Outer Banks, Thornton's house
July 5th, 2020
11:16 am
After a long night of resting sleep, the dazzling bright sunlight passing through the beige curtains of my bedroom woke me up. I looked over at the sparadrap on my stomach, and with a frown on my face, I slowly peeled it off. I left out a groan and extricated from bed, stepping into the large adjacent bathroom.
My phone kept ringing as I showered, but I didn't capitulate, because I needed time for myself. The whole investigation the Pogues had brought me into was indeed stimulating, but it was too much danger for almost zero outcomes. In fact, I usually did not flinch upon trouble and uncertainty, but this time it was different. Because I had planned on having a chill summer, not one starting with a bullet right in the abdomen.
I walked down the stairway, after covering my wound with a new bandage and slipping a large t-shirt over my shoulders so no one would ask questions about it. My mother was sat down at the dining room's long table, her eyes glued on her computer's screen as she scrolled through the amount of professional e-mails she had received through the night.
"Hi mom," I voiced, grabbing an orange from the fruit basket hanging. "Where's Topper?"
"At the Cameron's," she just answered like she was too busy to extrapolate. "Bring Gaby out, he's getting on my nerves"
Her fingers tapped rapidly on the computer's keyboard, and I laughed as our dog started to lick her legs asking for attention. She sighed and I kneeled, tapping on my thighs with the palm of my hands. My dog stared at me and kept his four paws on the white tiles under the table.
"Come on my boy, let's go play outside," I instructed and he trotted over to me.
I made my way to the garden, grabbing one of his favorite toys on the way, which caused him to bark excitedly. After opening the french windows and making sure he had followed me, I ran in the grass. He woofed and ran to where I had thrown his little toy, before bringing it back to me a few seconds later. He knew we could do this for hours, because every single time I came over, I was the only one entertaining him.
"Well, I've began thinking you're harder to have on the phone than Elisabeth II," a voice called out behind me.
I rotated and caught sight of who had been harassing me for hours now, without ever giving up, which had caused me to turn off my phone and almost throw it in the pool of despair. John B came closer confidently and caressed my puppy who was already jumping on his fore legs. "Hi my cute boy"
"Well next time try to call the Queen instead," I snapped as he opened his arms and I gave him a quick hug. "Maybe she'll reply"
"Why weren't you responding? We need you," he selfishly spoke, as I pulled away from his chest.
I resisted the urge to slap him right in the face and took a deep breath to calm myself down. He must have noticed my facial features suddenly turning stricter since he locked his eyes in mine so he'd have my entire attention. The handsome boy ran his hand through his brown hair, waiting for an answer.
"I'm sorry, I'm not coming today," I stated.
"Why not? did JJ not tell you about our new plan?" he asked.
I sighed loudly anyd Gaby started to get annoyed of me not playing with him and throwing his toy anymore. John B grabbed it from between my hands and hurled it far away in our large garden which my dad spent hours keeping clean. It drove me insane he didn't just understand for a second I maybe wanted a break from all this, even if it had just started.
"I got shot for that fucking compass John B, so please, just give me some alone time, it's all I'm asking you," I cut him off. "I need to think of something else"
He laughed ironically, as Gaby made his way back to us and he threw the toy once again, but further away, like he was annoyed and unleashed on his terse throws. The boy clenched his jaw and looked away like it was his own way to calm down and try to think straight. It wasn't because of him that I had been shot and I knew it, but I personally didn't care about his damn compass, so a bit of compassion for his friend would have been appreciated.
"I'm so sorry you got shot, and I hardly slept through the night because of it, but just know it means a lot to me that you're here to find out about what happened to my dad," he left out.
"I will, I promise you, but tomorrow," I said, closing the debate and trying to chance the subject of our conversation. "Anything else you came here for?"
He nodded and tossed Gaby's toy before making his way closer from me and leaning in. The brunette boy opened his arms and gave me a rapid but warm hug I really appreciated. I wrapped my arms around his torso as my face hit his chest gently, and a smile appeared on my lips.
"I'm glad you're alive," he breathed.
"Me too John B, me too," I drawled pulling away from his embrace.
(...)
