It ends with you (Rafe Cameron)

𝚒𝚒𝚒. 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚜

One thing was for sure: Rue had not expected to ride into a full blown party that night.

Music was blasting through the speakers, a group of guys were doing a keg-stand somewhere on the beach, others were making out hidden behind a rock or just in plain sight. There was a lot of dancing and singing going on, sweaty bodies moving against each other as they raised their cups to the start of a new summer.

Rue pulled her helmet off her head, allowing her hair to fall free and the cool evening breeze to brush against her skin. She leaned on her steering wheel as she took in the sight in front of her and chuckled. Maybe she would have to call her dad after all.

"Welcome to the Outer Banks, cupcake." A rider pulled up next to her, blonde locks free from a helmet and a black jeans jacket thrown over his shoulders.

"Cupcake?"

"I'm trying something out," JJ said as he turned the engine of his bike off.

"How about you try calling me by my name. Ruelle May, my friends call me Rue."

JJ stuck out his hand and he shook hers firmly as she clasped her hand in his. "JJ Maybank, my friends call me JJ." He smirked and she send him a cheeky smile. "Nice meeting you Rue, cool bike."

"Yeah, yours too." She eyed the white and red dirt bike up and down. It suited him.

Another rider stopped on her other side. A red and black bike similar to her own, it looked newer. Shinier. The guy pulled his helmet off, revealing a pair of piercing blue eyes that narrowed as he took a glance at JJ.

"Shouldn't you be with your Pogue friends?" He questioned, pulling a hand through his hair and allowing a few blonde strands to fall in front of his eyes.

"Ah, Cupcake, meet our Kook Prince," JJ introduced. "Spend an evening with him and you'll be running to The Cut by the end of the night."

The so-called Kook Prince rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He pulled his helmet back over his head an kicked his bike into motion, driving it to the other side of the Boneyard.

"I take it you and he are not friends," Rue said as she followed JJ's example and got off her bike, locking her helmet in the compartiment beneath her seat.

"Rafe Cameron thinks all Pogues are lowlifes."

"Like you think all Kooks are stuck-up snobs?" She followed him to the makeshift bar that had been made behind a large fallen tree trunk. He pulled out two cans of beer and tossed her one. She hesitated for a second but eventually decided that one beer would do no harm.

"Ah you see that's where you're wrong, cupcake. I know all Kooks are stuck-up snobs." He put the can to his lips and downed half of its condiments in one go.

She rolled her eyes. "If you're gonna keep calling me cupcake, I'm gonna start calling you pudding."

"Go ahead, I love pudding."

JJ Maybank was a different breed, but he was fun and he knew how to have a good time, Rue had to give him that. He'd pulled her along with him to meet up with his friends. Kie, who's full name was Kiara, a Kook who'd found her loyalties were tied to the boys on The Cut. Pope, a friendly guy and the only one who'd not indulged into the temptations of the night. John B, who everyone called John B and not just John - which Rue thought was really weird but she kept her mouth shut - and Sarah, John B's girlfriend and former Kook Princess. Rafe Cameron's sister apparently did pass the vibe check.

The night felt like home. More than home had in a while and she blamed JJ and John B for it. Once they'd figured out her absolute favourite drink was a vodka sour they's taken turns in making sure her hand was never empty and at a certain point she didn't even realise anymore when one drink was switched for another. Luckily, Pope also occasionally pushed a glass of water in her hands and Rue made sure to thank him with hugs and forced dance moves.