The Least Favorite Cameron

Chapter Nine

"Just stop Rafe!" I screamed at him as I cleaned up my room, picking up the scattered pieces of clothing left from the night before.

"I am in so much trouble with Dad now all because of you and your little boyfriend and his friends!" He screamed back at me.

"YOU are in trouble because YOU started a fight with my boyfriend and my friends all because you don't want me to taint our family with me being a pogue," I said as I turned my back to go into the bathroom to put my laundry in the bin.

"You think that they have your back the way that we do? The way that I do? Because they don't, Gracie. Pogues look out for themselves and themselves alone." He says.

"Well recently Rafe, they're the only ones who have had my back. You're the one trying to control me and threatening me, not them. You think that because they're pogues that they don't care about me? You're my brother and last night you essentially told me if I keep hanging out with them and continue dating John B. that you'd disown me. Don't lecture me about loyalty, Rafe when you clearly know nothing of it." He looks hurt by my words but then his facial expression changes from hurt to anger once again.

"What happened to you Gracie? You used to be sweet and cared about your family. You think I'm not loyal? You'd leave us all behind for those Pogues."

"Don't do that! Don't turn this around on me, Rafe! I love you and I love Sarah and Dad and Wheezie, but I also love my friends," I say and I mean all of it. I love my family so much as well as my friends and I want nothing more than for everything to be okay.

"Whatever, Gracie," Rafe says with no emotion in his voice and leaves me in my room alone with nothing but the sound of my door and then his door slamming shut.

***

"I can't believe you guys kept this a secret from us," Kiara says in a state of disbelief as we all sit on the porch at the Chateau.

"We just needed time for it to be just us" John B. says as he takes my hand and holds in his.

"What happened to no pogue on pogue macking?" Kiara says with some attitude. I was worried Kie would react badly. She gets weird about things like this, and I knew she would be hurt by the secrecy part especially.

"Kie we both know that rule is bullshit and that no one follows it," Pope interjects as he lounges on one of the couches.

"Don't get me wrong I'm happy you guys are all happy and stuff but I just wish it wasn't kept a secret," Kie says again and her attitude seems to have softened a little.

We were all getting things ready before the hurricane hit, like stocking up on water and making sure we had charged our portable chargers. Dad had sent Rafe to get a new generator for the house so I told everyone if need be, they could come to my house but only if it's a necessity. After the other night no one is too keen on being under the same roof as Rafe, even me.

Earlier John B. met with his social worker because he's supposed to be here with his legal guardian, his Uncle T, but he's not here. Social Services wants to take John B. away and put him in foster care since his dad has been missing for so long. The fear of losing him to that terrible system scares me more and more everyday. John B. still has hope that his dad is still alive and out there somewhere but the other Pogues are not as convinced. I always tell John B. that if he believes, so do I, but I don't know how true that is anymore. It's been months since Big John was last seen and my heart aches for the pain it causes John B.

"So basically, we're screwed right? I mean how are we supposed to stop Social Services from taking you away?" JJ was clearly upset as well about the thought of losing his best friend.

"Guys, there's a hurricane about to hit, there's no way any social worker is getting on a boat to come here," John B. says in a relaxed tone but I don't know if he's saying that for our convincing or his own.

"Well that better be true, man. Listen I gotta get to work, I'll see y'all later if the Chateau is still standing after this hurricane," JJ says as he gets up and goes to his dirt bike to ride over for his shift at the country club. He absolutely hates his job there but he loves the money so he sticks it out.

"I should head out too cause my parents need help preparing the restaurant and we're making some to go meals for people as well," And then Kie left, leaving me, Pope, and John B.

"It already looks bad out there," I say as I stare out at the sky over the water.

"Well you know what that means right?" John B. says with a mischievous look on his face that Pope then reciprocates.

"What?" I ask nervously.

"Is your board still here?" John B. asks me as he gets up with Pope, both of them looking like excited school boys.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because we are going to surf the surge," Pope says as he and John B. fist bump.

***

The waves were huge and the sky was dark. The wind was whipping my hair every which way so I tied it back into a ponytail which didn't help too much anyway. The waves were instead of their usual gorgeous green blue were now a dark grey that looked as though if we went under we'd never come back up.

"Lets do this dude!" Pope yelled as he ran into the water with his board. John B. started too but stopped when he noticed I was hesitant.

"Come on Gracie. You're the best surfer I know, just don't tell JJ I said that. You'll love it!" He said before giving me a quick kiss and running after Pope.

Even though my gut was screaming at me the hundreds of ways that this could end badly, looking at John B. catch some gnarly waves made those worries go away. I don't know how but even just being with him made the anxiety that I have just fade away. I sprinted into the water which felt colder than I was expecting. The boys were about three yards ahead of me and I paddled toward them and three of us laid out on our boards waiting for the next ride. We didn't have to wait long though because a huge wave was coming in and the three of us started paddling to catch it.

"Mine!" I shout at them as I paddle ahead of them hearing them shout their unhappiness at me beating them. I catch the wave and push myself up to stand as I crack the lip off the top of the wave, do it two more times till the wave forms a small tunnel which I happily get into. It was a great wave and when it dies down and hop off my board and paddle back to the boys who were very impressed with my surfing.

"I feel like I just got shown up," Pope says. I looked at John B. who was staring at me with a small smile.

"Something to say?" I ask him with a giggle.

"Gracie I-" John B. started to say something but his attention was diverted toward something in the distance. We all turned and saw a small boat heading out to see getting rocked by the waves in the storm.

"Holy shit!" Pope yelled.

"That guy is insane!" I said in disbelief that anyone would attempt to take a boat out in this weather. The three of us, all distracted by the loan boat heading out to sea, noticed the pull of the tide as a 15 foot wave came rushing at us. We didn't have time to duck dive or even take a breath before the wave rolled over us like a bulldozer sending us under the water. I'd been tossed by waves before but nothing like this. I felt so disoriented from the current pulling and flipping me I can't figure out which way to the surface. In these situations when your lungs are burning for oxygen and your eyes are stinging with salt water as you try to see through the water to find anything to stabilize you. I take a chance and swim up but I feel my head collide with a hard surface that I then realize is a reef and realize I swam down and not up. My head now pounding and making me even more disoriented, I feel more panic rise in me as my lungs scream for oxygen but I feel weak and confused. I see stars in the dark water in front of me and feel myself begin to fade.