Outer Banks, Cameron's house
July 5th, 2020
1:27 pm
The Cameron's mansion never failed to impress me, and as it filled my vision, I remembered all the gleeful memories it had sheltered. So when I crossed the huge garden's entrance, and walked on the green grass, my whole heart filled with pure impatience. It had been a while since Sarah and I had not hung out together, and it really sounded like the perfect plan to have me forgetting about the previous day.
"Sarah! Sarah be careful of the electricity!" Rose yelled at my friend.
I stared at her and noticed she was recklessly standing on a small barque, electric wires hanging all over. I walked over at my brother and his friends, and stood next to the Cameron boy. "What is she doing?" I asked.
"There she is, miss rebellious," Rafe greeted as he saw me. "Watch her fall and make a big drama out of it," he snickered like it wasn't his own sister he was talking about.
"There is 14000 volts in those wires!" Rose shouted.
Sarah smiled and as I looked a little bit more carefully, I noticed the wires were disconnected, which eased my anxiety and made me laugh inside. "Rose, calm down I'm an athlete," she voiced. "I got this"
"She just wants the attention," Rafe's hoarse voice mumbled. "Little fried sarah"
I looked up at him and rolled eyes, as Topper walked closer from his girlfriend, worries dripping off his eyes. "Sar' it's not funny get down!" he instructed.
"Topper why don't you go rescue her? is it too scary for you?" I said loudly.
My brother flipped me off, annoyed, as Rafe chuckled, nudging me gently. Sarah slipped and fell on the boat, causing loud screams to resonate everywhere. Kelce and Topper rushed to her, as Rafe and I didn't accelerate our walk. The boy had no reason not to rush over to his sister, since everyone besides me thought she had been electrocuted.
She raised the disconnected wires in the air, prominent giggles escaping her mouth. Topper groaned, annoyed that he had been tricked that way, but we kept laughing our lungs out. "Congrats, you're officially her bitch," I told my brother, which vexed him more.
"Yeah, it's kind of a thing in your family, being a bitch," Rafe added, looking at me.
I widened my eyes, taken aback by his mean words and he rubbed the top of my head with the palm of his hand. His lips curled in a small grin, as he then ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair. I shook my head at his nerve, a laugh threatening to escape my mouth any second.
"It's weird seeing you here, I thought you'd be in your room dealing drugs," I told him.
He threw a rapid look at his silver watch I assumed was at least a Rolex and he focused back on me. He stepped closer, his muscular chest almost nudging mine, which gave me a smell of his deep masculine smell I truly loved.
"Funny how it hasn't been five minutes you're here and you're already getting on my nerves," he complained.
"Only truth hurts Rafael," I teased.
His hands found their way to my hair and he brushed a strand of it behind my ear, gently. His contact was gentle, like it wasn't Rafe Cameron controlling the hand touching my skin. My heart pounded faster in my chest, and I was positive my cheeks had reddened but since he didn't point it out.
"Why aren't you with your shitty friends, princess?" he asked me, his fingers still tickling my skin.
"I needed a break from all this Pogueness for a while," I explained, smiling. "Why aren't you dealing drugs?"
A chuckle grew on his angelic face and shook his head, his hair swinging to the fast movement. "You know you've been on my mind a lot lately," he said.
"Oh really?" I asked.
The boy and I started walking along the alley of the immense garden, while Topper and Sarah walked inside the big house through the opened door, and Kelce left. When Rafe wasn't doing drugs or surrounded by his stupid friends, including my own brother, his company could be enjoyed and he could show himself a good guy. Good being maybe a bit overrated, I often said he was okay.
"There's no one quite like you on this island, I started to get bored," he stated.
"Just admit you missed being called an asshole," I shot him a sarcastic smile as he laughed obnoxiously.
Once the laughter subsided, we remained silent for a little while, and he cleared his throat loudly. I looked up at him, my eyes locking into his, which created a weird feeling in my stomach I preferred not paying attention to. His facial features grew darker and he focused back on his feet like he wanted to avoid looking at me. "How's it going with that JJ kid?" he asked.
