CHAPTER TWO.
pretty girls don't cry

NOVA WOULD OFTEN describe her life as a hurricane. She was a whirlwind of emotions that no one would ever be able to contain or understand. When Nova was happy, she was enough to make others spring with glee. When she was sad, it was like a tsunami of tears and an overwhelming tornado that destroyed everything in its path. And when she was angry, well, Nova would often be blinded by so much hurt and rage that she wasn't able to see the impact her fury would have on the others around her. Especially those who she loved most. Nova would often find herself self-destructing on the people she loved most of all. And after she had pushed them away, she would be left with nothing but her bleeding heart in her hands and a vacancy in her hollow chest, an endless black void where her heart should be.

It was an endless cycle Nova found herself trapped on. When her brother died, she shut everyone else out of her life. She didn't talk to her parents and she ghosted her friends for a short time, and once the funeral had passed, Nova did her best to move on. However, her sadness, anger and grief combined was enough to make Nova act out in a way she never has before. She got drunk and after made one too many mistakes. This made her fall deeper into a dark pit of depression, and instead of reaching out for help, Nova just continued to push everyone away.

That was why Nova turned to drugs and alcohol. She needed to cure for the pain she felt on a daily basis. Whenever she thought about Riley, she would take shots with her friends, and if she needed something a little stronger, she would go to Rafe Cameron and he would aid her ongoing addiction. He didn't even care that the girl was killing herself, especially since he got his own fun out of it.

Then there was a more lethal approach to her issues. There were often times when the girl would get high, and when that wasn't enough, Nova would then go for a walk until she found herself by the water down at the beach. And without even thinking about it, Nova would step deeper and deeper into the crashing waves and harsh ripples until she was deep enough to sink, and once her head was under the surface, Nova would test herself to see how long she could hold her breath. She wanted to see how long she could constrict the air from her lungs, and how long her thrashing body could survive without that last desperate gasp of fresh air, before she sunk down to the dark and bottomless abyss below her. However, before it was too late, Nova would swim back up to the surface and back to shore, then go home like it never happened.

That seemed to be something Nova Van Kirk and Hurricane Agatha had in common. Sure, Nova was a metaphoric hurricane whilst Agatha was a natural disaster caused by nature, and Nova knew the horrific storm from the night before was enough to prove that Agatha was just as chaotic as she was. Not that she remembered it since she was high and passed out in the early hours of the night, the girl now suffering with one hell of a headache the next morning, and an insatiable craving for her next fix.

     Nova continued to walk through backyard of the Cameron estate with Sarah and Juno at her side, the three girls looking around at the damage done on just their side of the island. But it always seemed to be nothing that endless heaps of money couldn't fix, Nova occasionally watching as a few men hired by Ward Cameron continued to clean up the garden whilst they restored it to its natural beauty.

"Shit. Agatha really did some damage, huh?" Juno gawked whilst her eyes inspected her familiar surroundings, her gaze shifting from the broken branches and fallen trees, and over to the men doing the dirty work and making sure the house was picture perfect again. It was expected from Kooks to make sure everything about them and their lives was flawless and shined like gold.

     Nova understood the importance of perfection. She couldn't let others see behind the broken cracks and peer through every gap and crevices. That was why instead of staying in bed and encasing herself in the darkness within her own bedroom, Nova was at the Cameron household with her friends, hoping to find Rafe so he could supply her with something a little more stronger than painkillers.

Sarah laughed and nodded her head, snapping Nova back to reality. "Well, the backup generators are already working, and once these guys clean up the garden, everything will be back to some-what normal." The blonde explained, shrugging her shoulders in the process.

"God, you guys should have seen mother dearest this morning." Juno perked up, a quiet giggle escaping past her lips. Nova knew something amusing had just crossed her friend's mind. "I swear, that woman almost exploded when she saw the tree inside the pool this morning." She laughed in a jokingly manner, earning a small, yet not so genuine smile from Nova in response.

"Then, what happened?" Nova questioned, raising a brow as the girls stood out on the bright green grass and soaked up the warm sun.

Juno sighed quietly, her smile fading slightly for a moment, before the girl cocks her head up to glance back at Nova with a shrug. "Then I called the cleanup crew whilst she poured herself another glass of wine." She joked with a grin, trying to reassure her friends it was nothing to be worried about. But if there was thing Nova knew for sure, it was that broken could sniff out someone else who was slowly breaking too.

