ONE FOR THE MONEY - rafe cameron

chapter ten

gina was stubborn.
she refused to say sorry, because that's just how she was raised. when her parents made a mistake they'd apologize by buying the other person something, gina never heard them say sorry, so it also made her back away from the word even though she knew it wasn't a bad thing.
but in this situation she didn't feel like she was wrong.

rafe was the same way.
expect his father's words would ring in his head telling him to man up, and no pity gifts were given. his father drove him crazy, but rafe would still do anything for him and he knew it deep down.

rafe sat in his room.
he texted and called his girlfriend, but every text was left on delivered and every call was unanswered, until she blocked him.

he had gotten into and arguement with his best friend, his sister, the girl he once liked, and his girlfriend that is now his ex.
he knew he was wrong in some way, but at the same time he saw it as looking out for the girls.

what if the pogues were just using them for their money? what if they were using them as a way to get to him and topper? they already manipulated kiara to join the pogues and now his own sister?
rafe knew jj didn't treat gina right, because they're exes and in rafe's eyes, and plenty other people's: gina was a saint.

he did regret starting the argument though.

three tiny knocks hit gina's door.
"who is it?" she calls out.
"topper." she sighs to herself.
"come in." he opens the door and walks inside.
he is met with gina sat up on her bed, reading.

"what are you read-"
"what do you want?" she cuts him off.
the book that was once in her hands is placed on her end table.

topper sits on the end of gina's bed.
"i just wanted to talk about yesterday."
"okay.."
"did you really date jj?"
"yes topper, i did."
"when?"
"we dated for two years, but broke up last year."
"why'd you's break up?"
"his father screwed him up."

"how was he to you?"
"his father or jj?"
"jj."
"he was good, but like i said, his father screwed him up. ruined everything."
"i understand that they don't have the best home lives, but i still can't trust the pogues."
"that's okay, as long as you don't beat on them."
"about that, i'm sorry. i shouldn't have done that, but i also tried to help him. rafe was going crazy on him."
"what do you mean?"
"i had to pull rafe off of the kid."

gina stops talking and topper looks down at his feet.
"i just want you to know, i'll look out for you. i know we're cousins but you're more like a little sister to me."
"we're only a few months apart." gina giggles.
"you're still younger though." a smile grows on toppers face, they both get quiet for a few moments.

"so what's going on with you and sarah?"
"i don't know, i'm gonna talk to her later."
"good luck."
"i probably need it." topper gets up and is about to leave, he looks back at gina.
"thanks for listening to me."
"anytime." topper closes the door behind himself
and walks away.

gina thinks about what topper had said, with him having to pull rafe off of pope.
she reaches for her phone and starts to text rafe.
she wonders if rafe would really care what she had to say to him, and realized he probably wouldn't, deleting the paragraph she was oh so close to sending.

-

"honey, it's time for dinner!" gina's mom calls out.
"okay, i'll be right there!"

gina gets off her bed, and heads downstairs.
"hey pops." she sees her father at the head of the table.
"since when did you start calling me pops?" he chuckles.
"i don't know, i like the way it sounds."
"you're funny."
gina looks around.
"where's topper?"
"he went to go make up with sarah, he'll be back soon." gina's mom places a bowl full of mashed potatoes onto the table.

"cmon, let's eat."
"honey it looks delicious."
"thanks." she giggles.
gina sits next to her mom and makes her plate.
"so, anything new going on?" her moms asks.
"yup, ran into jj." this causes the attention of both parents.
"how'd he act?" her dad questions.
"wanted me back. i rejected him though and told him i was seeing someone."
"are you seeing someone?"
"no."
"then why say that?"
"he wouldn't have let the topic go if i didn't."

"i think he's a very nice kid, and now that the cameron's son has a girlfriend, i think you should talk to jj."
"i'd like to be his friend but i don't know if he'd be fine with staying just friends."
"don't. i tried staying just friends with my ex, and look at where i am today, married to her and we have a kid together. if you want this to be your result, than be his friend. if not, don't."

gina's mom rolls her eyes.
"he wanted me back first." she whispers.
"i heard that, but you're not wrong."
everyone shares a laugh.

after dinner, gina gets ready to go to bed.

she lays down and shuts her eyes, but after a while realized she's not falling asleep. what feels like hours passing by she rolls around in her bed, then decides to just get up.

she walks over to her desk and stares at the college pamphletes.
even though she had done this once before, she decided to make pros and cons lists.

she mumbles to herself as she goes through the list realizing none of the colleges has any cons.

gina lays her head down on her desk and shuts her eyes.

-

gina hears knocking, it wasn't noisy but also wasn't quiet.

the knocking gets louder and louder and it snaps her out of her slumber. she gets up and opens her door, and looks both ways.

she doesn't see anyone so she shuts the door and hears a loud knock coming from the window and jumps.

"shit!" gina locks her door and walks to her window, she slides it open and sees rafe waiting there for her.

"what the hell do you think you're doing here?!"
"can you just let me in?" he pants.
"fine." gina steps over and rafe comes inside.
"now can you answer my question?"
she crosses her arms and rafe looks around her room.

"hello?!" she waits for an answer.
"look, i'm not good at this, but i'm gonna try my best."
"you're not good at what?"
"i'm sorry gin. i've been treating you like shit, but you gotta hear me out."
"why?"

"you starting ignoring my calls and texts, i wanted to tell you so much after that day you saw me with her. i know i led you on but i didn't mean to hurt you."
"what makes you think you hurt me?"
gina was hurt, but never wanted to let him know that.

rafe stayed silent.
"and if you knew you led me on, why didn't you apologize sooner?"
"i didn't know how to."
"so you instead decided to be rude to me?"
"you made the first remark."
"you tried to rub her in my face."
gina steps closer to rafe, anger flowing throughout her.

"i'm gonna be honest, i was."
"see!"
"that's because you ignored me, and i was hurt."
"i'm the one who caught you with another woman!"
"we weren't even dating, gina!"
"not yet! i thought we were gonna wait til' we were ready to take that step, i was still recovering."
"from what?"
"jj." rafe had forgotten about him, but the memory made him upset.

"gina, i-"
"i know."
"i'm sorry." rafe realized how much he hurt gina, no matter how much she refuses she was hurt.

she stares at rafe, not knowing what to say next.
all she can bring herself to do is nod.
"come here." he embraces her in a warm hug, and gina breaks down.
"he hurt me so bad, and all i wanted was for you to be there for me. i wanted to tell you how it felt seeing him for the first time in almost a year, and i needed you."