"Morning sunshine." I smile at JJ, as I wait on the edge of the jetty, grabbing his hand as he holds it out for me to climb onto the boat, before I follow him into the driver's cabin, dumping my bag on the floor as he steers us into the centre of the water.

We're putting the plan into action today, and It's the perfect weather for it, glorious OBX sunshine. I put on my favourite red bikini this morning and a pair of denim shorts, assuming I'd end up in the water at some point anyway. JJ is equally prepared, sporting a pair of board shorts and a pair of sunglasses.

We've taken Pope's Dad's boat for the sake of this plan, and it's a lot nicer than HMS Pogue, which has certainly seen better days.

"How's things?" He asks, steering us further alongside Figure Eight as we pass all the impressively large houses, on our way to collect Sarah and John B from Tanny Hill as planned.

"Fine," I nod, "It's still weird not living down the street from you."

"I know," He agrees, "I also really miss your Mum's cooking."

"You know you're welcome anytime J," I assure him, "My parents adore you."

"It's still so crazy that all our parents went to school together," He sighs, "I can't imagine our dads ever being friends."

"I don't think they were," I reply, "I think they only ever tolerated each other."

"My Dad has never been very good at the whole friendship thing," He tells me, "It kind of makes me think one day I'll just lose all you guys."

"JJ, that's bullshit, I don't know what your dad gave you in the gene pool but it wasn't his personality, you're nothing like him." I insist, deciding that now is as good a time as any to slip my shorts off, leaving me in just my swimsuit, for the inevitable moment when we have to jump overboard.

"If you say so." He huffs as we get closer to Tanny Hill.

"I know so." I assure him.

"What do you think about the gold?" He asks me, "Do you think we're chasing a dream?"

"I think it's possible that it's still out there," I nod, "And if it's not, I don't know what John B will do."

"Talk of the devil," JJ replies, gesturing to the decking at the back of Tanny Hill, John B and Sarah waiting for us with smiles on their faces which I appreciate greatly after yesterday.

I slip out of the cabin, heading to the front of the boat to greet John B and Sarah, "Morning lovebirds," I chime, holding a hand out to Sarah to help her onto the boat.

"Morning Sid," John B smiles as we quickly do the pogue handshake.

"You two ready for a day out on the open water?" I ask as I lead them into the driver's cabin where JJ is waiting.

"Absolutely," Sarah smiles, seeming a lot more upbeat since yesterday's disaster with Kiara.

"So is this like some kind of double date thing?" John B adds as a joke, and if it weren't for today's plan I would be pushing him overboard.

"That is exactly what this is." JJ nods in agreement as my phone buzzes in my bag.

I crouch down to where I previously dumped my bag, pulling out my phone to see a text from Rafe.

Rafe: Red looks good on you.

I attempt to subtly glance over my shoulder, to see if he's standing on the Camerons' jetty, but he's nowhere to be seen, meaning he's probably up in the house somewhere and just saw me from a distance.

"Sarah, what are the rest of your family up to today?" I ask, JJ looking at me weirdly as if it's not a completely normal question to ask.

"Rose and Wheezie are having a girls day, Dad was already out when we woke up," She begins to explain, "I saw Rafe just before we left, apparently Dad kicked him out last night, he didn't tell me why, he just said he needed to grab some shit."

"Right," I nod, "So are we just chilling today, or fishing?"

"Chilling the fuck out baby," JJ tells me, "I rolled the thickest joint this morning."

"You really do know how to treat a lady." I tease, shaking his shoulders playfully as we approach the marsh.

"Where are the others?" Sarah asks, clearly still angry about last night, as she's not even referring to Kiara by name.

"Working," I lie, "Pope said they had a major order this morning, and Kie is working with her parents."

My phone buzzes again and I pull it out to check the notification, noticing a new message from Pope.

Pope: Ten minutes away, Ready for phase three :)

Slowly, we reach the agreed point of the marsh, the boys and I sharing a look, ready to put the plan into action.

"Sarah, I've been telling the boys that I want to get a tattoo, but I can't decide what I want." I tell her, ready for the boat to 'break down'.

"Have you got any pictures?" She asks me.

"Yea, I do actually," I nod, grabbing my phone from my bag, pulling up the pictures I saved last night in preparation, "So these are my favourites right now."

