team effort - rafe cameron 3

nineteen

late that night, after JJ and kayden helped me clean up the rest of my room, i was sat out on the roof right outside the guest room window. it over looked the front yard and the house across the street. everyone else in my house had fallen fast asleep but i couldn't, i couldn't do anything, i just felt so numb. i'd lost my dad, i'd lost my chance at a real future, i'd lost my friends, and i'd lost rafe. and the more i thought about it all, the most i regretted ever deciding to smoke pot in my dorm room. if i had just stepped out back like i always did, i'd still be there. my parents would still be together. i wouldn't even know rafe.

but at the same time, so many things would be broken still. my mom would still be married to my dad and trapped for life. i would've never met JJ and he'd still be with his dad, getting abused. kayden and i would still have that stupid, forced relationship instead of how we actually could stand to be around each other now.

i saw a car go down the street as i sighed. a breeze pushed through and gave me goosebumps before i crawled back in the window. i pushed it shut and walked to my room, grabbed my blanket and a pillow off the bed. i couldn't sleep in there, i just got so angry at it. i shut the light off before going down the stairs and setting it all on the couch. i stopped, suddenly getting craving to smoke, so i ran back up the stairs, and checked around in my old bags, but then remember i'd given all my stuff to JJ, so i was out of luck.

"barry," i said and remembered. i swiped my keys, shoving cash in my pocket and hurried out to my car, driving the way to his run down house. i pulled into the grass, seeing the lights on inside. i got out, locking it before walking up to the house, seeing him spread out across his couch, a book in his lap and a beer in his hands. i reached over, knocking on the screen door. he looked up, setting the beer down. we caught eye contact and he dropped his book, coming over.

"what the hell are you doing here?" he asked me.

"i need weed." i said.

"don't have any, sold out earlier."

"what else do you have?"

"all the hard stuff, nothing for you."

"you got molly?" i asked.

"yeah, i got molly, yatch princess, but it's not for you." he said.

"why not?"

"because rafe would beat my ass, that's why." he said.

"well i'm not rafe's problem anymore." i pushed past him.

"hey!" he said as i faced him. "what the hell are you doing?"

i pulled the wad of cash from my pocket, holding it up.

"i think i'm buying some goddamn molly."

he laughed and shook his head, "if rafe punks my ass, i'm coming after you."

"by all means," i shrugged and let him grab the money from me. he walked down the hallway and i followed. he grabbed a duffle bag and dug through it before pulling out a bottle. he tossed me the bottle as i smiled, catching it. i pulled the top off.

"woah, woah, you're not doing that now." he said. "you can't drive home on that shit."

"i didn't realize you were my dad." i narrowed my eyes and dropped two in my hand.

"no way," reached over, grabbing the bottle and one of the pills. "are you trying to kill yourself?"

"would that be so bad?" i asked, placing it on my tongue as i smiled. i swallowed before snatching the bottle back, screwing the top back on.

"what happened with you and country club?"

"why do you care?"

"because you're in my house right now, yo, i don't know you!"