.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
"Rafe?" I ask from his bathroom.
"Yeah?" he calls out.
"Can you help me zip it?"
"Yeah, come out here."
I packed a yellow sundress in my duffel bag just in case, I thought. Turns out that was a good choice, because it works perfect for tonight. Except I can't zip it myself.
As I step out of the bathroom door, Rafe's eyes fall down my body. His hand moves to his jaw and slowly covers his mouth. "God damn," he groans.
I stare at him as he continues to look at my outfit in shock. "Rafe."
He finally meets my eyes with a dazed expression.
"The zipper," I say, my hands still attempting to hold fabric together behind my back.
"Right." He swallows as he steps closer to me and reaches his arms out.
I turn to face the other direction as I wait for him to zip the dress. His thumb touches my bare skin, making me shiver as he drags it up my back along with the zipper. I spin back around and flatten the bottom of it with my hands before looking to Rafe.
He places his hands on my waist and drags them down to my hips, all while wearing the biggest grin on his face. "You look so good, Jules," he says, moving his hands to my ass before pulling me into a hug.
"Thank you," I giggle, wrapping my arms around his neck and going on my tiptoes. He barely has to move his hands down before reaching the end of the dress.
"I like that it's short," he says, and I don't even need to look at him to see the smirk that's plastered on his face.
"I know," I say, pulling back and putting my hand on his cheek to kiss him quickly. "I like your outfit, too."
He moves his hand to the lower part of my back before letting go and looking down at his clothes. "Did the green shirt just for you." He smiles before kissing me again, this time longer than the kiss I gave him.
As we kiss, I can't help but think about the fact that I really do like his outfit. He's wearing a pale green long-sleeve with khaki shorts, and he's still wearing the new curtain-like hairstyle that I gave him. That was possibly the best decision I ever made.
He pulls away and smiles at me. "You excited for tonight?"
I nod quickly. "Mmm-hm."
"How do you feel about drinking?" he asks me cautiously.
"Uh... I don't really want to. But you can."
"I can?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, I mean... I trust you." I shrug. "As long as you promise not to act douche-y like last time."
A smile forms at the corner of his mouth. "I promise," he says before kissing my cheek.
"You only drink, though, right?" I ask. "You stopped getting high ever since... the whole thing happened?"
"Yeah." His face turns serious as he nods assuringly. "Of course. You know that."
"I was just double-checking."
"I know," he says, looking into my eyes.
I breathe deeply, taking in the silence, before he starts to kiss me again. His hands move to my cheeks as he moves his lips over my own.
"Look, doesn't it piss you off, even a little?" a loud woman's voice says from what sounds like the front yard.
Rafe immediately pulls back and looks into my eyes as he listens intently.
"Of course it pisses me off, I'm just—" a male voice returns. "I'm just trying to channel my rage into different vectors right now."
I purse my lips as I realize that I recognize those voices.
Rafe walks past me into the hallway and toward the balcony. I take a deep breath in before following him slowly. As I turn the corner, I find him already standing on the balcony and staring out into the yard.
"Look, we know what you did!" Kiara screams from outside the fence, staring directly at Rafe.
I walk closer to Rafe as I watch Pope lift Kiara into his arms and attempt to drag her away.
"Murderers!" she shouts as loud as her voice will let her.
Rafe's hands tense up into fists as he stands oddly still.
Kiara finally moves Pope's hands off of her and walks toward the boat that's waiting for them in the water.
Rafe licks his lips before turning around and walking back to his room. I follow him awkwardly, my brain racking with thoughts of whatever just happened.
"They're lying," he says as he holds his bedroom door open for me.
"I know, Rafe," I say, grabbing my purse off of his bed.
"I don't know what the hell they're doing." His voice shakes as he speaks, signifying how irritated he is.
"Don't worry about it right now. Your dad will figure it out, I'm sure of it." I walk closer to the doorframe. "Let's go have fun, okay?"
He nods with a blank face.
✧ ˚ · .
After about five minutes of driving, we turn the corner to see a large mansion packed with teenagers. It looks about ten times bigger than Topper's party a few weeks ago. Rafe parks down the street and opens the passenger door for me, holding tightly onto my hand as we walk toward the house.