"There's nothing really to talk about," I said, not sure why he even cared. "We're platonic friends"
He tilted his head to the side, not convinced. "I'm not sure he thinks that way," he breathed.
"Whatever happened last year is old story, we're just friends and it's better for both of us," I hummed. "We sorted things out last summer and spring break"
A teasing smile grew on his lips and he left out a bittersweet snicker. I drew my eyebrows together in confusion, not sure what was so funny with the current situation my best friend and I were in, because as much as we pretended we were random friends, every single time my eyes laid on his lips or his fingers, it reminded me of what they had provoked in my body a few months ago.
"He had you right where he wanted didn't he," Rafe spoke, taking me out of my more or less suggestive thoughts.
"Don't be jealous," I shrugged, a laugh bubbling out of my mouth. "You already have everyone right where you want, just because you're a Cameron"
He rolled eyes and we started walking closer from the mansion, our conversation taking slowly a turn no one of us had planned nor prepared. If there was a thing I liked about Rafe, was how determined and confident he was, at least on the outside. His steps, his words, his smell, everything transpired pure dominance and he knew it, so he played along with the character his facial features imposed.
"Why do you hate me so fucking much?" he asked, his eyes on our feet.
"Because someone has to put you in your place, Mr Cameron," I concluded, stepping faster in an attempt to walk away.
Rafe didn't seem to agree with my decision to avoid the conversation so he grabbed my arm just the way he liked to do, and pulled me back towards him. He wrapped his muscular arms around me, and I rolled eyes. "You've been rolling your eyes at me way too much today," he stated.
"What do you want?" I asked.
He stayed quiet for a few seconds and tightened his grip around my waist, as I placed my hands on his chest to keep him away. "Who said I needed someone to put me back in place?" he wondered.
"No one, I just wouldn't want you to think you're as boring as your father," I hissed.
I raised on my tiptoes, kissed his jawline gently, my lips lingering on his shaved skin, and I walked away for good. I knew well how much he hated being kissed or shown any type of affection, even if mine was fake, and his groans immediately reached my ears, which made me chuckle.
As much as I hated Rafe for what he embodied in the Kook Community, I never wanted him to become a second version of Ward Cameron. If he wanted to go full Kook, then I wished for him to succeed in his Kook life, but following his father's steps wasn't what I called succeeding. Ward lived off cutting Pogues fundamental needs and increasing social or economic gaps on the island. If Rafe wanted to be a businessman, then I hoped for him to own a big company he was fully devoted into, be independent in his job and please his own needs.
I stepped in the entrance of their house, waved at Ward, and hurried upstairs where I hoped to find Sarah. I walked alongside the hallway and stared at the new paintings Rose had hanged on the wall ever since I had left the island. The woman like to take care of the house's decoration and leave nothing to chance. She knew how to dictate her opinions firmly and never let Ward walk all over her.
I knocked on the girl's room's door loudly enough for her to hear but as I was about to enter, the doorknob twisted down and my brother's tall figure faced mine. He escaped the room quickly, not even throwing me a look, and it had me realising something was up with him. I replaced him in the room and found Sarah curled in a bowl on her bed, which confirmed my previous theory.
"Hi," I softly voiced, sitting on her bed right next to where she was.
At the sound of my voice, she looked up and practically jumped on me, hugging me tight. I laughed as her weight squeezed me and she rested her head in the crouch of my neck. We laid there for a few seconds, until I broke the heavy silence. "What did he do to you?" I asked her.
She sat up on the mattress and sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "He thinks I'm cheating on him with John B"
I bursted out in laugh and shook my head in disbelief as soon as she mentioned my best friend's name. She shrugged after speaking and I rubbed the back of my head with two of my fingers.
"Why John B specifically? Is his bigger?" I asked but I soon realise we were also talking about my brother.
A gag escaped my mouth when images I would gladly have avoided made their way in my head. Sarah threw me a dark glance full of reproaches and made her best not to let escape the laughter she had kept inside of her throat.
"Someone saw us in the Druthers after he brought back the oxygen tanks," she explained.
I laid more comfortably on her bed and took my face in my hands. She reclined as well, resting her head on my shoulder, and I realised how much I enjoyed being back by her side. The girl was sweet, caring, funny, and it drove me insane she didn't realise her value.
