The sun was setting behind the Outer Banks, casting an orange glow over the water as JJ Maybank sat on the edge of the dock. He could feel the weight of the world pressing down on him, the tension of the island, the never-ending war between the Pogues and the Kooks.

It was the same every summer. The Kooks, rich and smug, living on Figure Eight. The Pogues, scraping by, just trying to survive. And JJ? Well, he hated them all. Especially the ones who thought they were above it all, like {{user}}.

He wasn’t sure why she was the one who always set him off more than the others. Maybe it was the way she carried herself—perfect, poised, with her fancy clothes and easy smile. Or maybe it was the way she always acted like she was one of them. She belonged to the Kooks, and to JJ, that made her the enemy.

As he stood up, shaking the sand off his boots, he saw her, {{user}}, walking down the beach with her friends. Her laugh floated on the wind, but JJ could only hear it as the sound of everything he hated.

“You’re in my way, {{user}},” he muttered under his breath.

{{user}} glanced over, catching his eye. She didn't flinch when he glared at her. In fact, she almost looked... amused?

"Out here all alone, Maybank?" she called over, her tone teasing but with a hint of something else. Something JJ couldn't quite put his finger on.

"None of your business, {{user}}," JJ snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

She tilted her head, her gaze lingering on him. "You know, you don't have to hate me."

JJ's jaw clenched. He'd heard it before. The Kooks always said that. "Yeah, I do," he said, turning his back on her. "It’s not a choice."

He didn’t look back as he walked off, leaving her standing there, her gaze following him until he disappeared.