┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛

Kelce whined in pain as he pressed the pack of frozen berries against the side of his face where JJ had hit him. Topper stood by the sink, damping a towel to wash his dirt and blood-covered face and knuckles and Rafe stood leaning over the kitchen island, with his head in his hands as irritation pulsed through him.

The three kook boys had returned to Topper's house after the fight at the movie night. Topper was the most injured one out of them with cuts, bruises, and various wounds scattered over his skin. Kelce seemed more worried about his bruised ego after Annabelle managed to kick him in the crotch.

"I mean, who is this bitch anyway," Kelce said staring at his phone. The screen showed Annabelle's Instagram account. The boy scrolled through photos of animals, flowers, the pouges, and a few selfies here and there. "Too bad she's hot. Talk about wasted potential. Look at this."

Kelce showed a photo of the girl with the pouge boys Pope, JJ, and John B, showing their worn-out surfboards and cheap beers. "I bet they've all got to hit that. Pouge incest kind of shit. She's probably into that. All four of them cuddling up and -"

Rafe roughly shoved himself away from the island, tired of Kelce's disgusting way of talking. The Cameron boy angrily dragged his hand through his hair as he walked up to his opened beer and emptied it as the two other boys watched in slight shock.

"Damn, Cameron. Struck a nerve?" Kelce chuckled.

"Of course you did. It's his girlfriend you're talking about." Topper grinned.

Rafe placed the beer back on the table harshly. "She's not my girl. Im telling you I don't know that pouge. I'm just so tired of Kelce always making everything dirty. Maybe if you got laid more, you'd shut up for once."

Topper laughed loudly at the comment before Kelce slapped him on the back of the head. "Hey, shut up man. It's not like you and Sarah are getting cozy often. I mean, didn't-"

"Kelce, shut up." Rafe's face scrunched up in disgust and he walked past his two best friends. "That's my sister, man."

The Cameron boy made his way out of the kitchen to the foyer, shoving his shoes on his feet and walking out of the door, ignoring Klece's and Toppers shouting behind him.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Seagulls screeched in the distance as the sun rose to the horizon, giving the beach a pink shimmer. Annabelle breathed in and tried to shift her focus away from the pain in her foot that struck up her leg every time she put any pressure on it. JJ had poorly wrapped her foot but he was the last person Annabelle would trust as a doctor. Everyone was pretty banged up after the fight. Kiara was too scared to face her parents and Pope didn't want to return home in case a certain kook was there waiting for him and since no one had heard anything from John B the entire day, Annabelle had nowhere to go. So the four friends decided to spend the night at JJ's house.

JJ himself was so injured that Annabelle considered taking him to the hospital but he stopped her and convinced her that he was fine. Annabelle helped patch the boy up before the two fell asleep watching Notting Hill as he had promised.

The next morning, Pope, Kiara, and JJ went to Heyward's shop while Annabelle insisted on staying. She wanted to walk for a while. She was now traveling along the beach, with her sandals in her hand as the water washed over her bare feet in the sand. The same walk she took every Sunday and had taken for the past three years. She used to take them with her mom, to get her out of the house. She still took them. Mostly by herself but sometimes Tessa would join her.

Annabelle needed to clear her head, desperately. So much had happened in so little time. The summer had just started and she was already tangled in some smuggling crime shit all thanks to a hurricane and a sunken boat. She had seen Rafe more that past week than she had in six months. She had even kissed him.

She breathed out. She didn't want to think about him. Not after all the pain he had inflicted on her friends. However, she couldn't seem to get him out of her head. It was stupid and silly but every time he appeared in her mind she felt like she was fourteen-year-old Annabelle who was head over heels in love with the kook prince, the boy who was her secret and she was his. She couldn't stop thinking about him, his scent, his touch, his lips. It was all pathetic.

Annabelle lifted her JUUL to her lips, taking a long drag before letting the cloud of smoke leave her mouth as the water splashed over her feet. The air was warm against her bare arms and legs. Her hair was messily placed in a bun and she wore the same makeup as the day before but she didn't mind as she knew that no one walked along this part of the beach. It was a beach reserved for dogs and not many people in the cut owned dogs. Annabelle and her mother used to play with the few dogs that would swim there.

