𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 on the Boneyard were a casual thing in the summer — or any time around the year, if the teenagers were being completely honest.
Everybody went to them — the pouges, the kooks, the tourons — and sometimes the rival groups didn't get into huge fist fights. That was only sometimes, though.
Kaci Flores sat down on a large rock, hoodie pulled over her knees to avoid the freezing cold and to hide the gewy mess growing inside her. It was just like the women online said; it was growing bigger every day. She hated it more every day.
She hated second-guessing herself. She had always been naturally confident, always said what was on her mind and never cared for who she might hurt in the process. But the questions now kept her awake at night, digging through her mind as tears threatened to spill everytime she looked down at her naked stomach. She wasn't sure if she could ever be a good mom — she didn't even know what a good mom looked like.
"Hey, babe." Rafe Cameron sat behind her on the rock, moving Kaci so that she was sitting in between his legs, and wrapped his arm around her waist.
Anxiety shot through her veins. If his hands moved in the slightest way, she was done. He'd touch the bump. The time of her secret would be over.
Ever since she took the test, Kaci had thought a lot about the reactions of the people close to her. She could see the kooks ditching — Kecle, Topper, ect. Her family would disown her — maybe worse. Sarah would never speak to her again. She could handle that. It would hurt, but she could handle it. She'd still live.
But Rafe — Kaci was terrified of what he might do. It would push him off the edge. It was the thought of her friends and family leaving her that kept her in denial for so long. It was the thought of being a mom that made her want to scream. But it was the fear of Rafe that kept her silent.
However, in her new world of questions and secrets, she knew one thing. One thing that didn't affect her as much as it should've. One thing that most women would hate themselves for.
Kaci Flores was going to be such a bad mom.
Because whenever somebody asked Kaci Flores ʼwhere do you see yourself in five yearsʼ, she couldn't answer. Kaci didn't see herself in even five months. She couldn't look in the future, she didn't know what she wanted. She knew what was expected of her — to grow old and eventually marry Rafe, take care of his home and carry his babies. But she didn't want that, and even of she did, that ship had already sailed.
So Kaci had no idea what her plans for the future were. Which made her a shitty mom. Which meant she was going to give her kid a shitty life. Because a good mom always had to be prepared, right? Kaci didn't even go to the clinic to find out what gender the thing was. She often forgot that she was even pregnant. She was a wreck.
"You drinking tonight?" asked Rafe, turning his head around to kiss her on the cheek.
Kaci shook her head, watching the other teenagers on the island let loose and do whatever they wanted. Two more months, and she'd never be one of those again. Two more months, and her childhood was over. Finsished. And there was nothing she could do about it. "No."
Rafe groaned, squeezing her waist tightly. He thought it was cute; it probably would've been if Kaci wasn't already in so much pain around that area. "You never see me anymore," he complained. "You're always with Sarah."
"She's my best friend."
"I feel like I'm sharing my girlfriend with her."
Kaci shrugged, turing her head around to meet his eyes. "No, she's sharing her girlfriend with you."
Rafe chuckled but still rolled his eyes, taking a slow sip from his read solo cup. "Give me a good time tonight, Kace," he said, and she knew it wasn't a question. "I leave for college after the summer, and we haven't properly spent time together since Luis went missing."
Kaciʼs face fell at the mention of her big brother. "Don't talk about him."
"No, I'm just saying," defended Rafe.
She quirked her brow, waiting for him to go on. "Saying what?"
He shrugged. "That I haven't seen you naked in a minute."
"And that's my brotherʼs fault?"
His sheepish expression quickly turned into a glare, warning the girl. "That's not what I said, Kaci — don't put fucking words in my mouth."
𖧷
𝗥𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 pissed. Really pissed.
Their argument was dumb and it was childish — and it probably didn't even count as a real argument — but Rafe Cameron was really fucking pissed.
Shot after shot, line after line — he wasn't even walking anymore he was so out of it. Kelce and Topper tried calming him down a few times, but there was simply no stopping him.
For weeks — months, even — Kaci hadn't even kissed him on the lips. She didn't wear any of the outfits she used to, and she rarely ever went out with him. Whenever they saw each other, she just wanted to stay inside and watch movies. She got angry over the smallest things and he seriously couldn't deal with it anymore. She pissed him off already — tonight was just the icing on the cake.
As the hours flew by, as Rafe drank more, Kaci made sure she kept her distance. She knew better by now that this never meant anything good. And she didn't only have herself to protect anymore.
"Are you guys fighting again?" asked Sarah, wrapped up in her sober boyfriendʼs arms as they strolled towards Kaci, who was half asleep and eating a cone of salted fries.
Kaci shrugged. "He's horny and I'm hormonal."
"You're on your period?"
"Mhm-hm."
Topper winced at the word like it was a disease while his girlfriend let go of him to cuddle her best friend. "We'll leave soon," she told Kaci, hugging her around the chest. "Then we'll eat all the ice cream at the hotel and binge watch Twilight."
