Rafe drives off to the side of the road and continues down the dirt road towards the house. He pulls up beside the house and keeps the engine running.
"You got a first aid kit?"
"I'm sure there's one laying around." At times, JJ has had to stitch up his own wounds from Uncle Luke so I am almost certain that he has medical supplies in the house.
"You'll need to get some medical tape and tape one band around the top here-" he pinches my two end fingers together in the upper quarter. "And then here." He slides his fingers down mine and pinches again near the spot where you'd place a ring. "Does it hurt when I do that?"
I nod my head. "It kills."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because you told me to be strong." I say in a manly voice, trying to impersonate him from earlier.
Rafe laughs at me and shakes his head. He really is beautiful when he laughs. I find myself captivated by the way his eyes close and almost all of his top row of teeth are on display when he genuinely laughs. Especially the way small creases form in his cheeks. I think this is the first time I have seen him truly laugh without sarcasm.
The smile on his face doesn't last long, because before I know it, it is replaced by a serious expression.
"Go on, get out before one of the Pogues pop one of my tyres from being in their territory."
"Are you scared?"
He stares at me with a dead pan look. "Scarlett Maybank, when am I ever scared?"
I refrain from saying whenever you're in your father's presence.
I reach out and place my hand on his arm. "Thank you for clicking my finger back into place. I appreciate your help, Rafe." Nobody else helped me and if it wasn't for him, then there's a high chance that my finger would still be dislocated until somebody got ahold of JJ.
His head drops down to look at my hand on his arm before slowly looking back up at me. "Yeah, well you owe me now. Don't forget that."
I remove my hand from his arm and reach for the door handle. I jump out of the car and purposely slam the door shut behind me. Despite the windows having a dark tint, I can still slightly see inside the car and I can see Rafe shaking his head at me. When he sees me watching him, he throws his arms up at me. I laugh in response and head inside.
I keep my eyes focused on the ground while I step up the stairs. That's when I notice a pair of feet waiting on the top step. I look up at JJ who is leaning against the timber railing with a toothpick between his lips.
"Rafe Cameron gives you a ride twice in one week."
"Well you should be happy that he's not giving me a different kind of ride." I step past him, but he circles his hand around my arm. I stop walking and turn to face him. He lets go of my arm and pulls out the toothpick from his mouth.
"Promise me you will never say anything like that to me ever again."
I laugh at him. "Come on JJ, you should have seen that one coming from a mile away."
JJ smiles at me and opens his mouth to say something, but he closes his lips and his smile falters. "What happened to your hand?" He reaches for my hand but I hold it behind my back. That's when JJ tilts his head to the side and then pushes back my hair. He stares at the graze on the side of my forehead. "And your head?"
"I took a dive while playing touch football. It's no big deal."
JJ snaps the toothpick in half with a simple flick of his fingers and drops it onto the floor. "Did he do that to you?"
"Oh my god JJ. I know you despise him and sure he has done some terrible things, but don't just assume that he did this to me. Rafe actually helped me."
He snickers, not believing me. "I'm sorry, Rafe helped you? Are we talking about the same person here?"
"Hugh dived on me when I went for the ball which resulted in my finger bending in the opposite direction. My finger was dislocated and Rafe clicked it back into place for me."
"Yeah, I bet that scumbag enjoyed feeling your bones crack in his hands."
I don't have the patience to deal with JJ's opinions right now. I know that I am being defensive of Rafe, but he deserves it after what he did for me today. Like I said, he was the only one who helped me.
I walk inside the house and hear JJ mutter the words, "I've got to call the guys and tell them this one."
I walk into my room and close the door. I lay down on the bed and place my hand on my stomach to rest it. I don't move when I sleep. The position I fall asleep in is the same position that I wake up in. So I am able to sleep safely knowing that I won't roll on my hand and dislocate my finger again.
The pain is uncomfortable, but bearable. Pain is something that I have grown accustomed to. After copping beating after beating, I learnt to tolerate the feeling of my bones crumbling, my skin splitting apart and feeling like a tonne of bricks had fallen onto my ribs. I have also become quite the nurse too. I've learnt the right amount of pressure to apply to a wound, the angle to position your head so that you stop the bleeding without the blood trickling down your throat and I can clean up a cut in a record amount of time.
I've had a lot of practice on myself over the years.
I can't sleep, I feel too dirty. After all, I literally dived through the dirt. I take a shower and the water stings the graze on my head and arm. I hadn't even noticed the one on my arm yet. Again, the pain is bearable.
I wrap the towel around my body and walk into the kitchen. I see JJ, Pope and Kiara sitting out on the hammock by the tree. John B and Sarah are standing at the pier near the dingy.
"JJ, where's the medical kit?" I call out to him while leaning against the cupboard door, staring around the interior. I don't see any first aid kits in here. Just many cans of beans. I pick up one of the cans and look at the expiration date. 08/06/19.
It's two years out of date. I toss it straight in the bin.
"Hey Scarlett."
"Hi Pope."
"At the very bottom behind the oven trays." JJ tells me.
