Drowning » Rafe Cameron & JJ Maybank

006

(chapter six)

The best news Clara received in a while was that Susan was going to travel to Los Angeles to her affiliate, giving her daughter a kiss to her head, then heading out, instructing the girl on how to take care of the dog, even if she had him for years, never failing on how to properly care for him.

Her throat wasn't hurting anymore, and Rafe was right, the hand marks would fade away in the next few days, but her head was now killing her. There was a pounding on the side of her head, and it wasn't even 9 am yet. She couldn't sleep, and apparently Twix couldn't either, so Clara took him in her arms, walking to the kitchen to get his food.

While the dark ginger dog ate happily, she rummaged around the medicine cupboard for a painkiller, and when she did, she popped one in her mouth, drinking with the apple juice to swallow.

Her phone lit up with a few messages of Sarah, asking the girl to come to her house, and Clara couldn't help but ask herself if something went wrong for the dark blonde girl not say anything at all about her date with Topper.

Looking at her own reflection on the mirror right outside of the kitchen, she wondered if the bruises could pass as hickeys. Clara didn't want to cover them up anymore, it was getting tiring, but she knew she needed to. Walking up to her room, she laid the makeup and started the everyday process, not feeling satisfied until they were completely covered.

After choosing a normal tanktop with shorts, she kissed Twix on the head a few times, saying she would be back later, putting more food on his automatic feeder in case she couldn't get home in time, then started her walk to the estate. Knocking a few times on the big black door, waiting for someone to open up for her.

"Oh, hello, honey, how are you?" Rose smiled, a confused stare when she looked at the young girl.

"Hey, Rose, I'm sorry about the time. Sarah invited me. She wanted help to choose an outfit," and there it was again, the lie slipping from her lips, so natural, and for absolutely no need.

"Of course, come in," she gestured, stepping aside for Clara to get into the house. "She's upstairs, but you can go up."

With a thank you, Clara turned and started going up, skipping every few times some steps. The Tannyhill was so big, and she used to get lost a lot when she was younger.

Rafe's door opened, and he almost froze when Clara appeared around the corner, his thoughts racing looking for a way for her to not notice him, but her eyes locked on him and she smiled. He could see her mouth moving, saying something he couldn't quite process, so he just cleared his throat, sniffling and walked past her, going downstairs and closing the front door again.

Clara felt a sense of deja vu, confused by his actions, and her heart sank a bit from the thought she might have done something the day before that upset the boy. Every scene since their conversation back at the ferry to her way home replayed in her head, as she tried to find what might've caused the silent treatment just now.

She knocked on Sarah's door, and she heard a small come in. The blonde girl was under her covers, the window closed, the only light being from the open door she had now opened.

"Did someone die and no one told me?"

"My will to live," Sarah groaned, head still covered. Clara let out a small laugh from her nose, plopping herself on the mattress beside the young girl, and Sarah reached out. "I need some cuddles, please."

"I knew you needed me for something," the brown haired girl teased, kicking her shoes off.

"Fuck off," Clara kept laughing, shaking off the covers and laying down beside her, opening her arms, as Sarah wrapped herself around the girl, head on her shoulder blades.