Kook King

Ever since Rafe told Topper off in my defense, Rafe and I have been... together. It's not like we've gone on any dates, but it's unspoken between us that we're together now. I never would have thought I would voluntarily choose to spend time with Rafe Cameron, but now that I've seen him a little bit more closely, I notice an unspoken energy between us. In the last two weeks, neither of us discuss why we hang out, but Rafe does something to me. He pulls me in like a magnet, even late at night when he texts me from his car out on my street to go on a drive with him. I wait until my parents are fast asleep then sneak out. Sometimes we just drive around or park somewhere dark and private to make out until the windows are all foggy and Rafe has to let the car run for a bit to clear them up.

It's not like I've had many boyfriends in my life-- only two to be exact-- but Rafe is completely different than either of them. While they were... boring, Rafe is always doing something slightly dangerous and fun. They were nice, and it's not that Rafe isn't, but I'm starting to realize that the other boys I've been with were too nice. I was the one who took control in the relationship, which I didn't like. With Rafe, he takes charge, always bringing me somewhere new and exciting. It's like a whole other world with him, which is funny because we've both lived on the same island our whole lives, but now I see it completely differently.

In only two weeks, I've noticed things about Rafe that no one else would likely pick up on unless they spend as much time with him as I do. For example, he absentmindedly chews on his thumbnail whenever he's nervous or anxious about something. Every time I notice, I reach over and rake my hands through his hair, whether it's in the car while we're waiting at a red light, at a party surrounded by crowds of people, or even hanging out in his room and I have absolutely no idea what's going on in his head. I don't think he knows why I do this, but it calms him down. It's like he gets too into his head and my sudden touch brings him out of it.

Another thing Rafe does is use his hands a lot when talking, more so when he's angry or confused than anything else. I can always tell when he's getting frustrated with someone-- like someone running late when they buy drugs off of him or a guy who looks at me for too long-- by the way he moves his hands around, like he's trying to gather his thoughts before he speaks.

Sometimes, when Rafe shows up and I get into the passenger seat, I can quickly tell he's upset from the way he doesn't say anything but rests his head in my lap. I stroke his hair while he tears up once again over his father, Ward. Rafe doesn't fill me in too much about his relationship with his dad, but every once in a while, he'll drop a hint here and there. One late night, when he pulled up at my curb with a bruised eye, he mumbled something about how his father never tries to understand him. Another night when he showed up with a swollen lip and a bruised jaw, he curled up to me and said, "I said I was sorry." I run my fingers gently over those areas, almost as if to try and cover the pain with a gentle touch. Rafe might be a notorious dick, but there's a reason why.

Plus, Sarah, his younger sister, doesn't try to understand. She's the favorite child, the one Ward praises and swears could never do anything wrong. I wish she knew what Rafe struggles through just to get half the amount of respect from his father that she so easily gets. I was in their kitchen one time, getting an ice pack for Rafe's healing cheekbone when Sarah came in with bare feet and pajamas. She must have been out the whole night because it's exactly what she was wearing the day before. She looked at me and frowned. "Oh. Hi," she said, reaching for a mug in the cabinet.

I grimaced. I know she thinks I'm crazy for dating her brother, but I can't believe how cold she is towards him. "What is your problem with Rafe?" I asked her.

She looked at me seriously. "He's insane. Which is obviously not something you would understand since you don't know him."

"Do you not know the kinds of things he does to impress Ward? Do you know how hard it is for him to get half the recognition from him that you get?" And you obviously don't seem to deserve it, I silently add.