Taggy Torres Martínez thinks the only obstacle she's ever encountered in life – the only one of substance, at least, the only one that matters – is herself. And she knows exactly why, has known it for quite some time too; that the worst part is knowing and still, not making the first move. Being stuck in your knowledge as nothing changes, and no one dares to.

Things rarely do in the Outer Banks. The heat, the sweat, the sea and oh, the people. People do not change. Anyone who said otherwise was a liar – Taggy knows this. She has spent too long staring at the stars and wishing other constellations would be drawn, other fates would be written. It never, ever does.

So the Outer Banks stays the same; divided between rich second-home owners, Kooks, and the Pogues, who, she figures, are the scraps at the end of it all, discarded, ignored, neatly put away out of sight. She is one of those scraps, the one at the very, very bottom.

Because nothing changes in the Outer Banks, and neither does Taggy.

She could not tell you when she realized she was losing herself; it happened all at once, really. There was no reason for it either. She was living with her mother, happy as she could be, she had a boyfriend she loved as much as she could and who loved her, she figures, just as much too. There were so many things she settled for, she almost forgot what wanting felt like.

But it's all the same, because she knows everyone around her is settling too. Rafe Cameron, her boyfriend, hates Pogues to his very core. Her, too, for being the same filth he tries to scrub himself clean of everyday. Maybe? Oh, she doesn't know. Rafe wasn't always like this. She remembers him being soft, once. But perhaps that was all in her head, the lullaby that sings her to comforting passivity. All Taggy knows is that her and her mother live on the Cut, always have, for generations.

And her mother settled for Taggy, in ways she sometimes dreads to think of.

She tries – see, she's stubborn, that has never changed before either. She tries to be better, to adjust, to accept things that make her skin crawl, others that could make the sweetest adoration taste like bitter wine, and still nothing changes, and she keeps trying, and dwindles as she goes, so does her joy, so does her love and affection.

Give enough of yourself, and you'll be left with only your bones to weep.

It's her very bones, the only thing she has left of herself, that young John B Routledge finds that morning, trying to sneak out of the Camerons' boat. She doesn't know what it is about him, or how he treats her, that draws her in so. But for once, Taggy doesn't find herself giving away too much of herself – maybe getting some of it back, too? She could dream of it, at least.

Hasn't she learned that lesson before? Stars and fates don't change. John B is out of reach, and she is out of ... everything. Dreaming makes no differences, let alone changes. Praying falls on deaf ears, and she fears that it always has.

Because, despite the taste of it, at the end of the day Taggy still goes home, she still calls her boyfriend who she thinks might very well ditch her for what she's making him go through, waiting and waiting and waiting for something she knows will never come but cannot bring herself to give away yet, stuck between wanting out and not wanting to lose the first boy she's ever loved. It has been so long since Rafe had been that boy, she might as well have lost him already.

Stuck between wanting to ease some weight off of her mother's back, and not wanting to set foot into her father's house. This – she cannot. Maybe that makes her selfish. Or maybe she is sixteen, and scared.

Taggy is her own worst enemy, she knows she needs to change, she knows it starts with her, and she can't. She just watches like a statue waiting to crumble. It takes an eternity for the stone to give in, but everything does in time. The same way Taggy keeps giving, and giving, and giving, until even her bones are turned to dust. Because somehow, change is even more terrifying than being stuck. So yes; nothing changes in the Outer Banks and definitely not for her.

At the end of the story, Taggy is still the sacrifice.