But Sarahʼs words didn't bring Kaci as much comfort as they would've done if she were on her period. Sarah screwed up a lot, but at least she was honest about it — at least she was open and truthful. Kaci always pretended to be perfect, but she had more demons in her closet than anybody on that beach. Sarah told Kaci everything but Kaci told Sarah nothing. She was a shitty friend.
"He's coming over." Topper nodded to the other side of the beach, where Rafe was stumbling towards the three of them, alcohol spilling out of his cup.
"You want us to stay?" asked Sarah sweetly, looking down at her friend with sympathy.
Although Kaci hid the truth well, although nobody could suspect she was pregnant, Sarah knew she wasn't feeling the greatest. Sarah knew for a while now that Kaci was in a bad place. But the reason to it was far from the truth — Sarah thought it was about Luis.
"No, it's fine." Kaci shook her head, brushing her hair away from her face so that she could see the boy coming towards her.
Topper mumbled something and Sarah kissed her on the forehead, then they were gone. And Rafe was almost there.
"Hey, ʼaci." He stunk.
Kaci scrunched up her nose as he came at her, pulling her up so she was standing, and kissing her on the cheek.
"I love you," he mumbled. Then repeated it. Again and again and again.
"Yeah, okay, Rafe — I love you, too," said Kaci, trying to push him away a little. He was stumbling, and walking around with her in his arms. He was going to trip. She was going to go down with him. "Rafe, stop."
However, the dunken boy continued to laugh, finding it all very funny. He grabbed his girlfriend tighter, making it so that she couldn't leave his arms, and walked faster, tripping over his every step.
In her whole seven months of pregnancy, Kaci hadn't felt maternal once. She honestly related to Kim K in the way that she just wanted it to be over — she never wanted to experience this again. But unlike Kim, she wasn't sure if she'd ever have the bond with her baby that she had with North. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to be a mom. If she could be one. If she was good enough.
But when Rafe did this, when Rafe but her babyʼs life in danger as he tipped her around, she grew angry. If they fell, if she went onto that sand now, the baby inside her would be hurt. Maybe worse.
"Rafe, actually stop."
"But you promised me," the boy groaned, voice slobbering and drunk, as he lowered his right hand.
"I didn't promise you shit." Kaci began to squirm as he slid his bare hand down her leggings.
"Yeah, you did."
"Rafe —"
"You promised."
The back of her elbow suddenly collided with his face, and Rafe fell backwards and straight to the ground, holding his hand to his eye.
"What the fuck, Kaci?" he hissed loudly.
People around began to turn their heads towards the kook couple, confused expressions on their faces.
Kaci brushed her hair away from her face and glared at her boyfriend. "Drink some fucking water and come to me later," she told him, stealing a nearby strangerʼs evian bottle and pouring it over his face.
"You fucking bitch."
"You're the fucking bitch."
"Hey —"
"Is he bothering you?"
Kaci turned around, her glare hard enough to slice through bodies, and found JJ Maybank standing right behind her, clenching his jaw and staring right at Rafe.
He'd been watching over Kaci for a while. He always did when she was in eyeʼs reach. She was beautiful. If he could stare at a single photo of her forever, he would.
After teasing and annoying her for the last few days, JJ was half-expecting Kaci to come over to him. To tell him that he was on her mind all the time like the others always did. He was expecting her to go back to him like the others. But, instead, he had to watch her be pushed around all night by Rafe Cameron. It pissed JJ off. The way he treat her pissed him off.
Kaci knew she shouldn't have gone out the moment she seen the number thirteen in her car. Her eyes lingered on it for too long, and now the bad luck was coming after her. She was also seven months pregnant and hormonal, which meant her tolerance to annoyance was at a thin zero. Plus, Kaci was an aries, which meant she didn't think before she spoke most of the time.
"He's just a fucking prick," she huffed and started walking away.
"Bitch," Rafe muttered, wiping blood from his eye and finally beginning to stand up.
Only to be shot back onto the sand.
The sound of JJʼs fist smacking against Rafeʼs jaw was enough to disturb the peace of every single teenager on the beach. People went running to watch the fight, friends started shouting, and phones and flashlights blinded everyone.
Kaci stood back, arms crossed and an unbothered look on her face. She wasn't going to stop it — she didn't want to get punched. And she wasn't going to chant and cheer — she was too tired.
"Yo, yo — chill out, man, he's about to pass out." Topper Thornton, however, didn't mind breaking it up. He stood beside the two boys, trying to get JJ off his friend before he literally died. He was already way too drunk and now he was beaten up.
That was probably the exact moment the fight got way out of hand.
When JJ didn't listen to him, Topper lightly pushed him.
Kaci had never seen somebody turn so fast. It frightened her. It made her flinch.
Before anymore damage could be done, John B quickly jumped in front of his best friend, stopping him from going after his second kook.
