The Deep End » Outer Banks [JJ Maybank] BOOK ONE

IV: Abluvion

abluvion
noun. that which has been washed away.

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When they arrived back at the Coast Guard's station in the Cut, the first thing Lee noticed was Lana Grubbs speaking with several officers. Lee watched as the woman was led to look at a body on a gurney, where she appeared to break down.

"Who's that?" John B asked, squinting through the sunlight to make out the body.

"It's Scooter Grubbs," Peeler, a young teenager from the Cut, explained. "He was out during the storm. Check out this pic I got."

Lee leaned over John B to see the girl's phone. JJ's hand fell on Lee's back as he balanced on one leg to see over her. When Lee caught a glimpse of the picture, however, she jerked back suddenly. The back of her head hit JJ's jawline, causing him to groan in pain as Lee blinked quickly, trying to rid her mind of the image.

"Dead body," Peeler drawled, smirking as the rest of Lee's friends looked.

Kiara frowned. "That's insane."

JJ rubbed his jawline, a light red mark forming where Lee's head had hit him. "What kinda boat did he have?" he asked Peeler.

"Somehow, that dirtbag copped a brand-new Grady-White," Peeler stated matter-of-factly. "Everyone's out looking for it."

John B turned to JJ and Lee, shooting them a nervous glance as several dots connected in his mind. Lee, however, was still staring at the ground, shell-shocked from Peeler's picture. John B nodded at her, signaling to JJ that something was wrong.

She couldn't get the picture of the body to fade from her mind—a cruel sort of afterimage. Scooter's blue lips seemed to speak to her. His pale hands seemed to reach out and grip her throat. Your fault, he whispered to her. She took an unbalanced step back, bewildered and needing to breathe. JJ wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she clumsily stepped away from the group, muttering something about needing air. He guided her away from the crowd, stopping at the edge of the dock as Lee knelt down and reached into the water, letting it brush her fingertips.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked hesitantly, glancing around before crouching down next to her.

Lee took a deep breath, her eyes shutting as she let her hand skim across the surface of the water. Her eyes opened, reflecting the blue of the ocean as she faced JJ.

"Yes," she answered slowly. "I just..." she trailed off, unsure of what had happened, really. She hadn't come so close to having a panic attack in several months. Steeling herself, she continued, "It just reminded me of my dad. I'm fine."

JJ bit the inside of his lip as her gaze fell back to the water, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Lee wasn't surprised that he didn't push farther. Not only was JJ generally uncomfortable dealing with other people's emotions, it was also an unspoken rule among Kildare Island residents that they didn't ask Lee about her dad. It was common knowledge that she had been in the car wreck that had killed her father, hanging upside down from her seatbelt next to him until emergency services managed to extract her. Ever since, it had been assumed that Lee wouldn't want to talk about that night.

Lee was surprised, however, when JJ grabbed her hands and stood up, pulling her along with him. At first she thought that he was going to lead her back to their friends, but instead he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Lee hesitated for a moment before reciprocating the hug, letting her head settle in the crook of JJ's neck as she took a deep breath. After a moment, they released each other, JJ coughing in slight discomfort as Lee shyly wrapped her arms around herself. They were rarely vulnerable with each other in an emotional way, and exposing even a small part of herself made Lee feel strangely naked.