𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 ── JJ MAYBANK

BEFORE

"Are you going to the beach with Will?" He asks.

"Yeah," Dani answers walking back to her bag and picks it up, throwing it over her shoulder. "You want to come?"

Topper nodded before finishing his cereal and placing the bowl back into the sink. "Rafe is will probably be at the beach anyway, I'll meet him there."

Dani rolled her eyes at the mention of Rafe's name. "What's he doing at the beach?"

Topper doesn't answer her question but he turns the tap on, as if to avoid answering the girls curiosity.

Dani and Topper were close siblings. The two both didn't have reliable Mom's which they also bonded over. Topper's Mom was not the reliable type and had left Topper with his Dad when he was around 5 years old meaning that Dani and him had grown up together their whole life.

Dani's Mom was reliable but couldn't stay in Outer Banks long because she was an aspiring actress who was trying to get her big break in the country where she was born - Isreal.

This meant Dani was half Israeli which did make her Toppers half sister as she had a different Mom but the same Dad but the two acted like they were full-blood siblings and when they were younger, they spent all their time together.

She hadn't heard from her mother since, which told Dani that her acting career probably failed before it even started.

Topper was a good brother to her growing up, being quite protective over her but isn't that what most brothers were like?

He sometimes let her off when she did things that he didn't like but he had always told her to stay away from people who lived in the south side of town. Her family had always called them Pogues but Dani had never witnessed anyone else calling them that.

She sometimes drove through their neighbourhood with her Dad but they never stopped to look around. She rarely ever saw a Pogue where she lived as they had always stayed clear of her neighbourhood and only hung around where they lived.

The only Pogue Dani had come across was one working in her garden, working throughout the summer who was quite nice to her and her family but her Dad and Topper always told her to never speak to him and only speak to him when it was needed.

She felt slightly sorry for him but she always had to obey her Dad's rules.

"I'll meet you at the beach." Topper speaks as he walks up the stairs.

Dani nods and walks outside the house. "See you." She closes the door before he could reply and stands outside her house for a while, forgetting what she was outside for. Her mind was blank.

"Dani!" She hears someone shout, making her jump slightly before her eyes glimpse at the person rushing up to her.

"Will!" She cries out before running towards her best friend who she hadn't seen in three weeks before they both engulf each other in a hug. "Oh my god, I missed you so much!" She nestled her face in his shoulder as he chuckles, both of their faces slightly squished from how hard they were hugging each other.

"I missed you too! I wish you came on holiday with me," He speaks as Dani smiles. "You would have made it so much better!"

The two of them almost stumble over in front of Dani's house but Will regains his balance before the both of them injure themselves on the stony pathway that Dani had fallen over and hurt herself on multiple times. The both of them have permanent scars on their knees from that path.

"You're telling me you didn't enjoy a three week holiday with your grandparents?" She tilts her head with a sarcastic look on her face before Will hits her arm lightly after they separate their hug.