Iris walked into Topper's house that night and went straight to the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she pulled out the bag of cocaine she bought from Barry earlier in the day.
She needed a fix and she needed it now.
Two lines were in front of her.
No going back now.
One line down.
"Fuck." Iris rubbed her nose and looked at herself in the mirror.
On the outside, she was the perfect Kook girl. The queen.
But on the inside, there was a lot going on. Pressure to be perfect and successful. Pressure to maintain her relationship with Rafe, who was equally as fucked up as her with drugs too.
And she definitely had secret mental health issues and abandonment issues because her parents were gone a lot and she had to fend for herself. So that literally also meant she experimented a lot growing up.
But she also liked being alone...to a certain extent.
"Fuck it." She muttered to herself, looking for that escape as usual as she snorted the second line, feeling the immediate burn and relaxation that overcame her, which didn't last because....
Someone suddenly knocked on the bathroom door, startling Iris.
"Hey, whoever's in there, can you hurry the fuck up?"
She recognized that voice.
It wasn't someone from the Figure 8.
Someone from the Cut.
Wait...someone from the Cut in a Figure 8 house? I'm surprised.
"Just a second." Iris responded.
"I really have to piss, so hurry up!" They insisted, knocking repeatedly, annoying her.
Who the fuck was it?
She looked at herself in the mirror, touching up her appearance before grabbing the remaining cocaine and opening the door.
Only to come face to face with JJ Maybank.
Standing there with a toothpick between his teeth, staring down into her eyes.
JJ scoffed, looking her up and down, "Jesus Campbell, what took you so long?"
"Mind your own business, Maybank. Why the fuck are you on this side of the island? You, at a Kook party? I'm shocked!"
"It's a party. You know how much I love a party." He winked at her before he twirled the toothpick, looking her up and down again, before locking eyes with her once more, "Why do you look like that?"
"Like what?"
"You normally look all preppy and kooky, but something different." He narrowed his eyes, licking his lips, "You look, I don't know, hurt or something."
"Like I said, mind your own fucking business." Iris muttered as she pushed past him.
JJ scoffed, "Oh, wait, I figured it out, yeah, see that's what dating Rafe Cameron will do to you. You'll end up all drugged up like he is."
Iris stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, before she walked back towards him, shoving him hard, "Don't you dare talk about Rafe that way."
"Jesus Campbell, what the fuck has gotten into you?" JJ asked, gently taking her hands off of him, gently putting her hands by her sides, keeping his hands on her arms slightly, "You need to calm the fuck down. Don't take things to heart."
"Don't talk about Rafe like that." She repeated once more.
If looks could kill, well, JJ would be dead by now. And he knew that. But he also knew something was off. He studied Iris a lot, and this was kind of unlike her. Recently, she had got more dark. More angry or sad or something.
And he could tell Rafe didn't care to figure out why, but he wanted to.
Also the tension between them was-
Okay, JJ, focus.
Stop thinking about those things right now.
He lowered his voice, "Hey, cupcake, you need to calm down. I'm kind of scared you're going to kill me."
Iris scoffed, rolling her eyes at him, "Fuck you. Let go of me."
She shook her arms out of his grip and left to go downstairs when he spoke up again.
"Hey Campbell?" He called out after her.
Iris turned on her heels to face him, only to see that he had followed her and was standing right there, startling her once more, "What?"
JJ touched his nose, "You've got a bit of uh-stuff there."
Oh, fuck. Now he knew she had done coke.
She quickly wiped her nose, "Thanks."
That was fucking weird.
She hated JJ. And JJ hated her.
Right?
But the more she thought about it, the more it made senses. That's just how their relationship was.
Lots of witty banter back and forth.
In private, that was.
In public, they didn't talk.
She walked downstairs only to pass Topper and Sarah, heading upstairs.
"Oh Iris, you're here! When did you get here?" Sarah asked, wrapping her arms around the girl.
"Uh, just a little while ago." Iris said, wiping her nose again, just incase.
"Rafe's down there, if you're looking for him." Topper said, looking at her suspiciously.
"I wasn't, but thanks for letting me know."
"Are you high?" Sarah whispered to her, making Iris laugh.
