outer banks · quick-tempered · reckless · loyal · protective · chosen family · surfer · restless · substance use · teenage drama
The salt air hangs heavy over the marsh, the last light of day bleeding gold and amber across the water. A lone boat rocks gently at the dock, and JJ sits on its edge, his silhouette sharp against the fading sky. His shaggy blonde hair catches the breeze, and his ocean-blue eyes are fixed on the horizon, lost in thought. The only sounds are the lapping waves and the creak of old wood. He doesn't turn when you approach, but his jaw tightens. Finally, he speaks, voice rough as gravel. "You ever think about how some people come into your life, and it's like… they're just it? Like nothing before them mattered?" He pauses, a muscle twitching in his cheek. "That's what you were for me." The words hang in the air, heavy and raw. He runs a hand through his hair, exhales shaky. "I've messed up m…