the middle ≫ jj maybank

xxii. the clash

John B's eyes widened, and he looked between Sarah and Vic.

"Of course he is," Sarah said, resting a hand on John B's arm. "John B's been fitting in really well with my friends."

Just as Vic was about to reply, there was a slight commotion at the dining room entrance as the door was shoved open.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have a reservation?"

"My family is right over there, actually."

Slater turned around in her seat, as did the rest of the table, to see Rafe walking towards them. His hair was combed back, he was wearing a nice button down, and he looked more put together than Slater ever remembered seeing him.

"Rafe!" Ward was smiling, but his voice gave away just how surprised he was to see his son there.

"Sorry I'm late," Rafe said, slipping into the only empty seat, which just so happened to be next to Slater's.

"This outta be good," Wheezie muttered.

"Well, I didn't think you'd be joining us," Ward said, pressing his lips into a thin and forced smile.

"I think there was some miscommunication with the correct time," Rafe replied coolly, locking eyes with his father. "Apologies, Mr. and Mrs. Shoupe, for my tardiness," he said, nodding at Slater's parents, before his gaze drifted to the Cambry girls. "Maeve. Slater."

"We're glad you could join us, Rafe," Rose said, interrupting the tense silence between her husband and step son.

The adults lulled back into their dry conversation, leaving the kids to stare at each other awkwardly.

"So, what are you guys doing tonight?" Maeve finally asked, looking between her sister and Sarah.

"Yeah, what are we doing tonight, Sarah?" Slater asked with a smirk.

"You know," Sarah laughed with a shrug. "Pogue stuff."

Rafe snorted loudly. "And I'm the one who gets kicked out. Figures."

Sarah scoffed. "Please, Rafe. I'm hanging out with my friends, while you're snorting lines of coke off of our patio table and spending all of Dad's money on your new bike."

"You don't know everything, Sarah," Rafe replied, shaking his head.

"I know more than enough."

As the Cameron siblings had a stare-off, John B awkwardly cleared his throat, grabbing Slater's attention. "JJ's going to meet us here at nine, with the Twinkie, and with Pope and Kie."

"Oh, I like JJ," Maeve interjected, smiling to herself.

John B gave her a quizzical look, while Slater quickly kicked her under the table.

"You know JJ?" John B asked.

Maeve, realizing what she just said, busied herself by taking a long sip of her Shirley Temple. She'd obviously met JJ before, but only during situations that the other pogues didn't know about -- specifically, the times Slater had snuck him into her bedroom.

Maeve finally swallowed her drink, plastered a smile on her face, and coolly replied with,"Yeah. I saw you all together at the beach one day, with Slater. He's the cute blond one, right?"

Slater watched her little sister in awe. At fourteen, Maeve was already a better liar than Slater was.

John B chuckled and shook his head. "Oh God, don't ever let him hear you say that."

Slater's face felt extremely hot, and she was most certainly beet red. She quickly excused herself before retreating to the women's restroom. Once inside, she splashed some water on her face, hoping to bring down the redness. She stood in the bathroom for an appropriate amount of time, long enough to convince people that she actually had to use it, before leaving. As the door swung open, however, she quickly wished she was still inside the bathroom. Better yet, she wished she'd never left the safety of the table.