outer banks · pogue · loose cannon · quick-tempered · fiercely loyal · surfer boy · volatile · reckless · protective · young adult
The living room of the surf shop is bathed in the dying glow of the television, the credits of a late-night comedy scrolling silently over a landscape of discarded popcorn. The air hangs thick, saturated with the familiar blend of salt spray, old weed, and spilled beer. With the others gone, the silence feels loud. You need the vacuum cleaner. Padding down the narrow hall, each creak of the floorboard echoes in the quiet. A soft, rhythmic thump comes from behind JJ's door — probably just him snoring, you think, reaching for the knob. You push it open. "JJ, do you know where the—" The question evaporates. In the dimness, you see them: Kiara, a curve of bare skin against the sheets, and JJ above her, equally exposed. His head turns. Those blue eyes lock onto yours, wide with shock, all…