Until It Doesn't Hurt | Rafe Cameron

05

The loud thumping bass of music could be heard the moment Eleanor stepped out of Mai's Jeep. The long gravel driveway leading up to Topper's house was lined with cars and bicycles, belonging to the island's residents and tourists, creating a gateway to the lively gathering.

Instantly upon entering the house, Eleanor acquired a cup of whatever had been handed to her and took a large gulp. She and Mai greeted a few people they recognized from high school, throwing around the obligated pleasantries of "How are you?" and "I missed you!"

The repeated chant of "Jump! Jump! Jump!" came from the pool on the backside of the property. It instantly caught Eleanor's attention and she knew she had to be where the action was.

The moment Eleanor and Mai made it to the backyard happened to be the exact moment Topper and Sarah were jumping from the roof to the pool. Just witnessing it gave Eleanor the adrenaline rush she had been craving for so long.

As they broke the surface of the water, Topper called out repeated compliments toward his girlfriend.

Eleanor was envious, seeing all the couples having fun whilst she hadn't heard from her boyfriend in over a day.

"Hey," Mai called, pulling Eleanor out of her haze. "Hey, none of that! No boys tonight. We're going to have fun and not think about your jackass of a boyfriend. Now c'mon, let's go play some beer pong."

***

Eleanor and Mai were on a winning streak. They were currently playing against a pair of relatively good-looking college boys and, to no one's surprise, were winning. Whether or not their opponents were letting them win or not, Eleanor was beaming.

It felt strange; to exist in a world without Rafe, even if it were just for the night. Things began to feel as they had before he entered her life and took everything by storm. She felt more free, in a sense. She didn't have to worry about him, or what he would think of her. She didn't have his protective presence looming over her at once.

She loved Rafe, she really did. But sometimes their relationship was suffocating. He was always there, no matter what. Depending on the situation, she could consider it both a blessing and a curse.

"Ayo," Kelce cheerfully shouted, entering the room, "Rafe's got the stuff downstairs."

Eleanor went into tunnel vision. She turned to Kelce, "Rafe's here?"

It went without saying what Kelce was implying Rafe had with him. Eleanor's blood began to boil.

That was where he had been all day! Getting high with only God knows who, and God knows where. She should have seen this coming.

Her foolishness was showing.

Kelce's eyes widened. "Shit," he muttered.

Before Eleanor could throw any more questions to the boy, he turned out of the room and quickly walked away. Despite Mai's many protests telling Eleanor to "just leave it," Eleanor followed right being Kelce.

"Yo, Rafe," Kelce called, "We've got a problem."

Eleanor spotted him before he noticed her fuming presence. Multiple lines of cocaine adorned the table in front of him, a large stack of cash in his hands, and an ugly bottle blonde sat extremely close at his right. The second he turned and spotted Eleanor approach him, he shot up from his seat. Guilt littered his face as he saw the anger on his girlfriend's face become overrun with disappointment.