ISSUES 2 II OUTERBANKS S3/S4

expenses

"You can't be happy at the expense of other's unhappiness."

❥

Rafe's POV:

"Yo, man. Good news", Barry laughs hopefully coming back from the Carrera's party. I've started our party here at Tanneyhill but knowing that Bella is somewhere else.. I couldn't enjoy it until I knew what she was doing exactly. Is she having fun without me? Is she talking to some pogues? Is she flirting with another man? God, if someone touches her, I'll..

God, I wanted to have fun tonight and not worry about some dirty pogue breathing the same air like my girl. So once again, Barry comes up to me to tell me about Bella's day. If someone- "You won't believe it", Barry grins. Why do I have a bad feeling when it seems like he's got good news for me?

"Miss Country Club got hurt. She-" "What?", I exclaim furiously, "Who hurt her? Who the fuck laid a finger on her? And why the hell didn't you help her?" "Man, relax. We're partners, right? I'm not her bodyguard", Barry replies holding his arms up the air defensively. "Alright, alright", I nod annoyedly, "Just spit it out. What happened?"

"Rafe, is everything alright?", Sofia appears behind Barry. I should have talked to Barry in the office. I knew it. Of course she would look for me in the bedroom. I would first have to calm her down before I could ask Barry everything about Bella. I step over to Sofia and lay my arm around her waist as I give her a soft kiss on her temple. „Everything's fine. Don't worry about it", I whisper to her seductively, "I'll be right back." "Okay", she agrees quietly and smiles at me before she finally leaves.

I know I sound like an asshole. Maybe I am one. Maybe Bella's right. However, both of us can play the game she did. Running off to JJ right before breaking up with me.. god I'm still mad at her thinking about it. The only reason why I haven't accused her of cheating on me is because I love her too much. "Why don't you just fuck that girl and get kooky off your mind?"

"Just tell me what happened to Bella", I grumble hoping to finally enjoy the party. "Your friend.. that mama's boy-" Must be Topper. "Got attacked by John B. Seems like he got involved with your sister, I don't know." "What about Bella?", I groan not understanding why'd he tell me shit about Topper and John B. I couldn't care less about them right now. "Kooky got hurt by John B."

By the annoyance he talked about this, I wonder if she saw him.. he could have just ignore her and be less annoyed. "Did you talk to her? Touch her?", I ask gritting my teeth. "God, you're too focused on that girl. She only means trouble. We don't need that right now. We're rich. What else do you want?" "Did. You. Hurt. Her?"

"God, I seized her for a moment. Nothing compared to that pogue who hit her face like it's a punching bag." "He did what?", I spit angrily ignoring the fact what Barry did. Honestly? I got him. Bella needs to know when to shut her mouth at times. I don't blame Barry for hunting the pogues down when they stole money from him and unfortunately, she sees herself as a part of them. But what John B did.. He's a dead man.

"Country Club", Barry snaps me out of my imagination of me punching John B to dea- no, not death. Punching him to the hospital should be enough. "I'll be right back", I tell him before I storm out of my room and outside to the balcony to check how the party is going. I have to make sure no dramas happens here before I let my anger out on John B. Or I let it out on James who I find talking to Bella in the garden.

Dear god, do I have to beat up two boys at one night? "Rafe, you're back", Sofia smiles at me when she finds me next to her. Great. I sigh. The way she looks at me tells me I shouldn't leave right now. I don't care about her and her emotions but if I want to use her to get over Bella, I might have to keep her for a little longer and be as nice as I can be. Fine.

POV Bella:

Great, now that John B's mad, I can't go back to the chateau. I don't want to see my dad so I won't go to Anna's and Mike's house. I guess that my dad stays there after Rafe has taken over Tanneyhill. Honestly? Rafe's the only person I could see right now. Weird, I know. But when I get back to Tanneyhill I see a lot of people running through the garden, joking around, having fun. Is he throwing a party?

It looks damn well like a party. How can he throw a party tonight after his encounter with our dads this morning? Well.. why am I even surprised. It's not like he stole a cross and melted it. He's done crazier things than throwing a party after a family's fight. Dad told Rafe to never see me again this morning but he was right when he sent me here earlier. It would get my thoughts off my mind for a bit.

However.. a party could drown my sorrow. Well.. when I see Rafe stepping out of the house onto the balcony with Sofia in his arms, I definitely know that I need a vodka. God, he has his arm on her shoulder and shows her the view like he used to do it with me. I'm not jealous, am I? No way am I jealous. It's just disgusting to see how fast he just picked a random girl. He didn't even have to do a lot to get Sofia into his bed.

"Isabella Scott, the kook princess", James, one of the older kooks, greets me smirking. He's in college so he's older than me but still not too old. "Hey, James", I reply awkwardly. My best friend just hit me. What am I supposed to say? I mean I know that John B didn't want to hurt me.. still, my head hurts.. and my heart a little. I didn't expect myself to find me in front of him today but maybe that's what I needed. People I know but I haven't seen for too long. Seing old friends again.