This is Me Trying ⭑ Rafe Cameron

three

CHAPTER THREE
[3]
song: typical by goodbye honolulu

"What's going on?" Rafe says, shaking his head as he meets his dad at the bottom of the staircase. "Why is she in our front yard?" He gestures out the front door as Rose shuts it behind her.

"Come here, son." Ward says, waving Rafe towards him. Rafe does as he says, stepping over to his father, still confused. "You've got a case against you, alright? They're not closing it. And that means there's gonna be a trial."

"What— what do you mean they're not closing it? It was John B, they've got fucking wanted posters all over town?!" Rafe says, flailing his arms out.

"I know, son. I know, but look—" Ward says. "You've got a girl out here whose been gone for... how long, eight months? A year?"

"A year, yeah, what?" Rafe wasn't following.

"Okay, she's been gone a year. She has no idea what happened on that tarmac. All she knows is what her brother and his friends told her."

"What's your point?" Rafe was shaking his head, waiting for Ward to elaborate.

"My point is, if you can get someone on your side, someone who is close to that group of kids, that would look really good for you." He says. "Her car broke down. She needs a ride home."

Rafe scoffs, almost laughs, as he rubs his temples. "So what? So I'm gonna—" he searches for words, "gonna drive this girl home, and then she's just gonna go and defend me in court?"

"No, Rafe. I'm saying it could be really easy to get this girl to question things. Question her friends." Ward says. "Just give her a ride home. That's all I'm asking."

Rafe clenches his jaw. "That's not all your asking." He mutters, as he walks past his father to grab his keys off the table by the door.

"Hey!" Ward raises his voice, unexpectedly. "It's your ass they're after. Not mine. I'm trying to help you."

Rafe wiped his nose, trying to keep the anger he felt in his lungs at a surface level. "Yeah, yeah. Alright." He waves it off, then opens the front door.

Cassie Maybank stood in his front yard, a phone pressed to her ear as she glanced around the property. She wore torn up, white sneakers, a black tennis skirt and a black polo shirt with The Island Club logo on the pocket.

She'd gotten taller, scrawnier, somehow. It'd been been weird not seeing her running around with her usual group for the past year, and Rafe had heard several rumors on where the hell she disappeared to. 'Moved back to Texas.' 'Never left the house.' 'Shipped off to drug rehab.'

The latter was the most believable rumor of the three. He'd seen Cassie Maybank at Barry's house one too many times to believe anything different.

She'd looked rough, then. Sunken in, lifeless eyes. Pale lips, her movements slow, like it physically hurt her to put forth any energy. She looked good now. But with the crowd she surrounded herself with, it was only a matter of time before she got involved in that lifestyle again.

Not his problem. He had absolutely no desire to involve himself any further with those Pogues. But apparently his father had other plans.