「 ✦ ROSEMARY JANE ✦ 」

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ROSEMARY JANE MAYBANK or MJ to her friends, grew up in the outer banks with her fellow troublemaking twin, JJ. The two had been known to always find a way to have a good time, but they swore that this summer would easily be the best summer ever.

She had woken up extra early to go surfing before the water would be infested with kooks. The water was already warm by the time MJ had pushed her surfboard out. Her dirty blonde hair was pushed over her shoulder, quickly becoming dry from a mixture of the salt water and warm sun in the distance.

She pushed herself off the board and into an upright position, dragging her feet below her as she easily trod the water. Taking everything in, MJ stared at the calm sky a mixture of orange, pink, and yellow that swirled together as the sun began to rise. She knew very quickly that the water would become infested with a mixture of tourists and kooks. Both of which she wasn't wanting to cross paths with.

Summer was beginning, and MJ knew that it would probably be the last summer she had before being shipped away to a reform. A couple of months ago she had managed to stir up enough trouble that social services put her on their radar. Her good friend, John B Routledge, was also on their radar. The only difference between them was that MJ had to pick between juvie or a reform school.

JJ lived that his twin sister was being separated from him, but secretly he was happy she got a way out of the house.

Eventually, MJ decided she had enough of the water and pushed herself back shore. She walked across the beach and back up to the van that John B had let her borrow. She tossed her board into the back, before climbing into the driver's seat still wet from the water.

She drove away from the beach and made her way down the road and towards a sign that welcomed you to the Outer Banks. Man, the Outer Banks; paradise on earth, as MJ and her friends liked to say. It's the type of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island.

MJ took a sharp right, driving a little too fast, and turned onto a freshly paved road of Figure Eight, the rich side of the island, which was home to the Kooks. The Kooks were the rich second-homers who came from bouncy boarding schools. Just kids who spend their family's money and could never work a day in their lives if they had to. She continued to drive over a bridge, she could see people starting to come outside to start the day.

The paved road was almost destroyed as MJ came up to the Southside or The Cut, as many people call it. This was her home, her life, where she felt like she belonged. The Pogues were labelled as the lower class or throwaway fish, practically the bottom of the food chain. They made a living bussing tables, washing yachts, or running charters, and for MJ, working at the country club serving prissy Kooks.

She parked the car next to her friend's house, leaving the keys in the van like they always did, and walked over to a beat-up dirt bike. She slung her leg over it and turned the ignition key, the motor roaring as she raved it and took off towards her home.

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MJ must have passed out because the feeling of something large jumping onto her rickety bed woke her up immediately. She flailed her arms around until something fell to the ground with a large thud.

She quickly sat up, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes before looking down at her twin brother, JJ who was groaning on the floor.

"Glad to see you're alive," He said sitting up and rubbing his elbow.

"Likewise," She said, pushing her messy blond hair behind her shoulders.

"John B's got a DCS appointment, remember?" JJ asked, standing up and making himself comfortable searching through her closet, "He wants to do a boating trip. Everyone's outside waiting."

"Unlike you, I work, someone has to pay bills," MJ groaned as she pushed the ratted covers off her legs and shoved past JJ to look through her closet.

"Can't you just miss one day?" He whined as MJ grabbed a pair of shorts and a white tank top.

"I'll miss a day if you get Dad to stop drinking and pay for the bills instead," She replied as she walked over towards the bathroom across the hallway, stopping briefly to grab a blue bikini off the floor.

JJ stuttered for a second, knowing he couldn't and sighed. "You don't have to take care of him, Rosemary."

"No, but I have to take care of us," She replied as she shut the door behind her.

Before MJ got caught by the police for the third time, JJ had taken the blame for something really big she had done. Because of that, JJ lost his job at the country club and since then it's been impossible for him to find a job.

MJ had spent almost every day in the last two months working and saving up money so JJ would be okay once she got shipped away in September. He was always taking care of her, and ever since the impending doom began looming over her, she wanted to make sure someone would take care of him.

She stripped out of her pyjamas, tossed them on the pile of clothes behind her, and changed into her work outfit. MJ opened the single bathroom drawer that wasn't broken and pulled out a small bag of makeup that she had stolen from the local drug store, fixing her under-eye bags and adding waterproof mascara before shoving the bag back into the drawer.

MJ shouted goodbye to her friends outside before climbing onto the dirt bike and pulling down the dirt road. Soon enough, she pulled into the country club parking lot as the warm sun beamed down on her sun-kissed skin. She shoved the dirt bike keys into her short picket before walking towards the entrance, giving her coworker a polite smile

She pushed open the door to the country club and was instantly called over by her boss who harshly handed her a notepad and directed her over to the pool.

She stopped beside two boys who were lying in chairs and wearing expensive sunglasses. "Good morning, my name is MJ, could I get you anything to start?"

