angel's eyebrows raised in surprise. "midsummers?" she asked, slightly shocked.
"yeah, have you heard of it?" her dad questioned, suspiciously.
"uh..no, well- maybe, i think rafe said something about it" she stumbled over her words, trying not to let her dad see into her lies.
her father's eyes narrowed and angel panicked, thinking he'd seen deep into her lies. "rafe huh?" he almost spat out his name, like it hurt to say. "well, his dad does have a great connection to the event. in fact, he was the one who invited us there" he continued with a horrible grin on his face.
both of his children were silent, both lost in their own thoughts. their father sighed, knowing he lost the battle of entertaining any of them. he waved his hands in the air, dismissing tommy. angel thought this was an invitation for her to leave as well, but as she scraped her chair on the wooden floor the dreaded man spoke up again.
"no angel, you stay"
angel wanted to scream. she knew there was a catch and she was about to be faced with it, right now.
"you, young lady, are going to be getting a job, at the country club" he pointed a stern finger at her.
"a job? are you serious?" she argued back.
"enough of your rudeness. me and your mother have decided that you need to be put to use-" he started.
"put to use?" her tone was aggressive "i'm not a damn, dog, or a housemaid, you can't just shape me into whatever you want" she was starting to get pissed off with the way this man treated her. the sound of her chair scraping across the floor so violently dully rung in her ears, she ignored it as she stormed out of the kitchen.
but before she reached the doorway, she turned back around to say one more thing. "you and i both know that mom would never want this" her words were true. she knew her mom had no say in this- even if she did, angel was sure her words wouldn't even make it into his brain.
with that, she stormed out of the kitchen. not before missing his final "you start tomorrow" which only made her groan and slam her head into her pillow once she reached the comfort of her room.
the blonde girl laid there for a bit, just thinking. it was probably a dangerous thing to be doing- and she recognised that, pulling out her phone from her pocket and opening the chats with sarah, trying to get everything off her mind.
to: sarah 👙
angel🪽
do u know where the country club is??
sarah 👙
yeh, why?
angel🪽
my dad got me a job there
apparently, and i start tomorrow 🙄
angel🪽
also, he said we are going to midsumers!!!
sarah 👙
WAITTTT, really?
angel🪽
yess!! idk what to wear though
sarah 👙
omggggg!! can u come over tmrw?
angel🪽
yesss probably like.. after my shift 🙄 why??
sarah 👙
perfect, I'm finding you a dress!!! see you <33
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angel smiled to herself, tossing her phone onto her pink bedding and rolling on her back. she decided to freshen up, throwing her legs off the bed and walking to the bathroom, twisting the hot tap on her shower a perfect amount. the heat soaked into her skin, the suds from the shampoo danced around in the air.
some time later, she was curled up in her bed, her strawberry body wash lingered in the air. the lights were dimmed and she had bid goodnight to the rest of her family- minus her dad, who she couldn't find anywhere. an abundance of thoughts crowded her mind, eventually sending her off to sleep.
⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊
that next morning, she woke to banging on her door. she rolled her eyes, turning over, assuming it was just her brother trying to annoy her. but the hard knocking continued, and as she opened her eyes to listen better, she realised the sound was much more firm than her little brothers could ever be.
shit.
she scrambled out of bed, ignoring the blankets that dropped to the floor. the door handle swung open with the force she applied- and there stood her dad. she evened out her breathing, trying to stand confident up to the man.
they stood in a silent stare off for a second. "first day of work" he tried to smile, but it was a dull grimace- at that.
her eyes widened slightly, she'd completely forgot. better than being grounded, she supposed. she fought down a groan, deciding to put on a brave face.
"when do i start?" she asked.
he glanced down at his glimmering watch "30 minutes" he said, walking away from her room and back to the staircase.
she spun on her heels without a second thought, 30 minutes was definitely not enough time.
"your uniform is outside your door" she heard him call, making a mental note in the back of her head as she rushed to get ready.
some light makeup later, the folded uniform sat neatly in her hands. a golfing-type skirt and a polo shirt. how classy. seemed like polo shirts were the necessity for this island. speaking of polo shirts- her mind wandered off to rafe.
the option of texting sarah weighed in her mind, but in her eyes- angel didn't even know rafe. she decided against it, taking a lucky glance out the big window in hopes he would come roaring past on his bike. but the only roaring sound she heard was her dad's voice.
