Seawater Cowboy ✸ Outer Banks

got a secret, can you keep it?

CHAPTER I. got a secret, can you keep it?

Mirabel Rhodes absolutely adored chaos. She delighted in the feeling of companionship she gathered whenever things went to shit, simply put. So, no surprise she was utterly in love with the definition of mischief: JJ Maybank.

The blonde chaotic boy had been her haven since she could remember, the first person she had ever confided in. Looking back now, JJ should not have been the best person to cry to about her parents or how worried she was about her future but again, Mirabel wasn't known for her rational thinking or her beauty either, she was known for being an absolute bitch.

The locals of the island had witnessed Mirabel in more catfights that one could count in the short years she had been in the Outer Banks public High School and still, she was second best in every class, only behind boy genius Pope Heyward. She had even lit a fire in the Principal's office when he had gone on about her "lack of modesty" when wearing clothes in class, remarking how it was "distracting teachers and boys in her class". 

Mirabel Rhodes was just issues with legs. She was gorgeous though, which honestly, that's all she really cared about.

The girl had been conditioned to flinch everytime she put on weight. Her mother's words echoing inside her head, eyes red and bones sticking out. Salads and water for dinner, skipping breakfasts and ginger shots to avoid looking too bloated. She loved being skinny, she loved skipping meals and seeing her ribs, and loved buying the tiniest size she could find. She felt guilty everytime she indulged and punished herself with extra time at the gym. To summarize, she hated herself.

The weight of an arm hugging her waist woke her up. Mirabel blinked slowly as she came to her senses and sighed as she took the arm and slowly lifted it up, moving sneakily as she got up and gathered her clothes scattered around the floor. When she found her underwear, she scrunched her nose and looked at the naked boy laying in bed. It had been a good night. Mirabel put on her clothes and walked out of the window.

When Mirabel arrived at her house her mother was waiting for her.

"Where have you been?"

Evelyn Rhodes was the definition of a perfectionist. Blonde hair always in an elegant updo, clothes ironed and fitting perfectly in her fit body. For being forty years old, Evelyn was always reminded of how good her skin looked and she wanted to hold the same standards for her young daughter. Her father, Kieran Rhodes, was honestly non-existent. He was always away on a business trip trying to win another case and ignoring the existence of his sixteen-year-old child and her problems.

"Out." Mirabel skipped towards the white stairs and quickly climbed them up, listening to her mother scream at her for being an irresponsible slut.

"Come back down here Mirabel! Could you stop being a little slut and listen to me for once? I just asked you to come home for dinner with the Camerons. Do you know how embarrassing it was to tell them that you weren't coming?" Evelyn shouted. "You could learn a thing or two about Ward's girl Sarah. She was such a delight. But of course, you wouldn't think so, always out there, getting high with your friends and opening your legs to anything that moves." Her face scrunched up in disgust.

Mirabel laughed loudly to infuriate her mother and screamed "Oh Yes, Mother Dearest! I love being a slut and getting high with my friends!"

"You're punished!"