"We were born into this destruction, striving to survive amongst the monsters we call men"
❃B l a z e ❃
The sound of Rafael throwing up behind the locked bathroom door made me wince. Worry escalated inside me as I bit the skin around my nails.
"I'll be out in a minute." His words were a weak whisper and I thumped my leg nervously as the faint music from the bowling alley grated against my ears.
Today was the last day of our midterms and as an effort to celebrate, I'd dragged everyone here. It had been ten days since Bree and Rafael's fight and they still weren't talking, their tension continuing to incline every day.
Time seemed to loop together with Raf puking and running a low fever all throughout exam week. Bree would just watch worriedly from the sidelines and Raf would continue to ask about her every night I spent in his room.
He had even walked out halfway through a few exams due to his unstable health but that still didn't prompt any reconciliations.
It was shattering and despite Rafael saying he wasn't addicted, the symptoms of withdrawal were still there, albeit in a repressed manner.
"Hi," Rafael murmured as he stepped out, the sweat on his forehead glistening under the dim lights. His hands were clammy as he grabbed my wrist and my bottom lip wobbled as I noticed his thinning limbs. He hadn't drastically lost weight but I could still feel the skin sticking to bone in some places.
I hated seeing Rafael like this.
Taking out the paper napkin from my pocket, I wiped Raf's face gently and handed him a couple of breath mints. He didn't say a word as he took them, guilt swirling in his frantic eyes.
Silently taking my hand, he pulled me away from the bathroom and I sighed when I felt his sweaty palms shake.
His father still wasn't home and I wondered if Bree had even told him about Rafael's insobriety.
"That's my third strike in a row," Travis hollered as we made our way to the others and I shot him a weak thumbs up.
Rafael rolled his eyes, earning a glare from Bree and the two engaged in their hundredth glaring match of the day. Despite his weakened state, their anger didn't waver.
"Knock it off," Annikah grumbled and Raf was the one to back down when Ann pinched his arm. A sharp hiss breezed past his lips and his nails dug into my thigh under the table.
"Thank god midterms are finally over," Jonah ran his fingers through his silky hair. "The stress was way too much."
"Says the dude who always gets an A," Travis thumped Jonah on the shoulder and stiffly sat down next to Raf.
Instantly, Raf tensed and folded his arms over his chest, his biceps flexing from the movement. My eyes caught on the pyramid tattoo and I tugged gently at Rafael's grey jumper to calm him down.
Trav and Rafael were on rocky terms with Travis constantly putting in the effort to make amends and Rafael refusing to engage.
In turn, our entire group dynamic was screwed and this was my last effort at trying to resolve everything. After all, bowling was our thing.
"I don't know about y'all, but I could eat a rhino right now," I laughed awkwardly, cringing at my effort to dissipate the tension.
"I'll get you food," Raf got up but I tugged him down when Bree shot him a glare.
"Nice to see he cares about someone other than himself." Her blunt quip drew a hefty sigh from my mouth and I bit my bottom lip.
"No hard feelings, B," she added and shot me a small smile which I shakily returned.
"Well, at least some people can communicate rather than keeping secrets for months," Rafael snapped and Bree's eyes turned with anger.
"Pretty rich coming from a lying asshole," Bree's voice turned poisonous, her tone cool yet fierce.
"How did everyone's midterms go?" Jonah intervened uncomfortably, drumming his fingers on the table and the twins shot him simultaneous glowers.
"Hey, don't snap at him," Ann's lips thinned as she reprimanded the two and Rafael shrunk back in his seat. Bree looked murderous as she clenched her fists around the table.
"Stop," Travis murmured and she slumped, absently doodling on the kids' activity paper before her.
I would say it were funny if not for the circumstances of Raf and Bree's fight.
"I'm going to get food," I murmured, the awkwardness weighing down on me. The others recited their orders and gave their money. I narrowed my eyes when Travis ordered three burgers and two nachos with a strawberry milkshake.
"I'm hungry too," Jonah stood up with me, Raf did too but I pushed him down.
"We'll handle it." The tension was suffocating.
"You scared Jonah away, dipshit," Ann smacked the back of Rafael's head and he glowered at her. I stifled a laugh as Jo and I made our way to the counter.
