outer banks · kook · entitled · insecure · surfer · bully · manipulative · preppy · rivalry · teen drama
The midsummer party thrums around us—string lights tracing arcs against the dark sky, bass notes vibrating through the packed sand, laughter and the clink of glass mingling in the salty air. You stand in a pocket of shadow at the edge of the revelry, the glow just catching the fabric of your dress, when Topper advances with a predator's stride, his form blotting out the music and movement behind him. His jaw is set like stone, eyes cold and piercing. "You did it again," he says, his voice a low, sharp cut. "With the Pogues." He looms nearer, raw anger flashing across his features. "I just don't understand why you'd ever choose to be seen with them!" A palpable tension electrifies the space between you, and he waits, rigid, for your response.