The Outerbanks - paradise on earth.
Home of the pogues.
Pogues that always seemed to be in some kind of trouble.

John B and his friends JJ Maybank, Pope Heyward and Kiara Carrera spent their Saturday morning in figure eight. The new building area to be exact. They were casually drinking beer in the walls of one of the future houses in which a family of kooks would be living in.
Until Gary - a police officer - found them and at least tried to catch them. But the pogues mastered to runaway and jump into John Bs car The Twinkie to drive off.
Everything was just like it always was.
Until -

"Guys", Pope interrupted his laughing friends with an alarming voice,"There is smoke coming out of the hood".

"There is what?", Kiara asked and turned back around only for her mouth to form an 'o'.

"Pull over John B!", Pope stressed. JJ, who didn't even listen to Pope the first time - he was too caught up joking about the look on Gary's face - finally stopped laughing.

"I am pulling over!". The car stopped.

"Oh we're fucked", John B whispered after he quickly got out of the driver seat to open the hood.

"I'll get water!", JJ yelled and jumped out of the van, to look for a pond or something like that.

"Why water JJ?", Kiara asked standing next to John B.

"The car is burning!?".

"- No JJ! It's not a fire!". Pope followed JJ after he had already ran off.

"Oh god", John B sighed. He scanned the motor and other parts of the car which he had randomly wrapped with duck tape until the Twinkie would finally start again. Maybe he shouldn't have done that.

"Why did you use all of that tape in the first place?", Kie asked and looked at her friend with a worried look on her face.

"Because it didn't -". A loud engine roared.

"What the hell?".

Kiara and John B both stood at the side of the empty road and their mouths dropped open once they could see the black car driving towards them.
The car was way too fast.

"Who's that?", JJ asked once he and Pope arrived back at the Twinkie.

"No idea". John B and Kiara answered.
Pope didn't even want to know how exactly legal this car was with its tuned parts.

With squealing tires the car stopped in front of them. The darkened windows rolled down. Kings of Leon was blasting through the speaker.

JJ needed to know who was driving this more than insane car. He expected a man in the middle of his twenties, who watched a little too much Fast and the Furious in his childhood - That's what everyone of the Pogues expected.
But they were completely wrong.

Hazel eyes were staring right towards the four friends. Plump and glossy lips curled up into a grin.
"You guys need help?".

"What?". "Oh". "Hell".
The boys gasped.

A chuckle fell of her lips and they could hear her sweet voice once again.
"Yeah you definitely need help".

The door opened and what used to be white Nike air forces waltzed towards the pogues. None of them knew what to say. They were too shocked by the entrance the girl in front of them made, when they expected a man in his mid twenties - while the dark haired girl was around their own age.

"Sorry - uhm - I'm John B", he spoke up once she was standing in front of them,"These are my friends Kie, Pope and JJ. What's your name?".

"Anastasia Hill", she smiled softly at everyone of them.

"Well Anastasia", John B scratched the back of his head,"Twinkie kinda broke down and I don't know what's wrong".

"You called your car Twinkie?", Anastasia laughed. Kiara could feel the positive vibes of Anastasia. She wanted to be friends with her.

"Yep", Kiara answered instead of John B, who couldn't help but blush,"And he duck taped his car".

"He did what?!", Anastasia repeated Kie not believing a word the girl said until she took a look into the hood. John B really did use duck tape.

Anastasias hazel eyes glared at John B. He was nervously smiling at her, hoping that she could save his car.
She rested her hands on the hood of the old van while her hip was leaning against the front of the Twinkie. Her gaze drifted away from John B over to his friends. The blonde guy caught her eye. A smirk was resting on his lips while he was already staring at Anastasia.

JJ couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was wearing a pair of blue low rise jeans that already had some black stains on them - probably from working on her car. She was wearing a cropped tank which let tanned skin show. God that small waist - JJ thought. He was more than intrigued.

The blonde muscular guy captured Anastasia's hazel eyes. He was more than just attractive - the grin on his lips almost promised Anastasia that he was fun to be around.

"Hill Motors?", Pope asked, which made Anastasia quickly take her eyes off JJ,"It's a new mechanics workshop in town".

"Yeah it's my dads. We just moved here after the divorce", Anastasia answered while she swallowed the pain of the divorce of her parents. But Pope seemed to be smart - she thought. He had already connected her last name with the new workshop.

"So that's how you learned to repair cars?", John B asked while he was watching Anastasia work on his Twinkie. She was ripping every piece of duck tape off, which worried JB. What if Twinkie would never start again?

"Yep. I repaired that Nissan Silvia S14A over there. I bought it without a motor engine and now look at it", Anastasia smiled glaring over to her car. She was proud of being able to fix it. The car was in fact even better than she imagined it to be.

