baby blue • rafe cameron

one

"okay, here we are." i said, pulling into the driveway behind my parents. i glanced over, seeing my sister asleep in the passenger seat. i glanced in the back, seeing my brother in the same state. i rolled my eyes and slowed to a stop next to my dad's truck. i put the car in park before reaching over, shaking katherine. she gasped as she shot forward.

"what?" she asked.

"we're home." i told her. "get out of my car."

she groaned, unbuckling before sitting up. she grabbed her glasses from the cupholder, pushing them on her face as i reached in the back, shaking beckett's leg. he groaned, moving as his eyes opened. he looked at me.

"what do you want?"

"you guys are real assholes when you wake up." i said and looked to my sister who was climbing out. i looked back to my brother. "we're home, come on."

he nodded and sat up, undoing his seatbelt. i cut the engine and climbed out, pushing the door shut.

"well, i'd say i'd show you guys to your new rooms, but they're not new and you're big kids." my mom motioned to the house. katherine moved herself up the front walk, into the house as beckett followed.

it was late, probably two in the morning, and they hadn't driven a second, but of course, they were the tired ones. i'd driven the entire fifteen hours, stopping to pee and eat and to sleep of course, but if anyone, i should be exhausted.

"you should head up too." my mom said. "the twins are clearly pooped."

"i'm okay," i shrugged. "i got a coffee at our last stop. what can i help you guys with?"

"here," my dad pulled a box out of the backseat. "bring this in, put it in my office. that's all we need to get tonight, everything else can wait."

i nodded and grabbed the box. i went into the house, going through the familliar rooms and hallways to my dad's all too same office. everything was dusty, untouched, for the last two years. sure, they could've hired people to clean the place while we were away, but my mom was too scared to spend any money. she'd been focusing everything she and dad had on grandma, up until she died two weeks ago.

they'd had a quick funeral and a gathering for our entire family. and just as fast as she stopped breathing that night in the hospital, we left and came back home, to the outer banks.

i walked out of the office, seeing my parents walk into the house.

"we're going to go to bed, don't stay up too late, okay? you start school next week." my mom said.

"yeah, i think i'm going to go up to the seven eleven and get some allergy medicine." i said and wiped my nose as it tickled. "the dust in here and the grass outside is driving my nose crazy."

"okay, lock up when you get back." she kissed my face before moving past. i nodded at my dad as he followed her. i went back out to my car, getting back in and starting it up, pulling out of my driveway, going down the road in silence. sighed, rolling my window down. i let my arm hang out, the cold air pushing against it.

i took all the backroads to the seven eleven, letting my eyes tire out, so hopefully i could get some sleep when i got home. i parked and went in, grabbing some random allergy medicine. i got in my car, starting to make my way back to my house, when i passed a house with a ton of cars lined up. i drive past slowly, seeing some old familiar faces making their way from their cars in the street, up the driveway to the house. i looked over at the time, seeing it was almost three a.m.

my entire family was already fast asleep, it wasn't like they were going to notice if i took a small detour. i pulled my car into ditch, rolling up the window, locking the doors before hurrying across the street and up the driveway. i looked up, seeing a familiar house as i scoffed.