The Least Favorite Cameron

Chapter Ten

 I feel arms wrap around my waist and feel us going up through the water and then my head is above the surface and I gasp trying to get as much oxygen as possible into my body.

"Gracie! Gracie, are you okay?" John B. shouts as I lay my head on my board as I cough up some of the salt water that had gotten into my lungs.

"Gracie oh my god! When we got back to the surface and couldn't find you we lost our shit!" Pope was saying as he straddled his board.

"I'm okay. I'm fine, just need a second to catch my breath," I say as I feel as though I just ran a marathon, exhaustion clouding over me.

"Gracie, your head," John B. says as he lightly brushes his thumb over my forehead and when he pulls away I see that it has blood covering it.

"It's okay, not the first time I've hit my head John B." I say trying to calm him as I can see he is evidently stressed out and concerned over what just happened.

"We should head in, the storm is getting worse," Pope says as we all paddle in. My head really did hurt as much as I hated to admit it. I didn't want to worry John B. more than was necessary and I was already dreading having to figure out a lie to tell my dad and Rose.

We get back to the chateau and change into some dry clothes and John B. and I are in his bathroom as he puts some butterfly stitches and antibiotic cream over the small cut on my forehead.

"Hey guys I'm gonna head home and see if my parents need help with anything," Pope says as he heads out the screen door and into the wind and rain that has increased significantly since we got back.

"Ouch!" I shout at John B. as he places the cream over the wound.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," He quickly says as he holds his hands up as if he's surrendering.

"John B, I'm kidding," I say with a giggle even though I wasn't kidding.

"No, you weren't. You could have a concussion too and it's my fault," He says in an almost angry tone as he leaves the bathroom and goes into the kitchen.

"It's not your fault we got rocked by some giant wave. And I'm fine! I've hit my head before while surfing John B, it happens and it's no one's fault, especially not yours," I say as I hug him from behind and lean into him feeling his body relax as well.

"I just got so scared. When you didn't come back up I thought I was gonna lose you. And I can't lose anyone else. I don't know what I'd do without you," he says turning around to face me and the fear and sadness is present in his face.

"Hey, you couldn't lose me even if you tried, okay? You're stuck with me whether you like it or not," I said as I cupped his face with my hands, staring at his brown eyes that resembled pools of honey and fall leaves.

"I like it" He says in response as he places his hand on my cheek and pulls me in for a kiss.

***

"Grace, what the hell happened to your head?" Dad asked the second I walked in the door, coming closer to better examine the cut on my forehead.

"A tree branch hit me when I was riding my bike back here because of how windy it is outside. I would have been safe at John B's to just wait the storm out but someone told me I had to come home," I said as I glared at Rose.

"We just thought it would be best if we were all safe and together," Dad said as he still looked at my head.

"We'll go to the doctor once things clear up and get that looked at. You could have a concussion," He says as he goes back to playing cards with Rose and Wheezie at the kitchen table.

"You wanna play?" Wheezie asks me excitedly.

"Sure, let me just go up and change around then I'll come play," I say as I head towards the stairs where Rafe is standing.

"Liar," He snarls at me as I walk past him.

"Sorry I didn't quite catch that," I say in a mocking tone.

"No way a tree branch hit you, what the hell were you doing with those pogues and your boyfriend?" He says following me up the stairs.

"Fuck off Rafe. Don't you have anything better to do than worry about what I'm doing?" I ask as I stop in front of my door.

"Well I'm sorry for wanting to protect my family, yeah I guess I'm just the bad guy," My brother says in the same innocent tone he uses when talking to our Dad.

"Can you not treat me like shit for one night so we can just chill? Please?" I say in a pleading tone which he returns with a laugh.

"Our little sister wants to play cards so I thought it would be nice if we could just act like you didn't hate me for the night," I say as I head into my room and am about to close the door when Rafe stops it.

"I don't hate you, you're my sister," He says and then heads back downstairs.

The one night goes on pretty uneventfully which I guess is an event for us. Sarah came home shortly after me and the six of us all sat around playing Gin Rummy and black jack and other games as well. It reminded me of when we were younger and we'd all go on vacation and spend the nights playing cards and watching movies and going for late night walks on the beach with everyone. I think even Rafe was having a good time.

Dad and Rose went to bed and then Wheezie and Sarah and Rafe went up last. I sat downstairs in our living room and stared out at the raging storm outside. When I was younger this kind of storm would have sent me and Sarah into Rafe's room asking if we could sleep there for the night because we were scared. Overtime I began to like storms because of it. They always meant that I could spend time being lazy and doing fun things with my family but over the years that faded. Everyone got caught up in their lives and now I'm left here alone staring out through the big windows of Tannyhill as I watch the Druthers bob up and down in the water with the tide. I sprawled out on the sofa and covered myself with the blanket and I was just about to call John B. and see if he was awake when a huge lightning strike hit and the small wifi bars on my phone disappeared. I lean over and try to turn on a lamp but nothing happens. I sit and wait for the usual sound of the generator turning on but it never comes. I contemplate going up to tell Dad but feel myself being tempted by sleep so I give in.

"Where is the new generator Rafe?"

I hear yelling from the porch as I wake up shakily trying to remember why I fell asleep on the couch and taking a few moments to collect myself before I realize how hot I was under this blanket.

"I'll get it okay, there was a problem with shipping because of all the orders due to the hurricane!" Rafe shouted.

"Well you better get it or else I want all the money I gave you for it back okay?" Dad said in a stern voice. As I walk over to the door Rafe storms past me and pauses to look at me.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," He says quickly and heads toward the front of the house and I then hear the front door open and slam shut.

***

"Well hello Princess!" JJ shouts as the HMS Pogue carrying him, John B, Pope, and Kiara drifts closer to the dock.

"Good morning pogues" I say in a cheery voice as I take John B's hand and step into the boat giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

John B. is driving as we all have a beer and peruse around the water seeing all the damage from the hurricane.

"Hey guys I have a party trick," JJ says as he stands at the front of the boat holding his beer out in front of him trying to catch it in his mouth as the liquid flies everywhere. Everyone is yelling at him to stop when suddenly I feel us getting slung forward as the boat slams into something under the surface. JJ flies off the boat and into the water and then pops up groaning in pain.

"Are you okay?" I shout at him and he gives me a thumbs up.

"Uh guys I think there's a boat down there," Pope says as he points down at what looks to be a small sunken ship a few feet away from where JJ is treading water. 

                                                                            ***End of Act One***