New Light | Rafe Cameron

the set up

Against your better judgement, you'd come back.

You'd managed to escape Kildare Island for nine whole months, spending your freshman year of college on the mainland with your best friend Allie. You'd both met new people, had new experiences, and did your best to forget about all the nonsense that came with living in an incredibly small town. And that included your ex.

You and James had tried to do the whole long distance thing; he had gone to college in Florida and you had stayed in North Carolina, albeit a different city. You'd made it until October before it became too much. He ended up cheating on you with a girl he met at school, then had the audacity to cry about it over FaceTime as he begged you to take him back. You were not the type of girl to take back a cheater, no matter how much he promised he wouldn't do it again. Your trust had been destroyed, along with your heart.

You had wanted to find an apartment on the mainland that you could move into right as you had to move out of your freshman dorm, but your parents begged you to come home for one last summer before you "grew up on them", and Allie wanted to have one last summer back on Kildare Island. You'd given in to both parties and moved back home just this past weekend.

"There's a party tonight," Allie says as she's sprawled out on your bed scrolling through her phone.

"Of course there is," you say dryly. "There's always a party."

"Yeah, and we're going," she says definitively. "It starts at 9:00."

"It's going to be a huge one, isn't it?" you ask.

"Oh yeah, definitely. Everyone's back home for the summer, none of us have seen each other in almost a year, and it's time to reunite," she says enthusiastically. "Why aren't you excited?"

You sigh. "I mean, I am, in a sense. But you know James is going to be there. I haven't talked to him in months. It's just going to be awkward, you know?"

She waves you off. "Babe, don't worry about it. This summer is about having fun. Do not let your ex get in the way of that. There are plenty of other fish in the sea."

"The sea that is Kildare Island is pretty desolate, considering we know everyone," you reply.

"Just try? For me?" Allie pouts.

"I'll try. No promises though," you warn.

She grins. "That's the spirit. Now, why don't I help you pick out a hot outfit before I have to leave to go get ready?"

+++

As expected, the stretch of beach known as the Boneyard is absolutely packed when you arrive. It seemed like your entire graduating class was there, plus all the other local kids from the island. You force yourself not to scan the crowd for your ex as Allie drags you towards the kegs for a beer.

It wasn't that you wanted to see him, you just knew it was inevitable. Allie still followed him on Instagram, and she had told you he had moved back home around the same time you did. You knew he would've heard about the party, so you steeled yourself for the unavoidable run-in with him.

With a fresh beer in hand, you and Allie wander along the beach, saying hello to different people and stopping to chat here and there. It doesn't take long for you to relax and get into party mode. You down three beers without realizing it, and as you stop to fill up your cup for the fourth time, you hear your name called from behind your back. You look over your shoulder to see Rafe Cameron approaching you.

"Oh, it's you," you say in disgust as you hand the tap to Allie. You were a little surprised Rafe was even speaking to you. You'd never exactly gotten along. He was a popular jock that acted like he owned the place (and, to be fair, he kind of did), but because you didn't fall in line with everyone else and fawn over him, he didn't seem to like you much. It certainly didn't help that you called him out on his douchey behavior whenever he exhibited it, which had been almost daily back in high school.