summer of love • rafe cameron 2

six

later that evening, i was sitting with my dad in the living room, playing some card game he taught me. he wasn't working tonight and had some of his friends coming over soon to watch basketball.

"okay, i still don't get it." i shook my head.

"you have to get two sets of three." he told me.

"yes, i know that, i can read the card, dad but what are two sets of three?" i laughed.

"it's three of the same number." he said. "so if you have three of one number and three of another number, then you put them down and you've completed the phase."

"okay," i nodded and looked at my cards, grabbing the three fives i had. i placed them on the table, then i grabbed the three tens i had and placed them down too.

"see? was that so hard?" he asked as i threw a grape at his face.

"hey, you cut that out." he laughed and threw it back. i smiled as the doorbell rang. "that must be the guys."

he pushed himself up as i placed my cards face down on the table. i pulled my phone from my pocket and opened my messages with a friend from home who i'd been texting. i sent a reply before my dad said my name. i looked over, seeing him and topper, who was holding flowers.

"oh, hey topper." i said and smiled softly.

"i just wanted to come over and talk about earlier." he said and glanced to my dad.

"i already told my dad about katie," i shrugged.

"well, i'm sorry about her." he said. "she's just still really caught up in it all. she's been going to therapy since gracelynn died, but she's still so fixed on this fantasy that rafe and gracelynn are together and rafe can never move on."

"i don't know what she's so worried about anyway, i don't like rafe." i shook my head, but i felt a sting and knew i was lying to myself. "i'm just here for the summer, all i wanted was some friends."

"like i said, just ignore katie." he shrugged. "and trust me, beck went home and told their parents so katie is in a lot of trouble."

"she shouldn't be in trouble." i shook my head. "she was just saying how she feels."

"you're not the first girl she's blown up on and you will one hundred percent, not be the last either."

i pushed myself up as he handed me the flowers.

"these are just an i'm sorry," he said as i grabbed them. i smiled at him.

"you didn't have to do any of this, seriously."

"i wanted to," he shrugged.

"here," my dad reached out. i handed them to him and he walked into the kitchen, getting a vase for them.

"i didn't interrupt a daddy-daughter thing, did i?" he asked, noticing the card game.

"no, my dad's got some friends coming over for the game. we were just passing the time."

"you ever played phase ten?" my dad asked him, walking over to sit down.

"yes, sir, my mom loves this game." topper replied.

"sit," he said. topper looked to me as i smiled.

"he's not letting you out of this." i shook my head. "you're stuck."

"fine by me, beats the sob party at my house." he shrugged and sat. i laughed and sat back down in the chair, hanging my legs over the arm of it. i picked up my cards as my dad dealt some to topper.