I bend down and push the oven trays out of the way. When I do so, the trays begin to topple over. I manage to catch the first one, but the next two fall to the floor. I drop the top tray and leave them on the floor. I'll fix them later. I grab the first aid kit out and take it to my room.
After cleaning my wounds and taping my fingers together, like Rafe had instructed, I place the medical kit back in the cupboard and fix the oven trays. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and walk out to join the others. They're all sitting around the small bonfire.
"JJ told us what happened, are you okay?" John B asks me when I take a seat beside him. I can feel him staring at the graze on the side of my head.
I take a sip from my bottle of water before closing the cap. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"I also heard that my brother helped you." Sarah pipes in, clearly surprised by her brothers gesture.
I nod my head. "He did."
"We need more wood. Who wants to come with?" John B says and looks around the group. "Anyone?" You could hear a pin drop, it is that silent. The only sound is the crackling of the fire. "Alright, I'll go on my own then."
He places his hands on his knees and stands to his feet. He switches his hat from backwards to forwards and walks off.
"So I know you had a rough day Scarlett, but how was everyone else's day?" Sarah asks.
"I had work. Same shit, different day. I cannot wait until we get back that gold and I can say sayonara to the yacht club." JJ says while poking the fire pit with a large stick, trying to toss around the wood that is stuck at the bottom. Kie shoots him a glare and he holds his hands up defensively. "I'm kidding, forget I mention the gold."
Kie then starts to speak. "My day was okay. I had online classes but they were pretty much a bludge because my teachers just blabbed for the whole session." Because she missed out on so much school, she's taking extra classes. So is Pope.
"I had class today too. Mine wasn't as smooth sailing as yours. I had an essay due at 9am and then a presentation at 12. I'm not feeling confident for the presentation. I could have gone better."
"You're too hard on yourself Pope. I'm sure you did great." JJ pats him on the back. "And if not, then you can waste your life away at the yacht club with me."
"How was your day Sarah?" Kie asks.
She smiles to herself. "I went on a date. We went for a nice boat ride up the river and then had a picnic. It was very romantic."
"You two being in so love makes me sick." Pope says to her. "I'm just playing, good for you guys."
"You sure you're okay?" Kiara asks. "Usually we can't get you to shut up and now you've barely said a word since you got here."
I place my drink bottle on the floor beside me and when I look back up, I see everyone's eyes on me. I laugh at them. "Guys, I'm fine. Relax. Maybe I just want to listen for once."
Sarah shuffles closer to me and reaches for my hand. She gently runs her fingers across my bruised knuckles. "Since you feel like listening, I suggest putting some ice on it."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll go get some now."
JJ stands up. "I'll get it for you."
Sarah places her hand on my shoulder and gives me hesitant look. "And can I suggest something else?"
"What?"
"I know my brother isn't ugly and he might seem fun and exciting, but he's really dangerous Scarlett. I know that you're a smart girl who is capable of making her own decisions, but Rafe is out of control. He might have fixed your finger and given you a lift home, but he hurts people. Both physically and mentally. This time he fixed your wound and next time he will be the reason behind it."
"Like you said, I'm capable of making my own decisions. I know that Rafe has done some fucked up shit and that he is far from being a saint, but he just needs help. You're his sister, rather than turning your back on him you should have helped him."
"Rafe tried to kill me!"
"Before all of that. Before he tried to drown you and shot you, how many times did you show him compassion?" I wait for her to answer, but the response never comes so I continue speaking. "I'm not defending his actions, but think about it. He is mentally ill and he lashed out because you threatened to turn him in. He wasn't thinking clearly and rather than speaking to him in a calm manner, you lashed out and this made him think irrationally. He is mentally ill because of Ward. Your Dad fucked with his head from such a young age and he needs help."
Kie starts laughing. "Oh my god Scarlett, I can't believe you're defending Rafe. He is a murderer. He hurts people. Badly. And he doesn't care one single bit."
"Nobody is ever born a bad person. Their childhood shapes them into the adult they become."
Sarah and Kie exchange a glance, which only makes my temperament grow.
"You and JJ both had abusive father's in your childhood and how many people have you both killed?" Kie asks me.
JJ returns with the ice and he holds an uncertain look on his face. "You know what, maybe I'll just go back to the kitchen."
"I think I'll join you." Pope stands to his feet.
"None, for now. Bring up my father again and maybe I'll change that." I stand up abruptly, accidentally knocking my water bottle over when I do so. I look at Pope and JJ.
JJ holds an uneasy expression on his face. "Come on Scarlett, that was too far."
"It's a fucking joke. You people need to lighten up." I step over the log and start walking away. "I'm leaving. You can all stay here and bitch about people all you like. I don't want to be apart of it."
I walk inside and grab JJ's keys from the table. I run over to his bike and put the helmet on my head before getting on the bike. I insert the keys into the ignition when John B walks out from the bushes with his arms full of logs.
"Hey Scarlett, where are you going?"
"I need to go for a ride and clear my head."
"Be careful of that finger."
I kick the stand with my foot and place my hands on the handlebars. "I'll be careful." I say before flicking the switch and revving the clutch. "Don't drop that firewood" are my last words before I drive off down the street.