PROLOGUE, Three Days Before The Kegger

❝ the 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆 will be 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕 ❞

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     "Are you kidding me, Rafe!"

Nova winced from outside the hospital room, shaking her leg up and down continuously as she held her hands. Her elbows rested on her knees, and she swore the doctor across the hall could see the drop of sweat falling from her cheak to the ground. Sweat, tears, who knew? Maybe both, maybe neither.

Maybe there was cocaine mixed in with the salty sobs━━after all she was right new to Rafe when he did that one high line. Drugs were his deal, the sweet temptation he took every time he fell of the top of the world. Took him right to the peak, just to kick him down again. That was when he did another line. And another. And another. And another.

Until he collapsed against the hard floor and Nova called 991.

     "He'll be okay, Nova," A girl called June rubbed her arm, trying to confort the disturbed brunette. June was a popular kook around the Outer Banks, famous for her cold heart and pretty face. "You know he'll be okay,"

Nova couldn't quite recall when it all started━━when her boyfriend decided that this vicious cicle was a good idea. The Dovecot knew that she could have stopped him from that last breath, but she just stood there. Too scared to speak or move, because she knew all too well that Rafe didn't enjoy being bothered. In fact, he didn't enjoy anything at all. Not surfing, not speding time with his family. Not even her.

Nova had just been a drunken mistake for Rafe Cameron, yet he was willing to keep her. To even love her, in a sick twisted way. But hell, that was Rafe. And Nova had fallen in love with him in another disturbed manner.

     "It was just one line, Dad," Nova almost didn't recognise his voice━━it was colder, raspy and tired. It didn't held it's usual rage. Rafe sounded human. It shocked Nova to the core, because he was never vulnerable, or raw with her.

     Ward's voice was steady, almost rehearsed, as he tried to keep control of the situation, the weight of his family's reputation hanging in the balance. "This isn't just about you, Rafe. You need to understand the consequences,"

     The silence that followed was deafening. "Consequences?" Rafe's voice broke slightly, a fragile crack in his armor. "What about what you've done, Dad? What about all the times you covered for me? You think this is just me?"

Nova felt the breath hitch in her throat.

     Ward's reply was a low growl. "This is a family matter, Rafe. We deal with our problems privately. You need to remember that,"

The Cameron walked out of the room, with all his glory and power burned to the ground. In his eyes, Nova could see it━━this wasn't getting out of this hospital. Money had a way to move around the truth, it could even change it when it came from Ward Cameron's hand. And the dollars would buy any doctor's silence. It made Nova sick to her stomach.

He didn't seem to see her, even though he knew she was there. Rafe's all time girlfriend should be by his side after an overdose. She was there, but Nova felt like she shouldn't. She didn't belong along this side of his family━━the raw, flesh and bone Camerons. Now, they felt like more than a mere perfect fantasy.

They were royally screwed up.

     "You go first," June gave Nova a little push━━she didn't take this whole drug matter well.

The door creaked as it opened, and Nova found herself standing face to face with Rafe. He was shaky, pale, his icy blue eyes she liked blood-shot. He had bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep, funny enough, he could only sleep when Nova was by his side. Even if he treated her like shit when he woke up.

     "Vi?" Rafe rose his head to meet her gaze━━her brown eyes without their usual life, red from the tears she didn't know she had shed.

     "What the hell were you thinking?" she managed, her voice shaking as she stepped closer. "You could've died, Rafe!"

It scared her, losing Rafe had never been a possibility until now. She could break up with him, yell at him, love him or even destroy him. But death being the final beating hadn't ocurred to her.

     He looked away, shame creeping into his expression. "Do you think I wanted it to go this far?"

     "Then why do you keep doing it?" She took a deep breath, trying to rein in her frustration, but the words tumbled out. She stepped closer to his bed, sitting on the end of it.

     "Because I'm a mess," You could tell Rafe was starting to heat up, Nova could tell.

     Nova swallowed hard. "You need to get help. This isn't just some phase, Rafe. It's eating you alive." she explained, trying to knock some sense into the boy. She tiled her head to a side, her eyes glossy.

     "Help?" He scoffed, the bitterness creeping back into his tone. He wanted her to shut up, she wasn't helping. Rafe didn't even think that she wanted the best for him, because that wasn't real in his world. In their shitty reality. "What do you know about help? You're just as messed up as I am. We're the same, Vi,"

     Nova shook her head, her voice pitched up and about to break into a sob. "No, we're not,"

     "Yes, we are,"

     "No, we're not," Nova fought back, slamming her hand against her thighs. She ignored the pain that flashed through her legs. Slowly creeping up to her entire body. "No, we're not. No, we're not!"

     "God, you are so stubborn," Rafe took her head in his hands━━holding her face tightly and close to his, almost at a point where he hurt her. At the same time, he gently caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. This was the side that Nova hated the most, the one that was sweet under the whispers of manipulation and violence.

It drove her crazy, she didn't know which side was real and which wasn't. The lines were faded and blurry, she couldn't distinguish the million different shades of greys that defined Rafe's figure. She could see herself though, in the middle of him, her low colours both beinng sucked by Rafe whilst she tried to convert him.

Nova tried to change Rafe, even when she knew she was no better. Rafe tried to make Nova see they were the same. If neither could do their simple task, hell broke loose. And they had been living in the underworld for almost a year.

     "You and me," The Cameron scoffed softly, looking into Nova's face, trailing down her features. He could feel her agitated breath against his lips. "We're no good, Vi. We pretend we are, and people believe it,"

     "But they don't know us," Nova whispered, finishing. She sniffed, everything coming back at once. Messy, completely broken and hurtful. "I am so sorry, Rafe. I should've stopped you,"

Rafe sighed loudly, moving his hands from Nova's face to her neck. She fell onto his chest, wrapping her arms around him as she felt his chest going up and down. Nova sobbed, she sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. She didn't catch the pogue that wore elegant clothes walking around the hallways.

How he spoke kindly to a doctor and how nervous he seemed about his scholarship. She didn't recognise him from the Wreck, or from Kiara's pictures.

But the dark haired pogue did see her, he had heard part of the conversation while he spoke to a nurse. He had narrowed his eyes at how secure of broken she looked, all while being in the secure arms of her boyfriend. They were the star couple. He stared for some seconds, analizing the situation before running off.

And Rafe saw him.

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BROOKS' NOTES!

Hi. This was a little prologue for you all to see kinda what happened before the whole story. I know it's a bit short, but I didn't want to write much about the past, instead go straight to the real plot. It's a tiny peak to the dynamic Rafe and Nova have, they will have good moments, but you know... I'm hoping to cook some drama in season 4, cause some redemption arc for their relationship. 

Little dedication to surfenergy hehehe, I just had a vision for them kiss kiss. June was the main character in Elly's obx book, it's not published anymore but she has so many other incredible works. Go read them rn! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first part of Mamma Mia!

Toodles xx, Brooks<3