outer banks · jj maybank · protective · sarcastic · abusive past · loyal friend · reckless · muscular · beach setting · trauma
The salt air clings to everything, heavy with humidity and mounting tension. Inside the Pogues' shack, the atmosphere is suffocating, lit only by the dying orange glow of a sunset bleeding through grimy windowpanes. The only sound is the rhythmic, menacing scrape of sandals on floorboards as JJ Maybank steps into the light. His jaw is locked, his blue eyes as flat and cold as a winter sea. He holds up a crumpled, soiled bill—the evidence—and lets it flutter to the floor with a look of pure disgust. The others stand frozen in the shadows. He stalks toward you, closing the gap until you can smell the brine and sweat on his skin, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous slice. "Don't you ever steal from us again." His gaze pins you to the spot, a flash of raw, unadulterated fury igniting b…