Blue | Rafe Cameron

xxvi

"You're an idiot, John B" I snort, unable to hide my amusement "You need to be straight up with Kiara about what's happening with Sarah because I am not keeping your dirty little secret anymore. Kiara is my best friend, and I won't lie to her for you."

"Am I not your best friend, Rory?" John B said and I could hear him pouting over the phone, faux offence dripping from each soft word.

"Yes, you are," I roll my eyes despite him not being able to see me "And as my best friend, I am entitled to tell you that you are being a total pussy and you need to grow some goddamn balls and face the music. You like Sarah, and Sarah likes you. Now tell the rest of our best friends before this blows up in your face."

"Kiara's going to hate me," He sighs dejectedly, and I frown at the anxiety and guilt in his voice- and a part of me feels awful for thinking that if Kiara was this mad at Sarah and John B, how mad would she be when she found out about me and Rafe? How mad would they all be?

"She already knows, John B," I say, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, blown through the wind that was coming in from the south, "She saw how devastated Sarah was when you fell from the tower, she was a sobbing mess, begging you and kissing you, holding you tight- Kiara saw it all."

"Shit," John B muttered, and I nodded my head in agreement, shit indeed.

"Look I think Kiara is just happy that you're alive," I say, swallowing down the lump in my throat as in memory of John B's still body two nights ago, "And now you're here with me at the Cameron's house, you'll be safe in the Lion's den. Kiara will feel better about it if you just tell her, I know she will come round eventually."

"I would have thought you would be angrier too," He admitted quietly over the phone, and I snorted, kicking rocks up the pebbled path toward the house, "You were in the Kook Academy, you had that Kook year with Kiara too, what did Sarah do?"

"What happened between Kiara and Sarah is something you'll have to ask them, John B," I shrug, not divulging something private, even if it was to my best friend, "And I'm not angry with you because Sarah is not a bad person- at all. And in the end, burying the past and getting along is all in our best interests."

"You're right," John B says, clearing his throat and I hear the distinct sound of other voices, my friend's voices, getting louder in the background. "Right now, we're going to find a way into the Crain house, and afterwards we meet and plan- Chateau, two hours?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me. I'm just getting back from visiting my dad so, I should be ready and there before 2 pm." I say, squinting against the bright sky as I look along the gravel path, where a few figures stand up ahead, and seconds later I hear raised voices.

"How is your dad doing?" John B asked, and I could hear his voice soften, hear the worry coating every word- I had gone alone, for the first time to see him and it was a humbling experience.

"He's doing about the same," I say, my voice hoarser than I would like, "The doctors mentioned something about his respiratory levels being low, so they upped his oxygen, but besides that nothing to worry about."

I fiddle with the bottom of my vest as I trek the last part of the up-hill ascent, Tannyhill looming and vast overhead- and I stop still at the sight I see before me.

"Hey, John B," I say, trying to keep my voice even "I'll see you later yeah? I need to take a shower- be careful at the Crain house, that old bitch might be blind but she's still crazy."

"Promise we won't fuck everything up too badly," John B laughs and under normal circumstances, I would have laughed too, but I couldn't- not when Rafe and Barry stood a few hundred yards before me, looking seconds away from switching into dangerous territory.