ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Wicked Games - The Weeknd
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3:17 ———|———— -5:23
𝐼 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓌𝒶𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒
𝒯𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓁𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓁
𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝒶𝓃𝒸𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝑒𝓋𝒾𝓁
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Sarah was still on the lawn with Topper making out in the hammock, while Isla and Dean stood at the bar. Rolling her eyes, she laughed hearing Dean beside her trying to convince the bartender he was twenty one with his fake ID.
Rafe and his guys were playing poker, every time he raked the winning chips to him, he'd send her a discreet wink.
"C'mon, it says it right here." Dean flashed a charming grin, flicking his ID and leaning over the bar to flirt.
"Look man, I'm not trying to get fired tonight." The bartender chuckled, flipping his rag over his shoulder and walking across the bar to serve some old ladies.
"What the hell?" Dean cursed under his breathe, "I paid good money for this too." He groaned.
Isla tried to stifle her giggle, "yeah, it's so hard to believe you're not from Alaska, I can't believe it Mr. Harold Thompson." She nudged him.
Dean scrunched his nose up.
"Maybe I can help with that." Isla turned to see Max in a khaki shirt and cream trousers. "What can I get you Miss?" He shot her a wink.
"Hi!" She hugged him instinctively, "I didn't know you were coming tonight?" She smiled, always happy to see him.
Max shrugged, pulling out his wallet. "Yeah well, parents dragged me out. My older brother, Cody is around here somewhere too ..."
"I'll have a coke, if that's okay?" She asked, looking to Dean for him to give an order.
"Me too, but with vodka - thanks man." Dean clapped him on the back, as they walked out to the deck to sit on the sun loungers. She felt a hand catch her wrist, Rafe's touch setting her alight, a small piece of paper pressed to her palm. Biting her lip she tucked it into her bag.
The deck outside was wrapped up in the same fairy lights, and the sun loungers were placed right in front of the french glass doors, so they could see through to the bar. Isla tried to pry her eyes away from Rafe who was staring intently at his hand of cards.
As Dean stretched out he grinned from ear to ear. "Max has a thing for you..." He coaxed.
"No, he doesn't, he's just a flirt." Isla shook her head at him. "Besides, Max is my friend."
Dean raised an eyebrow and sat back up. "What is wrong with your girl? I just don't get it... Max Garcia is a hot surf god on the whole island, he is quite literally perfect for you! Wait..." Dean looked her in the eyes, seeing her shift in her seat, "is there someone else?"
Isla scoffed. "No, it's not that come on. I don't know, I just don't want to force anything." She tried to excuse herself.
"Isla, hun, the chemistry between you two is wild, don't deny it!" Dean giggled, smirking seeing her hide her face in her hands.
"Stop it!" Isla whacked him with her bag playfully.
"Speak of the devil," Dean winked, "thanks," taking his drink from Max, and slipping away - leaving them alone.
"Here." Max handed her a glass of cola. Sitting opposite her, she smiled over the rim of her glass.
"Thank you." She clinked her glass against his. "How was the shop close?"
Max shrugged, "I don't wanna talk about that boring stuff."
"What do you want to talk about then?" Isla laughed.
"Well," she watched as he leant forward, putting his glass back down on the glass table unaware of the catastrophic impact this was having on Rafe.
With his eyes locked onto the two of them, he slowly began to lose the game in front of him. But it couldn't compare to what he was witnessing, of what he was truly scared to lose.
"God I hate the fucking Garcia's." Rafe said coldly.
Kelce looked at his hand, folding. "Don't have to tell me, Cody would be an idiot to show up here. He knows this is our territory especially after what he did."
Rafe stretched out his hands, resting his head in his hand, "if he so much as breathes the same air as me, I'll give him the beating of his life."
Kelce smirked and refreshed their glasses. "Cheers to fucking up Cody Garcia."
Back when Rafe had been foolish enough to call Cody Garcia his right-hand man, both of them had been surfers, spending every second of summer together in the sea, until the Outer Banks Youth Surf Comp.
Rafe was poised to showcase his skills and make a name for himself. However, Cody, consumed by his own ambitions saw Rafe as a threat to his dominance. In a twisted and dark turn, Cody sabotaged his surfboard, tampering with the fins and weakening the structure, ensuring that he would falter at a critical moment.
As Rafe rode the crest of a towering wave, the tampered fins gave way under the pressure, causing him to lose control. The wave crashed down with brutal force, slamming him against the ocean floor with bone-jarring impact.
Witnesses on the shore had gasped in horror as he surfaced, clutching his leg in agonising pain. The severity of Rafe's injury became apparent as medical professionals assessed the damage. The sabotage had resulted in a compound fracture of his leg, shattering not just bone but also his dreams of surfing. Surgery and extensive rehabilitation followed, but the scars ran deep.
