RAFE CAMERON approaching Hope when he spotted the girl sitting all alone to herself at the Druthers. He can't find Sarah anywhere and he assumed she's off to somewhere with Topper since he can't find the boy either. It's not like he cares about them.
The older Cameron climbing from the deck to the boat, he saw Hope got her head stuck up in between her book just like she always did. Sitting on a chair with her legs lounging to another chair that she set in front of her.
A smile tugging on his lips by just watching her, aware enough of the major interest she has for books. He can't help but to adore how she's into the reading things, because pretty sure most people have no interest for it. Not for thd people he knows at least.
If it's down to another person, Rafe would start to call them with names and shaming them for being such a bore and nerds instead of hanging out and partying until morning.
"You know, it's rude to snoop on a girl" Hope spoke once she notices there's another presence in here other than herself. She doesn't need to look up to know it's belong to Rafe Cameron. She can smell his cologne filling the air around her.
"I'm not snooping. This is my boat" Rafe states, approaching her closer.
"That's exactly what a snooper would say" Hope countered.
"And you're practically trespassing my property" Rafe said, pulling the chair that she put her legs on causing them to fall hitting the floor before he takes a sit on it.
Hope glaring at him but the boy showing his unbothered look "What are you doing here?" Hope asked, she finally fully looks up to him and abandoned her reading
"Are you seriously asked me what am I doing here? Again, it's my boat and I'm allowed to be here whenever I want" Rafe arrogantly said, leaning on the chair. His hair ruffling a little at the breeze from the marsh.
"I can just leave if you want" Hope starts to gather her thing to get up from the chair. Rafe leans forward to stop her from doing so.
"Hey, I'm joking. Stay here, we're good" he said.
Hope cracks a smile "I know you're liking me way too much to boot me out" she states, sitting back on her seat.
"I totally not liking you, you're talking nonsense" Rafe scoffed, leaning back to his chair when Hope settled in back on her chair. Like it or not, he actually liking her better than anyone around him.
"Really? Is that why you look like you want to gallop when I fell into the boat earlier?" Hope teased "Did you afraid if I get eletrocuted?" She notices that Rafe almost running when she fell but Topper is the one that making it very obvious.
"You wish. I really hope you got fried back there with that bitch"
"Hey, there's no need to be ashamed of it, okay? You can admit it" Hope keep going "I understand, I'm too likable for you to just watch me die like that"
Rafe scoffed, he gives Hope a glare "Did you hit your head too hard when you fell or what? Because it seems like something loosening in there" he pointed at her head.
"Nah, I'm good" Hope confirmed "Admit it, you actually cared about me" she tried again.
Though she knows Rafe not actually feel it, he barely care about people. He only care about himself, that's not something she doesn't know. But it seems fun to tease the boy about it.
"Knock it off, you know I'm not" Rafe states it
"Yeah sure"
"I'm not, stop being a brat"
"Okay"
"What did I say about it, Mia?!" Rafe suddenly lunge forwards and grabbing her arm, he's still thinks that Hope made fun of him. Hope almost let out a yelp, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Rafe--"
"I said, knock it off" He warned again, glaring at the girl.
Hope finding herself hard to swallow at the sudden change from Rafe. The aggressive movement from him making her to panic and there's something in his eyes that making Hope to shiver.
She knows Rafe is aggressive type of a person, she saw him losing his cool multiple times. Sarah always said that there's something off with Rafe, especially after he dropped out from a college months ago. Like something is striking the boy.
But Hope just brushed it away. Because she thought maybe Rafe just feel overwhelmed and struggling with the whole college things. Maybe he needs couples of moments so he can pick himself together. It's not easy, to be at college and became a drop out at the same time.
Especially when your father holding a high hope for you. Hope knows Ward is very disappointed with Rafe when he becomes a drop out, because he always want Rafe to take over his business one day and work with him. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the man keep giving the boy a cold shoulder.
She knows Rafe and Ward always had their disagreement for each other. How Ward wants Rafe to be a certain type of person while Rafe just wanted his father to notice him more no matter what person he becomes.
"Okay, fine" Hope said but the boy still glaring, keeping the hold on her "Rafe, you're hurting me" Hope tells him, trying to wiggle her arm away from his grip that starting to hurt. His face is close to her, his blue eyes piercing into hers. She swears she wants to run as fast as she can from him right now
Because he's starting to scare her. She always minds herself around the boy, for so many reasons. Mostly because he's way older than her and they're no longer hang together especially when he's got to high school and college. But after he's come home, they started to hang again. Though there's still an awkwardness between them.
Plus, she notices how easy Rafe slipped out from his emotions lately. Even a simple thing could drive the boy mad and become really aggressive. It happened way too many times with her, especially when she did something that he's not so favour about. Mostly when it comes to the Pogues, about JJ.
Rafe feels like something snapped inside him when he hears the pleads from Hope about him hurting her. He gives Hope a look and he saw the terrific expression on her. He quickly letting go her hand and go back to his chair. He cursed himself, his hands tremble. Because of the lack of the drug inside his system.
He should take the lines this morning. He always so aggressive without it.
"I'm sorry" Rafe mutters it, running his fingers through his hair and bouncing his legs nervously. He seems like he can't sit still, his breath got ragged. Regretting his previous action, he doesn't ever dare to look at Hope. Afraid of her reaction
She watches the boy starts to get tense, he looks like he wants to cry but also want to scream. He's been running his hand through his hair multiple times, almost to tug it out at the end
Hope feels worry about him, he looks so miserable "It's okay, I shouldn't tease you like that. I'm sorry" she apologized, because she really thought it was her fault that Rafe got mad. Maybe he was been through something that causing him to act like this.