Smiling at the girl behind the counter, I told her all our orders and her eyes slightly widened at the sheer quantity.
"Oh, we do have money for all that," I held up the wad of everyone's cash and she nodded shakily.
"I feel embarrassed ordering here every time," Jonah murmured from beside me, running his tongue over his bottom lip.
After paying, the cashier told us to wait and we sat down at a nearby table.
"You and Summer, huh?" Placing my head on my propped hands, I grinned at Jonah. I needed a distraction from the constant concern regarding Rafael.
"We're just friends," he muttered, paging aimlessly through the activity sheets in front of him. I knew he was lying because I'd seen her kiss his cheek a few days ago, resulting in Jo looking like he'd pass out from the affection.
"That's the most generic line in the history of all romantic relationships," I rolled my eyes and he raised an eyebrow.
"Don't be so smug, you were the one saying the same thing about Raf a few months ago."
"Shut up," I mumbled, taking a pen and colouring in a picture of a duck.
"But do you like her?" I asked and Jonah stiffened.
"It's too early for that, Kiara's not even been dead for two years," he seemed hesitant and I noticed the way his fingers crumpled the edge of the page. I didn't say anything, waiting for him to realise he was tearing the sheet.
When I noticed Jo's eyes glazing over with panic, I placed a hand over his.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry for asking," I murmured guiltily.
"No, it's not your fault," he shook his head. "It's just some things I've been thinking about."
I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. Instead. he shifted his entire focus onto completing a word search.
Letting it go, I did the same and for a few minutes, we sat in companionable silence. However, it was impossible to ignore the tension in the air.
"I feel like I'm moving on from Kiara and that's a bad thing," Jonah blurted out. His voice was doused with remorse and agony.
"Why do you think it's a bad thing?" I sounded like Dr. Lincoln right now.
"Aren't I supposed to give it some time? She killed herself, Blaze. How am I supposed to live my life pretending that it didn't happen?"
I didn't want to give stupid advice because I couldn't begin to understand what Jo was feeling. His perspective was very different from mine.
"Have you tried going to therapy again?" I asked gently and Jonah's lips set into a grim line. He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair.
"Dr. Lincoln's good," I hinted and he seemed to be mulling it over in his head. She wasn't a fit for me, but she was a good doctor. She had helped me stay sober and liberate the unwarranted guilt.
"It didn't help last time," Jonah mused, his knuckles whitening around the pen.
"For what it's worth, don't guilt trip yourself into not doing something you want because of that. It isn't worth it."
Jonah's eyes softened as he finally looked up, a rueful smile curving his lips.
"Look at you becoming a therapist, huh?" he joked.
"Text me the number, I'll talk to my parents about it," Jonah mumbled after a minute and I nodded.
"Hypothetically, if you were to hint to someone that you were interested in enjoying their company, how would you do that?" Jonah's flamed red and I smirked smugly.
"You make it sound like a business transaction. A date, Jonah, it's called a date."
"Shut up."
"So, tell me about this girl," I tapped my fingers on the table and Jonah glared at me, a sharp contrast to the blush spreading across his pale skin.
"It's a hypothetical situation."
"Okay, what does she look like in your head?" He stayed silent.
"Let me guess, she's blonde with green eyes, about 5"8 or 5"9 and oh, she might also be a year older than us." I resisted the urge to smile when Jonah fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Well, technically she's eight months older than me."
"Hey, look at that, I'm a mind reader," I clapped my hands together.
"You know what? I'll just ask Annikah," Jonah crossed his arms over his chest. I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off.
"The food's here," he shot up and I rolled my eyes before helping him get the multiple trays of food. Travis grinned as we approached.
"Next time, you're going," I frowned and Trav shrugged.
"Oregano has hundreds of insects parts in it," Travis pointed to Ann's pizza and her face blanched.
"Dude, I'm trying to eat here. Shut up with your disgusting facts." Ann's threatening growl made Trav raise his hands in surrender.
"Hey, I care for you so I don't want you to get poisoned," Travis grinned cheekily.
"No, Ann, at least he cares. Some people don't give a shit if they die as long as they get what they fucking want, right?" Bree's scorching gaze cut to Rafael and his jaw clenched.