The darker boy, who she recognized as Kelce one of the rich kooks, eyed her name tag which very clearly displayed 'Rosemary' and not MJ. "I'll take an orange juice, Rosemary."

She rolled her eyes at the name, scribbling down the order and turning to the other boy for his order.

Topper, another rich kook, didn't even have the decency to make eye contact with her and spat out his order, "I'll take an ice tea, light ice."

MJ wrote down his order as she walked away. After a minute, both drinks were set on the tray that she was carefully carrying back to the rich kooks. "One orange juice, and one iced tea with light ice. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No," Topper responded.

She had to excuse herself quickly before she wouldn't be able to bite her tongue. MJ shook her head and turned around knocking into someone's shoulder with the empty tray and watched as it fell to the ground.

"What the fuck," The boy snapped causing MJ to stop bending down to retrieve the tray and instead stand up and lock glaring eyes with the boy.

The Kook prince, Rafe Cameron met her gaze and his eyes softened for less than a millisecond before they narrowed again and returned to his cold empty glare.

"My bad," MJ smiled as she broke his gaze to bend down and collect the tray, "Sir."

She walked away before Rafe could say anything, turning back once she was inside the glass doors to catch the honey-blond-haired boy who was tanning, shirtless, on a pool chair a few meters away.

MJ felt herself getting a little too distracted, but she couldn't tear her gaze from him. Not even when his eyes meet hers for the second time in one day. His lips curled up into a sly grin as he lowered his sunglasses and looked the girl up and down before turning his gaze back to his friends.

Within an hour the country club quickly became empty. When an alert about Hurricane Agatha, which was supposed to drop in later tonight, came out everyone quickly wrapped up their social outing and headed home.

The sky was already glowing a dark shade of blue mixed with orange, she wasn't sure if driving home on the dirt bike would be safe with how aggressive the wind was already becoming. MJ pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen to read texts from JJ about going to John B's after her shift.

She sent a message to their group chat and watched as the message pinged as unsent from the low bar of service. MJ groaned, shoving the phone back into her pocket and walked out of the country club and towards the parking lot.

MJ felt a wave of panic when she approached her dirt bike which was very clearly missing the throttle and gage. Someone had managed to find time to take apart her bike preventing her from getting home somewhat safely before the storm.

"Hey," A voice called out over the drowning wide. "Maybank, right?"

MJ turned around slowly to be melted by Rafe Cameron who was standing a few feet away from her leaning against a black truck.

"It's MJ," She nodded slowly, "Can I help you?"

"I think I'm supposed to answer that," Rafe said tilting his head to the side and gesturing towards her broken bike, "Do you need a ride?"

"Is this a joke?" MJ scoffed. The kooks hated her friends and herself, they would take any opportunity to mess with them.

"No, I'm serious," Rafe sighed, "My friends said they're gonna fuck with your bike but I didn't think they'd leave you stranded during a hurricane."

MJ was about to decline the offer with a snarky comment but jumped at the sound of the wind causing a nearby tree branch to fall. Rafe's arms shot out in an instant to grab the girl's arms and hold her in place. He sheepishly dropped his hands to his sides, avoiding her eyes and led her towards his truck.

"Where do you live, Rosemary," Rafe asked as the truck roared to life. He started to drive it down the road, taking a left onto the main road.

"It's MJ." She snapped, "The cut, do I look like I'm a part of your world?"

"Why are you being so snappy?" Rafe asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Why are you being kind to me?" She fired back.

Rafe, who was slightly taken aback by her question chuckled softly, "Impulse. I'm a human, Rosemary."

He cracked a smile, it was probably the first time MJ could remember seeing the boy smile. His smile was warm and beautiful, MJ couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you, Rafe."

They drove in silence for a couple of before Rafe let out a groan bringing the truck to a stop. Before them, a large tree had fallen onto the bridge blocking the only route from the town to the cut. To MJ's home.

"I can walk," MJ mumbled reaching for the door to let herself out.

She let out a soft gasp when Rafe's hand gently grabbed her arm pulling her back to sit in the car. "Don't be fucking stupid. It's a Hurricane and you live in a shit box-"

"Thanks."

"-Sorry but it's true." Rafe continued, his hand still holding onto her arm, "Just, fuck, you can take the guest room or something. I may be an asshole but I'm not sending you out to fucking die. Pouge or not."

MJ held Rafe's gaze as he let go of her arm, she swallowed her pride and nodded, "Thank you."

He nodded, turning his attention back to driving, only those times towards his own house. Rosemary was fucked

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authors note:

I hope you all enjoy the first chapter 

of 'Deep Reef' I'm excited to write this 

character and start creating a connection

 between MJ and everyone. I'm not sure 

if anyone has read any of my other fan fiction,

 but I'm going to start adding songs to each chapter in this one.

Chapter song: Stupid Rose - Kweku Collins