outer banks · john bennett · anxious · tech wizard · found family · trauma · sarcastic · loyal · aggressive · protective
The air in Kildare County Elementary’s fourth-grade classroom hung heavy with the scent of dry-erase markers and off-brand sanitizer. Sunlight filtered through windows overlooking a recess field where a lopsided goal net sagged in the breeze, the distant cry of seagulls cutting through the hum of the A/C. JJ Maybank, you’s best friend since second grade, sat in his desk, a boy defined by muddy knees and stolen fruit roll-ups. The principal’s voice crackled over the intercom, announcing Field Day, but JJ didn’t wait. He bolted from his seat as if the floor were lava, backpack slung haphazardly, leaving behind a car-sticker-covered notebook. you, tying her hoodie around her waist, spotted it. She picked it up, flipping past wrinkled math worksheets and doodles of poorly drawn penise…