This is my escape.

With each stroke of the brush I am free. As the colors blend together I'm not here, trapped at the Cameron's with my awful mother and her stupid family, I'm off. Away. Floating. Enjoying the ocean somewhere with my dad. Picking up seashells and showing him each one.

But that's not reality, unfortunately. The good parts never are.

"Guess whattt." Sarah's voice sings as she enters my room and jumps on the bed.

I jerk, sighing as I notice my blue for the ocean is now in the orangish-pink sky. Don't snap at her, Cori. Snapping at Sarah is liking watching a dog being bit by a snake.

I roll my eyes playfully. "Whattt?" I mock her cheerful tone.

"We're going to a party tonight." She smirks confidently.

"Ugh." I dismiss her and go back to my painting.

"Come on, Cor, you love parties." Sarah pouts at my reaction.

She's right, I do love parties. What I don't love is third-wheeling with her and Topper.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice of them to include me at all, but thennn they don't. They end up ditching me, running off to make out the whole night... leaving me with a bunch of Kook's. Nightmare.

"Is Topper coming?" I ask annoyedly, already knowing the answer.

"Of course." She shrugs like that was obvious. She tilts her head down and her eyes up, the perfect Sarah Cameron-puppy-dog look. "I promise we won't leave you along this time."

I eye at her over the easel, raising my brow as I shoot her a pointed look. We both know that's not true.

"I swear!!" She raises her hands up. "Come on, it'll be fun." She pleads. "Pleaseee." Anddd, bam. Locked and loaded. There's 'the look.'

I sigh, defeated. It's become harder and harder to say no to Sarah—the more I grow to like her.

I know she's just trying to include me and get me out of the house, which I don't want to be in anyways. I don't want to be here anymore than I have to be, especially not without her here.

"Fine." I groan, throwing my head back.

"Oh, yay!!" She claps.

"Buttt! I'm getting drunk. So you and Topper will have to deal with me." I point at her, smirking.

"Deal." She laughs, shimming her shoulders as she squeals.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island... where Cori would much rather be.

"Bro, you know the rule. No Pogue-on-Pogue macking." John B. reminds JJ as the latter tries to tease the former about getting with Kiara.

"Right." JJ's tongue rakes over his rough lips as he nods to himself. For once, the endless chatter from the blonde ceased all together.

'No Pogue-on-Pogue macking.' The words played over and over again in his mind like a tortured symphony.

The flashes of hands desperately all of each others body's, his lips on her neck, their hands in each others hair, water splashing everywhere as they chase each other into the ocea-

"Dude, you coming?" John B.'s voice rescues the Maybank boy out of his personal hell, his mind.

He clears his throat. "Uh, yeah."

John B. eyes him warily as he hesitates, and prepares, himself to ask. "Are you— ok?"

JJ laughs, shaking off the temporary slip of memories that fell through the cracks of his scattered brain. "Yeah. Yeah dude, sorry. I- uh, thought I swallowed a bug there for a sec-"

"No." John B. takes a step towards him. "I mean... with," He sighs. "With Cor-"

"Don't! Say it." JJ growls, quickly cutting him off. "Don't say her name." His nostrils flare, looking at his best friend like he was about to call him names in ten different languages.

John B. can't seem to wrap his head around it. Sure, Kiara has spoken bitterly about Cori a few times, seeing her make bff's with the Cameron girl bothers Kiara more than she lets on. And sure, John B. himself was... hurt that Cori never answered back any of his texts after she left— moved.

There. 

He said it.

He was hurt.

His shoulders felt as they suddenly weighed less after admitting that to himself. Allowing himself to finally accept how Cori made him feel. He didn't want to admit that she hurt him, that he too felt some type of 'betrayal.' He didn't want to talk badly about her.

He didn't want to have any ill feelings towards her.

John B. didn't fully want to accept that Cori Hendrix was no longer his best friend.

The one he shared everything with. The one he could laugh with and share memories about his dad with. The one he could vent to about JJ driving him absolutely up a wall, yet he loves him more than anything. The one he could admit to that he didn't understand half of what came out of Pope's mouth. That, at times, he felt like Kiara was too good to hang out with them. 'Oh, she is' Cori would tell him.

