Good Days •Rafe Cameron•

Bound

"She's been covering for her. Lying behind our backs. Taking her anger out on her therapist." Anna listed out. I stood on the top of the stairs, quietly, listening to Mike and Anna talk about me.
"She's a bad influence on Kiara. I need her to focus. I need her to work her scheduled shift. And I need her to start applying to colleges. This gap year is only going to slow her down, Mike." Anna says.
"What do you want me to do about it, huh?" Mike asked, sounding frustrated. "She's my niece. And she's struggling. A lot has happened to her these past few months. Loosing her parents. Moving here. Loosing her ability to have children." He explains, listing out my traumas.
"You need to tell her to get her act together. I will not have her encouraging Kiara with these wild goose chases for gold. It's ridiculous and it's got to stop. Period." She explains.
"It's only been four months since the accident. Phoebe barely gets by. Hell, I barely get by. She's lost everything. And I lost a sister and a brother-in-law." Mike says, sounding defeated.
"I understand that, Baby. I really do. But we've got to think of Kiara. We got to get her out of OBX. And maybe Phoebe will have a better time staying in Louisiana with her father's mother." Anna suggested.
My eyes widened. "What?" I whispered to myself. I quickly run back to my room, quietly. I shut the door behind me, locking it in the process.
Echo purred softly; sitting on my window seat as a cool breeze came in from the window. "Hey, pretty girl." I cooed as I say, sitting at the window; petting her on the head.
The salt from the air filled my nose as watched the outside from the window. The tall blades of grass blew sharply in the wind and the subtle sound of pelicans mocking each other from a distance felt like music to my ears.
The sound of my phone vibrates against my desk. I quickly skip over picking it up. JJ's name ran across the screen. I answered the phone before pulling it up to my ear.

"Be?" JJ asked.

"You called?" I say.

