THE PARTY — 2:30 AM
"You okay?" Rafe asks, kissing her forehead, the two were snuggling in bed.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiles.
"Was it uh- everything you wanted it to be?" Rafe asks, awkwardly. They had both done cocaine and now the rush was fading away, leaving them both sober.
"Perfect." Jade says, kissing him on the cheek.
She got up and picked up her bikini from the floor and put the top back on.
"Oh shit.. I'm sorry. My bad." Rafe says, scrunching his face. He saw the bruises that he left on her body.
Normal Rafe was rough, but high Rafe was even rougher. It was just a Rafe thing.
"What?" She asks.
"There's like bruises over there." Rafe says, motioning to the part of her body.
"Really?" She asks, trying to look.
"Oh shit." She says, seeing the bruises in the mirror.
"I'm sorry, I'll uh get you some ice or something." Rafe says, getting up.
"No- no it's fine. I gotta get back home anyways, it's pretty late." Jade says, putting back on the oversized denim jacket she used as a swimsuit coverup.
"You need a ride?" Rafe offers.
"I'll be fine, it's a five minute walk, the sound of your motorcycle is gonna wake the whole block up." Jade says, wrapping her arms around him.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Rafe asks, kissing her forehead.
"Mhm." She says, giving him a quick peck on the lips.
THE WRECK (LUNCHTIME) — THE NEXT DAY
"What time did you guys get home last night?" Michaela asks.
Kelce and Jade looked at each other with wide eyes, they didn't think anyone would notice if they snuck out.
"Two." Kelce says.
"Three." Jade says.
"You left without her? She could've gotten roofied!" Michaela says.
"I was busy!" Jade says, putting her arms up.
"She has a boyfriend, you know. Rafe?" Kelce says.
"Baby gentrifier. Just like Ward huh?" Michaela says.
"Calm down. They just develop properties." Jade says.
"So, what are your plans for college?" Michaela asks.
"Uhhh I'll just go to Kildare Community College." Jade says, shrugging. She had never thought of being able to go to college. She would've never been able to afford.
"No! Absolutely not!" Michaela objects.
"Okay, I don't wanna waste your parents' money any more than I already have." Jade says. She didn't want to be a burden.
"Our parents." Kelce corrects Jade.
"There is more than enough money to go around okay? We can buy this entire island if we wanted to." Michaela exaggerates.
"I mean I never thought I'd go to college." Jade says, stirring her sprite with a straw.
"Are you serious? Junior year is coming up! We have to start prepping you two for the SAT and ACT! I prepped from summer of freshman year til junior year!" Michaela says.
"I'm not going anywhere special, it's fine." Jade brushes off.
"Community college? We are better than that." Michaela says.
"Look, I don't want to go to an Ivy or any of those schools, okay?" Kelce says to Michaela.
"Are you kidding me? Our parents are legacies! We can't let them down." Michaela scolds Kelce.
"I'm gonna play football at LSU." Kelce says.
"LSU? No!" Michaela scolds.
"LSU is the best college football team in the country, have you seen their record?" Kelce asks. He didn't want to be the perfect kid that Michaela was. He just wanted to play football, he was going to be captain of the team in the fall anyways.
"You need to think about your education, Kelce. What about Howard? Or Duke? Vanderbilt?" Michaela asks.
"Okay Miss Howard Bison and Harvard law, have you ever thought that I don't wanna be you? Or or become our parents?" Kelce asks.
"You could be working at one of the top law firms in this country but you're going to throw it away for football?" Michaela asks.
"Look, I don't wanna be a lawyer. I just wanna play football." Kelce says.
"Okay uhm.." Jade says, interrupting the fight.
"We're gonna talk about this with dad." Michaela threatens.
"So I guess I'm not allowed to go to community college?" Jade asks, there was a lot of fighting between Kelce and Michaela.
"No! I will get you into a top 20 if it is the last thing I do. If there's one thing I know how to be, it's smart." Michaela says.
"Okay.. I mean some college is better than no college right?" Jade says, awkwardly.
She didn't want to take Michaela's side but she didn't want to upset her either. She was a great sister who wanted to take care of everyone and had good intentions. But Michaela was the perfect one who wanted to make everyone else perfect like her too.