"It's gorgeous", Kiara chuckled, making Anastasia even more proud of her car. Yet she continued working so the four friends would be able to get going. Considering the overheated the motor Anastasia expected them to be on the run.

"So John B, looks like you shouldn't use duck tape again", Anastasia explained while John B looked over her shoulder,"Basically the motor was way too hot and the duck tape started burning".

"See I told you the car was on fire", JJ joked and made everyone laugh. Hazel eyes met his blue ones once again. Only for a brief second until Anastasia quickly faced John B once again.

"It should work now", Anastasia smiled and closed the hood. She took a few steps back and watched John B start his car. His lips curled up into a happy grin and he thanked Anastasia.

JJ watched Anastasia wave him and his friends goodbye while she was walking back to her car. She was not only utterly beautiful - she was in fact a full on pogue, who worked hard to make herself a living - considering she basically build her own car from scratch; the back oil stains on her jeans and shoes. Anastasia wasn't a kook and therefore JJ wanted to get to know her.
"Anastasia wait!".

The dark haired girl turned back around to see that JJ was already staring at her. With a smirk on his lips he quickly moved towards her and asked:"What are you doing later?".

"I don't know". Anastasia smiled back. She wanted to do something with all of them. The pogues seemed to be genuine friends.

"I do". He grinned back.

"Do you?". Anastasia laughed.

"-Yeah I do".  JJ smiled and ran his hand though his hair.

"Wait really?", Pope interrupted, causing JJ and Anastasia to face him,"You just ask her out like that?".

"Yeah".

"And that worked?!". Pope was confused. He wouldn't call himself socially awkward - other people already call him that but never mind - but how did JJ just do that?

Blue eyes met hazel ones. JJ and Anastasia both looked at each other until they both smiled and answered simultaneously.
"Yep".
"Yeah".

"So what are we gonna do?", Kiara asked suddenly standing next to Anastasia with her arm around Ana's shoulders. Kie wanted to get to know Anastasia just like everyone else.

"Let's go surfing", Anastasia suggested. Pope and Kiara frowned slightly. No way, they thought, the hurricane Agatha would hit tonight. John B and JJ on the other side were all about her idea.

"Hell yeah", John B laughed,"Those waves are going to be wild".

"No man", Pope urged,"You are crazy. The hurricane!".

"Fuck that Pope", JJ faced Anastasia once again,"I'm in".

"Yeah me too", John B nodded. In the meantime Kiara and Pope exchanged eye contact. Pope sighed and shook his head while Kiara answered:"We're in too".

Anastasia couldn't contain a chuckle:"Perfect. I'll see you at six?".

"Yeah". JJ smiled back and watched Anastasia get into her car.

The engine roared loudly and she drove off with Taylor Swift playing.

"She's a Swiftie". Pope whispered towards Kiara, nudging her side.

"Oh god I love her already". Kiara giggled.

The song playing was I knew you were trouble.
Maybe that was a prophecy, because Anastasias life was trouble - even more than that.
Once she'd see him again - the man she so desperately tried to forget.
Or when the pogues would get to know her and see her real self.

-

The sky was greyish and dull. Like the raw edges of a piece of paper - ripped at every edge but still a masterpiece. Beautiful, Anastasia thought.

She turned the car off and the Halsey music stopped abruptly. With an easy motion Anastasia got out of her dads old truck, which she always used to drive to the beach - considering the boards didn't fit in her Nissan. Just when she managed to grab her board The Twinkie parked next to her truck.

"Let me guess this is the car you use for the beach only?", Kiara chuckled once she got out of the van.

"Yep", Anastasia smiled and walked over to the pogues,"What would you call my Nissan then?". Her hazel eyes watched Pope and John B get the four surfboards out of the VW Bus. JJ in the meantime turned around to face Kie and Anastasia.

"Hmm probably the car you make your first impression with", JJ answered with a big smile on his face. Everyone laughed. JJ suddenly grabbed the hem of his shirt and took it off with a swift move of his arms, flexing his muscles.

Kiara just grinned once she caught JJ flexing his sixpack on purpose while Anastasia was looking at him. JJ basically flirted with every girl - that was nothing new. Though Anastasia was different. She didn't even recognize all of the times JJ was obviously flirting with her - at least that's what Pope, John B and Kiara thought.

"Was it a good first impression though?". Anastasia joked once JJ threw his shirt into Twinkie. While everyone was already changing, Anastasia slowly unbuttoned the flannel she was wearing.

"Breathtakingly good". The blonde answered and from the corner of her eye Anastasia could see Pope rolling his eyes while he, John B and Kiara were giggling. What Anastasia and neither JJ didn't realize was that the pogues were indeed mocking JJs flirty comments.