"Some people are dumb as fuck and refuse to understand why they did it."
"Cut it off, you two." Ann snapped. Jonah and Ann had found about Rafael and his sobriety issues after a very public fight after our English midterms, further deepening the internal tension within our friendships.
Under the table, Raf's hand tightened around mine and I sighed in frustration. Rafael stopped apologising after Bree stopped listening, which made the situation worse.
"And some people are so fucking self-absorbed that they don't realise who they're becoming." Bree's waterline was slowly brimming with tears and I dug my nails into Raf's palm.
However, he was too far gone in their mutual anger that he didn't realise how close she was to a breakdown.
"Like mother, like daughter. Next thing you'll be calling me worthless, right?" Raf glowered at Bree, the volume of his voice drawing eyes from adjacent tables.
"Funny thing, considering the trophy son is becoming a druggie," Bree scoffed bitterly, wiping the tears that streamed down her face.
I flinched at their raw accusations.
"Wait till I overdose one more time. If you're lucky, maybe I won't wake up and you won't have to deal with a shitty brother," Rafael grinned coldly, everyone's face slackening at his words.
"That's enough," Trav slammed his fist down on the table, tipping a glass of Coke over and I winced when it spilt onto the floor.
"Get your shit together, the both of you," he pointed between Bree and Raf, both of whom were glaring at him incredulously.
"Rafael, you screwed up and you're here acting like an asshole. You'll fucking grovel if you need to because you lied, to all of us." Travis' voice was steely as he glowered ferociously at Raf, who stared in stunned silence.
"And you made me sneak around with you for months. Do you even know how that made me feel? Like you didn't want to be seen with me or some shit," A caustic laugh bubbled up his throat. When Bree made a move to stand up, he shook his head.
"Don't talk to me right now." Travis pushed his chair back and took a few steps before suddenly turning back around to the table.
"Do you realise what you did? You fucking lied about overdosing. Why would you hide something like that? And then you made Blaze and me keep your dirty secret."
I couldn't object because Travis was right.
"You lie to each other so much and then blame everyone else but yourself. So here's the cold, hard truth. If you want to be different from your parents, then maybe stop repeating history." With that, he stormed away and slammed the alley door on the way out.
Despite the place being less crowded because of a weekday, gazes still turned as Rafael charged angrily after him and Bree sunk into her seat.
Surprisingly, Annikah was the one who raced after Rafael. Jonah gave us a cursory glance before joining her.
Leaving Bree in my company, I glanced over to see her shakily take a drink from her can. However, it splashed all over her front and tremors rocked her limbs.
"I'm okay," she whispered, tears dropping onto her wrist.
"Hey, come on," I gently grabbed her elbow and Bree didn't protest as I dragged her to the bathroom.
As soon as we were inside, I checked it was empty and locked the door.
Wetting a paper towel, I handed it to her. She wiped her smudged eye makeup silently, the dark mascara leaving an inky tint to her skin.
"He didn't mean what he said," I murmured when I saw her eyes water again.
"I didn't either. But I thought he was doing good and this entire time I believed him," Bree turned around to face me, betrayal streaked across her face.
"Maybe I'm too harsh but he needs to know that it was wrong of him, he spent six months in Rehab, Blaze. It was that bad, I repeated an entire school year for him and he lied to me."
"No, you're right," I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. There was silence as she cleaned herself up, just the sound of her laboured breathing filling the void.
"He's getting dependent on you, Blaze," Bree observed and my bottom lip dropped open. It was a two-way street.
"That's better than drugs, but he still needs to work on his sobriety by himself," she pursed her lips and I nodded in agreement.
"I'm sorry for not telling you about the drugs, I didn't know about Cairo." The apology had been stuck on my tongue for the past couple of days and this was the most Bree had spoken to me. She was either at Travis' house or locked up in her room.
"No, it's fine. It wasn't your fault." Bree had significantly calmed down, her face now bare and her hands stable.
"He's really good at lying and hiding stuff, has been ever since we were kids."
My eyes fell to her wrists and Bree noticed that.
"I didn't lie about my sobriety," she frowned and I nodded.
Hesitantly, I asked the question that had been worrying me for the past week.
