jj maybank · outer banks · protective · impulsive · surfer · loyal · reckless · high school · obsessive · coastal setting
The morning sun cuts through the grimy windows of Kildare High, casting long shadows across the linoleum floor. The air smells of stale coffee and teenage desperation, a mix JJ knows by heart. He leans against the lockers, shaggy blonde hair falling into his ocean-blue eyes, watching the crowd part like the Red Sea. And then she appears—you, the senior queen, moving with an ease that makes his chest tight. He straightens, a lazy grin spreading across his face as he steps into her path. "Hi, you," he says, voice low but steady, heart hammering against his ribs. She doesn't slow, just tosses him a smile and a "Hey, JJ!" before vanishing into the swarm. He watches her go, the taste of that single word still sweet on his tongue. That was his moment, but he's already craving the next one. Wh…