"You're both going to a top 20." Michaela says, crossing her arms.
The sound of the windchime going off shifted Jade's focus from her siblings to the entrance. Where the Pogues were standing, JJ, Pope and John B along with Kiara. She didn't really talk to Kiara at the kook academy, she didn't really bother since Kiara never hung out with anyone in their friend group.
She accidentally met eye contact with JJ for a few moments before looking back down to her sprite, stirring it with the straw. She made it a habit to do so whenever she was out. Some people played with their hair, some bit their nails, but she just stirred her soda— or whatever was left in her drink.
"Which one were you staring at?" Michaela asks, nosy.
Kelce turned around to see the Pogues.
"No one. I don't really know them, we just see them at the boneyard sometimes." Jade lies. She knew them, she was one of them not so long ago.
"One of them pulled out a gun on Top." Kelce says.
"That's why you don't start dumb fights." Jade says, sipping on her sprite.
"It wasn't me!" Kelce defends.
"Yeah, it better not be you. Mom would kill you." Michaela says.
"Top threw the first punch." Jade says.
"Okay, I don't care what your friends do but you two can't get caught, or in trouble. You hear me?" Michaela asks.
"Yes mom." Kelce jokes.
"You can't get arrested! Clean records come on! You guys aren't taking this seriously." Michaela says.
"You can lawyer us out." Jade jokes.
"This isn't funny! You need to be thinking about your future!" Michaela says.
"I am, I wanna play football." Kelce says.
"Realistic future." Michaela says.
[FLASHBACK: Homecoming Flag Football Game — 10 months ago]
There was a co-ed flag football game for homecoming this year, due to the normal football season getting cancelled because half the boys on the Kook academy's team failed their drug test.
They were playing no other than the Kildare County Public High School for their homecoming game. Which was also the school where the Pogues: JJ, John B and Pope went.
They were tied, and needed to win before running out of time on the clock.
"Okay, change of plans." Kelce says, he was the leader of the Kook academy's team.
"What?" Topper asks.
"You two, running backs." Kelce says, pointing to Jade and another girl.
"What? I've been guarding the whole time why do you need me to run?" Jade asks.
"Cause you're probably the fastest girl here, and they won't tackle you." Kelce says.
"They started doing tackle! I'm gonna get my ass handed to me!" Jade objects. Everyone just started ignoring the part where they ripped off the flags and tackled each other instead.
"I'm gonna throw it to Rafe, and he's gonna get it to you. And you two are gonna run like hell all the way over there." Kelce says.
"Let's do it." Rafe nods.
"Come on newbie. Show those Pogues what you got." Rafe says, teasing Jade.
It was one of the first encounters she had with him. She'd always seen him around Kelce, but never really talked to him. She started talking to his twin sister, Sarah instead.
"Okay, let's do this" Jade says, taking a deep breath.
"Stallions on three." Kelce says, nodding.
"Let's go! You got this!" Sarah cheers from the sideline with her poms.
"1.. 2.. 3.." Kelce calls out.
"STALLIONS!!" The kooks all cheered.
"6 AND 10!" Kelce calls out, those were the jersey numbers of Jade and Rafe. Those also gave everyone else on the line a number to watch for and protect when they had the ball.
"Hike!" Kelce calls out, the opposing team all rushed forward running towards Kelce, who had the ball.
He snapped the ball to Rafe, managing to see past the players who were running towards him.
Jade and Rafe both ran towards the middle, Rafe passed the ball to Jade and the two ran towards the end zone, where Jade felt and arm around her waist.
"Rafe!" She yells out, throwing the ball back to him last minute. The arm that was around her waist proceeded to tackle her onto the grass.
She turned to see that it was a familiar face. She'd recognize the smell of weed and that cologne anywhere.
It was JJ.
"Wow." She scoffs, getting up.
"Nice friends you got there." JJ comments.
"I mean, you replaced me pretty quick." Jade snaps back before leaving to her side of the field.
She went back to her team. Walking with another girl she'd soon become friends with.
"Okay, Rafe is so into you." The girl says to Jade.
"Uhh he's said like two words to me." Jade says.
"Well, I think he's into you." The girl says.
"I'll pass. He's not my type anyways." Jade says, referring to Rafe.
[END OF FLASHBACK]