I show her my phone, swiping through the photos slowly as her eyes remain glued on my phone. I watch as JJ pulls the lever on the side of the steering wheel, stopping us abruptly, the boat rocking forward.

All four of us reach out for something to grab onto, even though three of us already knew it was going to happen.

"That's not good." JJ mutters.

"Have we got fuel?" I play along, knowing that we topped up first thing this morning .

"I topped up last night, the gage says it's fine." JJ insists.

"Maybe it's the central revolving system." I make something up on the spot, hoping Sarah isn't boat savvy enough to know that I'm lying.

"That's probably it," JJ sighs dramatically, "John B could you grab the tool kit from below deck?"

"Sure," John B nods, "Sarah, you wanna help me find it?"

"Okay." Sarah sighs, following him out of the cabin.

"We're going to need some music," I tell JJ, finding the old CD player that Pope's dad keeps on the boat and pressing play, hearing the sound of David Bowie singing, it could be worse.

"Ladies first," I hear John B tell her as JJ and I share a knowing look.

"Here we go," JJ mutters, holding his hand out for a classic pogue handshake.

I hear the sound of John B locking the hatch, meaning our plan is in action. There's no going back now. It might seem like a drastic plan but Sarah and Kiara are both too stubborn to make the first move. I can also tell that John B really likes Sarah, but Kiara is also his best friend. So ultimately it's not fair for John B to lose either of these relationships, when deep down I know the girls will get on once they bury the past.

"So she's gonna kill me." John B announces as he re-enters the cabin.

"She'll live," I huff, "We need to open this up before Kie and Pope arrive to make this convincing," I point to where the engine sits under the floor of the cabin, kind of like where you'd find everything under the hood of a car.

The boys and I lift the cover, hovering over the pipes and important parts of the boat, which none of us know anything about.

"They're pulling up," John B glances out of the cabin door as JJ puts the boat key in his pocket.

"It's go time, baby." JJ mutters.

"What have you guys done?" Kiara asks, appearing at the doorway.

"The transmitter doesn't seem to be transmitting." JJ tells her.

"You're ridiculous," She sighs, crouching to get a better look at the insides of the boat as the rest of us stand up.

"I'll just grab the tool kit," I mutter, grabbing my bag and slipping out of the cabin. I chuck my rucksack to Pope as he waits on HMS Pogue, he catches it and begins revving the engine. 

I glance over my shoulder to see the boys slipping out of the cabin, giving the signal to jump overboard.

The three of us dive into the water, swimming up to Pope as he waits on the boat. I hear Kiara shouting out to us as we reach the boat, meaning she's quickly rumbled our escape.

Pope reaches his hand out to me, and I take it, climbing onto the boat and brushing my wet hair out of my face as JJ and John B also pull themselves up onto the boat.

"Rev that fucking engine Pope!" JJ exclaims as Pope puts his foot down on the pedal.

"Hey, John B!" Sarah shouts from the other boat, telling us that Kiara has found her.

"Have fun!" John B shouts back at them.

"I rolled a great joint for you ladies!" JJ exclaims.

"Enjoy!" I shout, holding my hands up in a heart shape, getting middle fingers from both of the girls.

"Are we leaving them here overnight?" Pope asks.

"Oh yes," JJ smiles, "Once they've finished that joint it'll be like none of that kook academy shit happened."

My phone buzzes in my bag, and I pull it down to see Rafe's contact ringing my phone. I answer it, relieved that the boys haven't seen who's calling me.

"Hi," I answer nervously, moving to the front of the boat as the boys hover around the steering wheel.

"Hey, you okay?" He replies, sounding more upbeat than I'd expected, now that his father has thrown him out.

"Yeah," I sigh, glancing at the boys.

"Who's on the phone, Sid?" JJ calls out from the back of the boat.

"My mum." I lie, because I can hardly tell them that I'm on the phone with Rafe bloody Cameron and have his contact saved in my phone.

"Who are you with?" Rafe asks me.

"The boys."

"Is my sister with you?" He replies.

"She was, but we're trying this forced proximity thing to get her and Kie talking again." I tell him.

"You think it'll work?" He answers.

"I'd bet on it." I smile.

"Go on then." He replies.

"If they're friends by this time tomorrow, you have to take me out for a fancy meal or something." I grin, feeling giddy at the idea of an actual date with Rafe.

"And if I'm right, and they're still fighting, you'll come and watch me play golf." He replies.