I immediately notice people's heads start to turn at the sight of us. I try to look in front of me and avoid eye contact at all costs, but it's almost as if I can feel people's eyes piercing through me.
Rafe opens the front door, places his hand on the lowest part of my back, and guides me inside. He notices Kelce and a couple other guys playing beer pong, so we make our way over to them.
"Hey, Rafe, you made it!" Kelce daps him up and looks at me. "Making it official, huh?" he asks before looking back to Rafe.
"Yeah, well. It's been official, but..." He pauses to look down at me with a proud smile on his face. "Just wanted to finally show her off," he says, leaning down to kiss my cheek.
I can't tell if the heat on my face is from him making me blush or the amount of eyes I can feel burning into the back of my head.
"Okay, I see you," one of the boys says before going back to the game.
Rafe looks down at me before putting his mouth up to my ear. "I'm gonna go get some drinks. I'll find something good for you, alright?" he whispers.
"Okay," I say as I watch him weave his way through the crowd, leaving me with his friends.
"Hey hey," a guy says casually as he comes up from behind me.
I whip my head around and widen my eyes slightly. "Hi, Topper."
"How are you?" he asks.
"Good," I say, pursing my lips.
"That's good to hear." He smiles. "You should come sit," he says, pointing to a set of couches by the pool that have about five guys sitting on them.
"Oh, I'm just waiting for—"
"Rafe, I know," he interrupts. "He's just about to join us, it'll be cool."
I close my mouth and hesitate.
"I'll take good care of you," he laughs kindly. "Don't worry."
"Um... okay." I shrug before following him over to the couches.
Once I get close to the coffee table, the group of guys begin to look up at me, the same exact smile appearing on all of their faces. Topper sits down on the couch, leaving the white chair open for me, but I don't sit down yet.
"What's up, what's up?" a brunette boy asks.
I nervously rub my forearm. "Nothing."
He looks down my body for entirely too long before making his way back up to my eyes. "You know, if Rafe ever gets too much for you, I'm always down."
"Down for what?"
"Whatever you want, Juliet," he says with a smirk.
"Matt..." One of the guys covers his face as he begins to laugh. "Chill the fuck out," he snickers.
Just as my cheeks begin to turn red, I feel a familiar hand slide across my back and find its way to my hip. "Hey," Rafe whispers, not once taking his eyes off of mine.
I sigh in relief. "Hey."
"I got you strawberry lemonade," he says as he hands a cup to me.
"Thank you." I smile lightly before taking a sip.
"Sit, guys," Topper says, motioning to the still empty chair.
Rafe lifts my hand above my head and leads me over to the seat. He sits down first, grabs my waist, and sets me down on his lap, all while the guys stare and watch. Rafe pulls the bottom of my dress down slightly before putting half of his hand underneath the fabric, running his fingers back and forth on my thigh. It isn't until I look up that I notice Matt's eyes have followed every movement.
"You guys haven't been together long, have you?" Matt asks with a scarily confident stare.
Rafe's jaw clenches, and once I realize that he's not going to reply, I clear my throat. "No."
"That's what I figured." Matt smiles before a slight laugh escapes his mouth. "You know, we were all talking about you two the other day."
Topper scratches the top of his head. "Matt—"
"Rafe's probably had to show you a lot, right Juliet?"
Just as my heart sinks, I feel Rafe's hand stop moving. He's now tightly squeezing my leg.
Matt puts his elbows on his knees and looks at me. "I'd be willing to bet that you're still a virgin."
"Watch your fucking mouth," Rafe says with a terrifyingly calm voice as his hand goes farther up my leg.
"I just think you jumped on her too fast, Rafe. That's all." Matt smirks as he sits back. "Didn't give her a chance to experience other things. To know what she's missing out on."
Rafe stares at him, and just when I think he's about to lunge at Matt, he moves me off of him before standing up himself. He puts his hand on my back and forcefully guides me away from the couches.
I turn my head around to look at Matt. "I'm not missing out on anything."
✧ ˚ · .
Rafe throws the contents of a red solo cup down his throat before swallowing hard. "I swear to god..." He shakes his head, still wearing a sour face from the alcohol. "I'm gonna beat his ass."
I rest my forearm on the countertop and watch as he fills up his cup with more beer from the keg. "He's just trying to make you mad, Rafe."
