Heavy • Outer Banks

𝟙𝟝

When I arrive home, I get a call from Wheezie, which is weird since we talked a few minutes ago. She tells me she's worried about Rafe, that he completely changed when I left and even grabbed her arm. So, instead of staying, I turn around and go back to the Glisson's place.

I ring the doorbell, and nobody shows up, so I try to open the door to find it unlocked. "Rafe?" I ask as I go inside the house "Are you here?" I don't get an answer, so I decide to check in the back, where he was with Wheezie when I left. I found him there, punching the sofa.

"Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing?" I approach him and hold his hand.

"Why are you here?" he looks me in the eyes, almost crying. "Shouldn't you be home?"

"I was worried about you! Wheezie called me a few minutes ago, and I decided to come here to check on you. I'm glad she did."

"I know this looks really bad right now and everything, but... Like, I'm gonna-- I'm gonna get my shit together, okay? Like, I will" he's sniffing, and almost crying and I know how he hates to feel vulnerable, but sometimes it has to be like that. "I'm gonna get it tight, like, you know... Like, real tight. You'll see."

I hug him and whisper to him that it's alright, and I hear him sob. He needs this even if he doesn't want to. "You want me to stay?"

"No, I have to deal with something." he says now, not crying anymore and with that rage look in his eyes "Rafe, don't do anything stupid, please" I beg him, knowing I can't stop him from doing whatever he's planning to do.

"Don't worry, Char, it's nothing dangerous, I promise." he says as he kisses my forehead and takes me outside.

〚〛

I spend the rest of the day at home, waiting for news from Rafe but it's not until night that I got to talk to him. He calls me asking me to come to his house, Cameron's house. I have doubts about it, but I go anyway.

"Hey, Rose!" I say as she opens the door. "Rafe told me he was here?"

"Yes, he's in the living room, honey."

I make my way to the room and find Rafe laying in the sofa with a worried look and puffy eyes. "Babe, is everything okay?" I ask him. "I thought it was, I thought it was. I came home not too long ago, and I talked to my father." he sobs, and I hold his hand "We worked things out and everything was fine until he told me John B killed Peterkin."

I gag with his words. "J-- John B what? No, no, there's-- there is no way." I start to feel dizzy and Rafe holds me, and lays me in the couch. "I couldn't believe it either, and Sarah's a mess right now, I'm so worried about her. And about you now, I didn't know if I should tell you or not, I was afraid something bad happened to you. But I thought you were the best person to talk to Sarah."

"What happened?" I need to know exactly what John B did, I can't believe he did something like that. Rafe seems calmer now and tries to explain to me what happened "My father was going on his way to the Bahamas, business trip, he was at the airport. And then John B showed up out of nowhere and started making accusations towards my dad, with a gun in his hand, probably JJ's gun. In the meantime, Peterkin arrived and while trying to arrest him, he shot her." After Rafe telling me everything, I don't know what to do. I am so confused, how could they be so nice in one minute and completely monsters in the next one. What did Tom get into?

"Sarah doesn't believe John B did it. She says she was there and saw everything, but she's trying to protect him. I need you to talk some sense into her and calm her down. She's in her bedroom right now, but I'm afraid she just runs away to help John B, to help a murderer." Rafe looks at me and I'm still processing everything, it's hard to swallow it. "I'll go talk to her. She needs someone she can trust." I say to him, and he takes me to her room

"Sarah?" I knock the door and open it a little bit. "Can I come in?" She doesn't answer me, and I see her laying in her bed, crying. "Hey, it's okay, I'm here." I sit next to her and start talking to her. "Rafe told me everything, I'm here to help."

"Rafe told you?" She faces me, and I can say she's been crying for a long time now. "The truth?"

"He told me about John B, Sarah. I know it's hard to believe he did it and I'm sure it was probably an accident. John B would never do it on purpose."

"That's what you believe, what Rafe told you?" she looks furious now. "My brother's lying, C. John B would never do it, accident or not. He didn't even have a gun!"

"Sarah, it's being hard for me to believe it too. But the sooner he turns himself, the fastest he can prove it was an accident."

"My brother brainwashed you totally, Char. He insults you, and you go run into his arms again. Of course you're believing him and not me." What she says leaves me stunned, how can she say that about her best friend. "I thought we were friends, Sarah." I say, hurt.

"We're are, that's why I'm saying this to you. Because you are my friend and I want you to know the truth by me. I was there, Char, I saw the whole thing."

"You did? Then why don't you tell me who did it? Because the only thing you're telling me is that John B didn't do it. Rafe gave me a name, you gave me nothing! How am I supposed to believe you?" I yell at her, confused about everything.

"You have to believe me, Char! I can't tell you who shot Peterkin, but I promise you it wasn't John B" she begs me.

"Sorry, Sarah, but I can't believe you. You're probably just lying to me like you did when you didn't tell me how you bailed on people." I get out of the bed and make my way to the door. "Maybe tomorrow you're calmer, and we can talk again."

"Char, wait! I'm telling the truth!" Sarah says as I leave the room and leave her.

"How did it went?" Rafe is waiting for me outside the room. "She just tells me it wasn't John B, but she can't didn't me who did it." I answer disappointed "I'm sure it was an accident, but she needs to understand that either way, he did it."

"She will, Char. She's still in shock because of what happened, but maybe tomorrow you can talk to her. In the meantime, you can sleep here. I talked to Ward, and he doesn't mind." Rafe tells me and I accept his invitation. I have nowhere else to go to.

〚〛

I wake up the next day in Rafe's bed, but he's not there anymore. I get out of bed and dress up, to go search for him. I hear voices in the guest room, and before entering, I eavesdrop a part of the conversation.

"Nobody tells me anything." I recognise Wheezie's voice.

"Um... so, John B killed sheriff Peterkin." Rafe's talking to her, telling her about what happened yesterday, but she doesn't seem to believe "What?" "Yeah. You smiling right now? I'm not joking. Like, this isn't a game. I don't-- I don't know why you're smiling, okay?" I can feel the rage in his voice, and I prepare to intervene, but something Rafe says stops me.

"I saw it with my own two eyes, all right?" He never told me he was there "He shot her, and then you know what he did? He tried to shoot Dad, but I stepped in, and I stopped him, right? I saved his life."

That's probably why Rafe was home again, but I didn't know why he didn't say something to me. Why he lied to me about something so important. I'm too confused right now, and I skip the talk with Sarah to search for my brother, leaving a note to warn Rafe.

I start to think where they could be, and I automatically exclude The Châteu. I doubt Heyward or Kie's parents would find it funny to have a fugitive in his house. JJ hates his dad, so that's the last place they'll be. There's only one place left: our home. On my way there I pass by multiple police cars, probably searching for John B and then I notice a paper hang in almost every lamp post. A bounty poster with John B's picture and some info about him. This is serious, they're offering 25k$.

When I enter the home, I face four persons looking at me, not expecting to see me there, but there's no sign of John B. I still heard the end of the conversation "He'll be at the dump at three tomorrow, don't worry."