"You better get finding a good restaurant, Cameron." I mutter, quiet enough that the boys won't hear.

"And you better get shining your golf clubs."

"Don't count on it." I smile.

"What are you doing tonight?" He asks.

"I don't know, depends on the offer you make me." I tell him.

"You wanna come to a party tonight?" He asks, "And if you're worried about your friends finding out, none of the people there know them."

"Won't Topper be there?" I ask, picking at the skin around my cuticles, "He's hardly my biggest fan."

"You don't need to worry about him." He assures me.

"Okay, I'll come," I sigh.

"I'll pick you up later, just text me your address."

"Sounds good, see you later." I hang up the phone, returning to the boys at the back of the boat, JJ handing me a bottle of beer.

"How's Mama Monroe?" John B asks, and I can tell he sees through my bullshit.

"Good." I nod.

"Just good?" John B teases, walking down the boat towards me, "Who's the lucky man?"

"What?" I look up at him.

"You obviously weren't on the phone to your mum, you were smiling and blushing the entire time," He smirks, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, "I won't tell JJ, if that's what you're worried about."

"What's JJ got to do with it?" I ask.

"Come on," He laughs, "He's like a lovesick puppy when it comes to you, I'm sure he'd walk through fire for you."

"He's just flirty, he's like that with all the girls." I reply.

"So who is he? This guy?" He continues to pester me.

"You don't know him," I sigh, knowing deep down that he knows that there is a 'someone'.

"You're seeing a guy on the island, and I don't know who he is? He sounds fun." John B laughs.

"That's about the sum of it, yeah." I smile, returning to JJ and Pope.

"You guys wanna get a kegger and drink the whole thing dry tonight?" JJ suggests.

Before I can answer, John B interrupts, "It'll just be us three boys, Sidney's meeting her fancy man."

"That's not fair." I hiss, elbowing him in the ribs.

"You're dating someone?" Pope replies.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" I laugh.

"Is he a pogue?" JJ asks monotonously.

"Does it matter?" I look at all of them.

"So it's a kook." JJ mumbles.

"I really don't want to have this conversation," I sigh, "Nothing's really happened between us anyway."

"You know we'll kill this guy if he breaks your heart." JJ tells me, and I have no doubt that they would, especially if they knew it was Rafe Cameron.

"I'm aware." I nod.

"But you have a good time tonight, doing whatever or whoever it is you're doing." John B smirks.

"Don't think I won't push you overboard John B." I roll my eyes at him.

ੈ✩‧₊˚

Rafe didn't come into the house to meet my parents, he said he thought it would be awkward and it's pretty early in whatever we are to be meeting each other's parents in 'that' capacity. I don't really know what I was expecting, I think deep down I knew he wouldn't want to come in the house anyway.

So when he texted me to say he was outside my house, the last thing I expected to see was him leaning against a fucking motorbike.

"You want me to get on the back of that?" I laugh, hoping he's going to materialise his car at any moment.

"How else will we get to the party?" He asks as I approach him.

"I've got two legs that work just fine," I smile, folding my arms across my chest.

"You'll have a helmet on the whole time, you'll be fine," He assures me, running his hand over my arm, "And you can hold onto me."

"So you didn't just bring the bike because it's an efficient mode of transport?" I sigh.

"Where's the fun in that?" He laughs, pulling me closer and kissing me slowly, "And yeah, maybe you are right."

"I knew it." I push him playfully.

"Come on," He mutters, climbing onto the bike, putting his helmet on and handing me the spare.

I hesitate for a moment before deciding to just go with it, slipping the helmet on and climbing onto the book, slinking my arms around Rafe's waist as he revs the engine, speeding off towards the party.

The nature of the bike means we can't actually talk much because we're both wearing helmets and the noise is so intense. But I do feel safe holding onto him, and I never thought I'd say that, I never thought I'd say that I feel safe in the company of a kook boy. And I never imagined that a look boy would make me feel the way Rafe does.

We zip through the streets of Figure Eight, and I'm surprised how comfortable I feel on the back of the bike. The cool breeze against my warm skin is refreshing and makes a difference from the usual air conditioning in cars.

We make it to the house that's hosting the party in about half the time it would've taken in Rafe's car. It quickly dawns on me that I don't actually know anyone here apart from Rafe. And anyone who does know me, probably knows me for getting involved in Topper's fight with the boys on the beach.

