Kaia's hands slide down the side of her body, the dress her mother had bought specifically for this occasion now snug around her curves. Quite frankly, she didn't hate having to dress up, especially for something this small with her friends close by. There was a time where she did. Dresses were just a way of proving to the world that she was in fact a girl and proper for living in this world. That's what Kiara and her shared an opinion on. Except Kaia eventually grew out of that opinion and realized what she needed to do in order to keep her family happy. Their happiness regarding her didn't really matter at all, but she noticed how most boys, even men who are too old for her, looked at her when she walked in a room. And every time she did so, they would be satisfied to not see a boy accompanying her.
She glances over at her locked doors, double checking to make sure that no one would come into her room in the next few minutes. Sliding open a drawer of her vanity, she pulls out a roll of duct tape and the bag of cocaine Rafe had refused to give her the day before, but dropped it off before heading to the dinner. He was wary about his father's current dislike for his son and didn't want to jeopardize it by showing up with coke to a supposed formal event. First, she would have to get through this dinner.
It was held at the country club, and it was as if the person who had planned the evening wanted to do nothing but bore the attendees. Her father calls out for her to hurry up and join them downstairs, but she quickly pulls up the hem of the dress. It wasn't the first time that she had done this, and she couldn't guarantee that it would be the last. Pressing the bag against her inner thigh, she pulls the end of the duct tape between her mouth and slowly unravels it. The noise is loud, but whatever, her parents had better things to do than to question a cracking sound echoing from her room.
Securing the bag against the inside of her thigh with three thick pieces of duct tape before she adjusts her dress halfway down her thighs. She drops the roll of tape into her drawer before walking over to her mirror.
When her family began bringing her to these functions, her mother would always pick the most uncomfortable and least flattering dresses possible. Over time, however, her mother became better at picking the suitable dresses that offered comfort in the form of an eye-catching dress. A dark green dress that looks as if it was seen in a rainforest at midnight. It's snug until her hips, where the fabric is stretched and flows loosely close to her legs. The spaghetti straps leave her collarbones on display and the v neckline sinks enough to show the top of her cleavage.
She knew that if Kelce were invited to this, he wouldn't hesitate to make a comment about the tight fit of her dress and that it's her family's way of putting her up for prostitution. In return she would hit him, not gently, on the back of the head without their parents watching. She silently prayed that he wasn't secretly invited, but either way, she wasn't going to worry about it.
Hearing her mother call her name once again, she sighs in annoyance. She strides across her bedroom to the door, unlocking it before opening the door and grabbing her high heels. They're simple—straps around the ankle, but simple. Walking down the hallway towards the top of the stairs, she pauses before slipping them on. She peers over the railing to see her parents waiting patiently at the front doors. Kaia watches as her mother checks her watch for the time and clears her throat before calling out again.
"Jesus, woman! I'm here!" Kaia stands up and sends a wicked smile down to her mother. "Shoes are ridiculously complicated and highly overrated."
"Say that when the bottom of your feet are shredded and covered with blisters. Get down here."
Her hands shoot up in defence before walking down the stairs to join her parents. Her father opens the door while her mother shoves past the two of them, rolling her eyes in the process. Kaia's mouth twitches up into a proud smirk before her dad squeezes her shoulder, leading her out of the house.
The summer breeze curls around them and Kaia's back is hot with the rays of sun beaming down through the crowds. It was the beginning of summer, so the heat was something for her to get used to once again. The hurricane had forced her to become adapted to not having air conditioning every time she walked into a house. The wind howls past her ears, brushing through her dark brown hair and relieving her back of the heat briefly before igniting against her skin once again.
"Don't be a pain in the ass," Her father says, catching Kaia's attention. Her eyebrows twist into a furrow as she looks up at him, a stern look set in her eyes. "Please." He doesn't say it with a plead, more like sympathy for his wife, however, his daughter doesn't budge. "Damn it, at least when we are inside."
Kaia nods, a sarcastic smile rising to her lips as the pair approaches the car that her mother already hid away in. "Valid negotiation, if I can say so myself."