His hand shakes as he pours it into his mouth again.
"You know that I—"
"Just stop," he says, closing his eyes and pinching the top of his nose.
I take my arm off of the counter and look at him in silence.
"I just— I trust you, Juliet. I know you won't do anything," he says. "But I don't trust him."
I inhale deeply before exhaling just as long. "I think he's just bluffing. He wants to get under your skin, so you just have to stop thinking about it."
Rafe laughs quickly before his face turns blank again. "I don't think you get it."
I pick up his hand and hold it between both of mine, looking straight up into his eyes. "There's nothing you can do about it right now. We can worry about that tomorrow, let's just have fun tonight, okay?"
He presses his tongue to the inside of his cheek before kissing the back of my hand and hugging me. "Okay."
For the next thirty minutes, Rafe leads me around the house and introduces me to random people that he knows, picking up random drinks along the way. I recognize some of the people, whether it's from seeing them around the island or knowing them from elementary school. It doesn't take long for Rafe to go from irritated and tense to talkative and flirty, making it obvious how hilariously drunk he's gotten.
Eventually, he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder before leading me toward an empty couch on the patio, making me giggle like crazy the entire time I'm in the air. Once we reach the couch, he lays down and pulls me on top of him. He sits up slightly against the armrest, allowing me to straddle him easier.
"I've been waiting all night to kiss you, Jules," he says as he moves his hands up my legs.
I laugh and place my hands on his cheeks before kissing him slowly. The second my lips hit his, he moves his hands to my ass and kisses me harder. I pull back to laugh at his eagerness before going back in.
After a few seconds, Rafe sits back and puts his hands on my waist, analyzing my outfit again. "Your dress is so, so pretty, baby." He laughs to himself and drunkenly kisses me a few more times.
I smile as my hands rest on his chest. "Thank you."
"Like, sooo pretty," he says, slurring his words. "You're stunning, sexy, drop gorgeous— drop, drop dead gorgeous."
"That's sweet, Rafe." I move my hands back to cup his cheeks. "You're not gonna remember any of this tomorrow." I laugh and kiss him gently.
"Your hands feel good—" He grins. "Yes, yes I will." His face contorts as he furrows his eyebrows. "Yes I will."
I shake my head and giggle. "Hmm-mm."
"You're wrong, baby. I will remember. I will."
"Okay." I smile.
"I never wanna forget the way you look right now. The way you... the way you feel right now. Your hair is soft." He runs his fingers through it. "Your lips are soft." He kisses me slowly. "Your eyes are sparkly and pretty. Really pretty."
"Yeah?" I say, beginning to blush.
"Yeah. And you... you smell really good. And you kiss really good."
"I do?"
"You do. You're perfect." He kisses me again. "Oh my god, I love you," he groans.
"I love you." I brush back his hair gently with my fingers before he pulls me in again.
After a few minutes of kissing with his hands all over me, I naturally fall deeper into the couch, which leads him to end up on top of me. We stay there, making out in the middle of the patio, for what feels like forever.
Eventually, Rafe puts his hands farther up my dress. "We should go to a room."
My smile falters slightly. "Why?"
"Did Matt calling you a virgin bother you?" he asks.
I blink. "Um..."
"I can change that, Jules. I want to," he says, looking at me with desperation.
"I'm not really ready to—"
"—I'll be gentle, baby, I promise."
My heart flutters a little bit, picturing what that would look like, but I shake my head. "Rafe."
"You'll have fun with me," he insists.
I hold onto his face. "Not yet. I'll let you know when I'm ready in the future, but for now, it's a no."
He sighs.
I kiss him slowly, and his disappointed demeanor immediately drops. Just as we are falling back into the rhythm we had going before, someone shouts his name.
"Rafe." Kelce's voice says from nearby. "Rafe!"
Rafe keeps his hand on my waist and doesn't pull away from my lips, almost as if he's in a trance.
"Rafe Cameron," Kelce says, his voice now louder than before. He shakes Rafe's shoulders to emphasize his impatience.
"Oh my god." Rafe slightly sits up off of me and looks at Kelce annoyedly.
"Carter wants to show you something in one of the rooms upstairs." Kelce says, pointing his thumb behind his shoulder. "It's the most sick beer pong game."