That causing Rafe to look up to her "Why are you apologizing to me?" he questioned, it was him that supposed to do that "You didn't do anything wrong, I was hurting you. I'm the one who supposed to apologized"
His whole life, no one really apologizes to him even if it wasn't his fault. People are intends to blame him and always made him the bad guy in every situation. Rafe never really knows to apologize, no one ever thought he that. He only apologized because he had to, because he wanted to.
And at the same point, he just stops apologizing. Because why would he? People don't really care about him, either he's being wrong or right.
"You were mad at what I said" Hope pointed out "And I understand, people are intends to do something out of their control when they're mad"
"I wasn't mad at you" Rafe states it sternly, because he's not. How can he be mad to a sweet girl like Hope? He could never
"You do look mad"
"I don't, okay?!" he snapped again, gritting through his teeth causing Hope to flinch at the tone. Rafe noticed it, he cursed himself again and let out a deep breath. Closing his eyes, trying to control himself.
"I'm not mad at you, okay?" Rafe rephrased his words again, this time softer than before. His body lunges forward for Hope, his hands reaching out for her but he stops midway in the air "I'm sorry for hurting you, I didn't mean it"
Hope eyeing him carefully, she's still trying to mind herself from him. Afraid if he's going to snap again.
"It's okay" she assured, nodding his head "It's nothing and I understand. You don't have to be sorry"
"Of course I have to be sorry, you were just teasing me and joking and I take it seriously" Rafe pointed out "It just, I have shits going on and it kinda throw me out"
The last confession made Hope feel sorry for him, she pursed her lips at the boy who look down. He looks sad, his body language really giving him out. She feels grateful that Rafe is willing to show his emotion at her, because he always being so tough and intimidating with others.
Even since they were kids, Rafe always ran to her first if something happened to him. Because she would never scold him or even questioning him for it, Hope always be the safe place for Rafe to be him. But he kinda lost it when he's stopped hanging around her, because he found friends around his age.
"You know you can always tell me about everything right? I mean, it's not like you never did before" Hope tell him, slowly to reach out for him "I know we're kinda fall apart for awhile, but that doesn't mean you're not my friend anymore. I always like hanging around with you"
Rafe looks up to her "You---you like to hang out with me?" he sounds disbelief.
"Of course I like it, you were fun back then. I always preferred you over Topper, sometimes I wished you were my brother instead of him" she smiles while remembering the memory.
Mostly because young Rafe were so nice and sweet, he was so nice to her. That's the reason why she preferred him than Topper.
"You preferred me over Topper?" He asked again, still disbelief.
Never once he thought that people would choose or prefer him, because his father never did. Ward preferred Sarah over him, he always did. No matter what Rafe did, it was never enough for Ward. He's always the problem to him.
"Yeah" Hope confirmed nodding her head, still with her smile.
Rafe smiles back to the girl, he can feel the weird feeling seeped into his heart. Something strange, maybe he wasn't that alone like he thought. Maybe this whole time, he always had someone that would want him but he can't see it. He feels bad suddenly, because he kinda dropped Hope once he found his newfound friends.
None of them really a real one, only hang with him because of his money and reputation. But Hope always like him, right? Because she preferred him, she said she like to hang out with him.
"I also would preferred you, Hope. I always did" Rafe confessed, because he did. She is his soft spot, he always treats her better than anyone around him. Because Hope never said anything mean to him, she never treats him badly like them.
Hope chuckles, leaning the chair to rest her back there. She's no longer feels afraid to him, maybe he was just been through some things. Maybe he just needs someone to hear him instead of berating him for it.
"So, you mind if we started to be friends again?" Hope asked, giving him a look. Because she's always wanted to keep being friends with Rafe, she kinda hates it when they were drifted apart. Now he's here, they can make it happen again right?
"Hell yes" Rafe announced with a big smile on his face making Hope to laugh. She holds out her hand towards him and Rafe takes it without hesitated, giving a firm shake. Hope's smile is as big as Rafe's, both feels relief at the rekindled between their past friendship.
They stay at the boat for another minutes, just talking. This time, Rafe feels like he's almost sober as if like his body not craving for the drugs in his system. His hands still trembling, but he has no urge to take the lines. He feels distracted, sitting here while talking to Hope.
"Hey, Rafe" Hope suddenly chiming in, they were kinda fell into an comfortable silence for a while.
"Yeah?" he answered, glancing at the redhead who is still looking out to the marsh.
Hope pursed her lips, hiding the smile that trying to crept out from her. She turns her head to Rafe, he's already looking at her with curious face.
"Did you really worry when I fell into the boat? Because I swear I almost saw you dropped your drink and galloped" she asked, this time she's sure that Rafe won't be mad at her.
Rafe scoff at the question "You better shut your mouth or I'll push you out from this boat" he warned, his face getting stern again but he's not mad like before. Knowing this time Hope truly just teasing him, not trying to make fun of him.
Hope burst out in laugh, throwing out her head while holding on her stomach at the grumpy response from Rafe. The boy gives the girl a glare, but then his lips start to tug upward and continue to smile. The chuckle slips out from him by only watching her.
Rafe can feel the joy crept into him, this time without the drugs.