ALWAYS || RAFE CAMERON

16

THREE YEARS AGO

"i'll call you everyday. i promise." Rafe said.

we were saying our goodbyes as the Cameron's bags got loaded onto their plane.

"i'll block your number." i countered.

Ward, Rose, Rafe, Sarah and Wheezie were going to visit Ward's parents in Australia for the whole summer.

"seriously?" he raised his eyebrows.

"maybe,"

"i'll miss you,"

"mhm,"

he reached out and pulled me in for a hug until Ward clapped his hands, yelling at Rafe to get a move on.

"don't do anything stupid," he warned.

"ditto," i huffed, watching him climb the steps to the jet.

Rafe had let me use his bike for the whole summer—but it was a boring offer.

Topper was in Saint Tropez and Kelce was at summer school, having failed his exams, so it was either ride around by myself, or with my little brother.

talk about sad.

i rode around for a while, but soon got bored, going home and grabbing my board.

i shoved it in the back of my car and headed to the Boneyard.

when i got there, four people were surfing already.

i approached and realised they were the pogues; John B, JJ, Pope and Kiara.

"oh, hey, Juno!" Kie called, spotting me and paddling to shore.

she'd been going to my school for the past year, and although she has no friends, she seemed nice enough.

"hey, mind if i join you?" i replied.

John B, JJ and Pope looked at each other.

"are you sure your three boyfriends won't come for our asses?" JJ paused his surfing, talking about Rafe, Top and Kelce.

"they're not here," i scanned the beach, but we were the only ones there.

"alright, Queen Kook." John B said.

they all swam to shore, their boards dragging along behind them.

"you can call me Juno." i shaded my eyes from the sun.

"alright, Juno. can you surf?" Pope sat in the shallow water.

"is that a serious question?" i retorted.

"you can lose the attitude if you're gonna hang about here." JJ muttered.

i made a face at him, rubbing my board down with sand, causing the others to follow suit.

"this isn't going to be a long term thing, right? how long are you planning on staying?" John B looked up.

"just this summer," i finished rubbing my board and headed down to the water.

JOHN B'S POV

Juno Wills was the best damn surfer i'd ever met.

i'd never thought i'd see this side of her.

she seemed like a cool girl to hang out with—i'd seen her around the Cameron's, and i sometimes helped her dad—but i'd never properly spoken to her.

she was always closely guarded by Rafe or Topper or Kelce.

she was funny, smart, and an all round different character around us.

the first day we surfed had been awkward, but later, when Kie convinced her to come to my place, she came out of her Kook mentality entirely.

"please tell me you've got weed." she looked at us all.

JJ sighed and went inside to roll a joint.

we were sitting around the fire, watching the marsh birds fly home.

JJ re-appeared holding the joint.

"you're gonna have to share it," he handed it over. "sharing is where you give it to other people."

"you got a light?" she ignored his sarcasm.

he chucked one over and Juno lit it.

"so," Pope said. "shouldn't you be on some luxurious private island in the Caribbean?"

"the Seychelles, actually." she looked surprised and we all laughed at her.

she frowned and took a drag, then passed it to Kie. 

"Daddy's mother is ill so we have to stay here. she's on her way out and he wants to be around to comfort Grandpapa."

"Daddy's mother and Grandpapa." JJ mimicked.

Juno gave him a Kook glare and he held his hands up in surrender.

"you can lose the attitude too, Maybank." she said sternly.

"sure," he huffed, receiving the blunt.

"you've got to stay here tonight, Juno!" Kie grabbed her hand.

surf, drink, smoke, laugh, party.

that was how that summer went.

Juno and i got surprisingly close—not like that, almost like we'd been friends since birth.

JB and JW we called each other.

JJ didn't seem to mind not being included in the J's.

"her stupid boyfriend will come home, and she'll ditch us. just you wait and see." he kept saying.

he was right.

one day we were headed back from working at Kie's parents place—the one thing Juno refused to do was work—when we saw her on Rafe's bike. 

we both slowed and i rolled down the window.

"thanks for this summer, you guys. i left some blunts back at your place." she called over the engines. 

"where are you going?" Pope asked.

"Rafe's about to land. maybe we'll do this again some time?" she said.

everyone nodded.

we all knew it was never going to happen.

things felt weird without her witty remarks and sly comments.

for a while, she'd smile if she ever saw us around, but soon enough she'd look straight through us as if we weren't even there.

sometimes i missed that summer we'd spent together, sometimes wondered what like would be like if Juno Wills was a Pogue.

then i'd see her marching around in her red-bottom heels, barking orders and glaring at anyone in her general vicinity and realise that there was no way in hell JW would give up her lavish Kook lifestyle.