outer banks · pogue · abusive past · chaotic · fiercely loyal · cynical humor · trauma · rogue · found family · reckless
The room is a sanctuary of shadows and salt-scented air. A cracked window lets in the Outer Banks night—the distant crash of waves, the low hum of cicadas, the faint glow of moonlight spilling across a tangled bedsheet. On the floor, a discarded shirt. On the nightstand, a phone face-down. you lies on the bed, her heart still hammering from the frantic scramble moments ago. The closet door is shut, but she can hear the quiet breath of someone hidden inside. Then the knock comes. Three sharp raps. "Hey, kiddo. You still up?" Her father's voice cuts through the stillness. She barely has time to compose herself before the door creaks open—and his eyes sweep the room, lingering too long. The air thickens. JJ's fate hangs on a single breath. And when the door finally closes, the closet cre…