──── CHAPTER TWELVE, Expensive bracelet
FURIOUS WAS A SHORT WORD to what Kate was feeling in that moment since she left Sarah, you could see her anger by her walking and the way she was making a face. Besides that feeling, Katherine felt nervous and scared: nervous because she didn't know how to help Rafe and the second one because she was absolutely lost, she couldn't find her way back home, good thing it was still the day light otherwise I wouldn't end so good to her given the circumstance of where she was, it definitely looked way more different than John B's neighborhood. This one was worst━━if that can be possible. Not to be mean but it was scary with all the yard with zero attention from the owner and the houses (if that it can be called) looked abandoned, dirty and maybe animals would be living there.
Kate had her arms crossed, trying to protect herself wishing she had never followed Sarah and John B. She doesn't know what she regrets more; the fact that she did or that she indignantly left like she knew where she was going to find the exit from the place.
She could be mad at Rafe but right now was not the right moment to act like that. She had to call him. Kate immediately takes out her phone from her pocket but couldn't unblock it when an arm comes from behind and grab her by the waist while the other hand cover her mouth, dragging her to some of the old houses. Kate tried to keep the phone meanwhile she's uncontrollably moving, she went to some box classes so she knows the basics (kinda). Her elbow shoved into the man's stomach, leaving him out of air for a minute, when she turned around she noticed the guy who was trying to get her was the same who hurt her boyfriend.
"Now that's a hit, huh?" Barry groaned, his lungs begging for air. "What's a beauty like you doin' here? Where's your prince?"
"None of your business, what were you trying to do?" She had her fists prepare just in case.
"Tryin' to get your attention" Barry still on the ground trying to get on his feet.
"Is that how you get someone's attention? No wonder why you have scars" she aggressively responded, she was in no position to do it but she had to show him she wasn't scared of him━━ even if she actually is, she's seen what he has done to Rafe, she doesn't want to end up worse.
"Easy there, you're in my side of the island... don't forget it. You kooks think you own everything with mommy and daddy's money but how wrong you are, I could do anything to you right here right now and no one would know, doll" god, how she hated that nickname, she even would prefer the sarcastically 'princess' and 'Barbie' from JJ.
"I would like you to stop calling me that"
"See what I mean? You rich ass people always wanting to rule everyone"
"Listen, I don't know what's your problem but I have to go━━" Kate barely finished her sentence when she started to walk away a from Barry, the less time she was with him the better.
"Not so fast, doll" he interfered in her way, putting his body as a shield to prevent her to leave. "That boyfriend of yours owes me shit loans of money and you're gonna pay for him"
"Excuse me? You stole his bike, why would I pay you? I don't even have any cash right now"
"Oh no, doll, you see that bracelet looks expensive and I think you're gonna give it to me otherwise your boyfriend could suffer the consequences━━ c'mon, he doesn't have the money, you gotta help him somehow. Besides he's gonna be more than happy to have his bike back"
Kate gives a look to the bracelet, the one that Rafe gave her after losing the first one; remembering all they've been going trough together and how much that bracelet means to just give it away to some druggie—gold lover. If only she didn't get mad at Sarah to help find the gold and use that money to give it to the dealer. That's it. Everything clicked again, she can still have some part of the gold to use it and free Rafe from Barry, not necessarily talking again to the pogues or coming back to John's B, there was an easier way. One, Sarah wouldn't forgive but she could live with it.
Kate scoffed. "I'm not giving you my bracelet" she touched her wrist where the glowy thing was. "I have something better to offer"
"Oh, really?" Barry raised a brow, smirking not getting it in the way she was meaning.
"Ew, gross, never. I'm gonna help you get the money but I'm not giving you my bracelet"
"You're not in the place to conditions, I'll take that bracelet and until you help me get the green then you'll have your shit back"
Kate chuckles. "Are you for real?" And noticing Barry was not a person who would joke about it, she forcedly nodded and gave him the bracelet, hoping she doesn't see Rafe before getting it back or else he would notice, he knows her very well and she wouldn't take it off for anything. call it sentimental value.
"This better not be a trap, blondie" he takes the bracelet, admiring it from closeness.
"No worries, it's gonna work" she affirmed. Her plan was up to not good but what else would she have done? She had no choice, it was either that idea or risk her life and Kate would always put herself first along the ones she cares about and this time Rafe was in trouble. Besides, she doesn't plan on getting anyone hurt, it's just a little help to take Rafe out of all that shit.
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GETTING BACK TO HER HOUSE was actually pretty easy, it was just her dumb self who was walking the other direction, she was going more to the south that's why she found very abandoned houses, uglier than the previous ones she saw━━ no offense even if she already did. Thanks to Barry (she never thought she would say that) she got home safely but it's not like he walked her, no way, he just told her the correct way back to her castle, as he may call it.
