Kook King

Give It A Shot

I'm stuck at my house the next morning without TV, my phone, or internet. For the past three hours, all I've been doing is going back and forth between staring at the ceiling and reading one of my old books.

This morning, I woke up to Rafe, which was a dream,  and about a hundred missed calls from my parents wondering where I was, which wasn't so pleasant. As soon as I saw that they noticed I had snuck out again-- the first night I came back from running off, too-- I quickly got dressed, kissed Rafe goodbye, and flew out of his house. Luckily, Ward and Rose were away for business and his sisters were still sleeping.

When I got home, my parents were furious. I didn't get any relieved tears from my mother this time. They immediately sent me to my room to "think about others for once." I didn't have to tell them where I was-- they knew I had gone to Rafe's. I swear my dad was about to march over to Rafe's and tell him off himself.

So now I'm home alone with nothing to do, all by myself. I only got to quickly tell Rafe that I'll be without any ability to talk to him unless he comes over between the hours of nine in the morning and four in the evening when my parents are at work. He didn't respond before I had to hand my phone to my mom, so I don't know if he's seen it.

I'm standing in my kitchen poking at the bowl of fruit that's slowly rotting when there's a loud knock at my door. I jump then tiptoe over, peering through the window. I thought it was going to be Rafe, but it's JJ.

I open the door in a T-shirt and pajama shorts. I never answered JJ back when he texted me at the motel. This must be his daily visit to see if I'm back home. When he sees me, his shoulders drop, like he's relieved. "Y/N," he says. "You're back. When did you get back?"

"Yesterday." I fold my arms across my chest and lean in the doorway. My eyes wander over to the driveway. Rafe could show up at any moment. He probably will come visit me at some point today. If he sees me with JJ, I know he'll do something.

I still haven't stopped thinking about Rafe's sudden mood change when he thought something was going on between me and JJ. We're back on good terms now. I don't want to move backwards.

JJ steps up closer to me. Instinctively, I step back. "Where did you go?"

"Miami," I say.

"And what did you do?"

I desperately need JJ to leave. I have a gut feeling Rafe is on his way. There's a stillness in the air, the clouds grey above, like the calm before the storm. "We had sex," I blurt.

JJ's face falls. He's quiet for a long time, then, "Y/N. You haven't been acting like yourself. It's like he's got some kind of... spell on you. You're completely spiraling."

My blood boils. "No, I'm not, JJ," I snap, wrapping my hand around the door knob. "I need you to leave."

JJ doesn't budge. "What do you even do with him?"

"JJ, go." I start to close the door. There's a strong gust of wind that makes the palm trees sway back and forth.

JJ just moves closer, and again, I step further back into the shadow of my house. "Y/N, what does he make you do?"

"He doesn't make me do anything!" I shout, beginning to shut the door, but then JJ's hand stops it. "JJ, you don't know shit about our relationship. Please stop talking to me like you do. I'm happy with Rafe. Stop trying to sabotage that."

JJ opens his mouth but stops and looks over when the sound of a rumbling motorcycle comes up the driveway. I know before he lifts the shade of his helmet that it's Rafe. His eyes are fixed on JJ, a scowl on his face the entire time as he sets his helmet aside and slowly trudges over to us. I'm gonna kill him, is what Rafe said in that motel room with the gun in his hand. In that moment, he looked so angry, I thought he might actually mean it. Now, he shoots JJ a death glare as he brushes past him in the doorway. I'm frozen in place, waiting for the volcano to erupt, as Rafe lifts my chin and kisses me.

When I open my eyes, JJ is looking away, scratching his head. I have to admit, I'm a bit embarrassed by the way Rafe is acting. I know he kissed me hello because JJ is here. His body is rigid as he tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. He acts like JJ isn't even here. I shrink more and more.

"Alright, I'm gonna go," JJ says. He sounds annoyed.

Rafe glances over at him. "That's a good idea."

"Rafe," I whisper.

He looks at me as JJ vanishes, hurrying away. I stare at the open, empty doorway where he just stood, but then Rafe steps in front of me, blocking my view, and grabs my face with his hands. He kisses me again, and this time, I kiss him back.

"What was he doing here?" Rafe asks.

"He stopped by to see if I was back. I didn't invite him."

Rafe drops his hands to his side and stares at me. For a moment, I worry it's going to turn into another incident. "What did he say to you?" Rafe reaches up and pushes my hair behind my shoulder.

I shrug a shoulder. "Just... he's glad I'm back."

He's rigid. "That's all?"

I nod, meeting his gaze, but Rafe keeps staring at me like he doesn't believe me. But then he kisses me again, gently, and slips away into another room. I stand there, though, for a long moment. I let out a shaky breath, feeling like I can finally relax. That could have been so much worse.