Fiends || OBX/ Rafe Cameron

21

March 1st, 2017

TW// SA

"Can we talk?"

I opened my window to see Rafe standing in my front yard. We haven't spoke since we broke up. "Sure. Come up."

I'm not gonna lie it really broke my heart to see my boyfriend, the guy I trusted with my life, to let his best friend violate me and not say anything. Miranda agrees that I reacted the exact way I should have. She's never been too happy with Rafe, and he's dwindling down on his chances to maintain a relationship with my best friend. But I guess that's the problem right, that we side with our best friends. I've known Randy for years and only Rafe for 6 months.

"Hey," he opened my bedroom door and stood there waiting for an invitation in. "How've you been."

"I don't know. Fine, I guess. How are you?"

"I've been better."

"Why's that?" I motioned to the edge of my bed for him to sit, opposite of me.

He accepted the invitation and sat down. "Because I lost the best thing that ever happened to me." He reached out to grab my hand but I quickly pulled it away. "You made that decision when you chose Topper."

"I know, Jo. And I'm stupid for it. I've never had a serious girlfriend before, I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

I literally laughed. "Maybe don't immediately forgive your best friend for stealing our sex tapes?"

"Yes, done. I'm done with Topper. I haven't talked to him since I told him to apologize to you."

"And is he?"

"No." He hung his head. "He's not gonna apologize." He looked up to me quickly before looking away. His eyes watered.

I have a minute to make a choice here. Believe that he's done with Topper, and forgive him; or tell him to leave and this conversation is over. "There's something I need to tell you. It's not a nice story and I don't want you to say anything, just listen." I got up and shut my door, even though no one's home; I walked back to the bed and leaned against my pillows. I've never told this to anyone who wasn't there when it was happening. "You know how I told you Norma used to beat me?" he nodded, "And then she stopped?" he nodded again.

"Her brother used to live with us. From when I was 8 to 13. I was an early bloomer as you can tell, puberty at 10. My 11th birthday I had a pool party. My 'uncle' offered to buy me alcohol that night and obviously I accepted." Rafe inched closer to me. "Then he raped me."

Rafe grabbed my hand and this time I didn't refuse. "That was going on for a few months. He told me he would kill my mom if I told anyone, and I believed him. He had been locked up for 10 years for manslaughter before living with us." I suddenly felt like I was in a box, I reached over to my night stand and drank my water. I turned away from Rafe, so I was now talking to the wall. "He started recording it, when he would do things to me. I told Cody what was going on, because I just- I just couldn't fucking take it anymore. Norma hated me, so she wouldn't have believed a word I said. I honestly didn't tell my dad because I was embarrassed, embarrassed that I was letting that shit happen to me," tears started falling down my face. "You know me, Rafe, you know how fucking strong of a person I am and I was just letting this grown piece of shit attack me for months! That's so pathetic." 

"Stop," in one motion he pulled me onto his lap and embraced me. "That is not your fucking fault and don't ever think you're to blame for not stopping it sooner. You're the fucking woman of my dreams, Jo. You're the most brave, strong, resilient, and smartest fucking person I know." I gripped onto his t-shirt as my tears stained it.

I never felt safer in my life than right now in Rafe's arms. "Cody stole the camera. He broke into his room and gave Norma and my dad the SD card. The police came shortly after. After that, my relationship with my dad was never the same, it was weird, and then he died. So that's why I hate Norma so much, and that's why i'm so rude to her. She just thought it was normal to watch her brother walk in her step-daughters room in the middle of the night."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was just needed. The only other person who knows about this is Miranda. "Topper's a piece of shit I am so so fucking sorry."

"I don't want to talk about that anymore. I just wanted you to understand why you picking him really hurt me."

He held me a little tighter, as if he was afraid this was the last time. "I'm not picking him, I pick you, Jo. It's always gonna be you no matter what."

And I truly believed him. That he would always pick me. Then he pulled out that ziploc of white powdered happiness.

•••••

Sorry for not updating in a while and for the update to be fucking depressing but i had been hinting at it several times in the book. I am currently failing three classes which doesn't seem like a lot except i only have 4. So yeah, college is not for me if anyone has ideas to help me not flunk out, bc that's the course im on, it'd be greatly appreciated. I'm currently writing the next chapter so that'll be out soon. This book is 2/3rds done so im hoping to finish it by april. Thank you to everyone who continues to read.

Recap: Jo and Rafe worked out their issues over the Topper scandal and are sort of basically back together. Jo tells Rafe about her sexual abuse.