Every kid residing in Figure Eight knew the classic tale of the O'Connell family. Juno's father bailed just before Nova left for her month long trip to Malibu, leaving the girl with a drunk for a mother, who Juno seemed to be peeling off the floor time and time again. It was safe to say her mother's problems left Juno feeling more miserable than ever, and the reason for the destruction of the once perfect O'Connell family was because Juno was into girls just as much as she was into boys. Her father couldn't accept his daughter for who was, so he left her with a drunk for a mother who blamed Juno for everything.

     That was why Nova couldn't help but glance at her friend with sympathy. Juno wasn't like most Kook Princesses. She wasn't cold and callous, or the kind of girl who cared more about fashion than real issues — she was a kind and compassionate girl. Juno liked to take stray cats and dogs off the street and keep them cared for until she dropped them off at the nearest shelter. She even helped the elderly cross the street, and volunteer down in the children's ward located at Saint Olive's hospital. Nova knew Juno was the type of girl who was there for anyone, but no one was there for her.

"You two need to stop looking at me like that." Juno pointed out with a disapproving look in her eyes. Turns out, both Nova and Sarah were staring back at her with a mix sympathy and sadness glazed over their eyes. Juno forced another large grin across her lips. However, Nova could still see the brokenness behind the facade. "It's fine, you guys. It's nothing I'm not used to." She then reassured them.

     It was a lie and Nova could see through it, but she didn't want to push the girl.

Nova sighed quietly to herself and nodded her head, before Juno clapped her hands together and parted her lips so she could speak. "Anyways, so, I have some good news that should cheer the rest of you up..." The dark haired girl trailed off, changing the subject and shifting the focus away from herself like she wanted. "There's a kegger tonight at the boneyard. I helped organised it with the Pogues. You guys should definitely come." Juno announced with a smile.

The second those words left the girl's lips, Sarah began to squeal with excitement, whilst Nova wanted to disappear from existence there and then. Now, Nova was never the type to refuse a party. In fact, she was always the life of the party once you got some booze into her system. However, going to a party organised by the Pogues meant going to a party where JJ Maybank would be, and Nova was adamant on staying as far away from him as possible.

"Oh, my God. We are definitely going." Sarah beamed, the girl already on board with the idea.

However, unlike her friends, Nova was quick to shake her head in response with a look filled with doubt evident in her dark eyes. "I don't know, guys..." She admonished with hesitancy laced in her voice.

"Oh, come on, Nova." Juno exclaimed whilst she shoots Nova a look filled with disbelief, a taunting chuckle escaping past her lips. "Think of it like a post-Agatha get-together. It'll be fun."

Clearing her throat, Nova lifts her gaze to lock eyes with the two girls once again. "I think I'm just gonna pass on this one." She answered with a frown plastered across her face, before a thought crossed her mind. "Is it okay if I quickly go and use your bathroom?" She asked, needing to go somewhere and clear her head.

"Yeah, of course. You know where it is." Sarah responded with a heartwarming smile, before Nova smiled back and turned around to make her way inside the Cameron household.

Sighing to herself, Nova wrapped her hand around the door handle and pulled the door open, entering the house and being welcomed by the beauty and breathtaking craftsmanship of the Cameron household. If there was something Nova knew for sure, it was that the Cameron family had a house people would often kill for, since it seemed to the biggest and most expensive one in all of the Outer Banks. The stonework alone was something worth admiring to Nova Van Kirk's eyes.

"Nova really needs to get a grip." The familiar voice belonging to Rafe Cameron breaks through the silence, snapping Nova out of her dazed state.

Nova furrowed her brows in confusion and followed where the uproar of manly laughter was coming from, before the girl peaked her head around the corner to see Rafe and Topper in the kitchen, chatting to one another with beer bottles clasped tightly in their hands. But before the group of boys could catch a glimpse of the girl, Nova quickly hid behind the wall and listened while the conversation continued.

"What did she even do?" Topper questioned.

"She's no fun anymore." Rafe sighed, whilst he walked around the kitchen island in the centre of the room. "Like, last night, we were, you know, getting it on...and the next thing I know she's stopping me and we got into another fight." He explained, sending flashbacks from the other night through Nova's brain. "So I was a gentleman and didn't pressure her. The next thing I know she's being a total buzzkill and kicking me out the house."

