ALWAYS || RAFE CAMERON

19

"we're gonna stay here tonight, ok?" i asked Kelce, who nodded.

i got up off the grass, dragging Rafe up with me, and pulled him into the bathroom.

"you've got to get it together!" i whisper yelled.

"huh? oh, yeah. yeah," he said, eyes still vacant.

i slapped him hard across the face and his eyes cleared.

"ow!" he yelled, cupping his cheek.

i put my hand across his mouth. "you're  acting like a fucking zombie! you've gotta be normal! Top can already tell something is wrong, and if anyone puts two and two together i am not covering for you! understand?"

"yes you will," he tried to get to the door.

"you need to grow up, Rafe, this is serious! you could go to jail for the rest of your life! that's no more golf, or drugs, or Top or Kelce. and no more me!"

"you'd visit," he rolled his eyes.

"you shouldn't be so cocky. i am most certainly not visiting anyone in jail. grow. up." i hissed and unlocked the door.

Topper, Kelce, Rafe and i sat around the table at 10pm, eating cereal.

Kelce's landline rang and he got up to answer it.

"Kelce here," he said into the receiver.

"oh, shit- sorry... no... this morning... yeah, yeah of course. yeah Rafe and J are here, we'll keep an eye out." he put the phone back in the receiver. "Sarah's gone."

Kelce said Ward instructed him and Rafe to stay there, while Top and i went to his place in case she turned up there.

we took my car, speeding through the dark, dodging and overtaking the other vehicles on the road.

"this isn't like her!" Top's knee jogged up and down.

"she's been corrupted by the Pogues. she's obviously not thinking straight."

"what if something's happened to her?"

"she'll be ok," i said.

we drove the rest of the way in silence, arriving at the Thornton's at just gone 10.20pm and headed inside.

Mrs Thornton had gone to bed, so crept went up to Top's room, watching the news in case they said anything about Sarah or John B.

"why did you lie to me earlier?" Top asked suddenly.

"what do you mean?"

"i asked what was wrong with Rafe, and you said it was nothing."

"i told you he was tired!" i sat up.

"why did he look so guilty?"

"he's shaken up! John B could've easily killed Sarah or me or Ward as well!" i yelled as quietly as possible, so as not to wake Mrs T.

"what?"

"what?"

"you said John B could've easily killed Sarah or you or Ward. you were there, weren't you." he frowned.

"so?"

"so you did lie."

i sighed. "yes, Top, i lied—surprise. i do that pretty often, as you know."

"where did John B get the gun?"

"i don't know! probably his psycho friend JJ!"

"you keep a gun in your car," he said in a dark voice.