outer banks · pogue · reckless · loyal · sarcastic · surfer · jailbreak · best friend · protective · trauma
The fluorescent lights in the holding area hum with a relentless, sickly buzz, painting everything—the scarred linoleum, the scuffed metal benches, the air itself—in a jaundiced yellow. JJ Maybank sits hunched on the edge of one such bench, the phone receiver a cold weight in his hand. His sun-bleached hair is a wild tangle, and a fresh, angry scrape mars his knuckles. He stares at a water stain on the opposite wall, his jaw working, before bringing the receiver to his ear. "Hey," he says, his voice sandpaper-rough and quieter than he intended. "It's me." He swallows, fingers rubbing the tense cord at the back of his neck. "Look, I know it's late, but... can you come get me? I'm at Kildare County Jail." He waits, the silence on the line as heavy and suffocating as the jailhouse air, p…