"I got the hottest girl in the OBX with me right now, and you're telling me this shit?" He slurs his words as he smiles down at me. "Get lost, bro," he says before going back in to kiss me.
"Rafe, I'm serious. It's, like, premium alcohol." Kelce grabs his arm and forcefully drags him off of the couch. "Your girl can wait."
"Don't you think he's probably had enough to drink?" I look to Kelce as I get up with Rafe.
Rafe sighs dramatically and pats Kelce on the shoulder. "Fine, man. Let's get shit-faced."
"Rafe." I lightly slap his face to get his attention. "Rafe!"
"It's okay, baby. I'll be back! I promise. I swear." He kisses me before turning around and following Kelce into the house.
Damn.
✧ ˚ · .
After trying to pass time in the bathroom, I open the door and start my walk down the hallway. The music gets louder at each step I take, and soon enough, I'm surrounded by people again. I decide to squeeze my way through the crowd to find a less crowded area that isn't the bathroom.
"Juliet," a voice says from near the speakers.
I whip my head around to find Matt walking closer to me, making me freeze in place.
He catches his breath. "Hey."
"What?" I ask, assuming he must need something.
A smirk suddenly appears on his face. "Rafe leave you all alone?"
"No," I say immediately, but I know he can read the lie on my face.
"Really? 'Cause I don't see him around anywhere." He pouts his lips sarcastically before taking another step closer to me.
"Please stop."
"You don't have to be scared, Juliet," he says as he lifts up my chin with his pointer finger. "I'm just glad I finally have the opportunity to tell you how hot you look tonight."
I grab his wrist and yank it away from my face. "Leave me alone," I demand before turning to the side to walk away.
"I can't," he groans, and suddenly I feel his hand reach up my dress and grab my ass.
"What the hell?!" I shout, but my voice is practically drowned out by the music as I slap his hand off of me.
"Nobody will notice if we go to a room, please just—"
I frantically squeeze past people in order to get as far away from him as I can. "Holy fucking shit," I mutter to myself, covering the sides of my face with my hands as I speed-walk toward the stairs.
I paranoiacally check behind me over and over as I make my way up to the second level. I walk down every hallway and check every room in an attempt to find Rafe. After walking in on an embarrassing amount of couples, I eventually hear loud cheering coming from one of the rooms. The second I open the door, I'm relieved to see Rafe. He's facing away from me, hunched over a table. I stare at the scene in front of me, trying to figure out what he's doing, until my heart drops.
"Third times the charm, my boy!" Kelce says, patting Rafe on the back as he snorts what is presumably his third line of coke.
Upon noticing me standing in the doorway, the remaining guys start to snicker and nudge Rafe. I feel hot tears fill up in my eyes as I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent making the dreaded crying face. The last thing I see before I shut the door is Rafe turning around, jumping up, and sprinting toward me.
I walk slowly toward the stairs and begin to hiccup my tears back. I should've fucking known.
"Jules, Jules, Jules!" Rafe says loudly as he quickly opens and closes the door, running after me. "Jules, wait!"
He turns me around to see tears starting to fall from my eyes. "No, no, no." He frantically tries to wipe them away as they come down. "Baby, I'm sorry."
"You promised," I sob.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
I heave loudly and breathlessly before falling to my knees, succumbing to the overwhelming emotions from the past five minutes.
"Hey," Rafe says, putting one hand on my back and leaning down next to me.
"Juliet?" Topper suddenly says from the bottom of the stairs.
"Top, can you give us a minute?" Rafe says annoyedly.
"I saw what Matt did, are you okay?" Topper asks, ignoring Rafe.
Rafe stops moving his hand along my back and looks at Topper. "What the fuck did Matt do?"
Topper opens his mouth to speak but simply looks back and forth between Rafe and I.
Rafe then turns to me and holds onto my face with both of his hands. "What did he do?"
I start to cry harder, leading Topper to answer for me. "He grabbed her butt. I mean... fully up her dress, grabbed her bare ass."
Rafe's eyes turn dark as he immediately stands up and takes off down the stairs. Even though I want to just curl up in the middle of the hallway floor and cry, I have to follow him.
"Matt Brady!" Rafe shouts, already pushing past people to get to the living room.
