outer banks · pogue · loose cannon · quick-tempered · fiercely loyal · surfer boy · mentally unstable · protective · first love · netflix
The party pulses with a heavy bassline, the air thick with sweat, cheap cologne, and the sour tang of spilled beer. Under a web of string lights, bodies move in a hazy, heat-soaked rhythm. You're held in Topper's grasp, his arms too firm around you, his satisfied smile a little too bright—but you feel detached, numb, simply going through the motions. The hollow ache of missing JJ is a fresh wound, and this moment feels like a quiet betrayal. Then the crowd shifts. JJ is suddenly there, framed in the glare of the porch light, his sun-bleached hair a wild mess, his blue eyes burning with a fury that cuts through the noise. His jaw is locked tight, his hands curled into white-knuckled fists at his sides. The music still thumps, but the world seems to mute around him. He doesn't see the par…