"Did you tell your father about Raf?" He needed an adult to help, not a bunch of teenagers.
"I told him two days ago, he said he's coming home. I don't know why I didn't tell him sooner," Bree rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
"So he told you about Cairo, huh?" A reminiscent smile fleeted across her lips and I nodded, tapping my fingers together nervously.
"They were pretty close as kids, I used to feel left out," her smile dimmed and she murmured under her breath. "I still do sometimes."
"Cai's death isn't his fault but he still holds on to that guilt. Rafael saw her dead body at ten. Fuck I don't even know how it must have felt." She was talking more to herself as she furiously rubbed at her already crimson cheeks.
"Our mother fucked it all for him, you're supposed to love your kids, not destroy them." Her chin trembled, short tremors snaking up her skin again and I stepped beside her near the sink.
"Cai's death didn't affect Rafael as much as what happened after did. Our mother conditioned into his head that he was at fault."
Once again, I had never met the woman but just from these few words, I could feel my blood boil. He didn't deserve any of that.
"She made him spend entire nights in Cairo's room as punishment if she was angry, for no fucking reason. She would just flip out and lock him in there," Bree ran a hand through her tousled hair, her tone heavily infused with vitriol.
The surprise must've shown on my face because Bree turned her head to face me.
"He didn't tell you about Teresa?"
I shook my head.
"Then, I can't tell you, B. It's not my place," she murmured, tying her hair up in a ponytail.
I nodded in understanding, curiosity and anger still pecking at my insides. Just that glimpse of their past had me reeling to grasp my emotions.
"How are you?" I stressed the last part and she seemed momentarily surprised by the question before composing herself.
"Not okay," she murmured, fiddling with the leather bands on her wrist. The crestfallen expression splashed across her face tugged at my heartstrings.
"He says he sees Cai sometimes when he's high and that's exactly what our mother used to say. I'm scared for him," Bree exhaled shakily.
"Rafael doesn't realise that in the process of trying to remember one sister, he's forgetting the other," she murmured into my shoulder as I wrapped my arms around her.
My soul tore at the heartbreak in Bree's voice, a part of me empathizing with her.
My inner lip was bleeding from digging my teeth in too much, metal seeping into my taste buds. Tears dampened my tee as Bree cried silently, letting out all her bottled emotions.
"You two need to talk it out," I whispered and she stilled, not saying anything.
Travis was right, they were the only ones who could solve this. It was no good making us mediators.
"I'm hungry," she murmured, pulling away and washing her face, all while I stood there in stunned silence. Just like Raf, Bree was brushing off all conversations about resolving their fight.
I watched as she dried her hands and unlocked the bathroom door, not uttering another word. My phone ringing snapped me out of my reverie and I glanced at Jonah's name on the screen.
"Hey," I muttered, hearing Jonah sigh dejectedly on the other end.
"Travis left before we got outside and Rafael is now stress buying at the supermarket," he droned on monotonously and I rubbed the bridge of my nose, leaning against the sink.
"How's Bree?" Jonah's voice leaked of concern.
"Not okay," I mirrored her words and the conversation dulled.
"Well, I just called to let you know that we won't be coming back. Wait, Raf just got three bottles of sprinkles. Is that normal?" he huffed out, and I heard angry muttering on the other end.
"His stress food is fairy bread so you'll have to make him some." Despite myself, I couldn't help but grin. Rafael was worse than a girl going through a breakup. He'd gone through eleven loaves of bread in just the past week, most of which he ended up puking.
The vision wiped the grin right off.
"Why are friends so much work?" Jonah grunted and I frowned.
"Shut up." Rafael echoed my annoyance on the other end.
"Telepathic, huh?" Jonah sharply retorted.
I hung up.
A couple of deep breaths later, I stepped out of the bathroom and back into the alley.
Returning to our table, I found Ann chatting to Bree, the former gesturing wildly as Bree nodded absently.
Her eyes were vacant and distant as Ann tried to get her to talk. The need to escape fluttered in the way her eyes constantly flitted to the door.
"Hi," I smiled as I sat down beside Bree who glanced nervously at her phone.
"Is Trav okay?" Bree murmured as she fiddled with the food on our table, taking a sip of Travis' discarded strawberry milkshake.