I slip my helmet off and hand it to Rafe, looking up at the house, which is a bit smaller than the last one. I made my outfit choice with the intention of blending in at this party, opting for blue denim shorts and a green halter neck top.

"You okay?" Rafe nudges me.

"Yeah," I nod, "I probably just need a drink."

"Now that is something I can do," He grins, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and guiding me up to the house, the front door already open so we just slip inside.

The minute we cross that threshold I feel everyone's eyes on us, and I can't tell if Rafe sees it too. We push through the crowds into the kitchen, finding safety at the island in the centre of the kitchen.

"What's your poison?" He asks, grabbing some vodka and a random mixer and pouring himself a drink.

"I'll have vodka cranberry," I reply, watching him pour the drink with very liberal measures.

"One drink for you, my lady." He grins, handing me the cup.

I glance over my shoulder and notice the small groups of people standing around, half of whom have their eyes on us. I know they're judging me, on this side of the island it's 'once a pogue, always a pogue' unless you're a man. I don't know any men who moved from the cut and had to deal with this level of grief, but the women before me and my family, they had all this and more.

"Let them watch," Rafe leans forward, his lips grazing over my ear, "They're just bored boring people."

"If you say so." I huff, taking a sip of my drink.

"Come on, let's go meet some better people," He smirks, grabbing my hand and leading me through the crowded kitchen, out into the garden.

I take a large gulp of my triple strength vodka cranberry before we reach the group of people sitting on the garden furniture in the corner of the garden. I recognise a few of them, including Kelce and Topper, who I didn't think would have the nerve to show up at a party.

"How's it going Rafe?" One of the boys speaks up as we approach the group, Rafe moving his arm back to my shoulders, pulling me closer to his side.

"Good," He nods, "Do you guys know Sidney?"

"We know she throws a good punch." One of Rafe's friends laughs, nudging Topper.

"And I'm sure she'd have no qualms doing the same to you, so watch your mouth Jack." Rafe tells him sternly, tightening his arm around my shoulders.

Kelce pulls a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and lights one, handing the box to Topper who declines before passing it to Rafe who takes one and places it between his lips, passing the pack to Jack.

He pats his pockets in search of a lighter and before he can ask the group for one I remember I slipped the lighter JJ gave me into my pocket. I pull it out and flip the cap off, sparking a light and holding it up in front of Rafe's cigarette, making sure it's caught before letting go and putting it back in my pocket.  

"What?" I mutter as he looks down at me in amazement.

"Was that meant to be hot?" He whispers.

"I'm not drunk enough to be doing shit like that in public for a reaction," I smile, taking another sip of my drinks.

"You could've fooled me," He replies, taking a drag of the cigarette.

I pluck it from his fingers, taking a drag for myself before slowly exhaling, letting the smoke fill the space between us before handing it back to Rafe.

"I didn't think you'd smoke." Rafe mutters.

"I don't, but if you think I grew up on the cut without smoking every so often as a teenager, then you don't know me." I sigh.

"Country club!" I glance over my shoulder to hear where the voice is coming from, and I'm met with a man walking towards us, up from the back of the garden. He doesn't look like he'd live on Figure Eight, and I can't say I've ever seen him on the cut.

"What do you want?" Rafe scoffs. 

"I think it's a case of what you want, for your little party," He continues before looking at me, "Is this your new girl?"

"Sidney, could you go grab me another drink?" Rafe whispers to me, "This won't take long."

"Sure." I nod, taking his cup and heading back inside, beelining for the selection of drinks.

I pour another vodka cranberry for myself and then I make a vodka and lemonade for Rafe, before heading back outside.

As I return I notice the other guy is gone, and from what I can see Rafe seems a lot more upbeat as a result.

I arrive back at his side, handing him his drink as he turns to face me with a smirk. But when the light hits his face right I notice something on his nose, and if it's what I think it is then it kind of explains why he's so upbeat.

"What's that?" I whisper, wiping the white powdery residue from the tip of his nose with my thumb, before showing it to him.

"Just a little something to keep the party going," He grins, cupping my jaw and kissing me suddenly.

I pull back nervously, gazing up at him, conscious of all his friends beside us. I don't really know how I'm meant to feel about this, my repertoire only goes as far as smoking a bit of weed, but this is some crazy rich people shit. I've heard about what happens to people who get addicted to it, and that terrifies me

"So was that guy your dealer or something?" I mutter, not really sure about what I'm supposed to say.

