Troubled Water » Outer Banks [JJ Maybank] BOOK TWO

IV: Blood in the Water

blood in the water
noun. the exposure of a competitive weakness in an opponent that arouses increased competitive aggression in others. likened to the literal presence of blood in the water that causes aquatic predators (such as sharks) to seek out and attack prey.

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August 10, 2020

Lee we really miss you
Not Delivered

August 13, 2020

Did something happen with Ward?

Are you ok?
Not Delivered

August 18, 2020

Idk if you're trying to punish us or something but you can't just go AWOL whenever it's convenient for you

We're real people Lee we have feelings, too

Or did you forget P4L?
Not Delivered

August 22, 2020

I'll tell JJ and Pope to stop wasting their energy

Obviously our texts aren't going thru bc you blocked us or got a new number or something, but believe me that your message has been received.
Not Delivered

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In Lee's dream world, she woke up every morning on a king-sized four-poster bed, the doors to her balcony swung wide open and a breeze wafting in off of Lake Como. She went to work at 11AM, where her assistant handed her a cup of cold brew from her favorite local coffee shop, and she sat down to work for a mere two hours before going to a press conference. At said press conference, she was given an award for bringing peace to the Middle East (or something cool like that), and then she went home to her handsome husband, who had just cooked a beautiful carbonara for dinner and was cracking open a bottle of the most expensive red wine in Italy. In her dream world, she is the wife of George Clooney.

In the real world, Lee was waking up on the floor of Danny's room, her face pressed to the carpet in a way that meant she would see the imprint of each fiber on her cheek when she went to wash her face. She was definitely still wearing her makeup from the night before and definitely feeling the effects of drinking for the first time in months. She was also still wearing her corset and jean shorts, which meant that her trip home would probably be considered the ultimate act of public humiliation: a walk of shame. Unfortunately, she couldn't even say that she'd gotten some the night before—she would just be walking home looking like this for no reason.

"Fuck," Lee whispered to herself, sitting up and noticing Danny still snuggled in his bed. She rolled her eyes and got to her feet, wandering into Danny's bathroom and slowly closing the door. In the mirror, she saw exactly what she had anticipated: mascara and eyeliner smeared beneath her eyes, patches of foundation that had survived the sweaty ordeal of Kelsey's party and her restless sleep last night, and curly hair so messy that Lee wouldn't have been surprised if birds had taken to nesting in it overnight.

There was a sound from outside the bathroom and Lee cringed, not wanting to face Danny after the previous night. Sure, they had been able to joke about the JJ Incident before passing out, but really the ideal end to last night would've been hooking up, stumbling home, and making out some more. A conversation about Lee's friends from Kildare had not been on her agenda and was not something she wanted to address again this morning.