"He went home," I smiled gently at her and she nodded.
"Should we leave too?" she trailed off, glancing at the empty tables around us. It was almost 10 PM and we were nearing closing time.
"Yeah, let's get this food packed, we'll give it to someone on the way," I suggested and they nodded.
"So, is Travis right? Am I a terrible girlfriend?" Bree muttered under her breath and Ann and I shook our heads furiously.
"He didn't say you were a terrible girlfriend." My eyebrows cinched as I stared at her shivering palms.
"Well, he implied it," Bree shrugged casually, trying to conceal her hurt.
"Annoying, confused and angry? Yes. Terrible? No." Ann propped her elbows up on the table and an unsure smile split Bree's lips.
"It's just my mommy issues talking," Bree smiled bitterly but amusement lurked in her gaze.
"Welcome to the club, darling." Ann and Bree high fived.
"Do aunt issues count for entry?" I joked, grabbing our packaged food and Ann grinned.
"We'll make an exception for you," Bree added, her detachment slowly fading away.
"You can be our honorary member," Ann patted my shoulder and I snorted.
"I am quite honoured."
"Where to now?" I shifted my gaze around the parking lot and trudged over to Bree's car.
"Let's go to a strip club," Ann suggested and Bree choked on her milkshake.
"You're quite wild for a 16 year old." Ann looked offended by that statement.
"You're only a year older, shut up."
"Well, I'm turning 18 by the end of the year," Bree shrugged and I rolled my eyes at their constant bickering.
"Where to guys?" I repeated myself and this time, Ann grinned deviously.
"Girls night in, my place."
That sentence triggered a sequence of events that led to Bree calling Travis at 3 AM and sobbing like a child because of what he had said.
Travis ended up sending phone numbers of local exorcists.
I didn't ask where he'd got them or why he had those contacts.
He said she was possessed, but the only thing I felt haunted both Raf and her was their past.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
Get in position.
The text from Travis flashed on my phone screen and I glanced nervously at Rafael who was engrossed in a video game.
"Aren't you playing?" Raf glanced at me before returning his gaze to the screen.
"Can we go watch a movie instead?" I falsely groaned, aware of Trav's plan to finally get Raf and Bree to talk.
Despite their fight two days ago and my talk with Bree, things hadn't changed. Their snide insults had halted but no efforts at resolutions were being made.
Our plan was simple. Bree and Travis were down in the cinema room, unbeknownst to Rafael who thought they were out on a coffee date.
Trav would slowly slip out of the room with an excuse and hide in the kitchen while I dragged Raf downstairs.
As soon as he was inside the dark room, I'd lock the door behind him, careful to not enter the room.
Simple, right?
"You were the one who wanted to play video games," Rafael protested and I frowned.
"There's too much gore," I argued and he sighed.
"You watch too many movies, we'll run out of things to see soon."
"Fine, fine," he threw his hands up in exasperation when I gave him my best heartbroken expression and I grinned smugly. I should be an actress.
He shut off the TV as I pulled him to the cinema room. Faint footsteps in the distance assured me that Travis was now in his hiding position.
As we turned the corner to the stairs leading to the cinema room, I halted.
"Let me go get snacks," I squeaked out nervously, worried that Rafael might catch on to our plan.
"Wait for me in the den," I nudged him down the stairs and he shot me a weird look before trudging down.
As soon as Rafael closed the door behind him, I crossed the distance and bolted it shut from the outside.
Just as I twisted the lock, there was a loud pounding on the opposite side followed by collective yelling.
"Open the door, Blaze." Raf was seething and I smiled nervously as Travis appeared beside me.
"Travis, you dipshit. I know you're responsible for this," Bree's voice chimed in, her deafening yell making me wince.
The door vibrated with the force of their incessant knocking. Trav and I grinned at each other and fist-bumped. We were successful.
"You're not getting out of there until you two sort your shit out," Travis hollered and just to rile them up further, he jiggled the lock.
Something was thrown against the door and I instinctively stepped back.
"Pretty dumb decision to create a door that locks from the outside, eh Blaze?" Travis was fully back in his true form and I couldn't be happier.
His enraged stint at the bowling alley had everyone surprised and scared.
