SMOKE SIGNALS, outerbanks

08, fallen from the nest

She scrambled to chase after him, reaching for the hem of his shirt, trying anything to stop him. But unfortunately, he was able to slip right out of her fingertips' reach everytime.

Once he reached the very top deck, Topper stared at John B and Sarah with an feral kknd of anger. Alex finally caught up with him, and she had to choke back her gasp as she realized that the two were sharing a kiss, right in front of Topper, completely unaware of his presence.

That was until he croaked, "I knew it, Sarah. I knew you were lying to me."

Sarah yanked away from John B's grasp, her brow sewn together in confusion. "Topper?"

"You're a stupid...lying whore." He snarled. "You know that?"

Alex jumped into action at these words, feeling anger take a hold of her heart. She swung her arm fast, her fist colliding with the center of Topper's back. He stumbled a bit at the contact, struggling to find his balance again in his drunken state.

"Don't speak to her like that." Alex barked, narrowing her eyes at him as he faced her, slowly.

"You did not just hit me." He began to creep across the old wooden boards, inching closer and closer to her, trying to intimidate her with his wide posture.

"I did." She spat,unfazed by his scare tactics. "And I'd do it again."

At these words, he lunged at her. His arms contacted her shoulders, throwing her backwards with a lot of force. Forming, she was able to grab onto the railing before she fell over the edge.

Unfortunately, the heavy rain had made the railing slick, and her hands slid right off. She thudded onto the steps, one of the sharp edges striking her directly in the tailbone.

She let herself crumple the rest of the way onto the wood, allowing herself to slid down the wet stairs until she skidded to a halt on a lower landing. She heard Sarah yelling for her, and the horror in her voice was unmistakable.

Topper had moved on from Alex fairly quickly, and she was left alone to bask in the sharp pain that was shooting up her spine. After a few moments, she was able to quiet her whimpers and groans as the pain subsided.

She climbed onto her feet as soon as she could, but every movement she made was jagged. At her own pace, she was able to make her way back to the top floor, using the railing as a crutch as she limped.

"Tell him to back off, cause I'm about to beat his fucking ass." Alex overheard Topper's seething just before the three teens came into her view.

John B shoved him lightly. "Go home, man. Go home."

Sarah was glancing between the fighting boys and the stairwell that Alex had fallen down, as if she were torn on which way to go.

"Sarah, let's talk." Topper demanded.

"She doesn't want to." John B countered, shoving him a bit rougher this time.

"I told you to back off!" With an extra hard push, Topper sent John B flying backwards. The wooden support board gave out as his back collided with it, and the railing exploded into splinters, causing John B to freefall all the way to the ground.

Alex couldn't help the horrified gasp that escaped her when she heard the thud of his body against the ground. The loud thunder and whipping wind couldn't even mask the heavy silence that fell over the remaining teens on the landing.

"Sarah, the railing must've been rotten." Topper urged, the incident having sobered him up a bit. "I hardly touched him, okay? I barely ━━ "

With ragged breathing, Sarah turned around, her eyes filling with even more tears when she saw Alex standing there. "A-alex?" She cried.