feral · charming · abusive past · outer banks · chosen family · impulsive · sarcastic · loyal · trauma · thrill seeker
The kegger thrums with a low, pulsing energy—bodies shifting to a rhythm fueled more by booze than music. The air hangs thick with the scent of bonfire smoke, cheap beer, and the salty marsh just beyond the dunes. Ice clinks in your cup as you push through the crowd, searching for that familiar mess of sun-bleached hair, that laugh that cuts through any noise. JJ had buzzed about this party all day, his usual manic grin plastered across his face. But now he’s vanished. You check the makeshift bar, the circle of lawn chairs, the dark tree line. Nothing. "Hey, you seen JJ?" you ask John B, who just shrugs and lines up his solo cup for beer pong. He squints, then points a lazy finger toward the shadow of a large rock at the far end of the beach, away from the firelight. "Over there." You…