"What a psycho!" Sarah Cameron exclaimed, standing close beside Kaci. "How did this even start?"
"Your brotherʼs a dick," Kaci stated bluntly, hand on her stomach.
"Yeah, I already knew that."
"Dirty pouges," said Topper, bending down to help Rafe up.
And then John B went flying off the handle, too, throwing Topper down to the floor. However, this fight was a lot more even considering they were both sober enough to see their fists.
Kaci looked around her. The audience was behind, cheering for sides and drinking more beer — most of them were tourons, obviously. She recognised a few other people, though. The pouges were pretty close, standing around and worrying for their friends.
"John B, we're supposed to be incognito remember?" Pope Heyward panicked.
At the sound of his voice, Kaci turned around and sent the boy a soft smile. She liked Pope — he often delivered to her house, and was always so kind and respectful. He quickly smiled back but was too worried about John B to focus on anything else.
Kaci felt another presence behind her. She didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"Babe, babe, babe, babe —" Sarah was ahead and stressing out.
JJ Maybank stood right behind Kaci Flores. She gulped and looked down at her hoodie, hand over her belly button. She could feel her bump, she could feel a kick.
That bitch hurt.
It was the first time it ever did that. The sudden force of it made the girl gasp, a little noise coming out of her mouth. She laughed. She could feel her baby. Her angel.
JJ looked down at her, confusion all over his face, as she broke out into sudden laughter. It made him smile. For seven months, he'd watched her brood and frown everywhere she went. He'd watched her side eye everyone and let no humanity in her expression. But this was her. The girl he took home with him. He was finally able to admit to himself how special that night was.
Maybe he wasn't playing on her mind — maybe she was just on his.
Then he heard the water splash, and all his attention went back to the fight.
Topper was kicking John B through the water, holding his head under. Drowning him.
Kaciʼs lips parted, her humour fading away, when she watched what happened next. The happy tears dried out, but her palm stayed rested on her baby.
JJ held a gun to Topperʼs head.
And that was it. That was her baby daddy. Threatening to murder Somebody.
Fear ran its course through her body. He kept her hand on her stomach, protecting her baby, holding it close to her in a new sense of comfort.
Everyone ran. The beach was clearing out.
Few still remained; the pouges, Sarah and Kaci.
"JJ, put the gun down!" Sarah shouted out.
He didn't look back at her. "Did you say something, Princess?" he asked, pressing the gun further into her boyfriendʼs head.
"We're good, we're good," Topper panicked, hands raised in surrender.
"Kie!" Sarah shouted. "Can you check your psycho friend, please?"
"Don't," Kaci warned with a sigh, knowing how fast the other girl reacted to things. "I'm too tired to smack a bitch tonight."
Kiara only glared at them.
JJ heard Kaci. She wasn't talking to him, but she was talking. Her voice — that fake voice she put on to make her sound uninterested, that voice she purposely crafted to make her seem like a bitch, to keep people away. It wasn't the same as the bubbly voice she used when she talked about something real. The smile on her face when she spoke about the love she had for her brothers. This wasn't the voice he knew her from.
But he turned around to see her. Hand on her stomach, a bored look on her face as she met Kieʼs glare. Then she saw him, and her features softened. They continued to soften until it was too much. Until he could see the clear fear on her face. The fear he caused. He scared her and it terrified him.
Reality suddenly hit him. Hard.
JJ took the gun off the back of Topperʼs head and faced the rest of the crowd, all running in different directions. He caused this. This was him. He didn't look back at Kaci again. He was too ashamed.
"Okay, everyone, listen up!" he screamed his words so loud his lungs ached. "Get the hell off our side of the island!"
Two gunshots into the air.
Sarah leaped forward and took her boyfriend into her arms, helping him stand up and guide him back to the car.
Kaci stared for another few moments. The baby kicked again. The baby was real. And she would never forget it again. It was coming soon and there was nothing stopping it.
For the very first time in her life, she could feel it. Feel the love for the baby inside of her, feel the want to protect and care for it forever. She was ready. Kaci Flores was going to be a mom. She finally accepted it.
JJ needed to know. Soon. He needed to know so he get himself together so he could have the chance be a part in this. He deserved to be a part of its life. He deserved to love it forever, too. He deserved to feel what she did. Because it was the best feeling in her life.
Her secret was coming to and end. And it terrified her. But also comforted her at the same time. The doorway through her imagination and reality was slowly closing.
Authorʼs Note
i really just hate this chapter, like it pisses me off, but i'm too lazy to change it so enjoy this piece of shit. it doesn't compare to when tatum shot top in the arm. i am excited to continue this fic though and here are a few things to keep you hyped for the next few chapters — kaci defending jj to her dad, kaci revealing her pregnancy (finally), kaci joining the pouges, jj and kaci falling in love :) is anybody actually enjoying this tho?? tell me if you're here, and don't forget to comment all your opinions because i'd love to hear them.
love tay </3