─☼☼☼─

𝙋𝙐𝙇𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙐𝙋 𝙏𝙊 Barry's trailer now, so much was different from a year ago.

Rafe and Charlotte weren't making a quick pitstop before their high school graduation party, they weren't cracking jokes and stealing kisses. In fact, Charlotte was pretty sure she was currently being held captive.

"I'm fairly certain this is considered kidnapping." She announced, leaning forward slightly from the back seat. "Which, according to my freshman law professor, is an indictable offence...felony if you will."

Barry spun on her, the barrel of his gun pointed directly at her head. "Shut the hell up."

"Hey." Rafe snapped, jarring the truck into park before reaching out to yank Barry's arm down. "Don't fucking speak to her like that."

Charlotte rolled her eyes as she slumped back in her seat. "I appreciate your chivalry, Rafe, but you're quite literally holding me captive."

Rafe sucked in a breath, seemingly trying to resist snapping. "I am not holding you captive, Lottie. I just─I need to think."

"So that's why the child locks are on so I can't get out, right?" She challenged, earning a glare in response. 

Barry let out a low whistle as he shook his head with a humourless laugh. "Damn, Country Club, your girl is a fucking headache."

It was Charlotte's turn to glare. "I'm not his girl."

Another laugh bubbled from Barry's lips. "Trouble in paradise, lovebirds? You really think this bitch is going to stay loyal to you? The minute we let her out of here she's running off to tell her little friends to get the hell out of here."

"Hey, Barry." Charlotte started, leaning forward with an innocent smile. "I already texted them." Her tone was mocking, and it caused Barry to let out a deep breath through flared nostrils.

"I'm done with this shit." He declared, switching off the child locks before hopping out of Rafe's truck. "Deal with her on your own."

As he disappeared into his trailer, an uncomfortable silence settled across the truck. This was the first time Rafe and Charlotte had been alone since he had killed Peterkin. It was the first time she had spoken to him at all.

Neither of them seemed to know what to say. It didn't help that their reunion was under less than optimal conditions, considering Rafe and his drug dealer had basically just kidnapped her.

Charlotte knew she should just get out of the truck before Rafe could even say anything, but a part of her wanted to hear what he had to say. And the weakest side of her just liked being near him again, even if she could partly not stand the sight of him.

Finally, he turned to look at her, his eyes roaming her entire body before landing on her face. "It's good to see you, Lottie."

That was it. The smarter part of Charlotte's brain finally took over.

"I'm not doing this." Her voice was low as she turned and opened the car door, jumping out of the truck before slamming the door behind her.

"Not doing what!?" Rafe yelled after her, scrambling to follow her out of the truck.

Ignore him. Charlotte told herself, knowing that was the only way she made it out of here with her dignity and sanity. 

Rafe picked up his pace from behind her, "Lottie, come on! Just talk to me, please."

Ignore. Him.

"Stop ignoring me!" He pleaded, reaching out to grab a hold of her arm. "Charlotte."

Closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath, Charlotte turned to face him. "Let go of me, Rafe."

His eyes were full of despair as he loosened his grip, but still didn't release it completely. "Why are you doing this to me?" He wondered, voice cracking. "Why are you ignoring me."

Okay, so maybe Charlotte didn't actually care about her dignity or sanity because instead of ignoring him, she opened up her big fat mouth to answer him. 

"Because I don't want anything to do with you." The words hurt Charlotte as badly as they did Rafe. She watched as his face crumpled in devastation, her heart doing the same. 

He finally dropped the grip on her as if her skin was molten lava. "What?" The way the words had left his mouth was as if he had just been stabbed in the heart. "Why─why would you say that to me?"

The fact that Rafe even thought for a minute that Charlotte was being too harsh almost made her laugh. He was so disconnected from what he had done...who he was. 

"Why would I─why would I say that to you?" Charlotte repeated, letting out a humourless laugh as she ran a hand over her face. "Because Rafe, you're a murderer, a liar, and I'm pretty sure you're a fucking sociopath."

There it was. 

There was Charlotte's admission that she knew everything. No more ignoring him hoping that things would resolve without her having to openly admit that she knew everything he had done. 

Because the truth was, Charlotte didn't want to admit it out loud or to herself. She didn't want him to look at her the way he was right now, like she had betrayed him. She didn't want him to turn on her. Didn't want him to hate her for siding against him. But that was what she had been doing all along...and as much as it pained her, that is what she would have to keep doing. 

All the colour had drained from Rafe's face as he stumbled backward slightly, like he had just been shot. 

