020. no idea
( the twentieth chapter )

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

The night had taken a chaotic turn, but the hum of the projector and the flicker of the movie screen remained steady, as though oblivious to the tension building behind it. The soft rustle of blankets and the occasional laughter from the crowd barely masked the brewing storm near the edges of the lawn.

Olivine had noticed Rafe and his group leaving their spot earlier. Their swift, purposeful movements through the crowd raised an alarm in her mind. She had been distracted by Daniela, whose head had lolled onto her shoulder during the film. Now, Daniela was dozing softly, her neck awkwardly angled.

Carefully, Olivine adjusted Daniela's position, slipping a travel pillow from her bag under her neck to make her more comfortable. Her gaze darted back toward the edges of the lawn, following the path Rafe, Topper, and Kelce had taken.

It didn't take long for her gut instinct to be proven right. Past the edge of the crowd, behind the looming projector screen, she saw shadows moving—too quickly, too aggressively to be anything but a fight.

Her heart dropped when she caught sight of Pope and JJ in the chaos. Pope was on the ground, shielding himself as Kelce loomed over him, his fists flying. JJ was locked in a struggle with Rafe and Topper, who had him cornered against the equipment crates. Rafe's punches were precise, almost mechanical, while Topper's were wild, fueled by fury.

Olivine's chest tightened. Her hands clenched into fists as she rose, ignoring the pounding in her chest as she weaved her way through the crowd. She didn't think twice. Pope was her brother. Whatever animosity existed between these groups didn't matter—not when they were hurting him.

Olivine stormed into the fray, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Stop! What the hell are you doing?"

The boys barely registered her words. Kelce's fist connected with Pope's jaw, making her brother cry out in pain. Topper laughed as he landed a brutal shove that sent JJ stumbling back. Rafe, standing slightly to the side, barked an order at Topper to "focus."

Olivine scanned the ground quickly, spotting a sturdy branch nearby. Without hesitation, she snatched it up and swung it with all her strength, smacking it against the back of Topper's calves.

"Ah, what the—?!" Topper stumbled forward, nearly losing his balance. He whirled around, his glare zeroing in on Olivine. "You little—"

"Stay out of Kook business," he growled, grabbing her wrist roughly and pulling her to the side.

Olivine yanked her arm free, her expression seething. "Beating up my brother is my business!" she snapped, her voice trembling with fury.

Before Topper could respond, Olivine's fist connected with his nose in a sharp, calculated motion. A wet, snapping sound followed, and Topper stumbled backward, clutching his face. His groan turned into a howl as Olivine followed it up with a sharp knee to his crotch, sending him crumpling to the ground in agony.

"Bitch!" Topper croaked, doubling over.

Rafe's head snapped toward the commotion, his expression shifting from confusion to cold anger when he saw Topper on the ground. Kelce paused mid-swing, his knuckles bloody, while JJ leaned against a nearby pole, his eyes sharp and alert despite the chaos.

Olivine barely noticed as she stepped toward Kelce, gripping the branch tightly. Before she could get close, a strong hand wrapped around her arm, yanking her back.

"Liv!" Rafe's voice was low, almost a growl. He dragged her a few feet away from the chaos, his grip firm but not bruising. One hand settled on her shoulder, the other gripping her chin to force her to look at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, his blue eyes blazing.

"Stopping you from being a complete idiot!" she shot back, her voice fierce as she tried to shrug out of his hold. "You're all out here beating up my brother and his friend like it's some kind of sport! What is wrong with you?"

Rafe's jaw tightened, his hand on her chin loosening slightly but not letting her go. "I'm handling the situation, Olivine," he hissed. "You don't get to storm in here like this. You could've gotten hurt."

Olivine let out a sharp, humorless laugh, her eyes blazing with anger. "Handling it? You call this handling it? Rafe, you're out here beating up kids. That's not handling anything—it's barbaric, and it's illegal!"

He flinched at her words, his grip loosening further. "They sunk Topper's boat," he countered, his tone defensive. "They started this."

"And you think this is the answer?" Olivine shot back, pushing his shoulder to try and free herself. "You and your idiot friends are out of control. Do you even hear yourself right now?"

"Olivine—" he began, his voice a low warning, but she cut him off.

"No! You don't get to justify this. Pope is my brother! Did you even stop to think about what this would do to me?" Her voice cracked slightly at the end, and Rafe froze, his frustration momentarily replaced with something softer, more conflicted.

Before he could respond, a loud scream cut through the air. Both of them whipped their heads around toward the source of the noise. In the distance, flames were licking at the edge of the projector screen, rapidly spreading upward.

"Shit," Rafe muttered under his breath, releasing Olivine and taking a step toward the fire. The once-festive crowd had erupted into chaos, people scrambling to grab their belongings and flee as the flames grew higher.

"I have to find Daniela," Olivine said suddenly, her voice panicked. She turned to run back toward the lawn, but Rafe grabbed her arm again, pulling her back.

"She's fine," he snapped, his voice edged with sarcasm. "If anyone could sleep through a fire, it's her."

"I'm serious, Rafe!" Olivine yelled, twisting out of his grip. "I'm not leaving her behind."

Rafe rolled his eyes but didn't argue. "Stay here," he ordered before sprinting toward the crowd. Moments later, Olivine saw him emerge, Daniela slung over his shoulder like a rag doll. The blonde was still asleep, mumbling incoherently as Rafe grabbed their belongings and rushed back toward his truck.

"Get in the car," he barked at Olivine, who hesitated for a moment before following him. The truck roared to life as Rafe sped away from the chaos, the burning screen shrinking in the rearview mirror. Daniela was sprawled in the backseat, still asleep peacefully in the backseat.

