Good Days •Rafe Cameron•

I'm Sorry

I slowly pull away from JJ; wiping my tears from me cheek. "I'm sorry." I apologized. "The last time I cried like that was when my parents died." I explained.
JJ shakes his head. "Don't apologized." He starts. "It's okay to have a good cry every once in a while." He smiles. He pulls me into a hug; running his hands through my curly locs that cascades down my back. The hot sun was slowly beginning to sun dye my hair into a a light brown.
The two of us are interrupted by the sound of JJ's phone ringing. He quickly answers it. "Hello?" He says, speaking fast into the phone.
He furrows his eyebrows together. "What?" I asked, concern laced in my question. "Okay, we'll be there!" JJ says, urgently before hanging up the phone.
"What?" I asked again. "Something happened to Pope's dad." JJ says, jumping up from the dock and pulling me up with him. I quickly slip on my sandals and follow the teen up the hill back to the Château.
"Pope! Pope!" JJ shouts. We finally reach Pope who is with the Kiara. The two of them are hugging as we approach the Pogues.
"Just got a call from Guffy. Something happened to your Pops." JJ pants, catching his breath. "Come on." I wave the two over. "Let's go." I rushed.
The four of us run to the Twinkie. "John B! Sarah! Come on!" Kiara shouts as the the couple finally joins us.
"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, confused. "Don't know?" I sigh. "Something just happened to Pope's dad and we gotta makes sure he's okay." I say, hopping into the van.
John B starts the van up before quickly puking out the driveway and down the road to Heyward's Shop.
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"Let me know if I'm hurting you, okay." Sarah says, as she puts a bandage on Heyward's forehead; covering a large gash that opened up into a bloody mess. "You're doing just fine." He sighs, wincing as he leans back into a chair.
It was my first time meeting Pope's dad. And it wasn't a really nice circumstance. But none the less, I was still grateful to meet the man who raised one of my closest best friends.
"Pop?" Pope starts. "What happened?" Pope asked, urgently. "Oh, I should have known better. He came in just as I was about to lock up. Caught me by surprise. Once he had me down, he put his knee in my chest, and asked me about that key from that drawing you showed me. And in case you're wondering, I ain't tell him nothing." Heyward explains.
I smile at the man enthusiastic explanation. He was a very chirpy man who I could tell loved his son and his son's friends whole heartedly.
"Now did you track it down?" Heyward asked. Pope digs in his pocket, pulling out a key, which I assumed Carla Limbrey was talking about.
"I found it in Mee-maw's old apartment. Right above the pharmacy just like you said." Pope says, taking a seat next to his father.
"Shit, boy, you should've gave this to me. I wouldn't have had to take a beating." Heyward sighs in disbelief. "What's the big deal? It ain't worth anything. Why they want it so bad?" He asked, looking around at us for an answer.
"I don't know. First, I get this letter telling me that I need to go to Charleston. And then I meet this rich lady who wants me to give her a key." Pope explains.
"None of this. Makes sense." Kiara says. "Well, don't y'all just sit here whining about it. Figure it out." Heyward said.
"No. I'm just gonna give the key to that lady. It's not worth-." Pope starts, but his father cuts him off.
"No, no, no. Did I raise you to back down from a fight, boy?" He asked, astonished that his Pope would even think of giving up. Pope shakes his head. "No, sir." He says.
Heyward nods his head. "Well, alright. Now, I didn't think about it before. I admit that. But now." He says, pointing to the bandage on his head. "Now, I'm interested. Did they say why they wanted it?" He asked.
"Something about an old cross. I think it might be some kind of lost treasure." Pope shrugs his shoulders. "You know who you should talk to? Your great-grandmother, Mee-maw.
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The six of us finally get back to Château to find out what our next move should be. "Hey." I say, getting Sarah and Kiara's attention.
"I'm gonna head back home and get some clothes for us." My long hair falls in my face as I start to feel dirty and disgusted from wearing the amaze clothes for several days.
Kiara shakes her head. "No, mom and dad kicked me out. It's only a matter of time before they do the same to you. If they see you. They might try to send you away." Kiara explains.
"What!" I exclaimed. "When did this happen?" I asked. "Yesterday morning." She answers.
"I don't think you should go alone, Be." Sarah starts. I rest my hands on my hips; furrowing my brows together. "Why not?" I questioned the blonde girl.
"We don't know if Rafe has been arrested yet. And if he catches you. If he sees you; he might kill you." Sarah explains.
I shake my head. "That's not gonna happen." I promised. "Sarah's, right, Be." Kiara defends. "He almost killed you once. And if Rafe is capable of almost killing his sister; he won't hesitate to kill someone who's not family." Kiara adds.
I throw my hands up. "Come on, guys." I starts. "Just let me grab some clothes. Besides, I should probably check on Echo. I'm sure she misses me." I smile, softly.
