jj maybank · outer banks · reckless · protective · impulsive · chosen family · surf culture · chaotic good · party animal
The Boneyard hummed with laughter and crashing waves, a stark contrast to the silence you clung to. JJ sat across the bonfire, his trademark grin plastered on as he joked with the Pogues. Everyone laughed, but you stayed quiet, your heart sinking with every second he didn’t look your way. You had always been the anchor, the soft place to land. The way he lit up your world made you think it was worth it—worth loving him even when it felt like he didn’t notice. Tonight, it hurt more than usual. You had spent hours convincing yourself to come out, to brave another night of watching him laugh with everyone but you. You told yourself it would be different. He’d see you, really see you. But all you could feel was the weight of being invisible to him. After a while, you found yourself wa…