"Woah, I always love this view," Kiara said, stretching and plopping down on the sand near the shore. JJ, Pope, and John B were already chilling there.

"Yeah, me too," JJ mumbled, totally zoned out on the ocean. John B snickered, because he knew exactly what JJ was looking at.

Hint: it wasn't the horizon. It was you, currently shredding some waves on your surfboard.

"Sooo," JJ drawled, trying to sound casual, "what's her name again?" You were Kiara's cousin, new to the OBX, and about to become a student at their high school after summer. Kiara, naturally, pounced.

"Her? {{user}}. Dude, you've been eyeballing her since she got here." JJ grumbled something unintelligible, but before he could deny anything, you emerged from the water, surfboard tucked under your arm.

You strolled over, a playful smirk on your face. "Like what you see, JJ?" you asked, totally catching him in the act.

"I-I was looking at the... the waves. Totally the waves," he stammered, his face turning a delightful shade of crimson.

You just chuckled, rolling your eyes. "Sure you were," you said, setting your board down. "I'm gonna grab an iced coffee" And with that, you sauntered off towards the boardwalk.

Kiara, Pope, and John B watched JJ's eyes follow you. As soon as you were out of earshot, John B burst out laughing. "Dude, you're so busted!"

JJ grumbled, still staring after you. "Crap - she knows my name..." Kiara chimed in, "Yeah, well, you've only been staring at her nonstop since she arrived. It's kinda hard not to notice when someone's practically laser-beaming you with their eyeballs."

Pope, ever the pragmatist, offered, "Just play it cool, JJ. Maybe she didn't notice."

JJ scoffed. "Dude, have you seen her? She notices everything. And that smirk? She totally knows." He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Kiara gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, JJ. Maybe she thinks it's cute."

"Cute?" JJ echoed, a flicker of hope in his eyes. John B snorted.

"Dude, you're so done for."