HAPPIER THAN EVER - RAFE CAMERON

Chapter 47 - Reunion : Part 1

"So, this is what we're doing, huh? We're just sailing out. We're just gonna forget about John B?" JJ was enraged, understandably so. But so was Brooke. "We should never have left him. We're turning back around."

"No! We're all gonna get caught. What type of plan is that?" Cleo yelled back.

"It's a plan to stick together, Cleo.," said JJ.

"Then we are dead together," Cleo yelled back.

"She's right," Kiara said. "We had to leave, or we'd all be zip-tied in the back of a pickup. We did the right thing." Brooke grinded her teeth while Kiara spoke. She couldn't believe that she had begun to feel bad for these people and even nearly liked them. It was Kiara's fault that the girl had nearly died and ended up on a small boat with mostly strangers, leading to this moment. And it was also her fault that they were sailing away on Ward Cameron's boat without the only person she was interested in seeing. A breeze rushed past Kiara as Brooke stood to her feet, walking up to the front of the boat and away from the pogues, hearing a faint "shit" from Kiara.

Brooke sat at the front of the boat, staring back into the water. Unorganized thoughts rushed through her mind while she tried to plan her escape. The footsteps behind her alerted her of Kiara's presence, but she didn't feel like giving her the attention. That was, until Kiara spoke first.

"Brooke--" Kiara began.

"Don't," was all she said, avoiding eye contact as she continued to look forward.

"Look, I did what I had to do, okay?" Kiara began.

Brooke shook her head, "What was it that you did, Kiara? Tell me. Because I'm trying to piece together this story and I think you left out a pretty important part."

"I had to get rid of him, Brooke," she tried to reason. "He told me he wouldn't bring my friends back with us. It was him or them."

"And you didn't think for one minute that I might be able to reason with him?" Brooke scoffed, shaking her head yet again. "I'm his girlfriend, Kiara. I haven't seen him in over a month because of you! I've been running around this stupid island trying to help your friends find you. I've been shot at and bitten by dogs so that we could find you. And this is how you treat me?"

"Brooke, he wouldn't have listened," Kiara tried to reason with her. "He hates them. All of them. Nothing you said would have mattered."

"Did you even tell him I was here?" Brooke's voice softened as she finally turned to look at Kiara. The look of distress on her face answered for her.

"I tried to talk to him as little as possible," Kiara said and Brooke merely shook her head. "He was unhinged, Brooke! I didn't want him to hurt me. I was also worried that he might hurt you."

Brooke brushed away a tear, "he wouldn't hurt me, Kiara."

"I was just trying to look out for a friend," Kiara stated.

"A friend?" Brooke nearly laughed in her face. "I really hope this isn't how you treat your friends. You knew I'd want to see Rafe. I know you did, we talked about it all the time on that damn island."

"Brooke," Kiara tried to interject. "He's not good for you."

"I'm supposed to believe that you know what's best for me?" Brooke shook her head. "I'm not a pogue, Kiara. Just accept the fact that this is on you and leave me alone, alright?" Kiara nodded, stepping backwards as she clenched her jaw. Brooke was left alone to her thoughts as she tried to piece together the story to figure out what Kiara had done to her boyfriend. All she had overheard was that she threw the owner of the boat overboard to bring it to them. Brooke was now certain that she meant Rafe, staring down at his license that must have slipped while he was getting ready to leave. Brooke leaned back as she shut her eyes and attempted to at least enjoy the breeze coming onto the bow. She wanted to believe that Kiara wouldn't have betrayed her after everything they had been through. But, like Rafe always said, Kiara, Sarah, JJ, Cleo, John B, and Pope were pogues. And pogues only care about themselves.