BOOK 1 [with seasons 1 & 2]
Aurora "Rory" Routledge is not just your average Outer Banks teen-she's John B's twin sister and the perfect partner-in-crime for summer adventures. Alongside their tight-knit group of best friends-JJ, Pope, and Kie-the R...
[The music is just for that one scene, you know which one I'm talking about :) there's no theme song for the scenes ahead.]
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Sweet, wonderful you You make me happy with the things you do Oh, can it be so? This feeling follows me wherever I go
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You, you make loving fun, And I don't have to tell you, but you're the only one.
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Rory~
A few minutes had passed since the talk Kie and I had about teams—heavy, serious, and the kind of talk that left a lingering tension in the air. It wasn't the conversation itself that was weighing on me, though.
It was the waiting. The sitting around, stewing in the quiet, and letting the reality of everything sink in. The silence wasn't peaceful—it was oppressive, like the container walls were closing in on us, inch by inch.
With a sigh that felt heavier than I intended, I pushed myself off the wooden crate I'd been leaning against and wandered over to where JJ was sprawled out on the floor. His position screamed "defiance," like he was protesting the fact that he was even in this situation at all. I didn't need to look back to know Kie was following me—her footsteps echoed behind me, steady and deliberate.
I lowered myself to the ground beside JJ, stretching my legs out in front of me and resting my back against the box behind us. His eyes stayed locked on the ceiling, his jaw tight and his expression unreadable. I pursed my lips, wanting to say something, but deciding against it. Instead, I leaned my head back and looked away.
Kie climbed up onto one of the longer crates we'd been sitting on earlier, letting out a dramatic sigh as she flopped down. "I'm so tired," she mumbled, more to herself than anyone else.
The silence that followed was unbearable. It wasn't the kind of companionable quiet you could sink into; it was suffocating. My mind, ever restless, went into overdrive.
Thoughts came at me like an avalanche—about Sarah and what she was doing, about the cross and how we'd ever get it back while being stuck in the middle of the ocean, about John B and Pope and whether they were already in over their heads.
And then there was Carter, who I knew was probably freaking out somewhere, wondering where the hell we were.
I was about two seconds away from spiralling when I felt movement beside me. JJ crawled over, resting his head in my lap without a word. It pulled me out of my head immediately, the way he always managed to do. I blinked, startled, and looked down at him. His bright blue eyes stared up at me, full of unspoken understanding.
JJ knew me—really knew me. He could read me like a book, and he knew exactly when I needed him most. And JJ being JJ, he always gave me what I needed without hesitation. Even now, when his ego was still bruised from being benched, he was here, grounding me with his presence.