"angelica! hurry up!" he shouted up the wooden staircase, his shout echoing off the walls.
it seemed to snap her out of her little daydream, grabbing her phone and sprinting down the stairs, trying not to trip over her own feet. she glanced at her sock clad feet, then back to the shoe rack.
"what shoes should i wear?" she asked him.
but- the man just shrugged, the keys jingling in his hand as he exited out the front door, leaving her standing there. she scoffed when it was certain he was out of ears. the one time she tries to have a civil conversation.
there wasn't much selection, so she just grabbed the cleanest ones, tying the laces carelessly and jogging to catch up with her dad.
the car engine came to life the second she shut the door, she didn't even manage to get her seatbelt on before he sped out of the driveway. she then, realised how awkward it was. she'd barely been in the car with her dad alone- hell, she'd barely been in the car at all. he purchased it a few months ago, the check pretty hefty. it was his prized possession- to be honest, he treated it better than he treated his own kids.
but the harsh reality scared her, so she pulled out her phone to distract her self. she sent sarah a quick message, informing her that her shift started soon. sarah sent good luck back, telling her how she'd be great and to 'remember you r coming over later!'
suddenly, her dad took a quick turn, almost making angel drop her phone. she looked up from the screen, shocked by the view. he'd turned into a gated area, but she could still see past the large metal objects. the grass was so bright, almost blinding, golf buggies littered the area- she assumed it was a golf course.
she didn't listen to the words her dad exchanged with the security, but as the gates opened- a large building appeared in her eye line. some sort of restaurant, she suspected.
the hand break creaked, and angel was too busy staring at the sights that she didn't notice they had parked up.
"good luck"
it was enough to snap her out of her trance. she turned to look at him as if he'd been speaking in a different language. but as soon as his nice facade came, it dropped away.
"go on" he ushered "the entrance is there, and you are 5 minutes late, hurry"
her movements were frantic, the door handle slipped out of her hands a few times before she finally swung it open, slammed it shut and ran towards the door he had pointed at. she was definitely getting shit for that later.
the door was locked, so she knocked. nobody answered for a few minutes, but as she went to knock again, the lock twisted. it opened slowly, the horrible creak made her ears wince.
a man stood at the door. he was a short, old man - who was also, dressed in a polo shirt- and he greeted her with a friendly smile.
"can i help you?" he asked.
"uh... i'm here for a job?" she questioned, now faced with the reality that she really had no clue what she was doing. "my dad sent me" she added when the man's face fell into a confused look.
"oh, yes!" it lit up again. "angelica seaver?" he said, looking up like he was reading it from the top of his head.
"yes" she gave him a polite smile "um i, prefer angel though"
"very well, angel" he smiled "follow me, i'll get you set up"
so she did. he walked her through the entire process. it was only the morning when she arrived, and by the afternoon the place was flooded with people. she had a pretty good idea of what she was supposed to be doing: serve the customers and hand out refreshments to the people playing golf. simple enough.
the first task she was given was handing out the drinks to the golfers. the man, who she learned was called dennis, gave her an approximate location, handed her the drinks and keys to a golf cart, then sent her on the way.
she took a breath when she made it to the vehicle. information had been fed to her for hours, and it was starting to take a toll on her. maybe this task would be relaxing. begrudgingly, she twisted the keys in the ignition and set off in the direction she was given.
the task was easy, and although the wondering eyes from the men she served made her skin crawl, she got it done pretty quickly. now, she was just stalling. the sun burned across the island, reflecting off the sand. luckily, her visor gave her some shade, but she could feel the rays burning her arms. she cursed herself for not bringing sunscreen, making a mental note to apply aloe vera when she got home.
she swerved the cart around a corner, lost in her own thoughts. but that was a mistake, as she nearly hit the familiar boy who was lying on the ground. she looked at him closer, squinting to try and get a better look. he was rolling around, almost like he was in pain. she killed the ignition and hopped out, now feeling the burning sun all over her exposed skin.
"pope?" she called out confused.
she heard him groan, and as she got closer she noticed the blood dripping down his face. the girl gasped, kneeling down in the sand next to him. "a-are you okay?" her voice was weary.
