─☼☼☼─

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙇𝙊𝙏𝙏𝙀 𝙒𝘼𝙎 𝙂𝙊𝙄𝙉𝙂 lose her fucking mind if she didn't get away from him.

Her eyes were ablaze, locked on the girl she once considered her best friend as she all but threw herself at Charlotte's boyfriend.

Kensington Lewis never learned her lesson, that much was clear.

"Yo, Carrera!" Caden Koffer called from the other end of the beer pong table. "Are you going, or what?"

It was like deja vu. Playing beer pong with Cade again, drunk out of her mind. You'd have thought that Charlotte would have known better by now.

"You okay, Char?" Willa Connors wondered, her voice soft as she regarded her friend. Her demeanour was a lot different now than it had been thirty minutes ago when she saw Charlotte for the first time since her return to the Outer Banks. Then, there had been a lot of screaming and jumping around. But now, Willa wore a furrowed brow expression as she watched Charlotte carefully.

Reaching into one of the cups to retrieve the ball, Charlotte gave Willa a firm smile. "Absolutely great."

Rafe was watching her from across the party, doing his best to ignore the constant advances from Kensington. One would think that he'd have simply just joined Charlotte at the beer pong table, but no. He was dead-set on making her jealous it seemed.

Two can play that game, Rafe.

"Let's switch partners." Charlotte suggested, eyes travelling toward the other side of the table. "Cade, you're with me."

A grin flashed across Caden's face as he all but ran to Charlotte's side of the table. Willa gave Charlotte a quick glare before sulking to the other side of the table where Spencer Davis was waiting for her. He quirked his brows, prompting Willa to roll her eyes with a shudder.

Fanning her face with her hands, Charlotte let out a disgruntled sigh. "God, it's so hot out here." She muttered, shoving the ball into Cade's hand before pulling her tank top over her head.

Cade's face paled as his eyes flickered toward where Rafe was. It was clear his mind was flashing back to that night Rafe had beat him to a pulp over his unwanted advances at Charlotte. "What the hell are you doing?"

Charlotte tried to hide the grin on her face when she noticed the way Rafe's jaw had tensed, his dark eyes locked on her. "Relax, Cade." She breathed. "It's a bathing suit top."

She knew what she was doing right now was completely immature and borderline unstable, but she was too drunk -- and too high -- to care.

"He's gonna kill me, Charlotte." Caden muttered, his nervous eyes once again flickering between Rafe and Charlotte. "Like, literally."

Reclaiming the ping pong ball from Cade's hands, Charlotte turned back to the game in front of them. "He won't cause a scene at his own house." She dismissed. She wasn't even sure if she believed that herself, but she was going to pretend she did.

Caden let out a deep exhale, shaking his head before joining Charlotte. "If he kills me, you will be charged as accessory to murder."

It was supposed to be funny, but it was all too real to Charlotte and the world she lived in. Because Rafe actually had killed someone. And sometimes she felt like she was an accessory to the murder, even if she really wasn't.

"Losers have to take a shot for each of the cups they have left!" Spencer called from the other side of the table, earning a smack on the chest from Willa.

"I never agreed to that!" She exclaimed, eyes wide.

Cade smirked as he looked down at Charlotte, "It's because she knows she's going to lose."

Charlotte nodded, "Definitely."

Just as Charlotte geared up to make the first throw, a voice cut into their game. "Davis, fuck off. I'm taking over."

Charlotte and Cade's eyes both shot toward the other end of the table where Rafe was stepping in front of Spencer Davis, taking over his spot beside Willa.

"Fuck." Charlotte muttered, eyes locking with her boyfriend. "He's going to destroy us."

Rafe was smirking from the across the table, knowing exactly what he was doing. Cade and Charlotte wanted to act all buddy-buddy? He wasn't just going to sit back and watch that.

Just as Charlotte wasn't going to sit back and watch as Kensington all but drooled over Rafe from where she sat behind him.

Not breaking eye contact with Rafe, Charlotte leaned closer to Caden, "Don't let him see you waver. He feeds off of fear."

A muscle in Rafe's cheek twitched as he watched them, not saying anything.

In her cross-faded state, Charlotte was very pleased with herself for eliciting a response of jealously from him. In her sober state, she would have known she was being completely immature. But those regrets were for another day.

