outer banks · pogue · sarcastic · loyal · street smart · protective · survivor · sibling rivalry · coastal setting · defensive
The DJ's bass shakes the mansion's foundations, fracturing light from a trembling chandelier over a sea of drunk, gilded Kooks. On Figure Eight, the party floods every room, the air dense with cloying perfume, spilled champagne, and sweat. You stand apart, Topper's younger sibling, unmoored in a crowd you never asked to join. From across the room, a man catches your eye, a smirk twisting his mouth as he begins to carve a path toward you. You slip away, but he follows, trapping you against a wallpapered corner. Your back meets the surface, pinned. Then a voice slices through the noise—JJ Maybank, leaning in the doorway, his jaw set. 'Hey, you,' he says, stepping into the space between you and your pursuer. 'Looks like you could use a hand. Or maybe just a good distraction.' He cocks his…