"I don't even know why you're still with her, man." Topper spoke up, his words making Nova's blood boil. "Don't get me wrong, she's one of my best friends, but if she irritates you that much, just dump her already. Maybe it's better that way."

"Seriously, bro, the only redeeming quality Nova has anymore is that she's hot and good in bed." Rafe commented. She could practically sense the humour laced in his voice. "I don't get it. She barely lets me touch her anymore. It's been that way for, like, two months now."

"Rafe, just because I said you should dump her doesn't mean you should talk crap about her. Her brother did die a couple of months ago. Maybe you should cut her some slack." Topper retorted, his words making Nova nod her head in agreement from where she was hiding out. Despite many of Topper's faults, he wasn't too bad of a friend. He was just often misled by Rafe at times. But it didn't justify being a complete dick.

A loud scoff escaped past Rafe's lips. "I've given that girl enough slack to last her a lifetime. My god, she's just so fucking boring."

The second those words echoed through Nova's head, the girl leaned against the wall and felt the tears burn her eyes, prickling harshly in the corners and threatening to spill. Those words definitely cut into her skin like a thousand sharp knives, leaving an invisible scar that no one could erase. In that moment, Nova wanted to scream and crumble apart live everyone else did whenever they felt hurt or betrayed. But unfortunately for Nova, pretty, rich girls don't get to cry and fall apart, especially when they have everything the world had to offer them.

     The girl then pushed her body off the wall behind her, and ventured further into the house and up the stairs until she found Rafe's bedroom, his harsh words forcing Nova to get her next fix now instead of asking him for it later. The last thing she wanted was to ask for his permission. So, Nova pushed the bedroom door open and slowly closed it behind her, an eery creak echoing throughout the house, making Nova cringe at the sound. She hoped no one heard that. The last thing she needed was getting caught by Rafe, or worse, his father, knowing the man would spill Nova's dirty secret to her parents in seconds.

Sighing to herself, Nova scans her eyes over the room and begins to search through Rafe's things, opening up his drawers and pulling out some clothes in hopes of finding his stash. But when nothing turned up, Nova huffed loudly and looked around the room again, desperation pulsating harshly through her chest, her hands beginning to shake whilst she tried to figure out where Rafe's hiding place was to begin with.

     Where would an addict hide his stash from his family?

     All of a sudden, after giving it some thought, a lightbulb lit up above Nova's head before she walked over towards Rafe's bed and knelt down, her exposed knees digging into the soft fabric of the carpet before she looked underneath the bed and saw a small wooden box. This caused for Nova to reach underneath the bed and pull out the box, holding it in her hands for a moment before she opened it up, a small smile filled with relief breaking out across her face when she saw the small plastic pouch of white powder and a dollar bill inside.

"Typical Rafe." Nova mused, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hiding drugs inside a box given to you by your dead grandpa...real classy."

Nova then placed the box down and took out the pouch, the girl unsealing the plastic pouch, before she sat on the bed and grabbed a book that was placed on Rafe's bedside table. The girl emptied some of the powder out onto the book and pushed it together into a perfect line, before she rolled up the dollar bill and leaned forward, snorting the white and incredibly toxic powder up her nose, a burning sensation igniting in her nostrils for a brief moment whilst she threw her head back in pure ecstasy.

     It was like she could see the stars, twinkling bright above her head as she dark day began to fill with colour.

     After receiving the fix she had desperately craved, Nova packed up the box and pushed it back underneath the bed, before she rushed down the stairs and out the house with a mix of sadness, anger and self-doubt coursing through her veins whilst it mixed with the drugs quickly entering her system.. She couldn't help but dwell further on what Rafe said to her. She couldn't believe he would say that. Nova couldn't believe her own boyfriend would talk so badly about her after everything she's been through with her brother dying. The worse part was that Nova actually believed every single word he was saying about her, her crippling anxiety coming back to haunt the girl once again.

When Nova escaped to the outside world, the hot humid air hitting her skin whilst she rushed back over to Sarah and Juno, the girl had one thought in her mind. . . to prove Rafe Cameron wrong. Nova knew it was probably toxic for her to attend a party just to prove she wasn't as boring as people thought she was. It was one of her many toxic traits. But what could Nova say? She was determined to be right in the face of those who wanted to prove her wrong.