As I start to jog down the stairs, Topper touches my arm and stops me. "Hey," he says, looking at me with concern in his eyes. "Don't follow him."
I give him a look that says I'm sorry before pushing past him and running after Rafe, who I find to be shouting Matt's name in the living room.
"Matt fucking Brady!" he yells as he scans the crowd.
By the time I get over to Rafe, he's frozen in place, staring at one side of the house. I look over to see a brunette guy making out with a random girl on one of the couches.
As Rafe rushes over to the couch, and people start to turn their heads to watch, someone taps Matt on the shoulder. He peels away from the girl and looks up, before his eyes widen at the sight of Rafe above him.
"I hope you're ready to get fucked up," Rafe says, grabbing Matt by his underarm and lifting him off the couch.
"Woah, woah, man!" Matt says with a concerningly calm voice. "Let's chill out," he cautions as he takes a step back, the random girl holding onto him.
"No, I'm not gonna fucking chill out." Rafe tightens his fists. "You really think you can harass my girlfriend and get away with it?"
Matt laughs as he looks to the crowd forming around them. "Me?" he says, innocently pointing to his chest. "I've been with Scarlet all night. I would never do that."
"Oh, you would never do that?" Rafe mocks. "After seeing the way you tried to hit on Juliet earlier, I wouldn't be so quick to put it past you."
"You know, that's funny, because Pillow Princesses aren't really my type, Rafe." Matt shrugs.
Just as my heart sinks, Rafe's jaw clenches tightly. "I know you have a tiny fucking brain, but don't play dumb. Go ahead, actually!" He throws up his hands as his voice gets more sarcastic. "Admit it to everyone," Rafe says, looking around at the dozens of watching eyes.
"He doesn't want your slutty girlfriend!" Scarlet shouts before letting go of Matt's arm.
The crowd murmurs as Matt laughs. He tries to intimidate Rafe by stepping closer to him, but Rafe towers over him.
"Did it feel good to have your hand on her ass?" Rafe asks, now lowering his voice. "Because I'm sure it did."
A smile spreads across Matt's face. "Yeah. It did, actually."
That's when Rafe absolutely pummels Matt in the face with his fist. Scarlet screams and runs to the side. With Matt on the ground and Rafe standing above him, everyone begins to crowd around, which ends up pushing me closer to the middle of the circle.
Matt wipes the blood off of his nose and stands up. He tries to swing at Rafe, but Rafe dodges the strike and instead blows Matt right in the stomach. Matt groans as everyone yells. Rafe continues to get a few punches in, and even though Matt tries to fight back, he eventually gives up.
"Rafe." I try to get his attention, but I already feel exhausted from crying. "Rafe!" I scream again, but there's no use. He's absolutely wasted.
"Cops!" someone suddenly yells from the front of the house.
Before I can even fully process what they said, hundreds of teenagers start to flood toward the exits as red and blue flashing lights shine through the front windows.
I look back at Rafe to find him kicking Matt in the gut, over and over. "I hope it was worth it, because you're never touching her again," he says before finally stopping and looking at Matt with wide eyes, seemingly shocked at what he's capable of.
I watch as Matt groans in pain and rolls around on the ground. When I finally peel my eyes away, I grab Rafe's arm. "We have to go."
Rafe turns his head and looks at me as if he's a deer in headlights. His gaze slowly changes as he comes to, and after noticing the sirens, he lifts me up into his arms and starts to run.
I close my eyes and press my face into his chest as he sprints out the back door and begins to make his way through different backyards.
"Rafe," I eventually say after I notice his pace slow down. "Where did you get the coke?"
He keeps his hand on my back but doesn't reply.
"Rafe," I say again, this time crying into his shoulder.
"Carter brought it. It wasn't mine," he says before stopping on the sidewalk.
I pull my head back to see that we're already at his car. He opens the door and sets me down in the passenger seat before walking back to the other side.
A thick fog of tension fills up the entire car. There's entirely too much to talk about, so we both just stay silent.
As Rafe veers onto the road, my thoughts begin to run wild. I've never been this exhausted in my life. First I got harassed by Matt, then I found out my boyfriend has been lying about getting high, and then I watched him beat up Matt in front of every teenager on Figure Eight.
I decide to briefly look over at him only to find his entire body trembling. I stare at him for a while, but he doesn't take his eyes off of the road.