"no" he said, crimson covering his white teeth.
"oh..can you stand up?" she didn't know what to say, the other day was no indication if the boy liked her or not, he didn't really say much.
with a grimace, he pulled his body weight up to a standing position. she copied his movements, her hand ghosting on his arm as he wobbled to the side.
"come, sit" she beckoned over to her golf cart. he eyed it reluctantly, but ultimately decided that it would be a better idea if he did, he could trust her.
she drove back to the country club building in silence, the occasional groan of pain from pope when they went over a speed bump and the same amount of apologies spilt from angel's mouth when she went round a corner too fast. she didn't want to ask how he got into the condition he was in, afraid of over stepping boundaries, so she just kept quiet.
the buggy was parked in the wrong spot, courtesy to her, she hoped dennis wouldn't come out and see that she screwed up on day one.
"i'm going to get you some ice, okay?" she told him, one leg already on the ground. "i won't be a second" there was barely any time for him to respond anyway, as she sprinted off to the door as soon as the last syllable left her mouth.
a few small bags of ice were in her grip as she rummaged around drawers for a first aid kit, cheering silently when she found one. she slipped out the door, praying that no one had seen her. but to her surprise, when the golf cart came into view, she noticed another familiar face.
rafe.
taking a deep breath, she prayed that she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of him. but, she failed to notice the way he was threateningly standing over pope.
the ice dropped on the seat next to him. alerting the, now group, of guys that stood around the cart.
"angel" the man said, leaning his arms on the top of the buggy as he pointed at her name badge.
"hi, rafe" she spoke, turning popes head towards her and digging in the medical kit she managed to retrieve.
"didn't know you worked here" he said, giving her a charming smile. she refused to look at him though, the nerves coursing through her veins.
"uh yeah.. i started today" the antiseptic she was poring on a paper towel dripped onto the seat, she cursed to herself.
"not sure doctor is part of the job description of a drinks server"
she mumbled under her breath, using the sterile paper town to clean the cut on the top of pope's head. he winced at the pain "sorry!' she squeaked, trying to work fast.
"what was that?" rafe asked, teasingly.
most of the blood was gone, so she handed pope the bag of ice. "keep that there, for a few minutes" she gave him a kind smile. he returned it, still not speaking.
rafe's chuckle echoed in the background as she checked pope over for any more injuries. "alright, i get it. give me the silent treatment after i saved your ass from being gr-" he started.
"rafe!" she cut him off, not wanting pope to hear the rest of his sentence. surely he'd tell all his friends that she was grounded for two weeks, and then they would assume that she probably committed a crime, and then they'd hate her.
rafe's smirk dropped. if she was looking him in the eyes, the way they darkened would of been visible in the sunlight.
"look, i'm trying to help pope because, i don't know if you can see, but he is bleeding! can you just.. give me some space..please?" she knew the regret of snapping at rafe would come later, but all she needed now was to make sure pope was okay - and to not be fired on her first shift.
he sucked on his teeth, his glance said it all as he turned back to his friends- the guy sarah named 'topper' and another boy she didn't recognise. not even a second glance was sent her way as he walked back onto the golf course.
a sigh left her mouth. cleaning up the medical kit that was still sprawled out over the leather seats. the situation felt so strange to her. the fact that she found pope in the middle of a path, bleeding out- what the fuck had even happened? the courage built up in her, along with the curiosity, so she decided to ask.
"wha-"
"angel!" a shout echoed across the landscape.
"shit!" she exclaimed. "er.. you can keep the ice and just go home, maybe?" the words came out in a spurt as she hid the medical kit in the back.
"sorry" she back tracked. "just- i don't know, good luck!" those words were also a frantic panic as she ran towards the origin of the shout.