"Forget about the damn cat, Phoebe." Kiara snaps. "We care about your safety." Sarah sighs. I quickly pull the girls into a group hug.
"I'll be safe." I whisper. I pull away from the hug. Sarah and Kiara wore worried expressions on their face but agreed none the less.
"Just be careful." Kiara says. I nod. "Of course." I smile. I watch the two girls follow the boys into the Château.
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It took me twenty minutes to get to the other side of the island. I was was a sweaty mess by the time I made it to Figure Eight.
My hair stuck to my face as I quietly approached my house. There was no sign of Mike or Anna's vehicles; which only meant they were at The Wreck.
Quickly but quietly I entered the house by the side door. The immediate sound of Echo purring loudly turned my attention the the living room where she sat perfectly on the couch as if she had been waiting for me.
"Hey, Echo." I whispered." I reached out to pet her on the head. Her purring became loader as my nails ran through her gray fur.
I petted her for a minute before dropping my hand to my side and rushing up stairs to my room. It hadn't been touched and was just as how I left it.
My window was slightly cracked open bringing in the crisped air from the saltwater marsh behind the house. The white sheer curtains blew as the breeze caught them.
As I walked further into my room I finally caught a glimpse of myself from the full body mirror that hung from my closet door. My face was covered in dirt and my clothes looked like they had gone through hell. My hair was much longer and lighter. My locs began to curl at the ends leaving me with an almost effortlessly earthy look.
My skin was a deep shade of brown and tanned much more due to me spending a lot of time in the sun.
I reached for my closet door, opening it and pulling out a duffle bag. I walked over to my dresser stuffing a bunch of clothes and underwear into the bag not caring what I was taking with me.
I next went into my bathroom grabbing my deodorant and toothpaste along with my toothbrush. I walked into Kiara's room doing the same and grabbing random clothes and toiletries.
I looked at the shower, desperately wanting to clean myself but thought it would be better if I took a shower at the Château.
I made sure I had everything before leaving the our bedrooms. My feet carried my down the stairs into the living room and out the door. I made sure to lock the place up.
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I was about ten minutes into my walk back to the Château. The duffle bag hung from my right shoulder. This time of day was usually quiet. Most people were either at work or school so the streets were mostly empty.
I continued my walk to The Cut when I had the sudden feeling that someone was following me. I try to keep my composure calm as I turned onto another street.
The footsteps behind me move quickly, catching up with every step I took against the gravel.
"Phoebe..." The sound of my name from his lips allowed my stomach twist in knots. The kind of knots I wanted but knew was dangerous.
I slowly turn around, facing him. "Rafe." I spoke, quietly. He stood there, soaking wet and covered in mud. His chest moved up and down as he caught his breath. The wet curls sticking to his face as his blue eyes lingered on me.
You're running away? Right." I asked, holding onto my bag, tightly. "Not without you." Rafe says, his breath is shaky and low.
"I'm not going anywhere with you." I state. He immediately shakes his head. "Listen..." He pleads, stepping closer to me. I slowly back away.
"Be, I'm serious. My dad knows a guy. And if we make it to Wilmington tonight he can get us a boat and then-." I quickly cut the Kook off.
"And then what?" I snapped. "Huh?" I breathed. "Run for the rest of our lives?" I asked, shaking my head at his stupid idea.
"We don't have to figure everything out right now." Rafe says. He takes another step grabbing my wrist and pulling me closer to him. His hands begin to run up my arm. He gently squeezes me for comfort.
"Please?" He begged. His eyes looked into mine with so much desperation and love. It was the most vulnerable and scared I have every seen him.
"Sarah told me what you did to her." I spoke, pulling away from his hands. "If I go with you. If I run away you, how do I know if I'm going to be safe? You already stabbed me, Rafe. And if Topper wasn't there to save Sarah last night, your sister would have been dead. So not only would you have gone to prison for homicide but for domestic assault and battery, too!"
My voice grew louder with each word. I was angry and livid. "I wasn't actually going to kill her..." He chokes on his words, holding in his tears as he realized the mess he made. "Tell that to the bruises on your sisters neck." I snap, crossing my arms over my chest as I tried to keep the bag close to my body.
"I'm sorry." He cries, allowing the tears to run down his face. He takes a fist full of his hair as he begins to panic and pace back and forth.
"Oh, God." I sigh, looking away. I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to anymore. This might be the last time I see him before Shoupe finds him.
"I'm sorry, Rafe." I apologized. "I'm sorry that you felt like you had no way out. But you have to deal with the consequences. You can't repress your feeling onto me."
The sounds of sirens come closer. Within seconds half a dozen police cars approach us. "Rafe Cameron." Shoupe's voice rings from the mega phone.
Step away from Ms. Carrera. Put your hands behind your head. And get down on your knees."