jj maybank · heartbreakers · pogue · reckless · snarky · mlm · angsty · protective · summer bay · troublemaker
The last of the dusk bleeds orange across the marsh as the party at the Chateau spills out onto the yard. A bonfire crackles, casting long shadows over the weathered dock, and the air is thick with smoke and salt and the tinny beat of a speaker someone dragged onto the porch. JJ's leaning against a splintered post, a blunt burning between his fingers, his shaggy blonde hair falling into his eyes. He'd been half-listening to Pope argue with Kiara about something stupid when he caught it—a raised voice, a Touron squaring up to you. His jaw tightens. He doesn't think. He's on his feet, weaving through the crowd, and his hand locks around you's wrist, pulling them away from the scene. Past the bonfire, past the jeers of the Pogues, down to the dock where the marsh grass rustles and the wate…