P4L | Outer Banks | JJ Maybank

15th Anniversary

Cory knew she had to be smart about this. She knew she couldn't be rash, and she had to be patient. She had escaped captivity before, and she would do it again.

They had left Cory in the laundry room alone, as if to give her time to contemplate giving in to them.

But she was too stubborn.

She was JJ Maybank's girlfriend after all.

So she had stuck it out. She waited about two hours in the laundry room until she called out, requesting to see Paris. She figured her own sister would probably be the easiest to manipulate, given the attempt at "getting Delia back" was probably rooted in her missing her younger sister.

Paris entered the laundry room, a nervous look on her face.

Cory sat on the washing machine, attempting to look sad.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hi," Paris greeted, her voice soft.

"So, there's a party tomorrow?" Cory asked, feigning a sort of defeat.

Paris smiled. "Yeah, will you go?"

Cory nodded gently.

Paris' smile continued to rise. "Topper texted me a little while ago. Pretty sure he said he's gonna bring Sarah Cameron." She chuckled to herself. "Glad she's finally back from that John B kid."

Cory wanted to scream, but she kept her mouth shut and chuckled along with her sister. At least if Sarah was there, she might have a way out of this whole situation. And Kie would of course be there.

"Yeah," she said. "Hey, is there any way I could go up to my room?"

Paris looked at her sister, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"I just... don't wanna sleep on a pile of dirty beach towels," Cory gave her sister a soft smile. "And pick out an outfit for the party."

Paris thought about it, and then she nodded.

"Yeah," she said, pushing the door open.

Cory stepped out after her sister, noticing the empty house. It had to be after midnight, so everyone had retreated to their own houses, or beds.

Paris and Cory moved up the stairs, turning to Cory's room.

"Your windows padlocked," Paris said, grabbing a nearby chair. "So I wouldn't try it if I were you."

Cory frowned at the warning from her sister. It was such a surreal situation she was in. Stuck in her own house just because her family wanted her to go to a party with them.

But Cory nodded, pushing the door shut. She heard Paris maneuver the chair under the handle. When she tried it, she felt the same sticky handle as the laundry room.

"Goodnight," Paris said.

Cory didn't say anything, and after a few seconds, she heard Paris' feet retreat to her room.

Cory turned back to her bedroom, sighing. She could see the padlock on her window. She thought about the last time she had actually slept in that room. It had been a long, long time.

Cory moved to her closet, pulling on her old pajamas as quickly as she could. Then, she collapsed a top her bed.

She woke the next morning, the door handle of her bedroom still stuck from the chair on the other side.

She remained in her PJs all day, trying to entertain her with the stuff she could find around her room.

But that night, when Paris came knocking on her door, she was in her best party attire, a pair of jeans with her favorite party top, a beachy pink tank that fit her in all the right places. It was a favorite of JJ's.