𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ➝ 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

𝟏𝟗. 𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓

𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄 went on, the sky darkened as stars appeared through the night, and my mind couldn't help but travel away from the screen. My mind replayed the moment when I yelled at Rafe, telling him off for hurting my best friend. Then Rafe defending his own friend, and so on, but once I walked away from him, the scene would start from the beginning, staying on the loop.

I didn't even notice that the boys left, but when I saw Rafe's back walking behind the movie screen, I knew something was wrong. "Kie, grab the bag," I whispered to her.

"Wait why," She questioned but I was already walking away. As I moved through the crowd, I could hear Kie running up behind me, backpack in hand. The grunts got louder as I rounded the corner, eyes wide as a fight was in the midst. Kelce was holding JJ in a chokehold while Rafe punched him in the jaw and Pope and Topper were going at it a few feet away.

"What the fuck!" I exclaimed as I ran towards Rafe, pulling him away from JJ before he could get another punch. "What the hell is going on?" I said as I pushed him in the chest.

"You shouldn't be here," He told me, and I could see a few cuts on his face. He pushed me aside as JJ broke out of Kelce's grip, tackling Rafe to the ground. The two boys wrestled while Kelce tried to pull JJ off of his friend. I shoved Kelce away roughly as Rafe moved onto JJ, punching him once again.

As I grabbed the back of Rafe's t-shirt, pulling him off of my best friend, the screen lit up in flames. I watched astonished as Kie backed away, backpack, and a lighter in her hand. "Get off of him!" I yelled at Topper and Kelce as Rafe moved toward me, eyes focused on the fire.

"Shit, let's get outta here," Topper said as the three boys ran away and back to their cars.

"Are you guys okay?" Kie asked the boys and I watched Rafe run away with Topper and Kelce.

"I'll be back, guys, Kie will take care of you," I told the group and before they could object, I was already gone.

I walked through the dark field, finally reaching Rafe who was talking to Topper. "Rafe!" I called at him after Topper drove off, "I need to have a serious talk with you," He turned around to face me. As the moonlight hit his face, I could see all the cuts that were threatening to spill blood. "Shit," I gasped as I held his face in my hands, looking over his injuries.

"Look, y/n," He tried to say but I shook my head.

"I'm taking you home and we're going to get those cleaned up," I said as I motioned to his face. Instead of complaining, he nodded and passed me the keys to his truck. I hopped into the driver seat while he got in next to me. I pulled away from the curb and the entire ride was quiet.

When I pulled into his driveway, we both got out and made our way upstairs quietly. He opened the door and made his way towards his bed. I had never seen his room before and it was honestly cleaner then I expected. "Where's the first aid kit?" I asked him and he pointed to the bathroom.

I crouched down and searched through the bottom shelf before pulling out a soft red fabric bag with a large white cross on the front. I walked back to Rafe, setting the bag on the bed and opening it up. I grabbed a disinfectant wipe and wiped his cuts. One of my hands cupped his cheek as he hissed in pain from the stinging solution.

None of the cuts were too bad, except one on his forehead, which I had now placed a band-aid over. I closed the bag and put it back in the bathroom before walking out to face him.

"What is going on with you?" I asked him concerned, "This isn't like the Rafe I know. You're beating kids up who's almost four years younger than you, and you've turned into a completely different person," I raked a hand through my hair.

"Why do you even care," He muttered and I started pacing around the room.

"You want to know why I care. Do you really want to know why I bother with you? Well, it's because I care about you," I snapped at him and it felt as if a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. "The day I ran into you at the pool, and when I drove you back to your house, I was faced with two different people. And I continued to see the person that I liked at the kegger and the party. When you brought me home, making sure you were so careful with every turn and every traffic light,"

He stared at me, just letting me yell at him, without any objections. "Back in the car, the night of the hurricane, when I saw you smile and that night when I hugged you for the first time, I felt butterflies. I felt like I was on an adrenaline high that I never wanted to end, I felt as if I was on top of the world and you were right beside me.

"But after I found out everything about Pope and now the fight, I didn't want to believe it. I care for the guy who walked me to my car and whenever we made eye contact, even if it was for a split second, I always, always, felt a rush. So please, just tell me what is going on!" I finished angrily and he stayed quiet, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I don't want to yell at you, Rafe. Hell, I want you to yell at me. Tell me how you feel, tell me what's wrong. I don't care if you break down in front of me, I just want to know that I'm not talking to, and spending all my energy on someone who doesn't feel emotions. God, Rafe, just please say or do something!" I exclaimed.

It was if a switch was flipped in Rafe's head. He stood up from the bed and marched over to y/n. He wrapped an arm around her hips and laid the other one on her cheek before he crashed his lips onto hers. It felt as if it was a scene straight out of a movie.

Y/n was taken back at the moment but she knew that she wanted, no needed, this. She snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer if that was even possible. Her fingers ran through his hair as their lips moved back and forth. The kiss was passionate and both of them felt as if their world was being completed, just by holding each other in their arms.

Y/n was the first to pull away, arms still wrapped around his neck, she stared at him. "Are you sure?" She whispered to him, worried that he would realize what he was doing and forget about her.

"I've never been more sure in my life," He replied and that was all Y/n needed before pressing her lips back onto his.

After a few more minutes, she pulled away from the vulnerable boy in front of her. He instantly knew something was wrong as she sat down on his bed, covering her face with her hands. He sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"What about my friends, and yours... they hate me," I whispered, scared of what was going to happen next.

"We don't have to tell anyone, not until you're ready," Rafe said in a smooth and calming voice as he stared at the fragile girl in front of him. "As long as you're with me, I'll be fine,"

"So... that means we're..." I asked nervously, not sure if I was going to be one of his late-night hookups or the real deal.

"Yeah," He smiled as he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

I had done it, we had done it. I was finally dating the boy that I had been falling for, even with all the denial, I managed to push through. Now I was sitting on his bed, leaning into his chest with his arm wrapped around me, and I couldn't be any happier.

This was the moment I've been waiting for, this was our moment.

I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported this book so far, such as voting or commenting and such. It truly means so much to me. I've always been skeptical about my writing but I've been able to become more confident with everyone who's voted, commented or added this to their reading list.

So, thank you, each and every one of you beautiful human beings.

Syd <3