miss americana | jj maybank

four | fuck buddy j

four | fuck buddy j
[101: pilot]

As promised, Tess spent the next day at Tannyhill, storm prepping with the Camerons. She came down the stairs midday after hiding in her room for as long as possible. But her stomach was throwing a fit without lunch in her, so she reluctantly emerged, messaging Rebecca the whole way as some sort of reprieve from what lay ahead.

"The prodigal daughter returns," Rose commented as Tess came into the kitchen.

Tess promptly ignored her where she sat with Wheezie and Rafe at a small breakfast nook and went for a plate of fruit and small sandwiches on the kitchen island. She filled a small plate with the lunch snacks and went to leave the space once more when a voice interrupted her, "Where are you going, Tessie?"

She turned back towards the group. It was Wheezie who had spoken. Wheezie was the closest Tess had to a weak spot in the Cameron troupe. Part of Tess wanted to write her off as a Kook in training, a spoiled brat. Often because that was sometimes how Wheezie acted. But Tess also recognized her as the "least favorite child" or at minimum, the least paid attention to.

Rafe was their golden boy and the oldest. He was supposed to inherit everything around them. But he was also an idiot and a troublemaker. He was back in the Outer Banks now after dropping out of college, something Ward hadn't taken well to. At the end of the day, he was still Ward's only son and that would always hold weight.

Then there was Sarah, the real star of the show. If you asked Rose and Ward, Tess could stand to take a page out of Sarah's book. Sarah Cameron could do no wrong.

Even Tess was, at the very least, the black sheep. That came with its own problems, but she had their attention. More than Wheezie could say for herself.

Tess sighed and came back to the table, putting on a small smile for the girl's sake. "Hi, Louisa."

She smiled brightly, always having preferred her full name. "Hi, Tess."

They ate in silence for a few moments, though Tess could feel her mother's stare bauring into her. She ignored it and refused to look up from her small sandwiches. "Teresa, you are staying here for the hurricane, aren't you?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, Mom," she muttered.

"Good, then you can help Sarah latch the Druthers in a little while here. Ward says Scooter Grubbs will be out there as well, but I think we need another set of hands. To make sure it's done correctly."

Tess looked up. She ignored the blatant disregard for the skills of the man she spoke of, apparently thinking her 16-year-old daughter who didn't even have a boating license had more expertise than him. Instead, she focused on the search for an excuse to get out of it. But she had just said she would be here all night. It was summer, so she couldn't possibly say she had homework. Reluctantly, Tess said, "Fine."

Rose half-smiled. "See? Was that so hard?"

Tess glared up at her mother, watching her stand and put her plate back in the kitchen. "She does know those people are there to do the work for us, right?" Rafe said once Rose departed.

Tess met his gaze. "What response to that did you expect?"

Rafe shrugged and scoffed. "Agreement?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "See you later, Wheeze."

Wheezie looked up from her phone, clearly having missed most of the conversation. "Bye, Tessie."

Rafe groaned and stood to follow her with a light laugh. "Would you loosen up, Tess? I just meant, why hire the guy if you're gonna send your kids out there to do the job for him?"