So, Nova simply plastered a fake smile across her face and rejoined the girls, her lips parting to speak. "So, about that kegger tonight—"

"Wait. Are you changing your mind?" Juno asked with a smile of her own ghosting across her lips at the thought of Nova finally getting back out there again.

Nova nodded her head in response, earning a surprise look from Sarah in response. "Hold up. Are you sure, Nova?" She questioned. "I mean, you were pretty adamant about staying home tonight. I just want to make sure you're okay with going." Sarah corrected herself with a puzzled look flooding her bright eyes.

The girl thought to herself for a swift moment, her mind being taken over by what Sarah had just asked her — if she was sure. Truth is, Nova wanted to be truthful to her friends and tell them she was only coming because of what Rafe had said about her. She even wanted to cry and scream because his words hurt her more than Nova could have ever anticipated. However, Nova didn't want to sure her imperfections and vulnerability in front of her friends either.

So, Nova's smile only grew wider as she nodded her head. "I'm one hundred percent in."

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     By the time Nova Van Kirk arrived at the Boneyard with her friends, the place was already packed with Pogues, Kooks and Tourons alike. You see, the place was notoriously known for being the one part of the Outer Banks where everyone was forced to get along, despite whatever differences there may be between them. There was no denying there was always an ongoing war brewing between Pogues and Kooks, and even when Nova believed the disagreement between the two clans were completely pointless, the girl believing they were both two sides of the same coin, not everyone would have agreed with her.

All things aside, the Boneyard was the one place where everyone would make an effort to get along. It was something along the lines of Pogues and Kooks could still be enemies, but if they crossed paths on the Boneyard during a fun kickback, then they were forced to breathe the same air and remain in the exact same proximity as each other without whispering a snide comment or throwing a few punches. As for Tourons, they were just family visiting the island for a week or two, completely unaware of the disheartened hate Pogues and Kooks shared for one another. For Tourons, it was almost like a vacation to the Paradise on Earth. . . only Nova didn't see what made Outer Banks so perfect. It was more like hell on Earth in her eyes.

     And what was better than a kickback after one of the most violent storms North Carolina has ever seen?

     Well, Nova could think of a thousand other things better than a beach filled with people she didn't care about, who were drinking cheap beer until they could barely stand. The second she arrived at the Boneyard, the area being littered with remains of the hurricane and empty red solo cups, Nova Van Kirk wanted nothing more than to turn her back on the familiar place and go home. Maybe order takeout with her mother if she was already home from work. Instead, Nova was surrounded by a dozen dancing, drunken bodies, the rhythm of the music ringing through her ears, and the strong stench of beer burning her nostrils.

     "I can't believe my girl is finally breaking out of her shell and coming to these kickbacks again." Rafe chimed with an innocent smile tugging at his lips, but Nova knew better than anyone else that his smile was far from innocent. Devilish, maybe. But not innocent.

     Nova simply hummed in response, plastering a fake grin across her lips as the two continued to walk side by side each other, now waiting in line to get a drink. At least, once she got some cheap beer into her then she could try and forget about all the harsh words Rafe had said about her behind her back.

     Rafe even noticed his girlfriend's snippy mood, causing for the boy to furrow his thick brows together in confusion, a puzzled look plastering itself across his face. "Hey, did I do something wrong?" Rafe then asked.

     "I'm just trying to have fun and not be so...boring." Nova replied with a shrug from her shoulders, turning her head to glance back at her boyfriend with her eyes narrowing into a sharp glare.

This made Rafe sigh in response, the boy realising what she meant. "You heard what I said, huh?" He questioned, causing for Nova to scoff in response. Rafe than groaned in annoyance. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said. I was just pissed about last night." He explained. However, Nova could see straight through his pathetic excuse. She might have changed a lot over the past few months, but the girl was still a good judge of character.

A bitter chuckle escaped past Nova lips, the girl brushing some hair out of her face whilst she began to speak. "You said the only redeeming thing about me was my looks." She argued, the girl trying her best to not make a scene since they were in an incredibly public place.

"I didn't mean it. It was a fucking joke, Nova." Rafe defended, agression evident in his harsh tone.