"Oh yeah, right. Um...we're headed for the old construction site. Meet us there in twenty minutes." He demanded before quickly hanging up.
"Okay..." I trail off. I walk over to my dresser pulling out a halter top and a pair of shorts, quickly changing out of my pajamas. I head into the bathroom brushing my teeth and before pulling my locs up into a ponytail.
I grab my black converse before rushing down stairs. As I make it to the living room I paused. I could see Mike and Anna from the window sitting out by the back porch leading to the garage where my car was.
"Maybe biking is a better idea." I say to myself. I quickly rushed past the window towards the front door. Once I'm out; I grab my bike, which is lying in the front yard.
I hop on the bike, quickly peddling away towards town.
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I finally pull up to the site. JJ, Kie, and Pope sat along side the curb waiting for me. I press the break stopping in front of the Pogues.
"So what's the verdict?" I asked. The hot sun was beating against my skin as I squinted my eyes at the three teens.
"We believe the gun is in that drain." Pope points down the road. I follow his finger. The four of us walk towards the end.
"This is the north drain. It should've gotten washed into the gully. So, if it got flushed out from this drain, it would've been pushed to like..."JJ trails off. "Some where in this trash." Pope finishes.
Kiara scrunches her face at the sight of garbage and trash that's collecting. I jumped down into the water along with Pope and JJ.
"Oh, my God. People who use plastic should be shot." Kiara wines. I laugh at her melodramatic comment. "Okay, personally, I love plastic. Use it every day. Love the stuff." JJ teased. "Well hopefully, you recycle it and don't let it flush into the ocean." Kiara snaps.
"I thought you'd say something like that, so...trash bags." Pope smiles at Kiara waving the bags in his hands. Kiara blushes as she smiles widely at Pope. "Did you just proactively protect the environment?" She flirts. Pope's smile grows even bigger. "Maybe." He says. The two of them continue to stare at each other cutely.
JJ gives me a look signaling that he was suddenly uncomfortable. "You want us to leave you two alone, or what's going on?" JJ asked.
Pope throws the bags at JJ's chest. "Just pick up the trash." Pope said.
     As I dig through the trash; carefully putting it into  the trash bags, I bend over too far causing me to wince in pain from my wound.
      "Yo, careful, Be." Kiara warns. She comes to my side helping me sit up. Why don't you just hold the bag open while I put trash in it." She suggested dumping a bunch of cans into the black bag.
     "Sure." I sighed. The three Pogues are silent after they see the sad look on my face. "Y'all don't have to treat me like I'm some fragile tea cup. I have to move in order for my wound to heal." I explain to the Pogue.
      "We know, Be." Pope starts. "We just don't want to stress you out." He says.
      "Honestly, if Rafe stabbed me in the stomach causing me to loose my chance of having kids, I would definitely find a way to get my lick back." Kiara said, raising her brow.
"Oh, I know, Kie." I chuckled as the four of us finished picking up the trash which finally exposed the opening of the storm drain.
"We'll that was fun." JJ sighs, wiping his forehead as the hot sun beat's down on us. "If it's not in the trash, then it's gotta be in the storm drain." Pope says.
"Of course, it is." Kiara rolled her eyes frustrated with the outcome. "So are we going to do Rock, Paper, Scissor? Or alphabetically?" I asked. "Maybe oldest goes?" Kiara suggested, looking at me.
"In the sewer, there's this worm that you get when you're down there. It gets into your blood, and then has to come out your pecker. So that would be a hard pass for me." JJ explains. "Yup, hard pass." Pope adds.
"God, looks like I'm going." I say, preparing my body for the worse. "Hell no, Be." Kie says, stopping me from moving any further. "You're injured. Can't risk you getting hurt or sick from a worm in the drain." She demands.
"I'll go." She looks over to Pope and JJ. "And its kind of cute. You guys are scared." Kiara laughs, bending forward towards the drain.
"No, no, no. It's just really unsanitary." Pope says. "It's just the pecker thing and all." JJ explains. "You guys don't have to be scared. I'll do it." Kiara reassured, moving forward into the hole.
As Kiara climbs further into the hole, JJ takes this as an opportunity to talk to Pope about Kiara.
"All right, bro. I see you vibin' on Kie. Give me the details. Are we talking first base, second base, third base?" JJ asked, eagerly.
"JJ, shut the fuck up right now." I demand. "Stop talking about Kie like she's some random tourist you found at the Boneyard." I say, frustrated.
"Guys, think I found something!" Kiara shouts. "What is it?" I shout back. "Oh, my God! There's something dead in here! Aaaah!" She screams. Her voice echo from the sewer.
"What? Like a dead body?" Pope asked. "Is it Gavin?" JJ chimes in.
"Wait, wait! Kiara shouts again. "The water." She says. "Kiara get out of there now!" Pope shouts. I grab onto the one of the old pipe as the water quickly comes rushing out.
"Kie!" I cry out. The pressure form the sewer pushes me further causing me to let go of the pipe. "Shit!" I shout.
"Be, hold on." JJ takes my hand pulling me up as the water elevates to my chin. Pope throws himself back into the street helping JJ and I get back up from the marsh.
"Let go!" I exclaims. We run to the nearest sewer. "Please! Pope! Help!" Kiara shouts. Her face is pressed agains the metal as her fingers reach through the hole.
I begin to cry. "Get her out!" I scream. Grabbing the cover. "Okay, okay." JJ and Pope pull the metal cover. Helping me lift. "Guys hurry." Kie cries. The water cuts her screams off drowning her under.
"Shit, shit, shit." I shout. "As the water spilled out it releases the weight of the cover; helping us lift it away.
Kiara pops out taking in a breath of fresh air. She laughs on the ground gasping as she tries to collect herself.
"Are you okay, Kiara." Pope immediately hugs her; barely giving her room to breath. "Pope get off me." Kiara coughs. He continues to hold her tightly.
"Pope, get off me!" She pushes him away. "Kie, you good?" JJ asked. Kiara gives him a thumbs up. "Never better." She sighs, standing up. She pulls a gun out from her back pocket. The gun. "This wasn't what we were looking for?" She smiles.
     "Good job, girl. I embrace her with a hug. She holds on tight to me, burying her head in my neck.
     JJ and Pope laugh in disbelief retrieving the gun from Kie, before wrapping it up.
      "We're gonna get this son of a bitch, man!" JJ smiles. "Hell, yeah." Pope says.
     "God, I'm so glad you're okay." I sigh. "Don't worry, Phoebe I'm right here." Kie reassures. "Man, you in the hell is in charge of the sewage situation?" I questioned. "Turning on the water like that; they must be crazy." I comment, looking at the now flooded streets.
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JJ slammed the gun down on Shoupe's desk. The four of us sat eagerly waiting for Shoupe to do or say something.
"So y'all are telling me this is the firearm Rafe Cameron killed Sheriff Peterkin with?" Shoupe asked, confused.
"Yes, dumbass!" I shout. "Phoebe!" Pope warned, shaking his head. "That's exactly what we're telling you, Shoupe." JJ snipes, proudly.
"And the exact same firearm that Ward just used to kill Gavin." Pope adds. Shoupe looked at the two boys in disbelief. "And where's that corpse again?" He asked.
"Didn't you look?" Kiara says, her body was still covered in sewage and dirt which caused the room to smell like shit.
"I checked the hospital. I went by his house. He was out." Shoupe explained. "What!" I shout. "Are you crazy, ni-." I'm quickly cut off by Pope's hand covering my mouth. "Phoebe! Stop!" He warns again.
"He was out?" Kiara says, scrunching her face. "No shit! Cause he's dead!" JJ said. "Listen to yourself. It makes perfect sense." We all day, hoping that Shoupe would understand.
"Just because he's not in his damn home does not mean he was a victim of a homicide." Shoupe tried to explain.
"Are you at least gonna send it in for ballistic and shit, or are you just gonna sit on your ass?" Kiara cries. "He'll sit there and wax that mustache. Is that even real?" JJ threatens.
"Oh, shut up, JJ." Pope warns. "It's not fair." Kie says. "This is bullshit! You're lazy. That's it. You're just a lazy motherfuc-." Pope quickly pulls one of my locs, stopping me from completing my sentence. "Phoebe, I swear to God. Shut up!" He shouts.
Shoupe stands up from his desk walking over to the door of his office. "Get out. I got work to do." Shoupe snaps.
"Are you serious?" JJ sighs, taking his hat off frustrated. "Yes, I'm serious. Y'all are smelling up my office." Shoupe says.
Kiara looks down at her lap closing her eyes. I slip my hand into hers. "Come on, Kie." I cry. "Let's just go. She stands up walking over to the door where Shoupe stood.
"Did Ward bribe you?" Kiara asked. Tears began to roll down her cheek. "This-this doesn't make any sense." She pouts.
"Just forget it, Kie. He clearly only cares about himself. This was bound to happen."