undo the mess
after our meal at the wake, I asked Rafe to drop me off at my house. he had begged me to hang out longer, but I was tired after the drama between Topper and John B. after I watch his truck pull away, I go inside and grab a different set of shoes to go for a walk. the reason I didn't ask Rafe to come with me, was because I planned on walking to the cut.
I walk back to the wake, and catch Kiara's dad at the counter. "Hi Mr. Carrera!"
"Well I'll be damned, Olyvia Jones. How are you?" Kiara's dad grins from ear to ear and reaches his hand out to shake mine.
"I'm doing good how are you?" my dad had been a big customer of the wake up until his passing, so seeing Mr. Carrera was like a memory I'll never forget.
"well, I'm beginning to lose some employees for the summer, but we'll make do." he tells me while organizing the cash drawer. while I stand there waiting for him to be finished so I don't make him lose his focus, I have an idea.
"hey, if you ever need any help I'm around."
Mr. Carrera's face lights up and I laugh. "would you? I know things have been tough and you probably don't need the money but it would help out a lot."
"of course! Kiara has my number so if you ever need me, just give me a call." maybe getting a job will get my out of the house and then I'll make enough money to help my mom even more. "for now, do you know where Kie is at?"
"I'm not sure, they left a little bit ago and said something about a bonfire." he explains, and I nod. they probably went to John B's house, and I could never forget the way.
it felt like it took me forever to walk there, but when I see the porch I let out a sigh of relief. my phone buzzes with a text from Rafe but I just ignore it. as soon as Kiara turns and finds me walking up to the house, she hits John B on the arm.
"Olyvia?" she raises an eyebrow but comes off the porch and gives me a hug. the action shocks me, and I reciprocate. John B and Pope walk down the steps as well, both smiling. "what are you doing here?"
"what, I can't come visit anymore? am I kicked out of the club?" I joke as Kie pulls away. the three of them laugh, making me feel better about my decision to come here.
"what the fuck is she doing here?" we all look up to see JJ slamming the screen door and crossing his arms. "no kooks, and most certainly not Rafe Cameron's little girlfriend."
"JJ, don't be-"
"I'm not Rafe's girl." I snap, the label making my blood boil. see, this is what that shit does. people mark me as his property and now I've got more drama on my hands. "I don't know who started that, but I can assure you that's not true."
"so the whole possessive look he had in his eyes earlier today meant nothing?" JJ questions, walking closer. god I wanted to punch him, this boy had always been infuriating. even before he was attractive but now it just makes it that much worse.
"let me just make this very, very clear to you, Maybank. my life on the other side of the island is none of your fucking business." the rest of the group gapes at me, but JJ just rolls his eyes. "what I do when I'm in the cut, is none of Rafe's business either. imagine I am two different people, one in the cut and one in figure 8."
"that sounds ridiculous don't you think?"
"no. because if you're going to be an ass, and Rafe is going to be an ass, I'd rather just live separate lives." I explain as I take one more step towards JJ. at this point our chests are almost touching, and I can feel his breathing from his nose. "so please, just make this a lot easier for me. I think you could do me that solid since you were the one person that didn't come to my dad's funeral."
for a second, everyone goes completely quiet, and even JJ finally breaks eye contact. "Lyvia..." I cut him off by turning away from him and towards the everyone else.
"do we have beer? I need a drink."
I didn't image I would be sitting by the fire with the pogues again. Pope and John B are playing rock paper scissors while Kiara and JJ laugh about something. in the back of my mind, I wish I could join in on the fun. but it has been too long, I was out of the loop with the group dynamic. no one wanted to really look me in the eyes, except for JJ and when he looked me in the eyes it was cold.
"Lyvia, do you want another beer?" I look up to see John B standing next to me, holding two bottles in his hand. I nod and he sits down next to me, handing me one before cracking it open. "how are you doing?" he asks as I take a swig from the bottle.
"I'm okay. truthfully, I feel like an outsider, but that's my fault." the last time I had actually hung out with the pogues was before my dad died, and after that I hadn't set foot in the cut. "I'm sorry I never came around when your dad went missing."
"hey, your dad died, you have an excuse."
we both laugh, which seems like it would be crazy. misery loves company right?
"hey deadbeats, we're going for a drive." Kiara says as she hands the keys to John B, considering he has only had one beer. we both stand up to follow the gang to John B's van, and I catch JJ and Pope whispering to each other.
"if you're asking him to be your boyfriend Pope I'm afraid his ego is just too big for the relationship." I smirk as JJ rolls his eyes but Pope chuckles. the blond hits his arm in protest before sending me a glare.
John B and Kiara man the front of the van while I sit in the back with Pope and JJ. I scrunch yo my face as JJ starts to roll a blunt, completely oblivious to his surrounding.
"hey, can you not do that around me please?" I insist, rolling my eyes. images of my mom holding a needle flash through my mind, and a chill comes over me. as he laughs and continue to stare at him, hoping he'd read my face. "JJ, I'm serious."
his eyes narrow when Pope snatches the half rolled blunt from his hands, making me take a breath of relief. "c'mon man." he mutters, but I silently thank Pope for having the stick up his ass. probably the only time I will ever be thankful for that.
"so, what's this whole mess with you being Rafe's girl and all?" Kiara questions, turning in the passenger seat to face me. the idea to ignore her all together comes to me but then everyone else looks at me as well.
"it's just some silly rumor. basically it's like everyone sees me as off limits because Rafe says so." my jaw tightens with annoyance, something no one fails to notice. "I don't know if he started it or someone else did, but we're not together. never have been."
"never will be." JJ comments.
"Topper has his head so far up Sarah's ass, my mom won't get off the drugs, Rafe has laid some sort of bullshit claim on me," I run my hand through my hair in frustration, "and no one even cares what I think."
Pope puts a hand on my shoulder to comfort me, and I'm sure I seem like a hot mess. "we care what you think, Lyv." he tells me with a smile, and Kiara and John B nod. JJ makes no move to agree, but at this point I didn't care.
"do you think you could go ahead and drop me off at home? I'm beat."
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when John B pulls the van away from Olyvia's house after she's in the door, Kiara smacks JJ upside the head. "what is your problem?" she demands, looking at him like he's crazy.
"what the hell? I didn't do anything."
"there was no need to be an ass JJ." John B starts while pulling onto the main road. "she used to hang out all the time, she's not changed that much. and besides, you were the only one of us to not go to the funeral."
"I couldn't go to the funeral and you know damn well why." JJ snaps before leaning away from everyone and starting to roll another blunt. "or do we need to revisit the idea that not everything is perfect for me like it is for her? perfect lives for everyone in figure 8 right?"
"I'm sorry, were you mentally absent today or what?" Pope raises an eyebrow at his best friend, wondering what was going through the thick skull of his. "not only did she talk about her dad, but did you miss the part where she mentioned her mom and drugs in the same breath?"
"oh yeah, my dad does drugs too. it's nothing new." JJ mutters, even though a small part of him did feel bad for Olyvia. maybe he'd feel worse, if she didn't like in the figure 8. she had others to take care of her, what did he have when his father failed him?
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