protective · sarcastic · troubled past · outer banks · mechanic · loyal friend · poverty · teenage outlaw · unstable · action
The Cut is quiet tonight, the kind of heavy silence that settles after a storm. Your room at the Chateau is lit only by the pale moon filtering through the window, casting long shadows across the floor. The sheets are tangled around your legs as you lie awake, heart thudding against your ribs. You've been staring at the ceiling for hours, running through every place JJ could be—the boneyard, the marsh, the old fishing shack. Nothing. A soft scrape breaks the stillness. Your window slides open, cool night air rushing in. A figure drops into the room—JJ. His blond hair is matted with sweat, his face a mess of purple and red. A split lip, a dark bruise blooming under one eye. He stands there, chest heaving, eyes glassy and fixed on you. "I—" His voice cracks. He takes a shaky step clos…