"Well, I'm not fucking laughing, Rafe." Nova corrected, poisonous venom laced with her sharp and violent voice, the girl shaking her head with a disapproving look glazed over her eyes.

     She wasn't happy and she wanted Rafe to feel her anger and burning fury.

     Rafe groaned in frustration, glaring down at his girlfriend with a clenched jaw. "Fuck you, Nova." He muttered under his breath, but loud enough for the girl to hear, loud and clear.

     Nova didn't say anything in response. Instead, the girl lifted her hand and raised her middle finger in front of Rafe's eyes, a burning look filled with hate flooding her eyes for a moment. And when it was their turn to grab some drinks from the kegger in the centre of the Boneyard, the couple plastered smiles across their lips.

     However, Nova's smile quickly faded away when she came face to face with none other than John B Routledge and JJ Maybank, her smile being replaced by a shocked expression when her eyes began to flicker between the two boys, but more specifically JJ.

"Hey, Nova." John B greeted with a small smile tugging at his lips. "How are you doing?" He then asked, which came almost foreign to Nova. There was no denying that Nova expected a completely different response from the boy since she was a Kook and he was a Pogue. But it seemed they were both staying true to the truce that comes with partying at the Boneyard together.

Also the fact that he was Riley's best friend might have something to do with it as well.

Nova nodded her head in response, forcing a smile of her own. "I'm good. Thank you, John B." She answered, whilst JJ poured them a drink.

"There you are, man." JJ grumbled and handed a red solo cup over to Rafe, who simply thanked the blonde surfer boy with a distasteful look of his own in his eyes. But it was the Boneyard. They were forced to be peaceful whether they liked it or not.

JJ then poured another drink and held it out in front of Nova, causing for the girl to lower her gaze towards the cup. "Thanks." She grumbled quietly, taking the cup from JJ's hand and into her own, the girl doing her best to avoid his prying eyes.

"Are you sure you want that?" JJ then asked, his question taking Nova by surprise, causing for the girl to glance back at him with furrowed brows.

     Whilst Nova continued to stare at the Maybank boy, confusion evident in her eyes whilst JJ stared back at her with concern. It made Nova wonder what provoked JJ into asking that question, and why did he care so much about her drinking alcohol when he quite literally handed her the red solo cup to begin with?

     Nova shakes her head, shooting JJ a look filled with disbelief. "I'm fine." She tells him.

     JJ sighed, "Nova—"

     "Shut up." She snapped, her voice coming out in the form of a harsh whisper.

The tension between the two was quick to feel the air, the tension being so thin that it could be easily sliced with a knife. And Nova couldn't help but stare back at the boy with a look filled with annoyance in her eyes. There was even a quick and brief moment where Nova wanted to strike him down and put the boy in this place, her eyes narrowing into a sharp glare whilst she stared back at JJ. But before she had a chance to say something back, Rafe beat her to it.

"Well, cheers for the beer, dude." Rafe spoke up, breaking the tension with a smile tugging at his lips once again. "We should get going." The boy then adds and throws his arm over Nova's shoulder.

JJ nodded his head with a scoff slipping past his lips. "Yeah, whatever." He grumbled quietly.

Nova and Rafe then part themselves from the awkward situation they put themselves in the centre of, before they begin to walk across the beach with the sun setting slowly behind the horizon. It was rather calming in Nova's opinion, but the girl couldn't help but occasionally allow her mind to drift back to the tensed altercation between herself and JJ. It seemed to be a constant reminder now of how much she truly fucked up when it came to him. Maybe she should have ended things better with him, but it was too late for apologies now.

     The very thought of being trapped in the same proximity of her one night stand was enough to make Nova glance up at the heavens above, gazing at the orange hue that bled across the evening sky. There was undeniable feeling of bitterness pulsating through her veins, the girl holding a single grudge towards the natural disaster that pushed her to come to this stupid kegger to begin with.

     A singular thought then rushed through her head, the girl glaring up at the sky towering over her, Fuck you, Agatha.

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authors note.
Another update for you guys already since I'm feeling good about this story and the new plot, I honestly can't wait to get into all the drama I have planned for Nova and JJ, which you will see plenty of in the next chapter 👀

Also keep you eyes out for more chapters this week, maybe one or two more, but until then. . . I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!