"How many times have you done cocaine since you said you stopped?" I ask.
Rafe's gaze stays fixed out the front window as he swallows hard.
"Can you just tell me?" I ask, my lip quivering.
He shakes his head.
I look back out the passenger window and cry silently. I want to believe that he isn't in contact with Barry anymore, but I'm sure that he is. I don't understand how he can still speak to someone who did that to me.
As I watch us pass the trees, I realize how fast they're moving by. This road only has a 35 MPH speed limit, and Rafe has to be going at least 70 MPH. It's when I look over at him again that I remember how wasted he is.
"Oh my god, you're drunk," I say, quickly sitting up. "You can't be driving, Rafe."
He tightens his hands on the steering wheel, still refusing to look at me.
My heartbeat increases rapidly as I begin to panic. "Rafe, please stop the car."
"I know what I'm doing," he insists, and I swear I feel him accelerate even faster.
"Slow down!" I shout as I grab his arm and try to get him to look at me. "Rafe, please!"
"Chill out!" he yells, finally raising his voice as he gets angrier.
"Stop the car, you're scaring me!" I scream with tears now falling out of my eyes.
He suddenly slams his foot on the break in the middle of the street, causing both of us to jerk forward and then back quickly. After collecting my breath for a few seconds, I start to cry again.
Rafe leans over the center console and puts his hand on my cheek before kissing me. I return the kiss for a moment, wanting so badly to feel his love for me, until I let go and move his hand off of me.
"Please," he whispers, his breath up against my cheek.
"I'm not doing this shit again with you." I tilt my head back and look into his eyes. "You lied to me."
He sighs loudly before burying his face in his hands.
"You left me to go get high," I say with a shaky voice. "Matt wouldn't have grabbed my ass if you were there to protect me."
"Oh my fucking god," he groans, still digging the base of his hands into his eyes.
"You're just not going to say anything?" I stare at him through tears.
"I don't even..." He keeps his mouth open as he tries to think of something to say, but his bloodshot eyes make it obvious that he can't even think straight.
"You're awful," I mumble as I turn away from him and bury my face into the seat.
After what feels like forever of him silently watching me, the car starts moving again, and he proceeds to go roughly 10 MPH the entire way to his house.
✧ ˚ · .
I take a quick shower in Rafe's bathroom before changing into a t-shirt and boxers. As I re-enter his bedroom, I find him sprawled out on one side of the bed, already asleep. I climb under the covers, but I don't lay in his arms, instead facing away from him and resting my head on the pillow.
I end up falling asleep for a few hours, until I'm woken up by an arm wrapping around my body.
"Jules," Rafe whispers groggily.
I open my eyes and immediately notice the fact that it's still dark out, and most definitely not time for school yet. I decide to stay quiet and continue to face away from Rafe.
"I'm sorry, baby," he mumbles, moving himself closer to me.
My breathing quickens as I feel his hand rest on my stomach and his shirtless torso hit my back. The moment he kisses my neck, I feel hot tears fill up my eyes.
"Rafe," I whine, shoving my face into the pillow.
"I love you," he says up against my skin. "I'm so sorry."
I can smell the alcohol still on his breath, letting me know that he's still drunk, and most definitely still high.
"You're making me sad," I cry.
"No, no, no," he says with absolute guilt in his voice. "Please don't be sad, baby. I love you so much."
"Please, just..." I hiccup.
"I'll let go if you tell me to," he whispers right next to my ear, sending chills down my spine. "But I just really want to hold you, Jules."
I sniffle and breathe in deeply before wrapping his arm all the way around me, not wanting to verbally respond. I hate myself for wanting his affection.
☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ
I finally wake up to the sun shining on my face before crawling out of Rafe's arms. The second I flip on the light switch in his room, he groans. I ignore him as I start to get my things together.
"What time is it?" Rafe eventually sleepily asks.
I take a deep breath in before responding. "Probably seven-ish."
As I pick up my phone, Rafe sits up and stretches. He stares at the wall before his eyes widen. "Fuck," he mutters under his breath.
"I need you to drop me off at my house," I say blankly. "My uniform is there."
He looks at me with a sad expression. "Juliet, I feel like we should—"
"Okay?" I interrupt. "I'll meet you at school later."