He glares down at her before scoffing, knowing that she gets the stubbornness from him. He opens the door and gestures for her to get in, muttering "Fucking smart ass..." under his breath.
"Love you too!" She calls out despite the closed windows.
Her mother grimaces and snaps her head back, glaring at her daughter. The driver door opens and in slides her dad, glancing at the aggravated look on his wife's face. His gaze shifts to Kaia and widens his eyes, silently gesturing towards an apology.
"Sorry," She grimaces quickly before swallowing down the threat of a smile before her parents turn back around.
They make it to the country club in an agonizingly long period of time. If Kaia's parents appreciated music, it would make the drive less awkward instead of forcing them into a grim silence. Kaia had made the stupid decision to leave her phone in the house, so she was without entertainment for the drive.
Walking inside, they are immediately greeted by a hostess who seemed to be familiar with the Mitchell family, even if none of the three recognize her. She weaves them, allowing them to follow behind as all eyes fall upon the family. The action wasn't a shock to them, every time they walked into somewhere popular, having an eye-catching confidence that pulled everyone from whatever conversations they were engaged in. Kaia and her father were more welcoming to the attention, but Mrs. Mitchell wraps her arms around her torso, twisting her shawl tighter around herself insecurely. Her dad's hands are clasped behind his back, the suit jacket would have strained and ripped apart had it not been unbuttoned. Kaia's hands fall to her sides, moving in sync with her steps and confident strides. There was no opportunity for anyone to crash into them, the club had practically frozen around them. Kaia smirks confidently, loving how when she moved everything stopped.
Topper was the first to stand when they reached the table. He walked right up to Kaia and snaked his fingers around her forearm, tugging her backwards as the commotion around them recommenced. She cleared her throat, trailing her eyes up from his hand to his face.
"Uh, are you alright?"
"Pogue's are fucking snakes man, spit viper."
"What? Like... pss pss?" She lifts up her two fingers, curling them into the shape of fangs and jabbing them towards his face before Topper takes a step back.
He shakes his head. "You're impossible."
"So is this dinner, but I haven't even sat down." She slaps her hands onto her covered thighs.
Topper slides a hand down his face, sighing with annoyance. "And Sarah? Pogues and Sarah, dude, it's a bad combination."
Kaia shakes her head, processing his words before tapping his chest. "Wait... what? What do you mean?! Pogues and Sarah, Sarah and Pogues?"
Topper sighs and Rafe's eyes are finally pulled out of the trance. He was somehow more starstruck by her arrival than others, but he quickly stands. He dismisses himself from the table, sending an apologetic smile in the direction of his father.
He clears his throat, scratching the back of his neck as he throws his arm around Top. "You look hot."
Topper tugs at the lapels of his suit and lifts his lips into an uneasy smile. "Why, thank you."
Rafe deadpans. "Not you, jackass. Kaia, sexy as hell. Where's my coke?"
Kaia smiles over to him and winks. "Hidden from the public eye."
Topper rolls his eyes, grabbing onto her forearm again. "Please tell me you didn't shove that shit up your ass."
"No. The only shit up my ass is shit coming out of my ass," She says, swatting at his hand with irritation that he would even suggest such a thing. Rafe chuckles under his breath with a lopsided smile before she continues, "Back to the topic of conversation. Your girlfriend and the Pogues..."
Topper sighs, the false smile he put on and forced chuckles could only last so long. He groans, clenching his fists down at his side while Rafe furrows his eyebrows at her words. His sister's name and 'Pogues' shouldn't been in the same sentence.
"Yeah. So, Wheezie came up to me telling me that she and John damn B were flirting when he snuck onto the boat this morning. She even imitated this weird... mocking thing, I don't know. Your secrets safe with me..." Topper adds on a forced, high-pitched giggle for a dramatic flair and punches his fist into his palm.
"Yo, nah. He was on our boat? Stealing some shit? What some pricey watch or something worth a hell of a lot more than he makes in a month?" Rafe asks, squeezing Top's shoulder and forcing him to look over at him.