"He's just a guy who brings a bit of gear to parties, it's nothing to worry about," He assures me, resting his hands at the base of my neck.

"Can we just," I gesture to the other side of the garden, realising this isn't a conversation I want to have in front of his rich Kook friends.

"Of course." He nods, leading me across the garden to the bench in front of the expansive fence.

I take a large sip of my drink before sitting down on the bench, Rafe sitting right beside me and resting his arm on the back of the bench, dancing his fingers over the bare skin on my neck.

"Rafe, do you have a drug problem or something?" I ask, completely naive to the situation, and not exactly sure how you're meant to handle situations like this.

"I wouldn't call it a drug problem," He smirks.

"Is this why your dad kicked you out?" I ask him, glancing up and noticing how dilated his pupils are.

"How do you know about that?" He asks.

"Sarah told me."

"It's not a big deal." Rafe sighs, running a hand back through his hair.

"Where are you staying tonight?" I ask him.

"Not a clue, I might just crash at Topper's again." He mumbles.

"Really?" I smirk, "If you're quiet, you can stay at mine."

"You sure?" He turns to face me, his eyes are more bloodshot than I had anticipated.

"Just for tonight, alright?" I reiterate.

"That's more than alright," He kisses me gently.

"Do you want to go join your friends again?" I ask, feeling Rafe wrap his arm around me.

"Not really." He huffs, leaning his head back.

"You just wanna sit here then?" I ask, leaning into him.

"Yeah, here's good." He mutters, pulling me closer than I already am, letting my head rest against him.

ੈ✩‧₊˚

We stayed like that for about two hours, and every so often someone would approach us to talk to Rafe. I'd be sitting there like some kind of spare part, not exactly sure of what to say, and aware that I don't know anything about these people.

Once we were both about four drinks deep, I decided we should call it a night. Rafe had insisted he could ride the bike home, but I wasn't sure after the cocktail of vodka and coke he'd been consuming. So we walked back to my house, with Rafe maintaining some sort of physical contact the entire time.

"You've got to be quiet, my parents are asleep." I whisper, my back against the front door.

"Mhmm," He mumbles against my lips, giving me another hungry kiss.

"Careful," I warn, unlocking the front door and opening it slowly, the clock reading that it's 2AM, meaning my parents are definitely in bed.

I let Rafe in and then close the door behind him, watching as he takes in my house, remembering this is his first time inside it. He looks at the family pictures on the sideboard, stopping at the photo of me eating an ice cream when I was about seven.

"That one's cute." He mumbles.

"Come on, we've got to get upstairs to bed," I whisper, taking his hand and pulling him to the stairs.

"I like the sound of that," He replies, and I can tell that he's smiling to himself.

I silently lead him up the stairs, my parents bedroom door is shut as expected, just mine and Maggie's bedroom doors are open. I could put him in Maggie's room, but firstly my parents will notice that door being closed, and secondly that just feels weird.

"This way," I lead him into my bedroom, closing the door behind us and flicking my bedside lamp on, quickly shutting the curtains.

"Do you want me to sleep on the floor?" He asks, glancing between the single bed and the small strip of carpet in between the bed and my other furniture.

"You don't have to do that," I assure him, "We can both sleep in the bed."

"Do you want me to keep my clothes on?" He asks me as I rummage in my drawers for some clothes to wear in bed.

"Just wear whatever feels most comfortable," I reply, pulling out a baggy t-shirt and some pyjama shorts. I look over my shoulder to see him wearing just a pair of shorts, which is understandable, given how warm it is in the outer banks.

"You okay?" He asks.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," I gesture for him to face the other way, and he does as I quickly change into my pyjamas, chucking my party clothes into my wash basket, "Okay, you're all good."

I begin wiping my makeup off as Rafe climbs into the bed, shimmying closer to the wall.

Once I've finished cleaning my face, I slip into the bed, feeling his arm snake around my waist, my back pressed against his bare chest.

"Are you alright with this?" He whispers, grazing his fingers over the exposed skin on my stomach.

"Of course," I nod.

"And you'd tell me if you weren't?" He asks.

I nod in response, shuffling a bit to get more comfortable in the bed.

"I'm going to need you to use your words," He mutters against my warm skin.

"Yes, I'm fine," I whisper, feeling him place a gentle kiss on my neck.

"Good girl."