ALWAYS || RAFE CAMERON

20

Topper swore, clutching his face.

"what the fuck, Juno!"

Sarah scrambled back, pressed against a tree.

"try announcing your presence instead of sneaking up on me, you creep," i said, watching Sarah.

he grabbed my wrist, making sure that if she ran, i wouldn't chase.

"what are you doing here?" she stammered—though she wasn't afraid.

"making sure Juno doesn't kill you," he avoided looking at her.

"why do you care?"

"you're one of my best-friend's sisters. i'd do the same for Wheezie and Hector." Top added quickly.

"you love to play the hero don't you."

"would you rather i let Juno go?"

"i'm not some fucking attack dog, Topper." i hissed.

they both ignored me.

"i would rather you left me and John B alone!"

"he's leading you on! you'll be knocked up by the time you're 18! what then, Sarah? you need to come home and-"

"and get back together with you?"

"no i... i didn't say that."

"you might as well have,"

"that got deep," i muttered.

a siren sounded behind us, and blue lights lit our faces.

Top and i turned to see a figure making their way towards us.

"stay where you are!" a male voice called.

i turned back to Sarah.

she was gone.

"what're you two doing here?" the cop asked.

"we uh-" Top faltered.

i sidled closer to Top, sliding my hand round his waist and pulling my top down slightly. "this is our spot... we were making out, Sir."

"y'all were stood two feet apart," the cop said accusingly.

"we thought we saw something in the grass." Top nodded.

"and what was thing 'something'"

"a snake, i think," i said quickly.

"it was a cat," Top gabbled at the same time.

"a snake cat?"

we nodded.

"i think you're lying to me." he shone the light in our faces. "you saw Routledge didn't ya."

we shook our heads.

"then what did ya see!"

"looked like a cat, maybe it was a snake. looked like a snake, maybe it was a cat." i sighed.

"what?"

"how much wood would a wood-chuck cut if a wood-chuck could cut wood chuck?" i reeled off quickly, remembering the annoying rhyme Hector used to quote daily.

"get outta here," the cop said, exasperatedly.

i grabbed Top's hand as we ran back to the car.

Rafe was leaning up against it.

"did you get her?" he asked.

"what does it look like. a cop came and caught us and she ran away." i rolled my eyes.