Forbidden // OBX - JJ Maybank

Pilot 3

Hurricane Agatha.

The beautiful storm gave us a reason to reschedule our DCS assessment. It might've only given us a few more days of freedom, but It meant more time with my brother.

Although it meant more work for me at the pier, I was so thankful for the storm. Ever since the start of the year, cleaning boats and refilling ice buckets has probably turned into the highlight of my week. Recently my boss has been making me clean the fish guts from the scrap bins, definitely not the ideal way to spend my time.

I've been working for Howie since I was 14. It started as a project for me to save enough money for a bike, but I kinda got attached. It was pretty much my second home, and not to mention I ran the whole business during the offseason. In summer, I just did jobs that Howie couldn't/ wouldn't do. 

I never bought that bike, and now, two and a half years later, I've saved more than I ever thought possible.

Aside from helping JB with groceries and bills, I saved close to my whole paycheck every week. I wanted to have something just in case we ended up in the shit.

I did buy a mean surfboard, though, which was worth it. A Salt Gypsy Shorebird with twin fish fin, you can probably imagine JJ's face when I brought it out for the first time. It was just like the one my dad had years ago; after John B was born, they needed money for a car seat or something. His one was a lot nicer, but Gypsy was alright.

He regretted selling that board for years, never shut up about it.

I got her about a year ago. She had "Salt Gypsy" In bold orange writing and was coloured in a warm yellow, with surf stickers arranged all over. Dad was so proud of me when I brought it; he came to the beach with me on his longboard and helped me practice some cutbacks. We surfed for hours that day.

John B was so jealous when I showed the boys, and JJ was probably more obsessed than I. Pope congratulated me on my hard work

It wasn't my fault my smart ass brother would rather spend his money on booze than save for something worth it.

I'd let JJ borrow it from time to time. He was the best surfer I knew, so I trusted that he wouldn't lose my prized possession. He'd been using Gypsy more than me recently. I kind of avoided reminders of dad for a while. But with the insane swell that was coming in, I needed to get past that.

Dad would want us to surf and enjoy life.

-

"an absolute beauty!" JJ remarked when I paddled out to the rest of them.

It was the day hurricane Agatha hit, and the waves were unreal. The water was insanely messy, but the swell was just about the biggest OBX has ever seen.

"Me or the board?" I jokingly replied, barely being able to keep my eyes open. The wind was insane.

"Both!" Pope replied as he faceplanted off a wave into the surging water.

The sky was dark and raging. Thunder crashed right above our heads, almost warning us to leave. John B was flapping around like a fish out of water in the air while JJ was attempting to catch an insane 6 ft wave. He managed to get up and ride the massive wave for a couple of seconds. Staying standing on these waves was not the easiest thing to do.

After watching the boys try and fail, I gave up and decided to head back in.

John B was yelling at all of us, something to do with a boat. I couldn't exactly hear him. I found myself paddling for a wave before I even knew what was going on.  A monster of a wave appeared.

"No fucking way you're catching that Lucy!" Pope yelled from across the water.

I didn't even turn around to see it; I just knew a wave was coming. A bit of a surprise when I realised the size of it.

I kept pushing, trying to get myself to a good distance away from the wave. The power behind it was incredible. I stood up fast and just tried to follow the movement of the water. It was like a messy dance with my board not being in sync with the movement of the wave. The wave started to break, and the force pushed me to the left-hand side; I tried to ride it out as long as I could. Inevitably I had to bail and swim the rest of the way in, but my short moment of being on top of the world was worth it.

"You deserve a medal for not dying on that monster." JJ laughed as we were putting the board in the van.

"But seriously, what were you thinking? That wave was insane Lou." Pope added on.

It was warm in the van. Away from the wind and rain, we could finally catch our breath. I took off the rash vest I was wearing to keep warm, revealing my bikini underneath.

It was a green triangle bikini set that I had gotten from a random surf shop. The top fit me perfectly; it hugged me in the right places and never slipped down in the water. The bottoms were a bit small, but that's how I liked them. JJ liked it too, by the way he was staring.