Bad Habits (A Rafe Cameron/OBX story)

Chapter 8

*11:15 p.m. on Thursday night*

I'm waiting patiently for the knock on my bedroom door. Rafe is supposed to come get me when we are good to go. So, I'm sitting on the bed, dressed in comfortable shorts and a cute top with my swimsuit underneath. I don't know what we are doing just yet but this is what he told me to wear.

Suddenly I hear a faint tap on the door. I hop up from my spot, grab my phone and open the door. There stands Rafe in his swim trunks and a t-shirt. He whispers, "Ready?"

I nod my head and he grabs my hand. We slowly walk down the stairs to the back door. There is an alarm system but his dad only sets it when they aren't here. Even though Rafe knows the combination, this still works better in our favor. He quietly shuts the door behind us and we both let out a breath. We continue to walk through the backyard, passing by the pool. I look up at him, "What are we doing?"

"Nothing much is open right now so we are just going to walk down the beach. Is that okay with you?" He asks.

I try to hide my smile, "That's perfect."

We walk down the stairs, hand-in-hand to get down to the beach Once we reach the sand, we take off our shoes so that it's easier to walk. Rafe grabs my hand and we start our stroll.

"It's so beautiful out here. I know it's dark but it's amazing." I smile.

He says, "Yeah it's very peaceful."

A comfortable silence washes over us as we just enjoy each other's company.

I speak up, "You know, this would be way more awkward right now, if I wasn't with you. It's a good thing I've known you for like half of my life. Otherwise I would be freaking out on the inside."

"Really? Because I'm kinda freaking out, not gonna lie to you." He laughs nervously.

"Rafe Cameron? Nervous?! What the fuck is going on here?" I laugh sarcastically.

He looks down at his feet, "I don't know, I think it's more pressure because I do know you. I feel like people that know me have more expectations for me than people who don't. It's a lot of pressure being my father's son. Everyone loves him and I feel like I come off as an asshole most of the time."

I honestly feel bad for Rafe, I always have. And as much as I love Sarah, she does get everything she wants. She gets most of her dad's attention and we all know that she is his favorite. I hate it for Rafe because all he wants to do is impress his father.

"You aren't an asshole to me." I say.

He gives a small smile, "You are one of the only ones who say that. All of your friends hate me, more than most people do."

"Yeah but it's because they don't know you. If they did, they might like you. Honestly, I'm surprised they like me."

"Why is that?" He asks, genuinely curious.

I laugh, "Because I can be a bitch. They hate most Kooks, the exceptions being me and Kiara. Which Kie really isn't a Kook but you know what I mean. But when I first started hanging out with them and Kiara, it was only for her because she was one of my best friends. I hated those boys at first and they hated me. We were all so mean to each other. Called each other names and shit, the guys even left me stranded in the marsh for 2 hours by myself. I had to call Kiara to come help me bring my jet ski to shore." I stop to giggle at the memory, "I cussed those motherfuckers out when we got back to John B's place. They didn't take it lightly and ignored me for weeks. Until one day, we all started talking about life and what we wanted to do after school. I realized that I'm more like them than I thought. We all have dreams and aspirations. Not only that but we all got super high and went for a boat ride to try and make up and realized we all loved to smoke weed..."