"Go, Char!" Willa prompted from the other side of the table, now ecstatic that her partner was none other than Rafe Cameron. He always had been incredible at beer pong.

Usually he and Charlotte were on the same side of the table, The Dream Team, as they were mockingly called.

Quirking her brow at Rafe, Charlotte rose on her tiptoes, throwing the ball toward the triangular shape of cups.

It landed in one of the cups with a quiet splash, a grin coming to Charlotte's face as Cade let out a laugh. "Charlotte Carrera is back bitches!"

Rafe reached into the cup to retrieve the ball, a passive expression on his face. "We'll see about that."

Just as Rafe went to take his shot, Caden nudged Charlotte, "Flash him or something. Throw him off his game." He muttered, no hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Charlotte turned to look at him, "Are you for real right now?"

Even severely intoxicated, that was too far for Charlotte.

Cade threw his hands up in surrender, the sound of Rafe's ball landing in one of their cups bringing Charlotte back to focus.

"God damnit." She muttered, now kind of wishing she had done something to distract him.

"Drink!" Rafe called as Willa let out a cheer.

At this point, Charlotte wasn't even sure what she was drinking, it was just something Willa had shoved into her hand. Nonetheless, she took a drink. She was thankful in that moment for Willa's liking of sweet drinks.

It was Caden's turn to throw, giving Charlotte the chance to study Rafe from across the table. He was watching her already, his jaw slightly clenched.

Okay. She thought. Game over.

She was done having this stupid battle of who could make the other more jealous. They were too old for that shit.

But Kensington Lewis clearly wasn't, because once again she was moving toward Rafe, leaning toward him to whisper something in his ear.

Willa screwed up her face, saying something to Kensington that Charlotte couldn't quite hear. Kensington barely even acknowledged Willa as she continued to hover near Rafe.

Caden could sense Charlotte's anger, his eyes flickering toward her, "She's just trying to piss you off." He assured. "It's what Kensington does."

And it was true. She had always been that way...but never toward Charlotte. She had always been on the other side of things, watching as Kensington messed with whoever she could. Maybe this war karma for never stopping it.

"It's fucking working." Charlotte gritted out.

She couldn't do this right now.

Slamming her drink onto the table, she shoved passed Cade, making her way toward the house. She needed a drink of water. Or a shower. Or a nap. She wasn't really sure.

"Woah, Princess! Where you headed?" Barry wondered, stepping in her path with his hands raised. "Don't give up yet, I was betting on you."

"Out of my way, Barry." She muttered, not able to look up at him. Because if she did he would see the tears gathering in her eyes.

Barry, being Barry, didn't move. "Come on, I thought we were bonding earlier!"

"She said move."

That was Cade, his voice directly behind Charlotte.

Finally forcing herself to look up, Charlotte's eyes settled on Barry who was smirking at Caden, not at all threatened.

"You can just stay out of this, Rich Bitch." Barry warned, still not phrased, "I was talkin' to my friend, Charlotte."

Cade stepped forward, bumping into Charlotte as he attempted to shove Barry back, "Fuck off, man!"

"For fuck's sake." Charlotte muttered, trying to catch her balance from Cade's shove. This is so not what she needed right now.

Someone caught her arm to balance her. And when she turned her head, Charlotte met the angry eyes of her boyfriend. "What the fuck is going on here?" He wondered, looking to Barry and then Caden.

Barry motioned toward Caden, "Pretty Boy is sticking his nose in stuff that doesn't relate to him."

Caden shook his head, "And fucking Walter White here wouldn't leave Charlotte alone."

Rafe met Charlotte's gaze for a brief moment, "Do I need to remind you Coffer that she's my fucking girlfriend and not yours? You seem to always forget that."

"Right, that's why you've been with Kensington all night, right? And that's why Charlotte's been with me?" Caden shot back.

Charlotte winced, already knowing that that strike a nerve with Rafe. Sure enough, when she looked at him he was seething.

And then he was swinging back to hit Caden. But Rafe was too drunk, and Caden too fast. So his punch didn't land with Cade, but instead he struck Charlotte.

The entire party fell dead silent as Charlotte stumbled into Barry who caught her instantly. Someone had even killed the music, leaving nothing but the shocked gasps flying around as everyone realized what had just happened.

Charlotte's head swam, her cheek throbbing as tears streamed down her face. She didn't even remember starting to cry.