"Ah, how about we get ice cream?" I raised my voice so Raf could hear clearly. There was an enraged growl from the den.
"Ice cream is our thing, don't you fucking dare. I'm gonna kill you once I'm out of here, I fucking swear Travis." Rafael's voice was guttural and I chuckled.
He was crazy.
"Be sure to send us a picture of you two bonding as proof to your bail," Trav knocked once on the door and raced up the stairs as the twins shot out insults.
"Blaze, if you don't fucking open this door," Bree snapped and I just smiled.
"Call me once you've reconciled. Toodles," I knocked once on the door like Trav. Graphics threats and insults reached my ears as I bolted upstairs.
"Well, that was easier than I thought," I slumped on the sofa beside Travis.
"Now what?" he groaned and I pulled him up, an idea already germinating in my head.
"We need to get my stuff back to my aunt's house." Trav's face slackened on hearing my words, his sharp jaw clenching.
"Why do you want to go back there?" Travis didn't know the details as to why I left but just like Raf, he didn't like Mary.
"I've been here for over two weeks, I need to go back," I muttered. "Plus, I don't like being held a hostage."
"I wouldn't use the term hostage, you've been reaping quite the benefits," Travis wiggled his eyebrows. My cheeks flushed at the reminder of all the late-night makeout sessions in Raf's room. My skin burnt with the reminder of his hands tracing every scar, driving away my insecurities with each touch.
"Shut up. Anyways, we can drop all my stuff off and I'll go back tonight. You down?" I pointed a finger at him and Travis dragged his palm down the side of his face.
"Are you sure about going back?" he asked seriously.
"Definitely, anyways I'll just avoid her throughout the day," I shrugged casually, trying to mask my nerves.
It wasn't the slap that had scared me, it was the lack of concern she fostered for her own niece.
She had pushed me away from the idea of reporting Aiden any time soon. What if she didn't support me? What if people looked at me differently? I thought I was ready but I wasn't even close to it.
One reminder and I was sent spiralling into nightmares.
"If they weren't going to kill me before, they will now," Travis rolled his eyes as we made our way to the guest room.
"Quit the drama, T," I stifled a laugh as he gasped loudly.
Silently packing my stuff, I mulled over what would be happening downstairs. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't physically fight but they were siblings after all.
"Let's go," I announced once I was done and Travis nodded once.
Slinging my duffel bag over my shoulder, I grabbed some of my stuff from Rafael's room while Travis smirked slyly.
"So, this is where the magic happens, huh?"
"Cut it out," I narrowed my eyes.
He raised his hands in a placating manner. We made our way downstairs and took a quick detour to the cinema room.
Hearing yelling on the other end as we put our ears to the door, I glanced at Travis unsurely.
"This will work, right?" I whispered nervously and Trav looked hesitant before nodding.
"Let's hope so."
Silently retracing our steps, we went out the front door. Trav motioned for me to get into the car and once inside, he pulled out of the driveway.
"So, Rafael's sober right now?" He glanced at me and I nodded.
"Do you think he needs to go to Rehab?" I asked nervously and Trav clenched his jaw.
"Ideally, yes. He has a history with drugs so he should go. But knowing him, he hates it there."
"Why?"
"Well, I think he hates being alone. From what Rafael accidentally told me once, he felt like his dad abandoned him there for six months because he couldn't deal with him anymore," Trav drummed his fingers on the wheel anxiously, empathy contorting his face.
It must've been incredibly hard to be away from Bree for half a year, considering she was the only family he acknowledged.
"Life was tough for him back at Ardenford with his family falling apart. He used to be a prep school guy," Trav laughed and a smile crossed my face at the thought of Rafael in a uniform.
"Bree and him weren't bullied per se, but they didn't fit in cause they're new money." Travis and I scoffed simultaneously.
"Rich people are crazy."
"Do you think he'll stay sober, Trav?" I couldn't keep the fear out of my voice and Travis picked up on it.
"That's a question for him, nugget," he smiled at me softly. My fingers instantly twisted the bracelet on my wrist as I bit my bottom lip.
Travis continued to mess around with stupid jokes that eased my concern.
When Aunt Mary's house came into view, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Unlocking the door with my house key, I was met with heavy silence and I was grateful for the delayed confrontation that I knew was bound to happen.