He shakes his head. "I already mentioned this shit to your dad... it's no big deal."
"No, the Pogues can't just sneak onto our territory and take what's ours," Rafe says, a convincing tone lathering his words.
"Jeez, you sound like an old white male in the 1600's," Kaia says lightheartedly, but honestly, anything that is going on with Sarah right now scares her.
She had lost Kiera to them before and she wasn't about to lose another best friend. Rafe notices her uneasiness and wraps his arm around her shoulder, slowly pulling her into his side. Kaia smiles up at the boy, forcing herself out of a mindset that would try to convince her of the worst possible outcome.
"Let's just enjoy this dinner and get fucked up, okay?"
"We can't get drunk here," Topper warns warily, staring at his two friends with a pleading look.
Kaia had seen the look before and didn't hesitate to nod. Anytime that Top showed some sort of despair emotion, it was either to do with Sarah or his mother, who disliked her own blood more than Kaia's own mother. She squeezes Rafe's forearm, tilting her head to the two boys with a relaxed smile.
"So... I look sexy, huh?" She slaps Rafe's chest as Topper turns red from trying not to laugh... unsuccessfully.
"I resent my previous statement. Sexy as hell, annoying as hell... it's the same thing."
"Asshole."
They turn back to the table, the trio weaving through the tables and chairs of other members. Rose is in deep conversation with Topper's mother, either discussing their favourite flowers or their least favourite sons—only sons, and step-son actually.
Topper turns to Ward and Kaia's father, extending his hand out to him. "Good to see you, Mr. Mitchell."
Her father clasps onto Toppers hand and Kaia rolls her eyes at their formalities. "Told ya to call me Steven."
Top nods, a small smile growing onto his face as they drop their connected grip. Rafe waltzes up behind her father, squeezing onto his shoulder before patting him a couple of times.
"Nice to see you, Steve," He says with a lighthearted chuckle as he moves back towards his seat.
"Sit down," Ward demands, irritated in comparison with how formal and business-like Topper had greeted him compared to his son, and Rafe seemed to be constantly frustrating him.
The tall blond nods before dropping down onto his claimed seat, his eyes flitting to Kaia as she sat down calmly. Their fathers turned towards each other, forgetful of the minor inconvenient interruption and immersed themselves into a conversation rounded around business and clever ways to make money. Kaia rolls her eyes, seeing as it is all that they ever talk about. They both agreed on so many things: the next perfect business move, the perfect days to go early morning fishing, the disrespectful ways to treat their sons—Kaia doesn't have a brother, but she would imagine that her father wouldn't treat him any differently than Ward did Rafe. Topper sits down, folding one of his hands into his lap before adjusting the collar of his shirt with the other one.
Kaia leans over towards him, wrapping her fingers around his forearm. "Fashion geek."
"Courtesy of fucking creativity, thank you." His mother's ears were somehow accustomed to only recognize his voice while he pronounced a swear word. She snaps her head over in his direction and narrows her eyes with a cold set in her jaw. Tone down the daggers, woman, Kaia thinks to herself with a nonchalant chuckle.
"Hey, where's Sarah?" Kaia directs the question specifically towards Topper, but almost everyone was at leisure to respond.
Topper shrugs, setting a strict tone in his jaw as he leans into the back of his seat. What would often not be a topic difficult for discussion appears to be a harsh subject this evening. He had mentioned her with the Pogues, but she couldn't imagine how Sarah would knowingly go with the group of them.
"She's out, doing something stupid probably," Rafe says, leaning towards Kaia and twisting his lips into a crooked smile.
Her lips tilt up into a mirroring smile before Topper clears his throat louder than ever necessary. Both Rafe and Kaia raise their eyebrows, not expecting their friend to be so grim and uninviting to the mention of his girlfriend. Rafe doesn't move to settle any of Topper's emotions regarding his sister as he pulls the glass of ice water up to his lips. She glares over at him as he gulps before turning towards Topper with a sympathetic smile that was only half-genuine.
