CASTAWAY ⚓ R.C, J.M

F I F T E E N

Harley and Kie had been sprawled over Kie's bed for a little while now. Harley had rolled around to dangle upside down half off the bed. Her eyes had been glued to some books Kiara had stacked at the bottom of a shelf,though her mind was glued to her missing brother. She was still worried sick about John B.

The two girls had been talking, but Kie could tell Harley's mind was mostly elsewhere. Kiara sighed and pulled her friend back onto the bed and flopped down beside her. 

"Come on. John B is fine, think positive." Kie gave an encouraging smile. Harley tried to smile back. "I know. Think of something that makes you happy, right now."

Harley's thoughts drifted at the prompt. 

A calm river blue trickled into her mind. Silver glints brightened her favourite pair of blue irises. Ruffled hair the colour of Kildare sands and drizzled sunshine. Silly jokes that filled her chest with laughter and sweet words that made it all explode with the softest pink. 

JJ Maybank could make you feel the most beautiful kind of insanity. 

"Woah," Kiara exclaimed with surprised laughter. "What has you smiling like that? You've gone gooey eyed and I know it isn't over smoothies."

Harley attempted to school her features but struggled and gave up quickly. Instead she rolled over on Kiara's bed and looked to her friend. "Can I tell you something? You can't tell anybody, not even JB."

Kiara sat up. Her eyes dazzle with intrigue and she nodded with impatience. "Spit it out. Is it a boy!"

"Yes."

Kiara shrieked and rushed over to crush Harley in excitement. "No way! Oh my God. Since when? Who is it? Do I know them?"

Harley gnawed away at her raw lip. Now that Billie was gone Kiara was her closest girl friend and she could trust her with anything. That's what she had always thought anyway. Sharing a big secret would bring them closer. They had been pretty close when Harley had washed up and it would be nice to get back to that.

"Yeah. Since... I don't really know. A week or so now. But, I guess technically since last summer."

"Last summer? No way you've kept it a secret this long," Kiara spoke astonished with a slight pout. 

Harley shrugged. It was easy to hide it all from Kie, since she hadn't been around that often. 

"Wait. It's not Rafe or Kelce or something..."

Harley wretched and smacked Kie's arm. "Gross. No way. You know I wouldn't ever go back to Rafe."

"Kelce..."

"Kiara," Harley yelled through a sickened chuckle. "Kelce is Kelce. No. And the same with the rest of that Kook group. In fact, he's not a Kook at all. The furthest from it."

"What? Come on, spill. The only people I know furthest from Kooks is John B and... JJ..."

Kiara's head almost snapped as she swiveled to get some sort of confirmation from the still soft eyed brunette sprawled across her bed.

A subtle nod from Harley made Kie's jaw hit the floor. "Our JJ? Kleptomaniac, idiot JJ."

Harley nodded again. She waited in silent apprehension as Kiara appeared to be thinking. Her eyes flittered side to side before landing back on Harley. "This makes so much sense. How did I not see this? Well, I did, but JJ can be like that with a lot of girls."

Slowly, Kiara's face twisted into a frown. 

"What?"

"This goes against the Pogue rules. No Pogue on Pogue macking."