Grabbing all my stuff, I placed it in my room and flopped down on the bed.
"Why don't you go back to Raf's house? I'll just stay here," I suggested sneakily and Trav crossed his arms over his chest.
"Hell no, this plan was a joint effort so if I'm attacked, you are too."
I groaned into my pillow.
"Want to play a card game?" I pulled out a deck of playing cards and Travis shrugged.
For the next half an hour, we continued to play Snap. At one point, I won almost the entire pile and Travis being a sore loser, quit.
A notification suddenly popped up on T's phone and he grinned at me.
"Time to release the Hernandez twins from jail," Travis piped up, turning his phone screen to show me a photo of a pissed off Bree with a fuming Rafael. But considering they were in the same frame, they must have made progress.
Underneath the picture were four words.
Unlock the door now.
Travis smirked as he replied.
Be there in 10.
We walked downstairs and I locked the door behind me. Travis made sure to be extra slow on the way back.
He was driving at half the speed limit.
"You're just asking for a death wish," I muttered as I opened the front door to the mansion and Travis snorted behind me.
Nervously, we made it downstairs and were met by utter silence from the den.
"Did you kill each other yet?" Travis hollered and I grinned when there was an angry grunt from my caveman.
"Open the fucking door," Bree's voice was deadly calm and Travis mouthed a 'Yikes'.
"I'll open the door on the count of three and then we race upstairs," Travis whispered and I nodded eagerly.
"One, two..." The premature opening of the lock and the subsequent sound of Trav racing away stunned me.
My heart pounded in my chest when the door creaked open and Rafael stood there with his hand on the doorknob and a devilish smirk on his face.
"Run."
Instantly, I turned on my heel and dashed as fast as I could upstairs, the pounding of Rafael's footsteps right behind me.
"Trav, you fucking traitor," I yelled as I rounded the corner to the living room while he darted to the front door.
"To each themselves, nugget," he chortled as he closed the front door behind him.
Already, my lungs felt winded as I ran across the living room. I hadn't even sprinted a hundred metres.
Suddenly, an arm banded around my waist and pulled me back to a solid chest, hot breath cascading down my neck.
"Gotcha," Raf whispered huskily in my ear and my nerves stood on edge.
"Let's talk this out," I smiled sheepishly as I tilted my head back and he placed a quick peck under my jaw.
With that distraction, he managed to swing my body into his arms and I thumped my fists on his chest with a glare.
"It was for your own good," I growled out and Rafael just looked at me blankly, storming to wherever he wanted to take me.
Personally, I didn't mind as I was getting a free ride.
In the distance, I could hear Bree yelling, meaning she had caught up to Travis.
Serves him right, sucker.
Tilting my head over Raf's shoulder, I saw Travis' back as he retreated slowly into the kitchen with his hands raised sheepishly.
I waved at him.
"You can swim, right?" Rafael's question was sneaky and without pondering, I nodded.
What I didn't realise was where Raf was taking me until the sound of rippling water graced my eardrums. I didn't get time to react before my body was freely thrown, wind rushing through my ears.
Suddenly, my entire body was submerged in water, my air cut off as it pulled me under.
He fucking threw me into the pool.
Resurfacing, I brushed my wet hair away from my face and glared poisonously at Rafael who was leaning against a lounge chair smugly.
Annoyance and anger skimmed my veins and I glared poisonously at him with all my might. At least I wasn't wearing a white tee.
"You fucking asshole, what if I had drowned?" I yelled at him, the water in my nostrils leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. My tongue rubbed over my bottom teeth as I glared at Raf.
"You said you could swim," he shrugged.
"What if I had lied?" I snapped at him, aware of the way his eyes trailed down to my neck which disappeared under the water.
"Hard luck," he pouted and I narrowed my eyes.
"You can't swim?"
"I can, but I don't like swimming."
Groaning to myself, I pulled the drenched shirt away only to have it cling back to my body like saran wrap.
Two could play this game.
"Hey, Raf. Can I have your shirt?" I raised my arm out of the water and he rolled his eyes.
"That's the oldest trick in the book, I'm not falling for it. You're not getting me wet."