"What? Do you think she's out with the Pogues right now?" Kaia asks, pulling her full attention to the boy.
Topper shakes his head, apparently not wanting to talk about it, but Kaia's gaze doesn't falter. He gradually sinks lower into his seat, the seat from the summer weather and nervousness forced onto him from her gaze urging him to shrink. Rafe's eyes move over to the slowly sulking boy and Kaia, who's gaze is locked onto him like a cheetah with a gazelle. Whatever smile that had been erased while he drank the water had grown to its devious potential. He smirked over at her and she felt his gaze on her, resulting in her hand slipping discreetly out from under the table and waving the middle finger in his direction, subtle enough that their parents wouldn't realize.
"What did I tell you? Snakes."
She clears her throat. "Uh, I haven't gotten the chance to ask..." She leans towards Topper and waits patiently for his eyes to meet hers. When he finally gathers the courage to meet her eyes, his lips form a testing smile. "How are you feeling? After what happened at the Boneyard?"
With this sentence, hushed but still comprehensive for Rafe, he leans over with a stern look. Kaia rolls his eyes at his urgency to listen into the conversation after what had happened with the Pogues. Neither one of them had been able to check in with Topper after the incident with thanks to the towers that have yet to be fixed.
"I've been good. Mad... very mad, but I'm doing alright."
Kaia clears her throat, intertwining her fingers and leaning forward with a breathy chuckle. "Okay, so which one is it: good, mad, or alright?"
"All of the above." Topper nods, taking a gulp of his water and pressing his forearms into the table. "Let's just not talk about it here, alright?"
Kaia nods and leans her back against the seat before sipping her own water. A waitress walks over with food, dishes lining her arms as the waltzes around the table, placing them in front of every person seated.
"This looks lovely, thank you," Kaia's mother claims.
She glances up at the waitress with a sweet smile; one that to the outside eye would seem genuine, but one that to the close eye would appear to be falsified and able to crack with recognition. When the waitress returns the smile, the one she found kind and unlike the rich woman, before turning about and placing down the remainder of the food. The very instant that she turns away, Kaia's mother's smile falls into a comfortable straight line. Her eyes drop and she focuses on the food in front of her—not questioning anything about the facade she put up.
"You're telling me that you still have yet to find anything useful?" Ward asks Steven, whispering the next sentence as the first question was a slip up—something not meant of other ears to hear.
Kaia rolls her eyes at the man and adjusts her attention to his son instead, someone more fun and extremely likeable. At least if you're a Kook. "How long do you think we will be forced to stay here before leaving for Kelce's house?"
Topper's mother cuts in, not ashamed of intruding in on a conversation. "You children are not leaving this place so easily, enjoy yourself." Her eyes snap over to her son's with a harsh glare before continuing on flaunting something fake to Rose.
Jesus Christ, I can't handle this, Kaia thinks to herself while clearing her throat and sliding her fingers around the fork. Maybe the sound of her chewing echoing throughout her own head would silence the words being shared around the table. Maybe it would hide the wary glances that Rafe moves onto his father. It could possibly hide the disapproval Topper's mother doesn't seem to try and hide concerning her son. And maybe it would back down the urge for her to throw up.
It may have not seemed as though the dress was too tight on her when she wasn't slightly panicking, but now it feels as if she was trapped in a continuously shrinking diamond cage.
"So how has your summer been so far, Topper?" Ward asks his daughter's boyfriend.
The change in conversation didn't help, even though she had an inkling that it might. Ward's change of tone from a professional business talk with Steven to beginning an interpolation with Topper didn't help in the slightest. She feels a tap against her shin, tangling her hands together, pinching her fingers in between one another. Her brown eyes flit up to scan the table, to see the faces and try to see who the tap came from. Topper was focused on Ward, as was his mother as well. Kaia's mother continued talking with Rose, and to no surprise would they not run out of conversation topics to discuss over the next few hours. Her father was briefly engaged in the conversation with Ward and Topper, Rafe's body turned towards the men as well. His eyes however, blue and bright under the golden lights hanging above, were ridden with entertainment and curiosity. They move to the sea behind Kaia, glancing over her shoulder while he feels her eyes focused on his face in concentration.
