Wild Heart | Jiara

Chapter 20

I didn't hear from JJ later that night like he said I would. I'm staying with Sarah tonight though, so I try to not let that bother me. Sarah and I went shopping earlier as promised and we both picked our own outfits. I didn't know if she would have approved of mine, so I made sure she didn't get a peek at it while at check out. We went to several stores before I finally got her to leave the mall. According to Sarah, it's not a shopping trip if you don't walk away with at least three or four bags. I swear she lives to shop and have a good time. She's the closest thing to royalty in this town. All the girls either hate her or want to be her. Not me though. I've always admired her way of not giving a fuck and doing what she wants. That's part of the reason why I'm drawn to her. I've lived my life to please someone else for so long that I don't even know how to focus on what I want anymore. Even with us being in a fight right now, I still love him and hope we find our way back to each other at some point. Pope will always be a part of me.

Sarah wanted to go swimming before we start preparing for tonight. I politely declined. I'm laying back on one of the lawn chairs in the backyard while she's doing some laps in the pool. I distract myself by looking at the pictures of me and JJ in my camera roll. My favorite one is both of us chilling on my bed in my room. He's sitting against the headboard with me between his legs. I'm cheesing at the camera while he's kissing my cheek. I feel a single tear fall down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away. I won't allow myself to cry on our girls' night. Sarah is really excited about this, and I would hate to kill the mood. I close out of my photos and open Instagram.

"Do you know when dad will be back?" I look up and see Rafe walking to the end of the pool closest to Sarah. He's sporting some khaki shorts and a baby blue polo. He may look all polished and put together, but I know firsthand that he's anything but. By some miracle he hasn't noticed me yet.

"I'm not sure," I hear Sarah tell him as she's swimming toward him. "I think he went out of town again on a work trip. He didn't say when he'd be back. Why do you care anyway?"

He runs his hand through his hair. "Don't worry about it." He starts to walk back in the house but stops when his eyes meet mine. The universe hasn't really been on my side lately. "Look what the cat dragged in. It's been a minute, Kie." He smiles and begins walking toward me.

I try to ignore him. Things always get weird whenever we're near each other. I always have this icky feeling when he's around. I try to avoid him at all costs but there's times such as this one where I just can't shake him. I sigh when I see him sit on the lawn chair next to mine out of the corner of my eye.

"It's nice to see you here Kie. What's been keeping you away?"

"I don't know if I didn't make it clear earlier, but I have no desire to talk to you Rafe." I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

"Ouch." He presses his hand on his chest as if I actually hurt him. "Am I not good enough for you?" He smiles like he finally figured it out. "Oh, I know, I'm not trashy enough for you. Word on the street is you've been running around with Maybank. Since when do you hang out with low lives?"

"You jealous Rafe?" I glance at him before looking towards the pool.

"He's a nobody. He's got nothing on me. Come holla at me when you want to be with a real man." He makes a kissy face at me then gets up to leave. "I'll see you around, Kiara." He announces as he walks back inside the house.

I've always had a feeling that Rafe was interested in me. I have no idea why. I've never given him the time of day, so I don't understand what he sees in me. I stop thinking about Rafe and instead think about what's in store for me tonight. I told Sarah that I'm going to be DD because she'll most likely want to get drunk. One of us must be the responsible one tonight and I don't mind taking that role.