Now, the beach stood empty and still, with only the sound of the waves and the seagulls filling the air. And a distant sound of an engine. Annabelle looked up. It was a motorcycle engine, she could hear that from a mile away. However, the bike that stopped by the side of the small road next to the beach wasn't owned by anyone from the cut. Polished and sparkling with a customized paint job, tires, and handlebars. Annabelle skidded to a halt along with her heart as she watched the boy get off the bike. She knew who it was long before he took his helmet off, however, she still managed to lose her breath for a second when he approached her.

"I thought I'd found you here." He breathed and smiled.

Annabelle let her consciousness get the better of her and began walking along the beach again avoiding to look at him. "What are you stalking me now?"

Rafe watched her from behind for a moment before following her close behind. With his hands shoved into his pockets and his lips curved into a grin he walked behind the girl. "Yeah, you wish." He chuckled. "I just knew that you used to take this walk every Sunday and, you know, I was in the neighborhood."

Annabelle let out a breathy laugh. "You? In a neighborhood like this? I don't think so."

"Well, maybe not." He tried to catch up with her. "No really, I just thought I'd check on you."

The soft atmosphere from earlier shifted. "I don't need checking up on. Especially not by you."

Rafe huffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, Bells, come on. Let's quit this enemy thing between us. We all know you don't hate me." He stepped in front of her forcing her to stop. The girl made a hopeless attempt to round the boy but he was quick to block her with his tall frame. "Bells."

The girl bit the inside of her lip, letting a long exhale leave her mouth before unwillingly meeting his gaze. The sides of his mouth twitched into a smirk.

"Say it." Rafe grinned.

"Say what?"

"Say you don't hate me." Rafe crept closer.

Annabelle let a humorless chuckle leave her lips as she shook her head at the boy.

"Come on, I wanna hear you say it." Rafe dipped his head down, forcing her to look back up at him.

"Why are you here?" Annabelle asked.

Rafe poked the side of his mouth with his tongue while staring down at her. He couldn't help but stop and admire her face, glowing in the pink morning light. Two deep, green eyes looked up at him and the boy damped his lips. It shocked him everytime he saw her, how much he enjoyed the sight of her. "I want to apologize for what my friends did. And I want to make sure you're okay."

Annabelle opened her mouth to say something but Rafe got before her. "I know what you're gonna say. You don't need me making sure you're okay. But that doesn't stop me from caring about you." Rafe said, his face twitching at the sight of the red cut that marked her cheek from the fight the day before.

Annabelle stiffened and lost the ability to breathe for a moment. All she could focus on was the boy in front of her and the warmth of his palm that now cupped the side of her face. She sucked in what seemed like the last piece of oxygen around her.

Every muscle in Rafe's face tensed, his jaw clenching. "Kelce won't bother you anymore. I've made sure of it."

"You think this is bad?" Annabelle huffed. "JJ almost had to go to the hospital. And if I remember correctly it wasn't Kelce, Topper, or anyone else who did that to him. That was all you."

Rafe's eyes shifted to the water as he swallowed hard. "I warned you. I told you to get out of there."

"And I told you to stay away from my friends." Annabelle retorted. "I shouldn't even be talking to you for what you did."

"What did you want me to do? Huh?" Rafe exhaled, throwing his arms out and suddenly the gentle touch left Annabelle's cheek leaving the cold summer breeze to cool it down instantly."Topper was out of his mind mad. He was gonna go through with it anyway."

Annabelle let her gaze fall to her feet. "Well, maybe you should get better friends. Like ones that don't jump people every chance they get."

"I should get better friends? You're the one hanging around with those dirty scumbag pouges. You know, like the ones that sink people's boats." Rafe glared at the girl whose gaze remained cold.

"Dirty scumbag pouges, huh?" Annabelle bit the inside of her lip.

Rafe cursed at himself for his poor choice of words. He lifted his cap, dragging his hand through his hair before placing it back down on his head as he exhaled deeply. Pushing whatever emotion he had for the other pouges aside, he returned his attention back to Annabelle. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just that..." He breathed. "I care about you, Annabelle. And I don't want to see you get hurt."

The boy inched closer and the girl before him took a hesitant step back. Rafe stopped and stared at her with two pleading eyes. He slowly reached out for her arm, letting it linger over it as he awaited a reaction. Seeing as the girl didn't step away or push him off, he gently brushed his hand over her arm before pulling her inches closer. Annabelle stared at his soft grip on her hand for a moment before looking up at the boy, whose eyes shifted between hers and her lips.