Honestly, Charlotte was surprised at how stunned he looked. How could he not have known that she had known this whole time?

Righting himself, Rafe seemed to gain back some of his composure. "What are you talking about?"

He was going to make this even harder than it had to be. "Rafe─"

"─I don't know what your sister and fucking friends told you, but it was John B who ─"

"Stop lying!" The words flew from Charlotte's mouth, so loud both her and Rafe seemed caught off guard. In fact, he visibly startled, eyes flashing wide as he cut himself off. 

Silence followed after that, both of them just staring at each other for a moment. Rafe looked like he wanted to cry, Charlotte looked like she was reading to rip his head off. 

 "How long have you known?" When he spoke, his voice was gentle, as if they were discussing a simple matter. 

"It doesn't matter how long I've know, Rafe." Charlotte snapped, her eyes set on him, heart clenching. "What matters is that fact that you killed someone. And then you framed one of my best friends. That's what matters here."

Rafe tipped his chin to the side, as if he was stretching his neck. It seemed like what Charlotte was saying was exhausting him. "Nah, Lottie you've got this all wrong. All of this─all of it is John B's fault."

He was trying to sway Charlotte, but she didn't bristle. But as she spoke, a dark hand of sorrow was gripping at her heart. "I should have known what you were capable of. I should have seen it long before it got this bad."

Because truthfully, Charlotte Carrera had always known Rafe Cameron was fucked up. From the time they first became friends as children, to the time they fell in love-- he had always had a dark side to him that scared even her.

On numerous occasions, something simple set him off and it would be as if he blacked out...as if he wasn't even there anymore. It had only gotten worse in the last year. The drugs distorted his view of what was right and what was wrong. He had become a whole new person...and not for the better. 

He had never physically hurt Charlotte, but he made up for it with his words. When he got in those dark moods, Charlotte could barely recognize him. Some of the things he had said to her when he was so high he barely knew his own name...they were so horrible she could barely think about them without wanting to cry. 

But now it wasn't just his words. Now he was hurting people...he was killing people. 

Stupidly, Charlotte felt like it was all her fault in a way. 

She should have forced him to get help long before it got to this point. 

"You don't know what you're talking about, Charlotte." He accused, his face reddening in anger. "You weren't fucking there."

"I know that you weren't at home that day like you said you were. I know that you showed up on the airstrip and killed Sheriff Peterkin. I know that your dad lied. I know that it's his fault John B and Sarah are missing. I know about the gold. I know that he stole it. I know that you showed up on the Cut tonight with the intention of hurting my friends. I know everything ." She hadn't meant to reveal how privy she actually was to the whole situation, but once her mouth started moving, she couldn't stop it. 

Rafe was watching her, taking angry, heaved breaths. With each sentence that left his ex-girlfriend's mouth, he seemed to crumble more and more. 

"I've tried." Charlotte admitted, her voice wavering slightly. "I've tried so hard to help you...to protect you. But I can't anymore, Rafe." It felt like a lump had lodged itself in her throat. "We're on different sides of this, so I think it's best if we just accept that. No more of this back and forth. No more of us...at all."

"So what?" He rasped out, his own voice tight as if holding back tears. "You just never speak to me again?"

Charlotte didn't answer him first, because she didn't know what to even say to him. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Well then what are you saying, Charlotte?"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know, okay? I just─we're never going to be the same as we were okay? No matter how badly you want us to be, we can't. Not unless you turn yourself in for what you did."

The heartbreak vanished from Rafe's face, instead being replaced with rage. "You're giving me a fucking ultimatum?"

"Yeah." Charlotte answered with no remorse. "I am. Turn yourself in and we can work through our shit."

"Fuck you."

"Good night, Rafe." Charlotte nodded, turning on her heel. 

He took a couple of steps behind her, gravel crunching beneath him. "T─that's it? You're just leaving?"

"Looks like it!" Charlotte called over her shoulder, her chest clawing at itself, not at all comforted by the way that entire conversation had gone. 

"Just get in the truck!" Rafe called, "It's a six mile walk to your house and it's the fucking middle of the night."

Charlotte ignored him, having rather walked than gotten into that damn vehicle with him. All that would have resulted in would be Rafe begging for her to see his side of things. She didn't have the energy for that. 

So, while Charlotte walked the whole six miles in the dark, Rafe followed behind her in the truck, ensuring she made it safely. 

But not even that act of care could make a dent in the wall she had built up between the two of them. Rafe Cameron was a murdering sociopath, and Charlotte Carrera just so happened to be in love with him. 

─☼☼☼─