Rafe stood frozen for a moment, his eyes wide as his entire face paled. He looked like he wanted to throw up.

Barry tightened his grasp on Charlotte, pulling her to her feet as he attempted to examine where she had been hit.

"What the fuck!" Willa screeched, her flip flops smacking against the concrete as she ran toward them. "What the fuck, Rafe!"

"Baby─"

"Don't." Charlotte snapped, freeing herself from Barry's grasp before stepping out of Rafe's way. "Don't fucking touch me."

Charlotte did her best to avoid the shocked stares as she rushed toward the house, this time no one got in her way.

As she reached for the door, her eyes caught on one person, the only person wearing a small smirk...Kensington.

Truly at her breaking point, Charlotte spun with ferocity. "Get the fuck out, Kensington!" She snapped, not caring who heard her. "Get the fuck away from me, and stay the fuck away from my boyfriend."

The smirk fell from Kensington's face, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment as a couple of boys let out quiet hoots next to her. No one was accustomed to such outbursts from Charlotte, especially toward the girl who had once been her best friend.

Yanking open the door, Charlotte stepped into the air conditioned house, slamming the door behind her before anyone could follow.

She knew Rafe would be right behind her if he wasn't currently being held back. Knowing him, he was probably already trying to fight Caden again.

Still drunk—and high— Charlotte struggled to climb up the stairs to the master bedroom. The house seemed to spin around her as she staggered toward the bathroom, shutting herself in.

Charlotte felt like she was going to be sick as she stood in front of the sink, her eyes cast downward. She didn't want to see what Rafe had done to her face. Her left eye was blurring from where she had been hit, so she knew without even looking that it was bad.

She knew he didn't mean to hit her, he never would. But God, why did he have to be so stupid? So immature?

A quiet knock came at the bathroom door, and Charlotte didn't have to be sober to know who it was.

Her answer was quiet, as if she didn't truly mean the words she was speaking. She didn't. "Go away, Rafe."

A second passed before the door slowly opened. Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, her head still downcast toward the sink.

"Baby," Rafe breathed, his voice full of so much regret it caused Charlotte to wince, to feel bad for him.

"Look at me please." Rafe begged, his hands lightly landing on her hips as he stood behind her. He had set something down on the counter, likely an ice pack. "Please let me see."

Charlotte refused to look at him, kept her head turned. "Go back out to your party." She bit out, covering her devastation with anger. "I'm sure Kensington is waiting for you."

Rafe flinched at her words, his hands falling from her waist.

"You know how I feel about her." Charlotte continued, "So why the hell didn't you tell her to fuck off. Why did you just sit there and let her flirt with you?"

"You mean like you let Cade flirt with you?" Rafe shot back, his gentle facade falling away. He was pissed too.

Charlotte shook her head, still unable to look at him. "That was immature of me, I know." She agreed, a low sigh escaping. "I just—seeing Kensington all over you made me so fucking mad, Rafe."

He had done it again. Made her feel like somehow she was responsible for everything that had gone wrong.

"Hey," Rafe said softly, his hands once again on her hip to guide her toward him. "Let me see your eye."

Finally, Charlotte lifted her head, allowing him to take in the damage—the damage he had caused.

A shocked noise fell from Rafe's lips as his eyes landed on the swelling, already bruised wound on his girlfriend's face. "Here, baby. Hold this on it." He pressed the cold pack onto her eye, gently pushing some of the hair from her face.

"That bad?" Charlotte wondered, still not wanting to see it for herself.

Rafe didn't answer her question, "I'm so fucking sorry, Lottie. I was trying to hit Cade and I just—I was too fucked up to even think about what I was doing—"

"Babe," Charlotte interrupted, wrapping her free arm around the back of his neck. "It's okay." She assured, knowing that was the last thing she had been saying. "I know you would never hurt me on purpose."

Rafe's hand snaked around her waist, pulling her against him, "For the record, I didn't want Kensington when you and I were broken up. So I especially don't want her now." He mumbled, grazing his lips across Charlotte's.

Removing the ice pack for a moment, Charlotte gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes (or eye in this case). "Good." She approved with a small smile. "Now stop trying to make me jealous, because look where that got us."

A laugh fell from Rafe's lips as he pressed a gentle kiss to Charlotte's swollen eye. "Noted."

─☼☼☼─
-an-

All I can say is wait until jj finds out what happened to charley's face...