"Bells, look. Ever since..Ever since that night on the roof, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." The boy locked her gaze with his. Annabelle felt the boy's warm minty breath against her face and his hold on her arm felt like it was boring through her skin. Her chest rose and sank heavily. A moment ago, she was yelling at him, and not two seconds later, he had her all wrapped around his finger by just saying a few words.

His other hand brushed against her cheek again, holding the side of her face. Annabelle let in a shaky breath, allowing herself to finally lean into his touch.

"You have no idea what you do to me, Annabelle," Rafe whispered.

The girl's head felt like a hazy fog of confusion and emotions. His touch blocked out every negative thought or opinion she had ever had of him.

She leaned closer, her gaze hovering on his lips and her focus permanently attached to the heat of his body this closer to her and his hands on her skin.

"I don't hate you, Rafe." She whispered. It was true. She had tried. She tried so hard to hate him and convince herself that she did. However, she couldn't. No matter how much pain he caused.

The boy's eyes flamed at her words and he inched closer. He threw her one hesitant glance, making sure she was okay with what he was doing as he closed the gap between the two. As their lips met, Annabelle's mind was instantly consumed by him and everything about him. She tugged his shirt, pulling him closer. The boy's hand left her arm and wrapped around her waist, tugging her near. His thumb caressed the bare skin on her waist between the rim of her jean shorts and her crop top.

Annabelle dragged her arm up his arm, before wrapping both her arms around his neck. With his body this close to hers and his lips dominating hers, Annabelle couldn't help but deepen the kiss, her hand tugging gently on his hair causing a soft and almost unnoticeable groan to leave the boy's lips.

She so desperately wanted for the moment to last forever, despite the events of the night before. It was as if the Rafe that did all those bad things, was a completely different person from the boy in front of her. However, the still moment soon crumbled as Annabelle's phone began to vibrate and ring.

The girl unwillingly pulled away.

"Ignore it." Rafe breathed, his eyes locked on Annabelle's lips. Annabelle stared at the display. Seven missed messengers from Kiara, four from Pope, and eight missed calls from both.

Kieee:

"Where the hell are you?"

"Get your ass over here right now"

"Anna"

"Anna, come on."

"You need to pick up rn!"

"Get to the sheriff's station when you see this."

"We need you here."

The girl's heart dropped.

"Something's wrong."

Rafe straightened up and scanned her expression with two concerned eyes. "What's going on?"

Annabelle shoved her phone back into her back pocket. "I don't know but I need to go to the Scheriff's station."

"I'll give you a ride," Rafe said.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be happy to see me with you." Annabelle huffed.

"So, what? You're gonna walk? That'll take half an hour." Rafe said. "I'll drop you off around the corner. No one will see us."

Annabelle breathed out and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

Rafe handed Annabelle the spear helmet and placed his on his head before jumping onto the bike. Annabelle sat down behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Rafe couldn't contain the grin that appeared on his face as she did. "You ready?"  The girl nodded. "Hold on tight."

The bike revved before the pair took off and began speeding over the roads of Outerbanks. It was obvious that they caught a lot of attention as they did. A fancy bike like that didn't belong in the cut.

Annabelle held onto Rafe tightly as her heart raced at the pace of the bike. Whatever was going on wasn't good.

The pair parked around the corner of the Sheriff's station and Annabelle was quick to jump off the bike and hand Rafe the helmet before rushing toward the entrance,

"Bells!"

The girl was brought to a halt and she spun back around.

"I know this is bad timing and all, but I need you to ask you something." Rafe lifted the helmet from his head. "I want you to come to midsummer's tomorrow."

Annabelle chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure the entire population of Kooklandia will be beyond delighted to have me there."

"I'll find a way to sneak you in." Rafe smiled at her before shuffling through his pockets. He pulled out a rolled-up twenty-dollar bill.

Annabelle scoffed. "You're paying me to go?!"

"No, no, no. It's nothing like that, I swear." He held it out to her. "Just... roll it out when you get home."

Annabelle furrowed her brows as she hesitantly grabbed the bill.

"I hope I'll see you tomorrow." Rafe sent her a smile and the girl returned a confused one back. "Bye, Bells."

He pulled the helmet back over his head before spinning around and taking off up the hill. Annabelle was stuck staring at him for a moment before placing the dollar bill in her pocket and hurrying toward the entrance.