Paulina Chávez ⟋ Taggy 'Agatha' Torres Martínez

Chase Stokes ⟋ John Booker Routledge

Salma Hayek ⟋ Mariela Martínez Flores

Drew Starkey ⟋ Rafe Cameron

Madelyn Cline ⟋ Sarah Cameron

Whitney Peak ⟋ Kathryn Elizabeth Darcy

Rudy Pankow ⋆ Jesse James Maybank
Madison Bailey ⋆ Kie 'Kiara' Carrera
Jonathan Daviss ⋆ Pope Heyward
Kathryn Newton ⋆ Viviane Maybank
Lola Tung ⋆ Billy 'Whilelmina' Donovan
Diego Luna ⋆  Mateo Torres Rivera
Jensen Ackles ⋆ Henry Matthew Darcy
Misha Collins ⋆ Maxwell Darcy
Jeffrey Dean Morgan ⋆ Edward James Darcy
Florence Kasumba ⋆ Caroline Darcy née Bennet
Archie Renaux ⋆ Joshua Hill

JOHN B is at a party, eyes disappearing behind the red rim of his cup. From afar, TAGGY and RAFE are sitting together on a fallen tree. JOHN B takes a swig.

JOHN B (V.O.): Okay, real talk, though, between you and me? I just don't get TAGGY. Not that I've, like, ever spoken with her or anything, but I just know deep down that something's wrong. KAT tells me I have a trauma detector, and you know what, I don't even know if she's joking. 

KAT slaps the back of his head. 

KAT: Stop staring, weirdo.

JOHN B: Ow! I'm not staring.

KAT: You're one wrong look away from a restraining order. Let go, bee, seriously.

She turns back to her conversation with KIE and POPE. JJ arrives with more drinks, kissing her cheek.

JOHN B (V.O.): KAT also says that I have a savior's complex, and um, you know, can't really say that's wrong. Jury's out. There's just something inherently sad about TAGGY that I can't shake off. Like, see her with RAFE CAMERON? You can't tell me she doesn't look seconds away from eating sand. 

TAGGY takes a sip of her drink, eyes darting around the place, knees clasped together tightly, RAFE's hand placed there, her lips flattening in a fine line. Her eyes cross JOHN B's. He looks away.

JOHN B (V.O.): I have never once seen her at ease. She always seems out of place. Right, okay, I'm hearing it now, it sounds bad. Guess I just have to do something about it to make up for it now.

When JOHN B looks back, TAGGY hasn't looked away.

made by glenpowells!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: One can only take "I ship John B and Kat" for so long before doing something ... and well, this is my something <33 Don't worry, KatPope rooters I also have something planned for you all ... 

For Lost at Sea's readers, yes, this is an AU of what would have happened if Edward never left and oh does it entail a LOT of changes ...  I cannot wait for more Kat Darcy icl

And if you haven't read Lost at Sea, no worries!!!!!! There's honestly nothing to know beside that well, JJ and Kat have been together since they were like, circa 14? That's really all, no need to go read it <3

Anyway, welcome Taggy!! Poster child for Growing Sideways by Noah Kahan, she is going to actually make me weep, you're welcome you all!!!

DISCLAIMER: Two things; one, Taggy is asexual (I'm still undecided on whether she is sex repulsed or not, but we'll see how that goes),, so that means if I see a single "we were robbed", "they need to kiss more/at all", "give me the dirty" I will plant a bomb somewhere inside your home (I won't but I will probably resort to blocking if it gets too recurring.) Me and Taggy don't owe you anything in that respect, thank yew <3

Two, please, please, refrain from using "girl", "sis", to refer to me unless you're my friend, I'm really uncomfortable with being referred to femininely by people I don't know, and I use they/them pronouns :)))

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide, Feeling forced to do sexual acts, Anxiety, Depression, Drugs, Alcohol, OBX typical violence.

DEDICATIONS: veedeity, Redoba, cosmicoswalds, -My-Queen-, -allonsy, junebluesfever, pizzafrenchfry, teaganthecheese, eekayye, ella_amara, EllaHibberd, mj98100364, -sunsouls, hoebles, glenpowells, -cosmoskiez, -manicpixie, hartofblack, amuors, fulloforchids, riotsuns, AR4UJOS, ItchyAgalea, CassideeMickaelson, harringtonssss, loverenders, gentlebeastwp, cxinnamon-sundrop, gavictrl, TheQueenOfNothing115, -CELESTIELS, silverctrl, mydearladydisdain16,  evxrmores, darthvwder, -natalics, Lowerlife_Form, -peterparkers-, maisiekelly15 MY SHAYLAS