Country Club Living - Rafe Cameron

Chapter Sixteen - Need a Ride?

The morning light peeked in through the curtains of John B's home, Ivy woke up on the beat-up couch. After the group had danced around they had retreated inside and had fallen asleep at some point. Kie and Pope were nowhere to be seen but JJ was laying curled up on the chair hugging into an empty beer can sword that was made the night before. After fumbling about for her phone for a few minutes, she found it underneath a pillow on the floor. A sudden wave of panic rushing through her as she looked at the time and seen that it was almost 7 am. She crept into John B's bedroom and shook Sarah who was sleeping soundly. Sarah grumbled and turned into John B.

"Sarah!" Ivy whispered

"mmmm, let me sleep"

"Sarah we gotta go, I didn't tell my mom I was staying out last night"

Sarah hugged into John B's toned torso "Take the van" she waved her hand dismissively

"Do not take my van. Get JJ to drive you" John b mumbled sleepily

"He's crashed on a chair. I'll walk" Ivy sighed gathering her things together and mumbling her goodbyes to her sleeping friends.

The morning air was cooler than the temperature it usually got to in Kildare during the day and Ivy felt herself shivering from her lack of jacket. It was quiet walking down the streets of the cut, the only sounds noticeable were that of the working men and women leaving their homes for the early shift, most likely the last time they'd see their home until late that night. There was a calmness to the quiet, something Ivy took great comfort in. She always preferred quiet. However as she passed the houses on the road she walked she couldn't help but think of her family on this side of the island and the guilt of not staying in touch, the quiet no longer feeling like comfort to her.

Ivy had severely underestimated the walk and when it was reaching the 20-minute mark she took a seat on a bench near a row of stores and looked around, it was beginning to get warmer and it was set to be another unbearably hot day in Kildare, her sneakers were digging into the back of her heels, and she noticed a faint red splotch on the back of her socks. She huffed and pulled herself off the bench trudging over to the store on the corner in search of band-aids.

Inside the store was a welcome cool escape from the heat outside. Ivy searched around a few shelves for the band-aids and went to pay. At the counter, there was nobody there and Ivy looked about until the door leading to the back opened.

"Hey. Sorry we just opened so I've been busy unpacking –"the boy spoke

Ivy blinked a few times in disbelief, it was her cousin Elijah working at the store, his dark eyes stared at her so intensely she felt he was seeing into her soul "Hi, Eli. I didn't know this was where you worked"

"Another place for you and your mom to avoid while you're here?" he asked ringing up the band-aids

"It's... It's not like that" she stammered "We were gonna come visit this summer, she's just been busy"

"Being a trophy wife? You'll be 1.40" he said sliding the package of bandaids over to her "So why you over this side of Kildare, does daddy know?"

"No. He doesn't know, I'm friends with a few kids here"

"Yeah, I saw you at the boneyard with them. Routledge and Maybank. Is this an act of rebellion from sweet little Ivy? Better watch you don't end up locked up with them. That won't look too pretty to Harvard"

"They're okay. Look Elijah I really want to come to see you guys, can we sort something out?" she begged

"Folks are busy. We gotta work hard for our money" he grunted 

Ivy placed the change on the counter and nodded curtly before exiting the store and placing the heel of her hand to her eyes so she wouldn't start to cry. Soon Ivy felt the presence of a car behind her, she froze, fearing it was her mother or father out looking for her. Her fears turned out to be much worse than she imagined when the car rolled to a stop, and she heard the voice of Rafe Cameron behind her.

"Walk of shame in the cut. Oh your dad is going to be so pissed" he jeered

Ivy closed her eyes, not mentally prepared for the conversation "What are you doing down here at this time in the morning?"

"I could ask you the same question sweetheart" he glanced down to the bandaids in her hand and the red stain on the back of her heels "Get in"

"I am not getting in your car" she refused

"You wanna walk all the way back home? Your parents will be up in about hmmm 20 minutes. I could get you home in 10, 15 if you want another library session repeat" Rafe said looking at his watch

Ivy weighed up her options, walk back home with bleeding heels and probably be caught by her parents or get in Rafe's car and deal with his shit for 10 minutes, her heels were burning, and she didn't think she could walk another minute and with her current state, she knew she couldn't risk being caught by her parents after crying. She huffed and walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.

"I knew you were warming up to me" Rafe grinned

"I just want a ride" she mumbled

"You and me both" he muttered

Ivy reached over and punched him in the arm he winced and when he turned she could see his bruise on his cheek inflicted on him by Trevor.

"So why were you on the cut at this time in the morning?" she asked him again

"I just go for drives sometimes when I can't sleep"

"You were getting drugs weren't you" she mentioned

Rafe put his lips together and swayed his head "You think you've got me all figured out don't you Rutherford"

"It is though isn't it" she teased

"Yeah. Yeah it is" he admitted

"Wow at 7 in the morning. You have issues way beyond what I thought" she affirmed

"It's for later. Got a party to go to, not that you'd know what one of those were like" he protested

"I was at a party last night" she defended

"Getting high with a bunch of pogues is hardly a party" Rafe scoffed

"And getting high with some kooks is?" Ivy argued back,

"Hey, you're a kook. Don't go pretending you're something you're not just because no one else wants to be friends with you"

"Yeah and I wonder why that is" she chuckled dryly 

Rafe chewed on the skin around his thumb nail "Look I didn't mean for all that to happen but you can't go around acting like a bitch and thinking there won't be consequences"

"Seems to work okay for you" she shrugged 

"I'm giving you a ride for your benefit. You don't need to get all pissy"

"Should've just fucking walked" she grumbled crossing her arms and looking out the window

The car ride was silent as they pulled into the estate where they both lived "Hey um. Were you crying?"

"Like you care" she scoffed closing the door and running toward her house, hoping that nobody would be awake and waiting for her

She quietly shut the door and took off her shoes, hissing as the sock pulled at the dried blood on her cut heels. When she got upstairs and shut her bedroom door she peeled off her clothes and headed for a shower, hoping to use that as an excuse for her being awake so early. In the shower she let the water run over her, washing away the night before and returning to her kook state in anticipation of midsummers that night.