He inhales through his noise, waiting for me to say something else, but I don't. "Okay," he eventually says.
✧ ˚ · .
After changing at my house and getting ready, I drive myself to school. I try my best to avoid eye contact with everyone throughout my walk to the building because I don't exactly have the best reputation. But for some reason, I don't even really want to make new friends. I already made two Kook friends, one of which disappeared into the ocean, and the other I'm upset with. I don't have any classes with Rafe, anyway, since he's a senior and I'm a junior.
I open up my locker and start to organize it before the bell rings.
"Hey," Rafe says, walking up behind me.
"Hi," I quietly respond, still facing away from him.
"You get here okay?" he asks with obvious concern in his voice.
I fidget with things in my locker in order to stall. "Yep."
"Good," he says. "What's your first class?"
I shut my locker and turn around to face him. "Algebra 2," I reply blankly.
"Hmm." He bites his lip and looks around. "Sit in the back of the class. Mr. Hughes usually calls on people in the front."
"Thanks," I say, staring at my shoes.
"Yeah," he says genuinely. "I'll come find you at lunch, okay?"
I nod. "Okay."
We look into each other's eyes for a few moments, deciding whether or not to break the tension or keep acting this awkward.
"I love you, Jules," he says. "You'll do great."
I wish I could drop my upset demeanor right now and kiss him, but I can't. I can't let my guard down anymore.
"I love you," I reply truthfully.
He hugs me for a few seconds. Surprisingly, it's not stiff or awkward. It's the kind of hug where I wish it would've lasted longer, but he soon pulls away.
Rafe smiles at me softly before walking to his class.
The rest of the day seems to go by very slow. I stay to myself in all of my classes, not just because I don't want to meet people, but because everyone already seems to know me. Or, know of me.
I sit with Rafe, Kelce, and a few of his other friends. I'm not sure if Rafe is usually talkative at lunch or not, but he definitely isn't today.
The bell finally rings during the last class, leading everyone to stand up and flock toward the exits. I place a few books in my locker and decide to take home the rest before shutting the door. I look around the hallway for Rafe, but he's no where to be found. I haven't seen him in the halls since right after lunch.
I hold onto my keys as I walk toward the parking lot. My eyes stay on the ground until I get closer to my car. Rafe is standing in front of the driver's side door, holding a bouquet of flowers. Damn.
He searches through the swarm of teenagers until his eyes land on me. He smiles softly and waits for me to reach him.
He opens his mouth to speak, but I wrap my arms around him before he can. I bury my head into his chest and close my eyes.
He giggles at the sight of me holding onto him. "Hey."
Rafe sets the flowers on the hood of my car before gently picking me up into his arms. I rest my head on his shoulder and tighten my grip on him. No matter how hard I try, I can't stay upset with him for too long.
We stay like this, in the middle of the parking lot, for what could pass as forever. Eventually, though, he sets me down and places his hands on the sides of my face, looking straight into my eyes. "Don't ever let me treat you the way I did last night again."
"Even the part where you beat Matt Brady's ass?" I ask.
"Everything but that part. I'd do that ten times over," he says. "I said I wouldn't drink around you anymore, but I broke that promise." He swallows hard. "I broke other promises, too."
"Yeah," I whisper.
"I know sorry doesn't mean anything anymore, but I really am." He nods as tears cloud his vision. "I'm trying to be better for you, okay? You're my only motivation."
"Okay," I smile softly as I try not to cry.
He hugs me again and kisses the top of my head softly before moving his hands to my waist. He leans down and kisses me slowly, as if he's scared he might break me.
After kissing for a few moments, he picks the bouquet off of my car and hands it to me.
"Thank you," I whisper, glancing up at his eyes.
"No need," he says, innocently watching me analyze the flowers.
I smile. "I love you."
"I love you," he replies.
I go on my tip-toes to gently kiss him again.
"Can I take you on a date tonight?" he asks.
I nod happily. "Yeah."
"Yeah?" he says, kissing me again.
"Mm-hmm," I giggle.
"I'll give you time to drive yourself home and get ready. I can pick you up around 7:00, okay?"
"Okay," I say with a smile.
He gives me one more long kiss before walking back to his car.
✧ ˚ · .