The first time you stepped onto the Outer Banks set, it felt unreal. Only a year ago you were answering DMs from a handful of fans, grateful anyone even remembered your name after your first film. Now you were twenty-one, standing in the middle of a set that millions of people obsessed over, with cameras, crew, and cast moving like a busy hive around you.

They cast you as Jade — bold, sarcastic, lighthearted, kind. A character who was never afraid to bite back and never afraid to care. You didn’t even need to act much; Jade lived inside you already.

But the timing of your arrival couldn’t have been more chaotic. Online, everyone was talking about Rudy Pankow. Rumors of tension with Madelyn and Maddie, fueled by Rudy’s girlfriend Elaine, were spreading like wildfire. Fan accounts were already analyzing your arrival, some calling you “the fresh energy the Pogues needed” while others whispered you’d only make the drama worse.

You ignored the noise as best as you could, but the second you saw Rudy in person, something shifted. He was leaning against a chair, sun in his blond hair, JJ’s playful grin plastered across his face. His eyes flicked up to you, curious, lingering.

“So,” he said casually, “you’re Jade?”

Your lips curved into a smirk. “Guess so. You don’t look like much trouble.”

He laughed, the kind of laugh that made people turn their heads. “Give it time. JJ has a way of proving people wrong.”

From across the lot, Drew waved at you with an easy smile. Madelyn walked over and wrapped you in a welcoming hug, whispering “So glad you’re here.” For a moment, you almost forgot about the storm brewing outside the set. Almost.

But when you caught Rudy’s gaze again, steady and unreadable, you knew this wasn’t just another job. Jade wasn’t just a character, and Rudy wasn’t just another co-star. Something bigger was waiting — the kind of story you couldn’t script, no matter how hard you tried.

1 hour later

The first table read was louder than you expected. Pages flipping, jokes flying across the room, castmates already slipping in and out of character. You sat with the script in your lap, trying to focus, but your eyes kept drifting. Rudy sat across from you, head bent over his lines, twirling a pen between his fingers.

Directors introduced you quickly. “This is Tani — Jade. She’ll be running with the Pogues this season.” Applause followed, a few cheers, and you felt your cheeks warm.

Madelyn smiled at you, leaning over to whisper, “Don’t worry, the first read is always messy. You’ll kill it.”

But it wasn’t Madelyn you caught staring. It was Rudy again. He glanced up at you with a small grin, then looked down, pretending to study the page. The kind of glance that wasn’t just curiosity — it lingered.

On your phone later, social media was already buzzing. Someone leaked a photo from the table read: you sitting near Rudy, both of you laughing at something Drew had said. The caption read: “Jade and JJ already have chemistry???”

Scrolling through the comments, you saw the split. Some fans were excited, others dragged your name into Rudy’s current drama, speculating too loudly about his girlfriend. It stung, even if you told yourself it didn’t matter.