ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀᴅ | RAFE CAMERON

03

"HE'S SO FUCKING HOT. YOU CANNOT DENY IT!"  A girl with short, red hair said, her eyes sparkling at the cover of the magazine.

Kelsie Hunter. One of Tori's friends. Kelsie, Tori and Amanda Riley each sat on lawn chairs adjacent to the brunette's pool, reading the newest issue of OBX Weekly that came in the mail earlier this morning. 

"As if he would ever notice you, Kelsie, that's Matthew Parker." Amanda spoke, her sunglasses dangling off her nose. 

Matthew Parker was a year older than the three girls, and had recently moved out of the Outer Banks to pursue a career in being a professional surfer. He was a Pogue and went to Kildare County High, so the three girls never interacted with the boy unless he found his way into one of the Kook parties. 

"Kelsie, I heard he was coming back to pack up some of his stuff before moving to Florida, maybe you could talk to him and get him to come to the party with us tomorrow night." Tori said, annoyed by Amanda's comment. She flipped her hair and turned her back to her. All Kelsie did was giggle at her friends comment, before flipping some more pages. 

"Oh my god, look." Amanda squeals running over to show the two girls what she found. "How humiliating!"  

Before Tori could process what happened, she was staring at a picture from over a year ago of Rafe Cameron in a cap and cloak. It was the day they graduated. Next to the picture was the headline. "Rafe Cameron: College Drop Out"

"Looks like he is following in your footsteps, Tori." The redhead girl says before smirking. 

When Tori turned eighteen, she had decided she had no interest in college. She knew her dad would determine who she married anyway, and whoever it was would be wealthy. So if she knew she would be financially stable, then what was the point of wasting four years of her life on... school?

"I see him all the time at the Island Club, he is still as annoying as he was in school." Tori muttered, tired of hearing the boys name everywhere she went. It was as if everyone was in on a secret except for her. Bored, she flipped to the next page of the magazine, trying to insinuate the conversation was over.  

Clearly it wasn't though, since Amanda decided to turn the page back to the Kook and speak. "Remember when we were talking before prom and he- "

She knew where this was going.

"Stop talking. Yeah, I remember. How could I forget?" Tori rolled her eyes, getting more and more aggravated by the girl to her right. 

After a second of looking at the two girls like they had three heads, Kelsie rose a brow, "Wait, what happened?"

"Nothing, it is not important. I do not know why Amanda is obsessed with bringing that stupid story up." Tori snarled, ripping the article about the boy out of the magazine, crumbling it up and throwing it in the pool. The housekeepers would clean it up anyways. 

"He's a dick, I don't understand what you two find so fascinating about him."

___

Finally off her shift, the Kook girl walks toward her golf cart, when a teal van catches her eye. In it sat four rowdy Pogues. John B Routledge, JJ Maybank, Kiara Carrera and Pope Heyward. She knew of all four of them, maybe exchanged a word or two but never considered them friends of hers. 

"Are you guys supposed to be here?" She shouts, walking up to the car. She knew they could hear her since the windows were down. They all get out of the car as JJ skipped over to her with a mischievous grin. He worked as a waiter, so she saw him around. 

She sees the brunette one, John B, pull him back and whisper something in his ear that she couldn't hear. Then JJ rips himself and rolls his eyes before saying speaking loudly:

 "We can trust her, I know her."

"Hey Tori! We were just coming in to um, use one of the computers, Pope is trying to write his college essay but he doesn't have internet." JJ says, trying his best attempt at giving puppy dog eyes to the older girl. 

"There was, you know, like a hurricane. We need power." He added on after the girl said nothing and slowly just looked him up and down, squinting her eyes.

"Yeah no, I don't believe you. Unless you tell me the truth I am kicking you guys out." 

JJ playfully rolls his eyes again before flicking his hands. 

"Fine, fine. We found a uh, map we just want to plug in some coordinates." He says, making Tori laugh. 

"That is even less convincible, JJ. I doubt you don't even know how to read a map-" The girl says before cutting herself off when Kiara unfolds a map, coordinates written in the bottom right corner. 

"Fine, but I am coming with you. And before you go in, JJ do you have a gun?" She says after waiting a minute, making the blondes face go blank. 

The three Pogues behind him look at each other, their eyes wide. 

"Gun? W-why would I have a gun, Tori?" He stutters, still standing tall and looking at the Kook as if she's crazy. 

"I know what happened at the boneyard the other night, just because I wasn't there doesn't mean I don't hear about a gunfight." She chuckles in a light-hearted way, smacking the guy on the shoulder. "I was joking, I know you don't have a gun, come on." 

JJ looks back at his friends, who all have relief in their eyes before they all fake laugh and follow the girl in. 

Opening the door, Tori doesn't hold it for them and instead quickly walks to the computer room, trying to keep distance from herself and the four teens behind her as dozens of people watch. 

Finally getting to the room. she unlocks the door with her key and lets the Pogues in, Pope running to the computer as the other three follow behind. The brunette quietly shuts the door and comes to the huddle around the screen. 

It only takes a few seconds for the dark-skinned boy to type in all the listed coordinates and find what they need, but a knock on the door interrupts them. 

"Shit, hide." Tori says, pushing them to hid behind the coffee bar in the corner as she walks to open the door. 

"Tori! What are you doing in here?" Sheriff Peterkin says, a smile on her face. There was a glint of suspicion behind her eyes.

"Sheriff Peterkin! I was just uh-"

Turning around to see if the map was still pulled up, she quietly releases a breath of relief when she sees the tab had been closed. 

Thank you, Pope. 

"I was just looking to see when another shipment of clothing for the pro shop would come in. You know with the hurricane, everything right now is on backorder." She says, putting her sweaty palms behind her back and wiping them on her ribbed tank top.

"Oh alright. Some people said they saw some Pogues running around, I am just checking all the rooms, sorry for interrupting." The woman says, bending her head to look around the room. 

"Of course Sheriff Peterkin, have a good day!" She says, closing the door. 

Once the teens emerge from their hiding spot, JJ runs up to Tori and gives her a hug, making the girl freeze. 

"Thanks, girl, I owe you one." The blonde says, letting go and sending the girl finger guns and a wink. 

Slowly nodding her head and backing up, Tori responds. "I'm gonna head out, be quick please." 

He did owe her one, she said in her head.