Cornelia Hendrix was John B.'s first friend he ever made. And yet she couldn't simply give him a wave if they crossed paths or send a simple text saying she was all settled in?

But you see... that's how John B. felt. And he couldn't imagine why JJ would feel the same. He hadn't known Cori as long as he had. Their dad's hadn't been best friends growing up resulting them in being attached at the hip...

Was JJ jealous or confused? He wasn't sure. But what John B. did want is to understand. Understand why the blonde standing in front of him felt so strongly about the girl that left all of them, and took a piece of the Pogues with her.

"Did she say something, do something to you before she left?" John B. asks, trying to pry something out of his best friend.

But of course, JJ clams right up, like a crab quickly entering its shell and refusing to budge.

"Nah man. Just don't think it's fair to us. Right?" He slaps John B. on the shoulder, walking past him to the motel room they're supposed to be inspecting right now rather than having a heart to heart, or a trip down memory lane...

"She shouldn't get to act like we're the scum on the bottom of her shoe she stepped on in the sand, right?" JJ continues down the row of doors.

"Right." John B. mumbles, stepping around him to the rusted door. "Twenty nine. This is it." He tells JJ, deciding it was best to drop the Cori conversation for now and focus on the matter at hand.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

I exit the steaming shower, drying my hair with a t-shirt I scrunch my waves before grabbing the product to run through my dirty, golden blonde hair. I decided to treat myself to an everything shower and wear my hair naturally for tonight.

Tonight will be fun, I tell myself, staring at my reflection in the mirror. Just ignore everyone like you always do.

I've hated pretty much every second of living on the Figure-Eight side of the island...

I miss my shack of a house, with the wood starting to warp  and the painting chipping off. It wasn't much, but it was home.

I miss the Chateau. And I miss— No, Cori, I scold myself.

You can't think about them.

They do not miss you.

My mind wanders to my dream— memory, I had this morning, grinding my teeth together against my tooth brush before letting out a frustrated sigh. I angrily spit into the sink.

I think of all the words he's yelled at me this summer when we've unfortunately had to cross paths...

Like last week when I was on the boat with Sarah and Topper. We passed them. I was only drinking my wine cooler, avoiding their stares when suddenly I heard his voice, yelling—

"Oh look everyone! Look who it is! It's the backstabbing Kook bitch Cor-"

That's when I saw Kie yank him back as John B. and Pope stared up at the sky before the group became a blur behind us.

"What's his problem?" Sarah turns, looking over Topper's shoulder as she pushes her glasses up to her head.

I only shrug, raking my tongue across my teeth. I remember losing my appetite after that and spending the rest of the afternoon buzzed.

Ugh, it's been that way all summer. Anytime we've come across them, he yells out some insult my way and the others just stand there awkwardly.

I realize I'm squeezing onto both sides of the sinks when my hands start to hurt and the skin of my knuckles are completely white. I look back up at my reflection once again, repelled at what I see.

There are tears in my eyes. Tears. 

God, you're so pathetic, Cori. Pull yourself together!

I blink up at the ceiling as I let out a loud scoffing sound that comes out almost like a shout. 

You will not let some bitch boy make you cry over him!

No. I refuse to let JJ Maybank have that much power over me.

Tonight I will get wasted and I will forget all the suffocating memories that have taken over my powerless subconscious when I am asleep.

I am choosing to have fun, and forget.

At least for one night.

At least... that was the plan.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

𝟘𝕓𝕦𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕓𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕦𝕚𝕥𝟟 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕤!

Hello, hello lovely readers!!! <333

Happy 1 year anniversary to OBX S3 AND happy 1 year to me publishing this book!!! (For the first time lol, it did go through a revamp/republish.)

It felt so good to get back to Cori's story!! I missed her so much!!

Unfortunately, this book has not really taken off. I guess you could say as much as I would like, BUT I am very grateful for those who have read it thus far and have stuck around!! Hope y'all enjoy this new chapter, please don't hesitate or be afraid to comment your thoughts, reactions, and questions!! <3

Happy OBX & Lavender & Seashells Day!!