{ LIVING THE POGUE LIFE }

{2}

Brie woke up groggily to someone shaking her shoulder gently. It took her a minute to realise where she was and what was actually happening. She blinked rapidly, vision focusing to see Kiara knelt down in front of her. Shit.

Kiara looked as equally worried as she did confused at finding her asleep on the bare wooden floor behind the counter of the restaurant. Brie felt her heart skip a beat, thoughts racing through her mind. She didnt know how she could explain this one.

After her family had tragically died in a house fire a few months ago, she had decided to start a new life in the Outer Banks. It was where her mom had lived during her childhood and Brie knew that it was always her mom's dream to one day move back here. Of course, she never got the chance, so it seemed only right for Brie to follow the dream for her.

She had been left with nothing when she lost her family; nothing but the clothes she was wearing when she returned home that morning to see that her whole life had been quite literally been burned to the ground. She had to take on shitty manual jobs with crap pay to save up enough to buy a cheap dirt-bike and make it to the Outer Banks.

Even now, she was broke. Truthfully, she was pretty much homeless, with barely ten dollars to spare for her to spend on food and other necessities. When she had got the job at the restaurant, she'd put in so much hard work that Kiara's dad had trusted her with the keys so she could open in the mornings. She used that to her advantage and, with nowhere else to to, she had been sleeping there through the nights.

So far no one had noticed. That was, of course, until now.

"Brie, what the fuck are you doing here?" Kiara whispered, "Its six AM!"

"Uh, your dad asks me to open up in the mornings," she stuttered, pushing herself up against the side of the counter, "I thought I'd get here early and have a good clean up...but I, um, guess I fell asleep."

Pathetic, Brie scolded herself. Like Kiara would believe that crap! God, she was a crappy liar, which felt worse because she was usually amazing at coming up with the most believable bullshit. Clearly, her talent had failed her.

"We dont open until eleven today; it's Sunday. Brie, are you sleeping here?" She asked, sitting on the floor across from her, "Dont you have anywhere to live?"

Brie felt her pulse quicken, fearfully. "I-I swear, I'm trying to save up enough for a place but it's super expensive and it'll take me at least another month! I'm sorry, just...dont tell your dad, okay? Please. I dont have anywhere else to go, and-"

"Hey, relax," Kiara smiled, softly, "I won't tell my dad. But we have to find you a better place to sleep. Come on, I have an idea."

She grabbed Brie's hand and pulled her up, hauling Brie's backpack onto her shoulder. Brie blushed slightly, embarrassed that everything she owned could fit inside one tiny bag. Aside from her surfboard, obviously, but that was chained up with her dirt-bike near the surfshack round back.

"Where are we going?" Brie asked, curiously as Kiara held open the front door.

"To find you a roomie," Kiara smiled, dragging her out of the restaurant and locking up being them, "I cant let you stay in this crapbox now, can I?"

"I don't know," Brie joked, "That cold, creaky floor was pretty comfy."

"Like hell it was!" Kiara laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulders, "Come on, let's get your bike and you can follow me in my car."

~~~~

When they pulled up, Brie jumped off the bike and pulled the helmet off her head, shaking her hair free. She raked it back away from her face and looked back at Kiara as she slammed her car door shut behind her.