She pushed her way inside, her eyes desperately seeking her friends. Kiara marched back and forth outside Sheriff Peterkin's office while Pope sat with his head in his hands on one of the chairs outside.

"Hey, guys. I got here as fast as I could. What's going-" Annabelle threw a glance inside the office, her eyes locking with JJ's.

Oh shit.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Officer Shoupe had showed up at Heyawrd's shop to arrest Pope for what he did to Topper's boat but JJ had stepped in and taken the blame. That was all that Annabelle had learned after arriving at the Sheriff's station. After about an hour of shouting at one of the officers to give her more information about what was going to happen to her friend, she and the two others were forced to leave, abandoning JJ there.

Annabelle was fuming for the way the sheriffs had treated them in there and for the fact that she left without any answers about what was happening to JJ. She said goodbye to Kiara and Pope who both had to prepare for the midsummer celebration the day after. Kiara was being forced to attend to keep up her parents reputation and Pope was going to help his father the whole night. Heyward had given Annabelle the job of transporting the food and assisting Pope during the night.

When Annabelle arrived home, her father lay passed out in his chair. The girl was quick and quiet to pick up the bottles and cans scattered around him and wipe off the coffee table surface.

Light seeped out from the room at the end of the hall which showed that Tessa was home.

Annabelle quietly knocked on the door before slipping inside. Books, comic books, and a few drawings were spread over every open surface and over the floor. Walls covered in posters and even more drawings and a collection of Tessa's old skateboards.

"Hey, Tess," Annabelle whispered as she shut the door behind her.

The girl sat on her bed, with her nose stuck in a book that Annabelle could've sworn she had seen her read at least two times before.

"Anna!" She smiled and the older sister sank down on the bed next to her with her arms wrapped around her.

"How long have you been home?"

"Since yesterday." The younger girl replied.

"Where were you before that?" Annabelle asked. Tessa would sleep at her friend's houses multiple times per week. Sometimes she would stay for a week, sometimes she'd jump between friends' houses, invited or uninvited, she'd show up at their doorstep with her small bag of very few belongings. Usually, just the regular, come clothes, a toothbrush, a book, her phone, and headphones. All that she needed to survive.

"Quinn's house."

"Is she a new friend? You've never mentioned her before." Annabelle brushed some hair behind Tessa's ear.

"Yeah, well, it was pretty short-lived." She chuckled. "Her mom kicked me out because I curse too much. What a fucking  crybaby."

Annabelle laughed. "Just stay out of trouble, Tess." The girl kissed the top of her sister's head and rose to a stance. "And remember, no sleeping at guys houses. I'd rather have you sleep on the street."

Tessa nodded and saluted her. "Speaking off..." A sly grin appeared on the younger girl's face. "Some dude was here earlier. You gotta be more careful with your boyfriends. If dad would've seen him-"

"What dude?" Annabelle froze.

"Not a pouge-looking dude, that's for sure." Tessa leaned back and returned her focus to her book. "He left you a little gift. Snuck it through the window."

Annabelle stared at her in confusion before slipping out the door and into her room. Her bedroom door creaked open, revealing everything inside, all items remaining in place except for one package that stood in the middle of Annabelle's bed. The girl shut the door behind her and hurried up to the nicely wrapped gift. On it sat a note: Read the dollar bill.

Annabelle was quick to unravel the dollar bill. Left you a gift for tomorrow. Meet me behind the oak tree. 9am.

The girl couldn't help but grin at the message. She slowly placed it aside before lifting the top of the package in front of her, revealing the beautiful silk of a dress. Annabelle's eyes widened as she carefully lifted the clothing, allowing it to unravel into a long light blue dress before her. Two thin straps crossed around the neck of it, creating a small slot in the chest area.

Annabelle had never seen anything so beautiful. She certainly had never owned something like it. Matter of fact, she didn't own a single dress.

Her eyes traveled up and down it several times, still in shock. She had to sit down onto the bed with the dress in her lap as she tried to make sense of all the adventures of day. Everything was a fig of confusion except for two things. That she really wanted to see Rafe again and that she hated herself for wanting just that.

𝟑𝟓𝟔𝟐 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛

𝐀/𝐍
sorry for the wait but it's been new years and all I hope u understand

I don't know if I hate or love this chapter bcs I can't really tell if this is soooo out of Rafe character

idk I tried to make it as much Rafe as possible for an example the note on a dollar bill thing I got the idea for my girlll rmfxccTT