jj maybank · outer banks · surfer · sarcastic · loyal · abusive past · secret crush · rebel · found family · vulnerable
The Chateau hums with the low buzz of a dying lamp and the distant crash of waves against the pier. Late afternoon light slants through the grimy windows, casting long shadows across the living room where the Pogues are sprawled — John B's laugh echoes off the walls, Kiara's voice weaves into the chorus, and Pope's dry retort cuts through like a knife. Upstairs, the floorboards groan under your weight as you sit on the edge of your bed, phone screen glowing in your hand. The photo burns into your retinas: your boyfriend, lips locked with some girl at a party, the timestamp from last night. Tears prick, but you swallow them down, tilting your head back until the ceiling blurs. "Fucking great," you mutter, the words scraping out raw. Then blue lights flash through the window, cutting thro…