This is Me Trying ⭑ Rafe Cameron

thirty three

Cassie responded before Rafe got a chance to. "Oh, no. No." She shook her head.

Rafe didn't seem fazed. Or at least, he was good at hiding it. He glanced down at her, and leaned down to her ear so she could hear him over the loud music. "Let's just go."

She turned and looked at him, the stench of alcohol coming off of him was enough to make her nose curl. But it was now when she realized that Rafe wasn't enjoying this much at all either. And all of these lingering stares weren't only directed at her, but him too. And though these onlookers put on a good show, greeting Rafe as they normally would at a party, they whispered, too.

They wondered what he was doing here. Where had his family disappeared to? Why had Sarah practically fallen off the face of the earth? Why was the son of an assumedly suicidal murderer at a party like nothing had happened? Especially after being MIA for months now?

It made Cassie feel even worse for urging him to stay. And there was still no word from Sarah. She didn't even know if they were there yet. There were other ways to keep Rafe occupied, sure, but he was drunk, and with his friends, and she didn't want to risk anything.

"I'm fine, Rafe." Cassie responded, leaning into his ear this time as they moved closer to the speaker.

He pulled away and nodded. In a way that read as 'okay, sure, you look miserable, but it's up to you.' And then he put his hand on her back again, in the same way he had downstairs just to lead her through the crowd, but this was different.

She didn't think it was intentional. Rafe had done that several times before, it was instinct, probably. Something he'd do to keep someone close as they moved through a crowded space. It'd be weirder if he grabbed her hand, right? But here, in front of all of his friends, where they both knew very well that their every move was being watched, it felt more intimate than before.

They moved into the bedroom, where more people crowded around. In one corner, two people were making out, and Cassie wondered if they even noticed that there were other people in here.

About six people sat on the bed, all on their phones, zoned out from the rest of the chaos. But most people stood in their own groups and talked amongst themselves. Every once in a while, someone came back upstairs from making their composed, polite appearance to their parents and the other important people downstairs.

Beer dripped from a tipped over red solo cup on the top of a dresser, and Cassie sat it up right as Rafe came around to pour himself another drink.

He picked up a fancy, glass bottle that looked like it was sat out for decoration rather than recreational use. And instead of pouring it into one of the glasses beside it, he just took the bottle.

She looked around awkwardly, and then back to him. "You should probably slow down."

He took a swig, and then looked at her confusedly, shrugging. "Why?"

"Because I know you're not doing this for a good time, you're doing it because you're upset." Cassie whispered.

He almost rolled his eyes at her. "Relax."

He was much better at hiding the fact that he was wasted than she was. Cassie, at this point, would've been passed out on a bathroom floor by now. But Rafe still seemed fairly sober, except for the ever so often faint slur to his words, or the subtle stumble as he walked. But she wasn't stupid. He was a lot more far gone than he showed.