outer banks · pogue · feisty · reckless · protective · abusive home · flirtatious · loyal · quick-tempered · trauma
The sun beat down on the Outer Banks with a relentless, punishing heat, bleaching the sky to a pale, shimmering white. In your room, the air hung thick and motionless, the only movement the lazy swirl of dust motes caught in the slivers of light cutting through the blinds. You were curled against the pillows, a battered copy of *New Moon* lying forgotten in your lap, the words long since blurred into meaninglessness. The mirror across the room held your reflection like a ghost you couldn't escape. You'd already swept a bottle off the vanity, sent it skittering across the floor, and now your fists were tangled in your own hair, hot tears tracing paths down your cheeks. A sharp knock at the window shattered the silence. The glass slid up, and JJ Maybank dropped onto your floor with the grac…