He twitches his head to the side, gesturing towards the bar behind him silently. He clears his throat, standing up and pulling on the hem of one of his sleeves rolled up his forearm.
"I'll go get you guys some more drinks, what will it be?" Rafe says, a small smile pulling on his mouth as Ward tells him his drink order.
For the first time within the past couple of days, the look on Ward's face when he looked at his son was proud. It made Kaia glad to see his father realize how good of a person Rafe was, despite many mistakes.
After Rafe repeats the drinks under his breath, he turns towards Kaia, lowering his eyes onto hers and winking. "A little help."
She lets out a grateful sigh and stands, brushing the sweat of her palms onto the front of her dress covering her thighs before walking around the table to Rafe. She smiles up at him, the motion having stood from the table beginning to relax her nerves immediately. He dips his right hand down across his torso, grabbing onto her right hand and bringing it underneath his left arm. Kaia curls her fingers around his bicep, feeling his muscles flex before he guides them away from the table.
"Bulging biceps... mighty impressive, I do have to say," she teases, firming her grip on his arm as they walk alongside one another.
Rafe sighs contently, flitting his eyes down to her as a smile grows. Something between them had changed recently, or that's what he felt. There was a possibility that he was simply thinking with his dick, recognizing how hot the Johnson girl truly was. After finally appreciating her in a bikini, he couldn't possibly imagine how much sexier she would look without any protective clothing at all. He mentally cursed himself for thinking about her that way, often times he wouldn't be able to maintain a friendship as long as theirs. He was odd and difficult, yet luckily, Kaia was stubborn enough to stick around with it. Rafe grazes the fingers of his right hand over her knuckles, feeling them loosen under his touch. Maybe, he thinks to himself, I'm not the only one feeling this way. Again, he mentally slapped himself across the face.
It was almost an internal battle. War breaking out between everything inside and fighting for a voice and opinion.
"Although with arms like these, I am surprised that you need my help with anything." Dissipating away are his thoughts of attraction. Up go his lips to grace her with a reaction to her teasing.
He nods his head. "You looked like you needed an escape, I apologize for providing you with one."
She rolls her eyes. "Come on, don't act like that. Thank you. Do you actually remember all of their drink orders though?"
"Yes," He says with a smile. He winks, turning towards her as they approach the bar. He leans his right forearm across the bar top and leans forward as the bartender approaches them. "Regulars for the table."
Kaia bursts out laughing, releasing her grip on Rafe's arm as she slides onto a barstool. The bartender flashes Kaia a smile before turning to grab the drinks. Rafe notices, a wave of anger curling his fingers into a fist.
"Drinks," he demands once again, sending the bartender in a spin to hurry up and complete his order.
He drums his fingers against the surface of the bar, tilting his head down to look at Kaia. He clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "So, what were you needing an escape from in the first place?"
"Masks, facades. Topper's mom is horrible to her son and he notices but never stands up for himself." Kaia rambles, but assuring to bite her tongue about Rafe and Ward. "Rose and her, too. Seriously, what is so interesting about flowers? Neither of them are planning on getting married soon, are they? No. So they should shut up with the talking..."
She sinks down into her seat, shaking her head with disappointment. Rafe mentally suggested saying something, either to side with her annoyance or remind her that it isn't a big deal. Instead, he stills and waits for her to continue, the bouncing of her foot indicating further ranting.
"This shit isn't even serious. It shouldn't be bugging me this much that you had to step in and pull me away from the table. Once again, I'm grateful for that." Something, a confession, burns on the tip of her tongue, but she swallows it back down. "Anyways... how much time do you think they will allow us to have to ourselves before calling us back over to indulge in some unnecessary conversation?"
"As little time as they see fit," Rafe says, lifting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his chest with a melodic chuckle shared between them.
"Words of wisdom, Rafe Cameron."