TOXIC | A Rafe Cameron Love Story

Chapter 1: Reunited

     "Mom, it's ok. We're going to find him." Casey Grubbs placed a comforting hand on her mother's arm as they drove toward figure eight.

     Lana drove slowly, carefully dodging debris in the street and waving politely to neighbors as they passed by. "I know baby," Lana gave her teenage daughter a faint smile. "He was helping the Cameron's prep for the storm last night. I'm sure he's still there."

     Casey nodded.

     It was the day after Hurricane Agatha. Nothing the locals of the Outer Banks weren't used to. As soon as the rain stopped and the sun rose, everyone would assess the damage and begin a town wide clean up. Neighbors helped neighbors, and things would slowly return to normal. It comes with the territory when you live on an island. No big deal.

     For the Grubbs family, things were different this time around.

     Ever since Casey was a little girl, her father had always been her comfort during harsh storms. To be honest, it was the only area he excelled at as a father. Most of the time he was angry, lazy, and selfish, but when a big storm hit the island and everything was dark, Casey could always count on him to creep into her room to tell her a story. The first hurricane Casey could remember hit when she was about five years old. The Grubbs little home was tiny, and each crash of thunder rattled the windows as though the house was about to cave in. Little Casey couldn't sleep, and her father stayed awake with her all night, telling her made up stories about the lightning and the hunder and about how the two forces of nature were arguing because they were both in love with the sea. It was silly and didn't make much sense, but nevertheless, it was enough to ease Casey's fear. No matter how crazy the world outside was, she knew her father would be there to protect her.

     Not this time.

     Scooter Grubbs never returned home before this storm.

     Both Casey and her mother Lana tried to remain calm as Hurricane Agatha began to twist around their little home. Despite her mother's warning about the dangerous winds, Casey staked out by the front window all night in case her father returned. The thought of her father alone out in the torrential rain made her stomach tie in knots. As the sun rose over the ocean the next day, Scooter Grubbs was nowhere to be found.

     All morning Lana had been keeping her emotions together for her daughter's sake, but to Casey, her mother's silence is even more unnerving. Phone towers were down, so the mother and daughter went door to door asking the neighbors if they had seen Scooter, but no luck. They went to the police, who informed them that it was too soon to report a missing person. Finally, Casey remembered that he had been storm prepping with the Cameron family, so they zipped off to figure eight hoping to find him.

     It was only a few hours into the morning, but the Cameron family already had a crew hard at work to clean up their estate. While most of the islanders were hauling limbs from their yards by hand, those in figure eight hardly lift a finger as dozers and lifts clear the manicured lawns. Casey sighed and shifts uncomfortably in her seat as her mother parked in front of the tall white mansion at the Cameron estate.

     "Mom, I uh, I'm going to stay in the car if that's alright," she said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

     "Ok dear," her mother said, her voice trembling slightly as she looked toward the house. "Do not leave this car until I get back. I won't be long."

     Casey nodded and rolled down the window, breathing in the salt air. To distract herself from the situation with her father, Casey focused her gaze on the tall windows and damaged ivy adoring the Cameron home. She imagined the family resting inside, pouring themselves coffee after a good night's sleep. The Kook life always felt like another world.

     As her mind began to drift away, the front door opened, revealing a familiar face. Instinctively, Casey straightened up, a pit filling her stomach as Rafe Cameron jogged down the front steps. He immediately spotted the car and squinted, and Casey hoped he wouldn't recognize her through the tinted windows. However,

     "Hey," he said, clearing his throat as he approached the car. "How are you?"

     "Good," Casey responded a little too quickly, dreading small talk.

     Rafe nodded, unsure of what to say. There was a brief silence. "So, um, what brings you around here?"

     "Oh, um, we're looking for my dad."

     "Your dad?" Rafe's eyebrows furrowed and he casually leaned on the frame of the open car window.

     "Yeah, he didn't come home last night." Casey wanted to die from embarrassment. The shock of seeing Rafe Cameron was making her sound as though she didn't give a shit about her missing father. "Mom's really worried," she added. "We've looked everywhere."

     "Wow, I'm sorry." A genuine look of concern spread across Rafe's face, and Casey felt herself relax for a moment.

     "We went to the police, but they said it's too early to report a missing person," Casey explained. "I know he was helping Sarah storm prep yesterday, so my mom is talking to your dad."

     "Right," Rafe nodded, looking out towards the dock. "Well I'm sure he just worked late and couldn't make it back before the storm hit."

     "I hope you're right."

     Suddenly, Lana and Ward Cameron emerged from the side of the house, Ward guiding Lana with a comforting arm as she trembled and stared at her feet. Casey felt her heart drop as Ward led her mother to the car and tried to console her.

     "Lana, please don't worry. I will do everything I can to find him."

     Thoughts swirled through Casey's mind like a tornado as she tried to process the current situation. Her mother's conversation with Ward became muffled and Casey could feel her heart begin to race.

     "Hey," a familiar whisper penetrated Casey's thoughts, and she turned to look at Rafe, whose elbows were still propped in her car window. "You know I'm always here for you, right?"

     Memories and emotions come pouring into Casey's head, but she nodded, a familiar sense of security washing over her as she gazed into the eyes of the boy she once loved.

     Rafe squeezed her hand before stepping away from the car, and Casey rolled up her window. As the white house shrunk from view in the mirror, Casey heard her mother crying from the driver's seat.