"No." She glanced back upstairs, ensuring JJ wasn't there watching, "Why would you think that?"
"Iris!"
"Listen, I gotta go, but I promise I'm not high." Iris quickly rushed down the stairs, leaving Sarah and Topper behind.
And then she set eyes on Rafe. Doing a line of cocaine on the island in the kitchen with a bunch of girls surrounding him.
That's nice, Iris thought, not concerning at all.
He looked up, his eyes burning into hers and he smirked before taking another line.
"Iris!" A voice called out and she turned around.
Jack.
"Have you seen Tatum?" He smirked as he looked her up and down.
First of all, ew.
"No, Jack. I just got here, I don't even know if Tatum is here yet."
Jack laughed at the sass she gave him, "Okay, well if you do, let me know."
He raised his eyebrows at her before brushing past her and touching her lower back.
Second of all, ew.
Rafe watched the interaction, rage burning inside him as he clenched his fists. He hated Jack. Mainly because Jack was always looking at every girl like they were some sort of meal. All he wanted was sex and it's all he ever talked about. Not that Rafe wasn't like that, not since he and Iris started dating anyways. Iris looked back at Rafe, who stood up, and followed her out of the room.
"Iris!" Rafe called out, making her roll her eyes.
"What do you want, Rafe?" Iris asked, turning around to come face to face with her boyfriend.
"What the fuck did Jack want? You two looked intimately close-"
She cut him off immediately, "Okay, well, you had like 10 girls basically sitting on your lap."
"Jesus Iris, you keep turning everything into a fucking fight today." Rafe met her eyes and scoffed, "Are you high?"
"You're the one that stormed over here looking for a fight!" She paused, taking a breath, "And yes, I'm fucking high, but so are you so why does it matter?"
His eyes softened suddenly, his brow furrowing, emotion was built up behind his eyes, "Because I care about you Iris and I love you. You shouldn't be getting high like this, not like me."
Iris rolled her eyes, "You never noticed that I had a problem until you saw me today and I had to fucking spell it out for you."
"But I know now and that's what matters." Rafe said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "You're going to stop."
"Stop doing drugs?" She asked, eyebrows raised at him.
"Yeah."
"I can't just stop, it's not that easy Rafe."
"Yes you can."
"Oh yeah?" She challenged him, smirking, "Then I'd like to see you stop too."
Rafe laughed, "That's fucking funny."
I knew he wouldn't like that.
"I'm serious, Rafe. Why don't you stop with me?" She said, pouting softly as he got slightly flustered.
"Because, well, no. I can't." He said, his eyes looking everywhere but at her.
"So, why do I have to and you don't? That doesn't seem fair to me, and really, I care about you to, so that in itself should make you also want to quit."
Rafe rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll fucking stop."
Iris knew he wouldn't. And deep down he knew she wouldn't either. But they were both going to pretend for as long as they can.
"Your fucking sister just broke up with me." Topper said as he walked around the corner, interrupting them, "I'm fucking pissed, man."
Rafe laughed, "Uh, what?"
"Did you know about this? There's no way you didn't. They're best fucking friends." Topper asked Rafe, pointing at Iris halfway through.
"Top, man. Calm down, it's all good. At least you don't have to deal with my sister anymore." Rafe said with a laugh.
"I love your sister, but apparently she doesn't love me."
"People fall out of love sometimes, you'll be fine." Iris chimed in, already annoyed with Topper whining as usual.
"I just feel like we are meant to be though." Topper continued on, "But she betrayed me."
"By breaking up with you?"
"Obviously Iris. God, I thought you were supposed to be smart. Clearly the drugs you've been taking are scrambling your brain up."
Ouch. Thanks Top.
"Top, shut the fuck up." Rafe said, smacking him in the head playfully, anger evident in his eyes.
"Fuck you, Rafe." Topper said, walking off before yelling back, "I'm gonna get Sarah back! Mark my fucking words!"
"Jesus, he's helpless." Iris muttered, glancing at Rafe briefly, "I'm going to find Tatum."
He didn't want her to leave his side, and yet she constantly did. He had to make her stay put, and to always be with him. And he finally was figuring out how to wrap her around his finger.
