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"Smile big today, sweetie," Kelly Brown yelled from her rickety old Honda.
"I will!"
And with that, little Maddy Brown walked into her first day of third grade. She and her mother had just moved from Chapel Hill to the Outer Banks after a messy divorce. Her dad had found a new woman in less than a week, and he was even starting his own family. He didn't care about Maddy any more than he did his former wife, and so they left.
Kelly had grown up on the island, with her parents working as much as possible to create the best life for their daughter. Though the family came from nothing, they had everything they needed in each other. Maddy's mother had wanted to move back her entire life, but her former husband insisted on Chapel Hill. Once the divorce was finalized, Kelly was able to find a job and a decent place to live with Maddy on the island.
And the two of them were just happy to be together.
However, on Maddy's first day of school, she was terrified. She was a shy girl, and she had never had any friends other than her mother.
Walking into the bustling hallway was enough to make her heart pound in her chest. Teachers and students were all around her, with multiple people running into her with not so much as a "sorry."
Maddy felt tears prickle her eyes, but suddenly she felt a small tap on her shoulder. A boy who looked to be her age gave her a small smile.
"I've never seen you before and you look lost so, therefore, I have to conclude that you are new here," the boy said. "I'm Pope, and I am going to be your friend."
Maddy could barely understand him due to the howls of the children around her and the big words he had used, but she nodded and followed him to their first class.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"I'm Maddy. Maddy Brown."
"Well, Maddy Brown, this is Mrs. Urbanchiker's class," he responded, walking through the door.
There were kids all over the room, throwing paper airplanes and laughing so hard they cried. Even though it was absolutely terrifying, Maddy couldn't help but smile.
She would fit in there. She even had her first friend.
Mrs. Urbanchiker entered the classroom and all of the kids walked to the room so she could assign seats for the semester. Unfortunately, the last names Heyward and Brown were nowhere near each other, so Maddy found herself alone at the front of the room.
"Class, we have a new student!" Mrs. Urbanchiker announced after everyone had settled down. "Maddy, would you like to say some things about yourself?"
Freezing in her seat, Maddy looked at her teacher with alarmed eyes. She hated public speaking, and most especially in front of people she didn't know. Mrs. Urbanchiker, however, didn't take the hint and subtly encouraged her to stand. Maddy stood completely frozen, not knowing what to say. Pope smiled at her, but not even that helped. Finally, she was saved by the boy who sat directly behind her.
"I'm JJ Maybank. I'm almost 9, I love surfing, and I hate math."
The class giggled as Maddy turned with a grateful smile to the blonde boy behind her. He winked at her, and a small blush colored her cheeks.
"Thank you, JJ, but I asked Miss Brown," Mrs. Urbanchiker sighed.
With newfound confidence, Maddy finally spoke.
"I'm Maddy Brown. I'm 8 and three months, I like to read, and my favorite class is recess."
Finally, she sat down, proud of herself for the small accomplishment. Pope was beaming when she looked over at him, and the rest of the class clapped slightly. Feeling a small poke on the back of her shoulder, Maddy turned.
"Guess what," JJ said.
"What?"
"We're going to be best friends."
<<<>>>
After that first encounter, Maddy introduced Pope to JJ, and JJ introduced them to his friend John B. It wasn't long before they met another girl named Kiara, and before they knew it they were suddenly the Pogues. They did everything together, and they always knew how to have a good time.
It wasn't long before Maddy loved each of them as much as she loved her mother, and her mother adored each and every one of them. Especially JJ.
Though Pope was practically her brother, Maddy was still closest to the blonde goof they all loved dearly.
When Maddy was bullied by some of the kook girls for not wearing the cutest clothes, JJ came in the next day wearing a trash bag because he didn't understand fashion either and wanted to be just like Maddy. He was sent home.
When JJ had his first real crush, Maddy did everything in her power to make it so the girl would cross paths with him. She even went as far as getting the girl to go to the bathroom with her because she knew that JJ was on his way back from the nurse's office. The plan was flawless, except for the fact that JJ had a bloody nose. He walked out with a bloody hand, and as soon as the girl he liked saw him she yelled "EW" as loud as she could. Maddy spent the night watching movies and eating candy with JJ, reminding him that he wasn't gross.
When Maddy got her first period, she didn't go to Kiara or even her mother. She went to JJ. He was weirded out, but he walked from her house to the nearest convenience store to buy her pads. JJ didn't care about the weird looks or the questions from the cashier, because he just needed to get to Maddy.
When JJ's dad hit him for the first time, he went to Maddy's and cried in her arms until he fell asleep. His best friend had been calm and supportive while he was awake, but as soon as he was asleep she squeezed the boy as tight as she could and wished that she could just take all the pain from him as she cried.
Kelly and Big John- John B's father- had become JJ's new parental figures, and he found himself spending nearly every night at Maddy's or John B's.
And even though their lives were messy, broken, and as far from perfect as possible, the Pogues were happy.
