ONE FOR THE MONEY - rafe cameron

chapter seventeen

gina goes back to her house after being at rafe's for a few hours.

she walks upstairs and goes up to topper's room.
gina lightly taps the door before topper lets her inside.

"hi gin, what's up?"
"nothing, i just want to hang around and talk."
"about what?" gina sits on his bed.
"nothing specific." she sees him getting ready.
"you going somewhere?" she asks him.
"yeah, rafe's party tonight. aren't you going too?"
he ruffles his hair around as he looks in the mirror.
"he told me not to.. this is a business party, right?"
"not sure, he just invited me. wait, if it is should i dress up in a suit?"
"yeah, don't you want to look classy?" she giggles.
"why'd he tell you not to come?"
"cause it was a business party his friend was throwing at his house, why would he invite you but not me?"
"i don't know, that's weird. i'll ask him later if you'd like me to."
"that'd be nice to know, thanks."
"no problem." he goes in his closet and takes out two suits and holds them up.

"which suit should i wear?"
"that one." she points to the second suit. "it looks classier."

"alright, i'll see you later." gina gets up.
"see ya." she walks out.

-

the groupchat with the pogues goes off.
gina checks her phone and sees a text saying:

"look outside ginaa." from jj.

"huh?" she says to herself and walks over to her window, opening it and looking out.

she sees sarah, kie, and jj standing outside.

"heyy, what are you guys doing here?!"
gina laughs.
"we're here to get your lazy ass out of bed!" kiara shouts out.
"alright, hold on." gina slips on her sneakers and runs down the stairs, and up to them.

"where's pope and john b?" she asks.
"pope's dad is making him do extra work since he caught him sneaking out, and john b said you weren't so happy with him. why's that?" kiara tells gina, and everyone looks over at her.
gina tries not to make eye contact with sarah.
"he.. uh, said something rude to me last time we saw each other. so yeah, not too happy with him."
"oh shit, group drama already?"
"guess so." gina shrugs.

sarah saw gina was acting differently, she knew exactly why, but didn't know how gina knew.

kiara and jj start walking off, and before gina can run up to them and avoid sarah, sarah runs up to her.

"you know. how do you know?" sarah whispers.
"know what?"
"don't act stupid."
"i don't know what you're talking about."
"i'm your best friend, i know you're lying."
"fine. how could you cheat on topper?!" gina whisper-screams.

"i didn't mean to, me and john b were drunk and had a moment."
"oh really? you snuck out and met with him."
"who told you?"
"john b did, he felt guilty i guess."
"did you tell topper?"
"no, but i will if you won't."
"i'll tell topper."
"he's back at my house, by the way."
"why isn't he at his house?"
"what, did you two not speak?"
"i've been avoiding him."
"well his house got too toxic for him, so he came back."
"so i'm going to make everything worse by telling him." sarah rubs her forehead.
"why am i so stupid?"
"yeah, why are you so stupid?" gina runs up to kiara and jj, leaving sarah behind.

"so gina, you and your boyfriend have been the talk of the town." kiara tells her. jj's head quickly turns when hearing this.
"really? i don't know how people know already, we just started dating."
"who's your boyfriend?" jj asks.
"rafe."
"you mean the one that beat up pope?" jj stops in his tracks.
"there's no other rafe on the island." kiara says.
"yes, the one that beat up pope. but rafe's actually a good guy jj."
"if he hurts you i'll kill him."
"thanks, i guess.. but he won't hurt me."
"doubt it." jj scoffs.

sarah runs up to them.
"what's your fucking problem jj?" gina raises her tone and sarah looks confused.
"what's going on?" she asks kiara.
"jj's hating on her relationship."
"i'm not hating on her relationship! i just don't like the guy, i have many reasons not to."
"okay so keep them to yourself, don't put that shit on me."
"i'm not putting anything on you!"
"deny deny deny, that's all you did our whole relationship and then you wonder why i won't come back running in your arms."

"okay guys, chill out." sarah buds in.
"who are you to tell me to chill out, you cheated on my cousin." kiara gasps and gina starts walking away.
"i'm going back to my house, there's something wrong with you jj and sarah."
"wait, i'll come with you!" kiara runs up to gina, waving goodbye to jj and sarah.

"dude, you cheated on topper?" jj looks at sarah.
"don't."
"with who?" sarah hesitates.
"john b."
"oh shit, the kook girl and the pogue boy!"
"yeah you just described you and gina's relationship perfectly." sarah walks away annoyed.

"hey, don't leave me here! you're my shield so i don't get jumped."

-

"i just don't understand why he got so salty."
gina fidgets with her fingers.
"because he's still obsessed with you."
"i wouldn't say obsessed, i mean you don't get over your first love easily. when i met rafe i got over jj after almost a year of being depressed."
"i would say obsessed. he always talks about you even when it has nothing to do with you, he gets pissed when you mention another guy and everytime you two ever spoke just yous after your breakup tell me he didn't mention your relationship." gina stays quiet.

"see, you know i'm right."
"okay, but i already told him how it is."
"he's not getting over you anytime soon, he might get the hint you're not inlove with him if you get pregnant with rafe's kid or something."
"he still thinks i'm inlove with him?!"
"maybe not inlove but he definitely thinks you two still have something."
"shit."

"i got a question."
"what's up?"
"can i sleep over?" kiara asks.
"sure, i'm gonna be bored tonight anyways. rafe's throwing a party and didn't invite me."
"you're his girlfriend, isn't that like an automatic invite in itself?"
"it's a business party."
"oh, boring."
"but he invited topper."
"oh, odd." kiara makes a weird face.
"topper said he'll let me know why i wasn't allowed to go."
"okay, so that's good."
"i guess."