But the true depth of Cody's deceit was revealed in the shadows of whispered threats that followed.
He threatened not only Rafe's dreams but also the budding talent of young Isla, the seventh-grade prodigy whose fearless spirit and natural talent on the waves caught the attention of the surfing community.
Rafe watched at her laughing with Max, he watched as she tilted her head back, her hair brushing over her shoulders. How Max leant forward, taking her hands and helping her up, walking her to the dance floor.
"Let's dance." Max grinned at her with that easygoing charm. She laughed as he took her hand and spun her to his chest. "You know you're stunning don't you?" He teased, raising his eyebrow.
"You're an awful flirt Max." Isla laughed him off, placing her hand on his shoulder as he guided her around the dance floor clumsily. Laughing when they almost tripped over each other.
"Can't blame a guy for trying." He stopped, sincere, "you know, our days on the beach have been some of the best of my vacation."
"Really?" Isla grinned, amused.
"Yeah, really." He nodded, trying to concentrate on their mess of a waltz, "it's cool getting to know you, you're not like how I thought."
Isla groaned. "Oh god, what did you think I'd be like?"
"Well, more of a princess. Little miss perfect and all." He teased her, a grin spreading across his face. "But I'm glad we got to spend time together," he admitted, his gaze holding hers with an intensity that took her aback.
Max leaned back slightly, exhaling as if releasing a small weight from his shoulders. "You know, Isla, I've been having a great time hanging out with you," he said casually, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Rafe looked down to see his hand tensed around his glass with trembling knuckles and rattling ice, as his eyes followed Max Garcia's every step.
"Excuse me gentlemen." Rafe stood up straightening his jacket, stretching out his neck.
Kelce looked at him with the same confused look from earlier, seeing Rafe walking in a very straight and strong stride over to Isla who was dancing with Isla.
As Max and Isla stood there, the music in the background seemed to fade into a gentle hum, leaving only the soft murmur of the ocean breeze. Max took a step closer.
Rafe felt a sudden knock into his chest, looking down to see none other than Cody Garcia.
Cody was a senior at Kildare County High School, he had the same dark hair as Max but his eyes where so dark they almost looked black. Ever since he lost his surfing scholarship to UCSD on account of a DUI, he'd been walking around with a chip on his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?" He smirked, pushing Rafe back. "Trying to interrupt my brothers moment with Isla?" He raised an eyebrow.
Rafe stared him down, "you must really have a death-wish, to be on this side of town." He seethed.
"I'm just making sure Max gets his moment with your achilles heel." Cody grinned, "but then again, looking like that - I might have to step in too, in that dress she's sure grown up, huh." He looked over to her.
Rafe grabbed him by his collar, pushing him up against the pillar, "if I see you within two feet of her, I'll -"
"You'll do what?" Cody, grappled out of his grip, "you won't do shit Cameron, you don't want her to see that side of you - do you?" He straightened out. "You Kooks have too much to lose."
Rafe pinned him back up against the wall by his elbow, choking him out, gritting his teeth, "it must be hard to realise the rest of your life will be worthless, stuck in The Cut - where you belong." He knocked his shoulder as he passed. "I'll put you six feet under Garcia if I see you or your brother so much as lay a finger on her."
On the dancefloor, Isla laughed as Max took her flower and put it behind his own ear - joking around. She couldn't help but blush when he placed it back for her again, his hands resting on her waist. "I wanted to ask you-" he hesitated.
Isla bit her cheek, seeing how Max looked at the ground as he spoke to her. As she opened her mouth to speak she looked over his shoulder to see Rafe storming over to them, grabbing her arm breaking them apart abruptly. His grip on her firm.
"What's wrong?" She asked immediately, seeing the rage in his eyes. His whole face tense as he shot daggers to Max.
Breaking them apart, Rafe towered over Max, "leave her alone Max."
Surprisingly, Max stepped forward, "or what Rafe? What are you gonna do about it?" He challenged.
"Don't test me, you really don't wanna test me." Rafe laughed at him, stretching out his neck.
Max scoffed at him, turning up his nose, "you can't control her Rafe, what if Isla wants me?" He yelled as she groaned at the scene they were causing.
Rafe grinned psychotically. "You wouldn't know the first thing about what Isla wants."
"You two have got to be kidding me right now." Isla said, pinching the bridge of her nose, looking over to Sarah and Dean who were watching the fight unfold, baffled.
"I get it now." Max squared his stance, "you want her don't you? You're just too pussy to say it." He taunted waiting for a reaction, causing Rafe's eyes to cloud with pure visceral rage.
Isla pulled Rafe away before he could swing, blocking them both. "What is wrong with you two?" She hissed at them both, "this is so fucking embarrassing." She rolled her eyes at them, walking away.
"Isla, wait." Max called out, turning back in defeat to Cody who was watching on amused.
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