles. We talk saving the turtles and environmental crises until the teacher begins class. We find out they have a lot of the same classes together, and quickly become friends. Kie and I form a bond over a love of the environment, a hate for the overly rich, and a desire for adventure. It became clear early on that Kie was kind of a loner at the academy, but I didn't mind. Once I spent some time there, I realized I wasn't interested in getting to know any of the overly manicured girls or polos-and-chinos boys that seemed to swarm the place.

When Kie finally introduced me to her "normal" friends, a group of boys who's hobbies included drinking, boating, and getting into trouble, I knew I had found my tribe. They had, mostly, welcomed me with open arms, not judging me for my delinquent past or the fact that I was a "kook", as they called the well-to-do inhabitants of the island. One, though, had his reservations about me, and rightfully so. My privileged upbringing and complete lack of knowledge on how it felt to go without starkly contrasted with his life of abusive and absent parents and poverty. He seemed to like that my reason for being here was because I was leaving behind a life of crime, though. He relentlessly teased and chided me at every opportunity right from the get-go, and I had just learned to accept that that was our form of friendship, no matter how fucked up it was.

The first summer spent with the Pogues was rocky. I was an outsider to them, even though I led a similar life to their best friend. I held my own though, keeping up with their drinking and smoking, always being open to adventure. I knew it would take time and work, but I wanted to be a part of their group, a part of their lives, even if their lives were similar to the one I was supposed to be leaving behind.