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the sun barely peaked from behind the clouds when she finished her shift. her first proper shift. the rest of the day hadn't been very interesting, the club seemed to flood out, by mid-day it wasn't very busy- she just opted to stare at the landscape for a couple of hours. the bright rays no longer shone over the golf course, and the lights that lit the path to the parking lot seemed a bit dim. the bulbs must of not have been changed in years.
it wasn't cold- so to say, but the breeze was picking up slightly and angel regretted not bringing a thin jacket with her. she stood in the middle of the parking lot- it was practically empty apart from a few shiny looking jeeps and soft tops. she reached for the phone in the smart pocket of her skirt, hitting the button a few times before realising the familiar picture of the sunset in her home town didn't light up the screen.
a sigh left her mouth- her phone was dead. her eyes glanced around, spotting a little make-shift bench around a big planted tree. she resided there for a while, just watching the sun finally disappear behind the dark clouds. only then did she realise how dark it really was, and only then did she feel the first spit of water on her skin.
she assumed that her dad would pull through the gates in his flashy car to take her home. but after waiting a while, she began to dwell on the thought that none of that would happen. it only began to rain more. it wasn't heavy so to say, but if she stayed out here any longer she was sure to catch a chill. the girl looked up at the sky, she couldn't believe how fast the weather changed on the island. one second the sun was burning her skin, next minute the same sky was soaking right through her.
the blonde wrapped her arms around herself for warmth, finally deciding that her dad was not coming to collect her and she would just have to find her own way home. she picked herself up off the bench, stretching out her legs slightly. nobody was around anymore, she watched the last car go almost ten minutes ago. just one car remained, and she assumed it was the owner of the club- maybe she'd have to ask them for a ride.
the raindrops splashed against her skin, soaking her hair. she squinted as she tried to look around in the little light she had to see where a possible exit was. as she turned her head to the right, she noticed a figure. angel stood still, and so did the shadow. nobody should be around- even the one person she assumed was still left wouldn't of been stood in the direction she was facing.
without a second thought, she bolted. her feet hit the ground faster than the thoughts entered her head- she didn't look back with a glance. the shoes she picked that morning gave her a leverage, making her decent even faster. but there was one problem- she didn't know where she was going.
a corner came into her view, her body swerving to narrowly miss the side of the brick wall. like a swivel, her head turned to see if the figure was still visible. that was a mistake- as soon as she lost attention of her footing, she ran into something solid. her body recoiled back, but the object seemed to stay still.
her eyes drifted up. it was a man- in a polo shirt, a very familiar one at that. wait..
"rafe?" she exclaimed, looking him in the eyes- he seemed just as confused as he was.
"angel?" he asked, bewildered.
she stumbled over her words, blinking the water from her lashes. her movements were frantic as she looked from rafe, back to where she came from.
"what... was that you?" she questioned, her chest rising rapidly- as if she'd just run a marathon.
another puzzled look flashed over the boy's eyes, he seemed to take in the way angel was shaking, obviously soaked through from the cold. rafe shook his head, fiddling with the keys in his pocket. "you need a lift?" it was dark- and obviously way past the end of her shift so he assumed nobody had come to pick her up yet.
she didn't answer, continuing to stare into his eyes like he was speaking a different language.
"alright then" he tutted, turning sideways past her and walking in the direction of his car. she followed immediately.
"no!" her voice rang "or.. yes! i don't know!" concern grew in him- he'd never admit that though. she seemed genuinely confused. before he could even blink, angel shot into the passenger seat- apologising for damping the expensive leather.
"where too?" he asked, switching on the engine.
again- no answer. he turned to look at her. she was leaning against the window- trying to peek into the distance, almost like she was being followed. "what the fuck?" he voiced out loud. "are you being followed?"
with wide eyes, angel turned to look at him. "that wasn't you?" the panic evident in her voice. she had no time to think logically, but the chance of that figure being rafe was near to none- how would of he got in front of her that fast?
rafe just chuckled, backing out of the parking lot as he shook his head. "always sarah's friends" the words came out quietly, like he was afraid of her hearing- like he'd be giving any of sarah's friends a ride home.
thankfully, angel didn't pick up his sentence, the name of her friend only falling on her ears- reminding her of the plans they had. "can you take me to sarah's..." she asked, timidly. forgetting the fact it was his house too.
the boy didn't say a word, continuing to drive down the dark lanes with one hand on the steering wheel. angel felt the silence consume her- the weight of what she said to him earlier still lying on her shoulders.
"i'm sorry.." she admitted, focusing her eyes on the footwell.
he only chuckled, giving her a half smile which she failed to notice. "you're good"
although the cameron boy felt conditioned to hate all of his sisters friends, he couldn't quite help but think of angel differently. much to his dismay- he knew deep down he was beginning to take a liking to her. the thought weighed down his head- that couldn't go on for much longer.