"No, you dumbass, I seriously want it," I gestured towards my soaked top and his gaze darkened as his emerald eyes traversed past the skin of my neck.
Wrapping my arms around my chest, I frowned at him and he sighed sharply.
The black tee was tugged up in a fluid movement, revealing sculpted muscles and chiselled, inked skin. I took a deep breath and focused.
When he came closer to hand it to me, I curled my pointer finger in a gesture to drag him near.
"You're going to pull me in," Raf clenched his jaw, his sunkissed skin bathed in the evening light.
"I'm not. Look, I get it. It's fair enough that you turned me into a drowned rat," I shrugged and he hesitantly leaned closer.
Just as he extended his arm dangerously close to the edge, I yanked his hand and pulled him into the pool with me.
Oldest trick in the book but he still fell for it.
Water splashed all over my body as I dunked Rafael headfirst underwater but it was worth it. His black tee laid near the edge, forgotten.
However, when his face appeared above water, I gulped nervously.
Sage eyes burning dangerously with anger met my gaze and I took a few steps back.
"That's it, Blaze. No more playing around," his words were a mere whisper and my hands shivered underwater.
"Oh, do you hear that? Travis is yelling for help, Raf. We should go, murder is serious," I laughed nervously and I knew Rafael noticed the terse silence. The water rippled around his chest, streaks of the sky slanting across his dark tattoos as he edged closer.
Skirting my way to the edge was futile because Rafael was advancing on me and I was backing into the deep side.
Suddenly, my feet slipped on the pool floor, but before I could live through my mini heart attack, a muscular arm wrapped right around my waist.
"Gotcha," he mirrored his own words but there was now an unpredictable edge to it.
"The sunset's really pretty today," I babbled, trying to unclasp his fingers from my back. However, that only tightened his hold.
Rafael's nose skimmed my cheek, moving down to my jaw and my breath hitched.
"I'm hungry, Raf," I blurted out and his dark hair flopped into his green eyes that were fervently darting between my lips and eyes.
A thin sheen of water covered his skin, radiating the burnt orange rays from the sky. Every sharp corner and plane seemed to be glossed over by the water but I could see it crystal clear.
I loved him.
His fingers skimmed from my lower back to the middle, his other hand fleetingly brushing my tangled hair.
Lucky were those people who had good hair when wet.
Rafael's lips gently descended on mine, wet and demanding. My fingers roamed down the curve of his spine and dug into his back. In a surprising move, he tugged my hair up, his tongue slipping past the margins of my lips and a deep groan reverberated from the back of his throat.
"Still want to drown me?" A playful grin was plastered across his lips and I nodded.
"If you promise to do this every time."
The push and pull of his lips against mine and tugging of hair didn't stop as he pushed me against the wall, the sharp edge digging into my shoulders.
A throat clearing snapped my attention away from the feeling of Rafael's lips moulded against mine and snapped me away from my firing senses.
Slowly turning my head, I half expected Travis to be the one to interrupt us like he always did.
What I didn't account for was a man who seemed to be in his late thirties or early forties staring down at the two of us. The disapproving glint in his muddy brown eyes made my cheeks flush crimson with embarrassment.
Suddenly, I glanced between Raf and the man, noticing the undeniable similarities.
Salt and pepper stubble lined the same sharp jaw. Sun kissed skin stretched over corded muscles contrasted with his dark hair, those distinct laugh lines from the photograph now witnessed in person.
Although they seemed to be carved from stress now.
And when I turned back to Rafael, a barrage of emotions pulsated through his eyes.
Anger, pain, denial, hurt and recognition.
It was Rafael's father.
hi hey hello. happy pride month to all my beautiful rainbows, you're all perfect and valid and i love you.
boom baby, what do we think of this chapter? idk i think it was... bland but meh. whatever.
i feel like i talk so less these days but i don't have much to say. work and uni is a bitch so if any of you volunteer to kidnap me, i'd be eternally grateful.
also, shameless self promo here lmaoo but you can go check out the pinterest board for abt, it has all the character aesthetics. since some people pm'ed for it, my username is midnightxglory. here's a sneak peak:
trying to up my game here okay cut me some slack. anyways how was everyone's day?
question: what's your screen time?
love
a