"Just ditch Top' already," I muttered under my breath.
She turned to look at me and I felt a tiny bit of consideration through her silence and narrowed eyes, which allowed me to think my suggestion had been foreseen. Their union had never been justified or obvious to my eyes, because I knew both of them and found no true common point in their temper.
"I have no reason to," she explained herself, "he's pretty nice, he's handsome, he's caring, that's all I ask"
I sighed and stretched my arms over my head, as she threw me a deadpanned look, curling her lips together. The sun hitting on her blonde strands had her looking almost ginger, and made her look even more angelic than she usually did. I stared at her in awe for a little bit until I focused back on our conversation.
It drove me insane how she put up with my brother when she literally had all the boys on the island at her feet, and could find so much better without even looking for it. I loved my brother, as much as he irked me, but if his bliss caused Sarah's anxiety to increase, then I couldn't help wondering what was the point of their relationship.
"Are you happy?" I inquired. "Not only with him but in general"
"Yes, I am," she responded, pulling away from me to sit up on her bed and bring her knees to her chest, on which she rested her chin. "Are you?"
I smiled softly and tilted my head to the side, not initially expecting her to return the question, that kept me up at night. Not that the answer was complicated to figure out, but the amount of positive things that had made their way into my life pressured me to answer to this question positively.
My decease had disappeared, I got to live the life I had always dreamed of with the people I liked most, on the island I always considered the best place to be on Earth.
So why wasn't the answer so easy to say, and those simple sounds did not want to escape my mouth brainlessly?
"Can't say that I'm not," I ended up answering.
She nodded not willing to go into deeper details and I sat up next to her, our features a few centimetres away from each other only.
"Do you want me to show you something?" I asked her.
She nodded in agreement and I slowly lifted my shirt up, which revealed only the huge sparadrap on my stomach. I slowly peeled it off and both of her eyes laid on my wound. I was at first surprised to see the cut had healed through the day, and would soon only be a scar, but then, what surprised me was her reaction.
She didn't seem scared or disgusted, but interested in the backstory. The girl moved closer from me until her nose almost touched my wound, like it was an evidence on a crime scene, and she was about to brush it softly with her fingers, I caught her hand.
"What happened?" she asked me.
"If I tell you, then you need to promise me you're not telling anyone," I instructed her quite firmly. She nodded quietly and so I went ahead as her eyes were still glued on my injury. "I was shot yesterday," I quietly announced.
She frowned. "Shot? like- with a gun and stuff?" she asked.
I couldn't help but burst out in laugh at her words, even if she didn't follow me in that outburst of laughter and she stared at me with a paling face and pursed lips, forming a rounder shape in a concerned but not fully convinced facial expression. As the laugh subsided, she held tightly on to my arm with her fingers wrapped around it.
"Well, it's not funny, Tess, you could have died," she almost yelled at my face. "Who did this?"
I shrugged. "Two men in the marsh, I had never seen them before"
"In the march? but it's closed," she quickly contradicted.
I left out a brief sigh and replaced a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, before getting up from her king-sized bed. Sarah kept staring at me the whole time, as I made sure that my wound was not visible through my shirt, since I had removed the bandage protecting it.
"Just know that Pogues don't always do as they're told, especially not when they're following one of JJ's plans," I assured.
She smiled a little and got up too, getting closer from me with a feeble smile. "So you were in the marsh, on a date with JJ, and you got shot but he saved his pretty princess," she said with a high-pitched voice tone.
I threw a pillow at her face, laughing. "It wasn't a date! We were just hanging out," I solidly contradicted.
I found pretty funny how most people harassed both of JJ and I to know further details of our relationship, when it still wasn't clear in our own mind. Well, it was clear in mine; I was uniquely attracted physically to JJ, and there was nothing more than friendship in my heart, towards him. I was positive he thought the same way, but the amount of equivocal moves he had done every school break I had came back on the island tempted me to believe otherwise.
"That's what she said," she replied, an amused smile on the corner of her lips.
"Shut the fuck up, or I swear I'll break your nose just the way I broke your brother's," I added and we laughed in synch.