Iris walked to the beach, where people were swarmed everywhere. She kept an eye out for Tatum, but so far, had no luck and assumed she just never came. She grabbed a red solo cup and filled it up at the keg, chugging it back before refilling it once more.
"You're stealing all the beer, Campbell."
Iris looked back to see JJ, again.
"That's kind of the point." She said, smirking at him.
He squinted his eyes at her, "You know, I'm surprised Rafe isn't clinging to your side."
"What are you talking about?"
JJ glanced up at the balcony, where Rafe was watching them with anger written over all face.
"Because I don't think he likes a Pogue being this close to his girl." JJ said, taking a step towards her to fill up his cup.
"I don't think I like a Pogue being this close to me either."
"C'mon, princess, don't tell me you don't like me." He teased softly.
"I don't." She spat at him.
"Not even a little bit?" He smirked back at her.
"No."
"That's such a lie." He took a drink briefly, choosing his words carefully, "Drugs make you even more of a bitch, Campbell."
Iris' smug smirk faded and her expression went stone cold.
JJ knew he had hit a nerve saying that. And again, he couldn't help but be a bit intrigued. Why did she do drugs? Other than Rafe, there had to be a better explanation, right?
JJ looked up to the balcony again when he snapped out of his thoughts only to see that Rafe wasn't there. Instead he was walking out onto the beach towards them, looking right at JJ.
"On that note, I'm going to go." JJ said, hurrying off towards the rest of the Pogues.
"Maybank, you're not getting away that fucking easily!" Rafe yelled after him as Iris pushed him back.
"Stop it, Rafe. Seriously, don't make a scene tonight. Please." She begged him quietly.
"That fucking Pogue was talking to you-"
"I know. It's fine."
"JJ, what the fuck do you think you're trying to do? Also, why the fuck are all you Pogues here on Figure 8?" Topper yelled, literally appearing out of no where, getting all up in JJ's face.
"Topper, settle the fuck down." Iris pulled the back of Topper's shirt, only to be pulled off by Rafe.
"What the fuck do you think you were doing, hm?" Rafe asked, standing by Top's side.
JJ laughed, "You two serious?"
"Do we look like we're kidding?"
"Guys, let's just take a second to calm down, we really don't need to-" John B said as Topper punched him square in the face.
"Oh fuck." Iris muttered to herself.
This causes the two of them to continue throwing punches at each other, with the Kooks cheering on Top and the Pogues cheering on John B.
Minus Kiara, Sarah and Iris, who just wanted them to stop.
"Don't make me drown you like your old man." Topper yelled, as John B attacked him again.
Totally uncalled for.
"Stop it!" Kiara yelled.
"Guys, please!" Sarah agreed.
And again, Topper began to hold John B under water, making him struggle.
"Topper, stop it!" Iris yelled as JJ pulled out a gun and held it against Topper's head.
"Your move, broski."
"JJ, put the gun down." Sarah says.
"JJ, please." Iris chimes in, making JJ glance at her.
"You say something, princess?"
JJ finally put the gun down, leading Rafe to grab Topper and drag him out of the way.
"Check your psycho friend, Kie." Sarah yells at them as they walk away.
"Get the fuck off of Figure 8, you dirty Pogues!" Rafe yells at them as all the Pogues flipped him off, immediately running into the darkness as Iris watched.
"Topper, why the fuck would you do that?" Sarah yelled as Topper laughed as if he was shocked.
"He was on Figure 8, trying to talk to our people, trying to mess with-"
Sarah scoffed, cutting him off, "Our people? What the fuck? JJ and Iris were literally having a normal conversation, it's not like he did anything wrong-"
"Oh, but he did everything wrong! That dirty fucking-"
"Cut it out!" Iris said, stepping in between Sarah and Topper, "Shut the fuck up. Stop arguing and just go inside! You are being so fucking childish."
Topper looked down at Iris and scoffed, "Yeah, okay. Let's go Rafe."
Rafe looked at Iris for a split second and then followed Topper, causing a feeling of sadness to run through Iris' body. Of course he would choose his side.
"Fuck you Rafe." Iris yelled after him, "Come on Sarah, let's go home."
And the two girls walked home together.
And neither said a single word.
Both knew how the other was feeling.
Sad and lonely.
~