PARADISE LOST | JJ Maybank VS Rafe Cameron

NINE

     Rafe was scowling at his father. "What more do you want me to say?"

     "I don't want you to say anything — I want you to take care of business! Where are the backup generators?" Ward rose to his feet and raised his palms to emphasize the question. "You said you would take care of it. Did you take care of it? Where are they?"

     A muscle feathered in Rafe's jaw as he broke eye contact with his dad to glare at the ground. "They're on back order," he mumbled, resting an elbow on the chair as he used his fingers to conceal half his face and mask his expression. 

     "Yeah, of course they are," Ward said in disbelief, taking his seat again as he grabbed his glass of lemonade.

     "There was a hurricane," Rafe reasoned.

     "I tell you what — you know that Pogue I just fired? Way more reliable than you."

     "Really?" There was a bitter smile absolutely void of humor on Rafe's lips — thinking about John B and his friends raised his temper.

     "Yeah, really!" Ward took a sip of his drink. "And I bet you that other Pogue he's friends with — probably more responsible than you too."

     Rafe's nostrils flared in anger, a scowl setting on his face. He opened his mouth to retaliate that that Pogue nearly killed Jules a year ago — how the fuck did that make him responsible, but Ward had went on talking.

     "You need to get it together, Rafe, or you can go live on the cut."

     At this point, he no longer cared how terrible he was acting towards his father. He'd had his fill of today's bullshit. Rafe openly laughed, shaking his head to himself as put a hand lightly on his chin. "Wow."

     "That funny to you?" Ward scoffed. "You can go live on the damn cut, Rafe, as far as I'm concerned. You know, you were a whole lot more better when you and Julie were together — you were more mature and hell of a lot responsible too. You need to pull yourself together because that girl's not going to stick around waiting for you to grow up."

     Rafe inhaled sharply — Ward had no right bringing in Jules and his relationship into this conversation.

     "Now get up and get out of here. I'm sick of looking at you."

     He didn't need to tell Rafe twice as he shot out of his seat, jaw clenched as he kept from talking back even further.

     "Make yourself useful somewhere, somehow."

     Rafe huffed as he said spitefully, "Sarah's not working."

     "This isn't about Sarah, Rafe. You're almost nineteen, you don't just get to sit back and have everything handed to you. Am I right, Con?" Ward turned to Conrad who didn't even look his way.

     Rafe resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, sir."

     "It doesn't seem like you understand me — "

     "I'll take care of those generators, okay?"

     At this point, Ward looked like he could even care less. "I'll believe it when I see it."

     Anger rolling off him like tidal waves, Rafe stormed back inside the house, stopping only upon seeing Sarah and Juliette nearby. His sister was leaning cockily against the threshold of the door he'd just walked through, and Jules was a bit further away standing sheepishly by the wall. They'd overheard everything, Rafe realized.

     "Told you," Sarah said to him in that bitchy tone of hers that Rafe hated. It made her sound all self-righteous, and he just wanted his father to see this ugly side of her. "Shouldn't have bought that motorcycle with the generator money."