She didn't notice it was about to get dark, she took a lot of time trying to explain her plan to Barry, the guy would always interrupt her to give his opinion or say some stupidity about how she just wants to fool him and not give him any money, it was too good to be real according to what she said to him; it was a lot of money on the table. Now that she got to talk to him she found him pretty━━ stupid, not inoffensive oh no, he could be dangerous but once you get to his good side he would act pretty druggie and idiot. But just to be clear, she wouldn't like to have that kind of people surrounding her.
No one would like it.
Kate couldn't recognize herself anymore, days ago she would probably freak out just to be near Barry or people like that or even to be in the cut, she would totally freak out and be in completely deny to even make an agreement with a dealer, her old self must be really yelling at her actual self. Crazy how people can change a little bit in matter of hours.
Later on that same night, Kate hears her phone ringing; Rafe's name appearing on her screen. She sighs, even if she's trying to save his ass she doesn't know how to talk to him, they just recently fought and she's still mad but no way she's letting her boyfriend being even more envolved to that stuff so that's why she chose to pick up the phone and answer; besides she has to tell him about her agreement with Barry, at this point he's not the only one dealing with a dealer (the irony).
After a fight with herself whether answer the phone or not, she does it and a lightly sob could be heard, making her worry, it wasn't usual to hear Rafe that way.
She stayed quiet.
"Uh, Kate... I guess it's a good thing you answered" he commented in a sad chuckle but she couldn't see the hurt in his eyes.
"Are you okay?"
He nodded and remembered she couldn't see him. "Can I see you, babe?"
In a normal situation she would rejected his visit but he didn't sound like his normal self and she wouldn't dare to leave him deal with whatever he's dealing with right now alone, not again, she promised herself she won't let him be by himself, not through hard times and this sounds like one of those times.
"Of course, I'll wait for you" for her it was far more than literally.
Before the guy arrived she started to analyze wether she would tell him about her plan and how Barry is part of it, helping her; kinda unrealistic if you ask her but when someone you care about and love, you would do anything that's on your hands to help out a little━━ a lot in this case.
She immediately face palm herself when she realized she didn't have a choice, she touched her wrist and remembered the bracelet it's not there anymore, she cursed Barry for taking what wasn't his... now he has Rafe's bike and her bracelet, she has to tell her boyfriend the truth in order to create another plan just in case the druggie (as she call him) decides to keep both things, you see, she may not be evil or someone who tends to do those kind of things but she has to protect herself and Rafe, besides if something happens, who would people believe? A guy from the south with a dark past, full of coke and selling it or a pair of kooks with good influences and that comes from a good family; it's under control.
Minutes passed by until the guy arrived and both went to her bedroom, making sure neither Topper or Cynthia would see Rafe sneaking into her room. It's not that Cynthia would ground her, but she would constantly enter the room, interrupting them; annoying Kate, she likes her space and privacy.
So, it's better keeping it in the silent way.
None of them dared to talk, Kate couldn't 'cause by Rafe's face she knew something happened and maybe he didn't want to talk about or maybe wants to take his time to let it out, something that was freaking her out of you ask her. And Rafe, well, he was still processing the fact that his dad━━ his favorite person, the one he's been always trying to impressed has kicked him out of the house for good, he didn't want to see him.
A flashback came to his head "You're a liar and you're a thief. And you cannot be trusted. And I can't have you in my house, son." Remembering the words his Ward has said to him felt like a knife in the chest, one thing is to actually prefer Sarah over him but telling him he doesn't trust him anymore, broke him.
"Don't come home"
"Where do you want me to go?" His eyes started to look crystal as he faced Ward's back while walking away from him, leaving him alone with Barry who was moaning in pain from the several hits Ward gave him. He didn't want to believe his own blood was actually leaving him there, he thought that it was one of the lessons he wanted him to learn.
"Dad!" Nothing else could be heard but his scream.
"Dad!" but he didn't come back.
That's when he took his bike, called Kate and made his way to her house. After all, she's the only person he trust and the only one that could help him. She understands him.
Once Rafe snaps out of what happened an hour ago, he was staring at the floor and then realized that he's been doing it for a while, looking at Kate but slowly: he started from her feet, legs, hips, stomach and when he was about to look at her neck, he noticed both of her hands on the back of it, she seemed worried. But something else called his attention━━ she didn't have her bracelet.
"Where's, uh, where's your bracelet?" He stuttered a little bit. Nothing normal on him.
Kate gasped. "Oh, uh... if I tell you, you promise me you're not gonna get mad?" she nervously bit her lower lip, looking down at Rafe, who was seated on the end of her bed.
Shit. He's usually pretty oblivious about what she wears or change and now that she didn't want him to notice he does. Why do men work like that? Well, may her plan b begin.
