River, born and raised a Kook, always found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time; of course, this included relationships. For the last year River had been dating her best friend's brother, and it can easily be said that he isn't the best boy...
"You were running, I was hiding." Silver Lining Mt. Joy
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RIVER SPENT MOST DAYS, even during the school year, beside her best friend. Most were confused on how the two even become friends, seeing as they are both extremely different from one another. Sarah was outgoing, smart, pretty, and she always seemed to have a smile upon her face. Whereas River was the exact opposite; even though River knew she was slightly above average, it never boosted her confidence. She was shy, self-conscious, and she never seemed to be really happy. Sarah knew about the facade that River put on for everyone else, even the boy she supposedly 'loved' - who happened to be Sarah's brother. Sarah had an amazing family, a happy one. On the other hand, River's family was power hungry and they were majorly obsessed with money. To River it felt like they cared more about the money than their own kid. It was as if they only had kids to keep up appearances. The Lock's had a strange child, and they knew it. She was quiet, and she battled the extremes of mental illness after her brother passed away. After the passing of Rowen, her parents ate up all of the attention and popularity they got. When Rowen died, River fell into a battle with depression and anxiety. Eventually, she tried to take her own life. Rather than paying attention to their daughter, they continued to eat up the sympathy they were receiving from their equally self-absorbed club members. Sarah seemed to be the only person that truly cared about River.
"Riv," Sarah looked over to her best friend as they both dangled their fight in the cool water of the Cameron's pool, "What are you thinking about?"
River didn't realize it, but she had been staring at the pool water lapping against her tan legs for the last five minutes, "Nothing really, just wondering how this summer's gonna go."
"Boring. Most definitely boring. It'll be the same thing as last summer. Endless parties that aren't even that fun. Oh, and the spectacular event called Midsummers," Sarah's voice was dripping with sarcasm, even though everyone knew she was excited about going to Midsummers with her boyfriend, Topper.
"Rafe wants me to actually participate in parties this summer," River rolled her eyes, letting out a breathy giggle, "Like that'll happen."
"Well, in your defense, you never were outgoing. But, oddly enough, I agree with Rafe. You need to actually have fun this summer. And I know you will, because you're going to do it for me - your very best friend," Sarah slung her arm over River's shoulder, while both girls erupted in loud laughs.
River lightly pushed the girl away, "Sarah, let's be honest. You're practically my only friend."
A joking pout appeared on Sarah's face, "Those two would beg to differ."
River looked over her shoulder to where Sarah was gazing. She noticed two boys walking their way, of course those two boys were Rafe and Topper. Topper's face lit up when his eyes landed on Sarah, and it actually seemed like he was genuinely happy. Rafe would never look at River that way, he only ever looked at her like she was some toy. Rafe used to be really good friends with her brother, and to be honest, River had no idea why Rowen would ever hang out with someone like Rafe. But, she couldn't say much because she was obviously dating the tool. Much to her dismay, she started to care about Rafe. Somehow she could see past his daddy issues and blatant psychotic behaviors. Weirdly enough, River was completely sure that somewhere - very, very, very deep down - in Rafe's desolate soul, that he actually cared about her. That was a long shot though.
"Hey, babe," Topper greeted Sarah, engulfing her in a quaint hug, "I hope you don't mind, River, but I'm stealing Sarah for the rest of the day."
After a few words and nods were exchanged, Topper and Sarah were off to wherever Topper was planning. He had told River and Rafe where they were going, but River didn't exactly care to listen. She trusted Sarah, and most importantly - she trusted Topper. Everyone but Sarah could see how in love that boy was. Even though he had some major faults, he truly cared for Sarah.
Rafe grabbed River's hand, "Let's go up to my room."
With a nod, River just followed along. That's all she ever seemed to do anymore. She didn't care to argue with Rafe anymore, because arguments with him always ended violently. She never told Sarah, and River was really good at hiding the marks he left. For reasons unknown, she cared about Rafe too much to hurt his image in any way, shape, or form.
The pair made their way into Rafe's room, which looked like a typical rich boy's room. He had a queen sized bed, covered with navy sheets. He had a couple dressers, and he also had a few random knick-knacks laying around his room.
Rafe jumped onto his bed, pulling River with him. Both were silently laying beside each other, looking up at the white ceiling. The silence, surprisingly, seemed to be awkward for River. Rafe could somehow sense this, so he propped his body up a little bit - looking straight into River's eyes, "Can I tell you something?"
River met her boyfriend's smoldering expression, "Of course, Rafe."
"I think I'm in love with you."
At that moment River's heart seemed as if it stopped beating. She never thought Rafe would ever say the word 'love' to anyone, especially her, "You mean that?"
"I do," Rafe looked sincere, something that never happened, "You're the only person who doesn't judge me for how I act, and you never degrade me like my dad does. But, I think the main reason I love you is because you always hope that I'll do better. It feels nice to have someone that actually cares about me, oh, and someone that knows I'm not totally brain dead."
Without saying anything in response, River placed her glossy lips upon Rafe's. She couldn't tell him she loved him back, because that would be a lie. She never wanted to lie about something as important and abundant as love. River only wanted to leave a small kiss on Rafe's lips, as if she was saying 'thank you'. But, knowing Rafe, it turned into more. She didn't bother to fight it, she just gave him what he wanted. No matter how many tears she shed, he would never stop. This was also something she never told Sarah. She told Sarah that it was enjoyable, not that every second was pure misery. She never showed any emotion while Rafe was getting off, she would just lay there with an empty glaze in her eyes. Not many people can place that look, but it is truly scary; because that is the only look that River sees anymore. Rafe never saw it, and if he did, he clearly didn't care. She would never call it that depressing four letter word, because she knew other people had it way worse. And that already happened to her once. After that one time, she gave up. That's why she stopped trying when it came to Rafe.
She'll never forget what happened that day; she was only eight. It was Rowen's tenth birthday party. Her whole entire family was there, and unsurprisingly, so were all of their unpleasant rich neighbors. Including the man who was slightly younger than her dad, the man who lived in the house adjacent to the Lock's. At one point during the party, River ran off to her room to play with her dolls. And that's when it happened. That's when Mr. Crest defiled the eight year old River's body. She had no idea what was happening. And when he left? All she could do was cry. She didn't tell anyone, not even Sarah. She was embarrassed, and even young River knew her parents wouldn't care at all since Mr. Crest was extremely rich and extremely powerful. So, River did what most girls do when something like this happens to them, she stayed quiet. The activist in River wanted to scream out to everyone what a massive cunt Mr. Crest was, as well as what a major prick Rafe was. But, she never would. At least not right now. At least not until she was sure someone, anyone, would believe her. Or even that her parents wouldn't kill her.
The night went on, and eventually River found herself getting pulled to Sarah's room for yet another sleepover. This was something the two girls did often, especially since River absolutely hated her parents. As Sarah would say, River was an honorary Cameron. River felt at peace in the Cameron's household.
