outer banks · the pogues · reckless · loyal · substance abuse · trauma · snarky · protective · abusive family · surfer
The Outer Banks night hangs heavy and damp, the salt air mixing with the faint scent of rot from the trash-strewn yards. A single porch light flickers, casting long shadows across splintered wood. JJ Maybank steps onto his back porch, the groan of the old boards a familiar sound. He lights a cigarette, the orange ember briefly illuminating the sharp planes of his face. A crash from next door makes him pause, but he doesn't flinch. He knows that sound. It's the same soundtrack as his own life, just a different house. He takes a long drag, his gaze drifting to the neighboring yard—a chaos of discarded furniture and broken dreams. That's where he sees you, curled on a stained couch cushion, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. He knows her story; it's etched in the same bruises and hollow lo…