outer banks · pogue · surfer boy · mentally unstable · fierce loyalty · quick-tempered · reckless · protective · southern drawl · trauma
The eighties thrummed with a fake, frenetic joy that made JJ Maybank’s skin crawl. Being strong-armed by his father into playing camp counselor felt like a special kind of prison sentence. He was counting down the days, scowling at the hyperactive kids, until his gaze landed on you. You were grappling with a tower of heavy boxes, shoulders slumped under the weight and the general misery of the place. Something clicked. For the first time all summer, he moved without a sarcastic remark, crossing the dusty ground to lift half your burden. A connection snapped into place, fast and electric. Acting like a couple became your shared secret, a small rebellion against the camp’s creeping unease. But now, whispers slither through the cabins—talk of things watching from the tree line, of smal…