"Great", Anastasia smiled back and let the soft fabric glide off her skin.
JJs eyes widened once he saw that tanned body and her small red bikini.

"You need to name your cars", John B intervened,"Just like I called my car Twinkie".

"Alright", Anastasia chuckled and glared over to Kiara and Pope,"I'm ready for some suggestions".

"I need to think about it", Pope answered nodding. He never spontaneously decided something.

"Uhh how about Sunset? Sunny! Marley!". Kiara referred to the Nissan.

"Marley? Like the singer?". Anastasia asked, but Kiara continued her suggestions, ignoring her question.
"Getaway car! Wildest dreams! 22?"

"Twenty-two? Like the number?", JJ asked confused while he grabbed his board and followed his friends.

"Kiara is basically just naming Taylor Swift songs", Anastasia laughed and looked over to Pope once he spoke up.
"She's obsessed with both Taylor and Marley". Anastasia and Pope exchanged a smile.

"Taylor Swift has a song named 22 - like the number?". JJ looked at John B for help.

"No idea what they're talking about". John B shrugged. He never understood Pope and Kiaras almost unhealthy obsession with Taylor Swift.

"God you guys need help!", Anastasia laughed out loud while rolling her eyes at John B and JJ.

"I swear we're only gonna be listening to Taylor Swift from now!", Kiara pointed her finger at John B and JJ, while Pope and Anastasia supported Kie loudly.

"Only if someone of you Swifties manages to do a Rodeo Flip", JJ grinned. He knew that none of his friends were able to do that surf trick - expect himself of course. JJ was confident he'd never have to listen to Taylor Swift 24/7.

"Oh god", Kiara exhaled annoyed, remembering the amount of times she failed to do the Rodeo flip and gave up. Kiara was certain there was no way neither Pope or Kie herself would end up performing even a simple trick. The waves are way too wild.

John B chuckled. JJ is the best surfer he knows. No one would ever beat him at surfing. But John B caught Anastasia smirking and was starting to be unsure about all of this.

"Anastasia?". Pope decided to address her directly. She was their last hope to finally teach JJ some good music.

"A Rodeo Flip?". Her sweet voice made her sound innocent, while the smirk on her glossy lips was the exact opposite. It was an unspoken threat.

"Yeah", JJ answered still confident,"There's no way you can do that with these waves".
This boy really expected Anastasia to be an amateur.

"We'll see about that, JJ". Anastasia sent him a wink. For a second JJs cheek went bright red. What if she's gonna beat him?

"Alright let's see what you got, Anastasia", John B laughed while everyone managed to sit on their board in the water.

"Go Girl!", Kiara yelled with a chuckle falling off her lips once she saw JJ blush nervously.

The pogues watched a high wave approach Anastasia and she was determined to catch it. Now it was time to show off every skill she had learned back in California.
Feeling confident Anastasia stood up on her board and surfed on the high wave, like it was one of her cars. It looked like she was controlling the wave - that was how much skill Anastasia had.

And then she jumped in the air, twirling around like she was dancing with the wave and the wind. But the moment of flying, feeling weightless was over within seconds. Anastasia was standing steady on her board once again continuing to ride her wave.

The pogues mouths dropped open. Gasping. While JJ was stuttering. "What the hell".

Kiara and Pope chanted when Anastasia approached them again. They did it. The Swifties won and now JJ had to live with that for the rest of his life.

"Looks like we have a new best surfer in town", John B smiled towards Anastasia.

JJ frowned. "That Rodeo Flip was pure luck".

"If you need to believe that in order to sleep at night, JJ".
Hazel twinkled viciously at his blue eyes. And suddenly both of them found themselves in a competition.
Kiara, John B and Pope being the judges. While Kiara and Pope were highly favoring Anastasia - the competition ended a tie.

The pogues liked Anastasia - even though she crushed all of them while surfing.
So they ended up with a plan for the next day. Anastasia and Pope were both supposed to be working but according to JJ - the day after a hurricane is a free day. Therefore he already told everyone he and John B would pick the rest of them up to go on a chill boat ride.

So with that plan set Anastasia waved everyone goodbye after she loaded up her board and put her flannel back on.
She got in her truck and drove off.

At the end of the day - while the raindrops hit Anastasia's window making a relaxing sound - Anastasia felt grateful. Even more than grateful.
Within a few days she had found some great people, she can call friends. And they are all great people.

That's something no one should take for granted - especially not Anastasia.
After what happened last year, last summer.
Rather who happened.

He happened.
The man with deep blue eyes, broad shoulders, sharp jaw, dirty blonde hair.
The man Anastasia had felt so much for. Feelings that are now twisted with hate.