Olivine sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her arms crossed and her jaw clenched. The silence between her and Rafe was thick, charged with unspoken words.

"What were you thinking?" he finally asked, his voice low and strained.

Olivine turned to glare at him, her expression a mix of anger and disbelief. "I could ask you the same thing. You and your friends are out of control, Rafe. This isn't just about some stupid feud anymore."

Rafe's hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. "It's not stupid," he muttered. "They sunk his boat."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Olivine snapped. "You're risking everything for some petty revenge scheme. Do you even care what happens to you? Or to me, for that matter?"

Rafe didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. For a moment, the only sound in the truck was the rumble of the engine and Daniela's soft breathing from the backseat.

Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I didn't want you involved," he admitted quietly. "That's why I told you to stay out of it."

Olivine scoffed, her anger flaring again. "Well, congratulations, Rafe. You failed. Because now I am involved, and I'm not going to sit back while you and your friends act like the world revolves around you."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his expression unreadable. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen," he said after a moment. "I just... I don't know."

Olivine shook her head, leaning back against the seat with a frustrated sigh. "You need to figure it out, Rafe. Because if you keep going down this path, you're going to lose everything—and everyone."

The words hung heavy in the air, and for the first time that night, Rafe didn't have a comeback.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Rafe turned onto the main road, the tension still thick between them. Olivine broke the silence abruptly. "Drive to Daniela's house. I need to drop her off."

He didn't argue, just nodded quietly, the faint hum of the truck filling the space between them. His hand left the steering wheel for a moment, sliding to rest on her bare thigh.

Olivine slapped it away without hesitation, shooting him a glare. "Don't," she snapped.

Rafe sighed, the corners of his mouth twitching in mild irritation as he returned his hand to the wheel. "Fine," he muttered, his focus shifting back to the road.

The rest of the ride to Daniela's passed in strained silence. Once they reached her house, Olivine shook Daniela awake gently, the girl groggily opening her eyes and yawning.

"Movies ended early?" Daniela asked, her voice soft with sleep as she rubbed at her eyes.

Olivine forced a small smile, brushing back a stray strand of Daniela's blonde hair. "I'll tell you later," she promised, leaning down to press a quick kiss to Daniela's cheek. Daniela grinned faintly, her smile as warm and sleepy as ever before she clambered out of the car.

Olivine watched her friend head toward her front door, waiting until she was safely inside before turning back to the truck. She could feel Rafe's eyes on her, the weight of his gaze making her skin prickle. Ignoring him, she slid back into her seat and shut the door.

"Drive me home," she said flatly. "I have something to do with my mom tomorrow."

Rafe nodded, easing the truck into gear, but his voice broke the silence again. "Can we meet up before or after?" he asked. "I want to make it up to you for today."

Olivine rolled her eyes and shrugged, keeping her tone deliberately indifferent. "I don't know. If you can," she said lightly, letting her answer hang in the air as she turned her attention to the changing scenery.

The contrast between their worlds became more glaring with every mile. The manicured lawns and sprawling estates of Rafe's world gave way to smaller houses and worn sidewalks, highlighting the social divide between them like a harsh spotlight.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

When they finally pulled up to her house, Rafe slowed to a stop, giving her a brief smile. "Sleep well," he said softly, his voice unusually sincere.

She nodded curtly, unbuckling her seatbelt. "You too," she replied before stepping out of the truck. She shut the door behind her, not bothering to look back as she made her way up to the front door.

Rafe sat there for a moment, watching her disappear inside. As he glanced down, his eyes caught the strap of her purse lying on the floor of the passenger seat. A small smirk tugged at his lips as he leaned down and picked it up, tossing it onto the seat beside him.

"Guess I'll see you sooner than you think," he muttered to himself, pulling away from the curb and driving off into the night.

As Rafe drove through the quiet streets, the tension from earlier still clung to him. His jaw was tight, his grip on the steering wheel firm, but a nagging sense of unease started to creep up on him. It was subtle at first—a dull pounding in his chest, a faint shakiness in his hands. By the time he was halfway home, it felt like a weight pressing on him, growing heavier with every turn of the tires.

He pulled over near the end of a deserted street, flicking on his hazard lights. The orange blinkers cast fleeting shadows on the trees around him. Rafe leaned back in his seat, running a hand down his face before reaching over to the glove compartment.

His movements were methodical, almost routine. The compartment popped open, revealing a crumpled plastic bag tucked beneath some papers and an old flashlight. He grabbed it, the small bag of white powder glinting faintly in the dim light of the streetlamp outside.

Rafe sat there for a moment, staring at it, his chest rising and falling unevenly. He didn't think about what it meant or why he'd reached for it tonight. That was the point, wasn't it? To not think.

He ripped the bag open, dipping his fingers in and retrieving a small amount of the coke. Leaning forward, he rubbed it against his gums before taking a sharp sniff. The familiar burn seared through him, quick and merciless, bringing with it a false clarity that he clung to like a lifeline.

Rafe leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes as he exhaled shakily. The world felt sharper now, the earlier weight replaced by a buzz that hummed beneath his skin.

For a moment, he felt like he could breathe again.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

KIKI SPEAKS ;
not edited !!

toady was sooo crazy i get onto my phone after 9hrs to see NOTP got 10k views !!!!

i appreciate every single comment, vote, read and putting my book into your libraries and allowing me to share my work with you and have you guys interact so beautifully with it.

IT MAKES ME SOOO HAPPY

ENJOY !!
xoxo kiki 💋💋