Pretty When You Cry ୨୧ Rafe Cameron

twelve

Isla woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing in her ear. She had somehow made it to her own bed. It took her a second to reprocess the night passed.

Before she knew it she was running to the toilet and puking her guts up, holding her long hair out of her face. After she threw up, then brushed her teeth, she headed back to her bed. Nobody else was up yet.

She checked her phone, the time read 11:32 am. She had three text messages from an unknown number, when she went into the text the contact name read Maybe: Rafe Cameron.

11:19 AM

Maybe: Rafe Cameron
Hey it's Rafe

Got your number from a friend

Thought we should talk. Meet at the wreck at 12. I'll buy you lunch.

Isla Routledge
Yeah alright

She knew she needed to speak to him. She just didn't want to. In fact, she wanted to leave the OBX entirely. She wanted to go to the opposite side of the planet where nobody would know her name, she could write a new story. She wished she had the money to do it, she really would. At the moment she felt like someone had a neuce to her neck. She had no right option.

Well she did have a morally correct option. She could just pretend that JJ is going to be her boyfriend, give the Pogues what they want. She could tell Rafe to never speak about the previous night. She could say that she was so high she didn't know who he was. That would be untrue though. Out of the two kisses, one felt more real. And it wasn't JJ's.

She rushed to get to The Wreck in time, Rafe hadn't given her much notice. She thought about the two of them sitting at a table together in public. They'd get odd stares, that's for sure.

She put on a pink tank top and some jean shorts. She knew she probably wouldn't fit into the environment of The Wreck, as Kooks usually swarmed the place wearing sundresses and heels.

On the drive down she went over this kiss in her head. The way he pulled her in, the way he didn't have any interest in letting go. Maybe he was high and also just an experienced kisser. Maybe she was just another one of his girls. But did he ask every girl he kissed out to lunch after?

She walked into the restaurant like an alien. She saw Rafe sitting at a table for two in the corner, tapping his foot against the ground. It looked like he had some red wine poured up for the both of them.

'Hi,' Isla said as she sat down.

'Hi,' Rafe answered. He stared at her for a second. He thought he knew what he was going to say, but seeing her made it hard to focus. Her long dirty blond hair, sky blue eyes, soft lips. It was like he was transferred back to last night in the car, kissing in the haze of a high.

'So...' Isla exhaled.

'You um- tell anyone?' Rafe asked.

'Well no. Don't think my friends would be very proud to hear that I was headed to buy drugs and then made out with Rafe Cameron.'

'Yeah.'

'Things got more complicated when I got home.'

Rafe needed to know what she meant. What could possibly be more complicated than what they did? 'What happened?'

'JJ kissed me.'