"What did you do?" he asks.
"Me? Nothing, you see. I might have done something crazy but before you get to talk, let me do it first" he nodded but already wanted to know what was going on as he looked at her hands playing with each other, showing nervousness. "Well, for starters━━ I find out how to pay off your debt with Barry and getting your bike back. Making a deal with him, I know it's not my greatest idea but what else could I've done? He has you by the neck and I know some people that we can take the money from, but they're not gonna get hurt, so everything's good" she confessed, walking from side to side and playing with the Cartier ring she has on her middle finger.
Her words made Rafe came to reality, completely this time. "What did you fucking say? Kate, you don't know him the way I do. Do you think this is a joke? This is no game, Katherine! You could get hurt! You were talking to the guy that did this to me!" He raised his arm, aggressively showing his scar. "Didn't you get it from the beginning? Even you told me about him, how dangerous he could be"
And there he was, the normal Rafe.
"Can you please lower your voice? Do you want my mom to hear you and find out?" She said in a whispery scream. "I didn't enjoy talking to him, okay? But someone had to do something"
"You should've told me"
"I didn't have time, it happened so fast. I offered him the money but he didn't trust me so easily so he asked for my bracelet and I gave it to him"
Rafe opened big his eyes, looking angrily at her. "You're not making it any better." Breathing in and out he tried to calm down. "Kate... my dad paid off the debt already and I got my bike back"
"The fuck?" She blurted, confused. "Are you telling me that I did that for nothing? So now your dad is the one saving you? The one who's always put Sarah over you?" She didn't mean to try and hurt his feelings or bring out Sarah like that but after the anger she felt when she left the cut, knowing neither Ward or Sarah would do anything to try to help him or talk to him, try to at least understand him, had to get out someway.
What kind of person knows about her sibling addiction and not try anything to help?
"Kate. He kicked me out"
She was out of words. Great, know she feels like an asshole. Could it be anymore worse?
"He paid it off and kicked me out" he continued, walking towards her looking for her arms to hug her. Putting his arms around her waist and his chin on her shoulder to comfort.
"Is this permanent? Or something he said out of anger?" She dares to ask.
"Well he said he doesn't trust me, doesn't wanna see me and doesn't want me in the house, so, I think he was pretty serious"
"Is that why you called me?" She asked this time with a more relaxed tone, rubbing slowly her right arm on his back while she feels him nodding.
"Oh my god, now how am I gonna tell Barry the deal is broke? Now that you have your bike back I don't have any reason to help him steal the money from the pogues"
"Pogues? Babe, they're broke as fuck. They barely have food on their tables" he chuckles
"You're not understanding. They're looking for gold, Rafe, a real one. Once they find it I was gonna help Barry steal it from them, pay off your debt and getting my bracelet back" Rafe could notice the horror in her eyes, she doesn't like the change of plans, ever.
"Relax. What about we help him get the money from them? We're helping him and once he has the money and we have your bracelet everything will go back to normal" he tried to help her to no worry even though he was scared of messing again with Barry after what he did to him.
"I'll take care on how to get the money from the pogues, but you gotta help on the second plan just in case Barry wants to break the deal and keep my bracelet or worse, betray me and tell everyone. Rafe, he can't know you're part of this"
"I'll do as you say" he agreed, not wanting his girlfriend to get hurt.
And there it is, their plan is beginning. It felt weird to her to be on the other side, when she usually would be the one telling everyone to stay out of danger now she's the one risking almost everything 'cause in case that Barry decides to spill, her college studies would be thrown away, her mom would never be more disappointed of her; maybe cutting her out and just like Rafe... having anywhere to go. Her dreams also are on the line━━ making her remember how she hasn't even tell him about it, something that won't happened if a certain druggie talks. But that's something Rafe doesn't have to know now, she's keeping her secret.
And that's her plan c, the plan that only herself knows about. The one where she saves not only Rafe but her guts, the moment Barry turns his back on them that's when he surprisingly is guilty of everything, at the end of the day no one's gonna miss him.
The couple hugged again, Kate hiding her face on his neck and closing her eyes, it's been a crazy summer and the drama has just started.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hi! I gotta confess something. At the beginning this was just a distraction from college and work and not giving shit about it was my passion but nowwww it's stressing out and I want it to make it perfect so I apologize if it's not cool enough but I swear I'm trying and Idk what to do about it, like maybe I'll edit some caps and make more chapters 'cause drama is about to start and I want this book to be large but maybe not at all. Maybe I'll edit once I finish it.
And as you may noticed I've changed the cover like 2 times but it's just me being indecisive 'cause I can't make cool ones lol. (Comment if this book is making any sense, I accept suggestions teehee)
Anyway, HAVE A GREAT WEEK.