Good Days •Rafe Cameron•

The Coastal Venture

Sunlight blinded me as I stirred. My body was completely stiff and my muscles were sore. A deep drowsiness hung over my head.
Rocking. That's what I felt. And a soft mattress under by body. A harmonious hum buzzed throughout the room. Where was I. I thought to myself.
I blinked several times as I pushed myself up. My eyebrows knitted together. It looked like I was in some sort of bunker. Metal walls and round windows close to the ceiling surrounded the room. A room that one might find on a ship.
I shot out of the bed, rushing over to the window. "Damn it!" I cursed as I tried to peak over. I couldn't see anything but blue sky from the angle I was standing. I looked around the room for a stool. That's when I notices my clothing had been change.
Instead of my dirt covered jeans and hoody; I was now wearing a pair of pink adidas shorts with a matching pink t shirt.
My feet were covered with fuzzy socks and by the bed side was a pair of sneakers.
"What the hell?" I breathed. That's when I noticed the door knob being jiggled open.
Rafe walked into the room like he owned the place. As if he was entitled.
Once the door is shut his eyes widen. "Phoebe!" He smiles. "You're awake!" He exclaimed. Rafe pulls me into a tight hug. His fingers run through my hair as he gave me a loving look.
"I'm confused." I state. I pull myself away from him as I try to get a better view of the window again.
"Don't freak out." He starts. I immediately whip my head in his direction. "What did you do?" I quickly ask. "You telling me not to freak out is making me want to freak out." I cross my arms over my chest.
"I drugged you." Rafe sighs. "What?" My voice trembled. He immediately puts his hands up in surrender. "It's was the only way to get you on the ship." He adds.
    "Oh, my God." I breathed as my chest began to rise and fall rapidly. "I have to go home." I say. I push my hair out of my face and begin to pace the small room.
     "Calm down, Be." Rafe says, trying to comfort me. He puts his hand in my back and starts rubbing circles.
     "I can't be here, Rafe!" I shout. "Where the hell are you taking me?" I couldn't breathe. Every word was stuck in my throat. I began to hyperventilate. He kidnapped me. He drugged me and kidnapped me.
     "Phoebe, baby." Rafe cooed, as he pulled me in for another hug. "No, no, no, no, no." I sobbed, burying my face into his chest.
     "I couldn't leave without you, baby." He whispered. I don't say anything. I just cry. Cry into his arms as he tried his best to comfort me.
    "Sarah's here." Rafe spoke after a few minutes had passed by. "What?" I hiccuped, wiping the tears from my face.
    "Sarah's here on the ship." He repeats himself. "Where?" I asked, pushing myself away from him. "Down the hall-." Before he could finish his sentence; I pushed him out the way as I rushed out the door.
    I looked to my left then my right before I finally decide to head left. There was a door at the end of the hall.
    I wrapped my hand around the knob and quickly push the door open. But I stop in my tracks. My mouth hung open as I found the words to speak.
    A very pissed off Sarah sat one end of the table. And on the other was Ward Cameron.
    "Phoebe?" Sarah asked as she watched me stand in shock. "I don't understand." I say, finally finding my words.
    "It was all an act." I jumped at the sound of Rafe's voice. He shuts the door behind himself.
    "Ms. Carrera." Ward smiles. I was too stunned to correct him on my last name. He stands from his spot at the table; pulling me in for a hug.
     "Rafe here likes you a lot." He says, pulling away. "Love, dad." Rafe says "I love her a lot." He corrects. "Right, well..." Ward trails off as he takes a seat at the table.
     "You people are sick!" I shout. "Faking your death." I point to Ward. "Drugging and kidnapping me!" I look to Rafe.
    "You drugged her?" Sarah asked. She jumps out of her seat. Rafe rolls his eyes. "I didn't have a choice, Sarah! Be, would have never came with me willingly." He towers over his sister. "Yeah, because you're a psycho!" She snaps at her brother.
     "All right!" Ward warns. "What matters is that we're here, okay." He looks to Sarah. "Sweetie, what I need you to understand more than anything is that I never imagined you would be there. I wanted to call you immediately to tell you that I was okay, to explain it all. It broke my heart that couldn't. But I had to make sure Rafe got away." He explains.
    "Thank you, Dad." Rafe smirks. "At least one of us is grateful."
    "That's psychopathic! Both of you!" Sarah shouts. "I promised Rafe that he wouldn't go to prison for helping me. I had to make good on that promise." Ward says.
    "Not that you care." Rafe adds. "Did it look like I cared when I thought Dad was dead?" Sarah argued. "No! It looked like you cared about running off with some asshole!" He shouts at his sister.
    "Rafe!" I say putting my hand to his chest. "Please, stop. You're not helping the situation!" I exclaimed.
    "It looked like all you cared about was the inheritance!" Sarah shouts. "Yes, you cared! You card! That's the point!" Ward screams.
    "Anybody on that dock could see how much you cared, sweetheart. And I know you're angry right now and rightfully so." He says.
   I take a seat next to Sarah. She interlocks her fingers with mine; giving my hand a squeeze. "We're gonna live a new life, all of us together." Ward said.
    I scoff. "I hope you know the first chance I get, I'm calling Kiara." I snap.
    "I don't think that would be very likely." Ward said. "Where I'm taking you guys, it's paradise. It's off this place called Guadeloupe. And oh, by the way, all those A's you got in French are about to pay off, cause they speak French there." Ward smiles.
    "Peut-être quand nous arriverons sur l'île; Je vaiz juste te tuer et faire passer ça pour un suicide. Tu es déjà sorti comme ça une fois." I raise my right brow as I glared at Ward.
    "I speak French, too." Ward nods. "I was hoping you do." My voice was cold and sullen.
    "Dad, I want to call my friends, and I want to call my boyfriend. Can I at least just tell them that I'm okay. I mean for god sakes, they're probably worried about Phoebe!" Sarah shouts.
      "Yes, of course you can. As soon as we get there, you can call John B. He knows you're here, right?" Ward smirks. "No, he doesn't." Sarah rebuttled.
    "Yeah, he does." Ward says, getting up from the table. "There's no way John B let this just happen." I stated.
    "When you two were getting ready, he came by the house, and Rose talked to him. You know the cross you've all been looking for? Rafe was able to get it. Turns out that, I guess historically, it belongs to the Heyward's." He explains.
    "Yeah, I know." Sarah says. "It also turns out that the most important thing to me is you. And the most important thing to Rafe is you." He says, gesturing towards me. I move uncomfortably in my seat.
"So we gave John B the cross." Ward says.
    Rafe and I look at each other from across the room. He knows I was pissed. Livid beyond means.
    "And John B was okay with that?" Sarah narrows her eyes. "Welp, I just given him a half-billion-dollar artifact, so, yeah. He seems pretty okay."
     I couldn't stop myself. "I HOPE YOU GET YOUR HEAD SMASHED INTO A POLE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I HOPE YOU GET FUCKING PARALYZED!" I spat.
   I rushed out of my seat pushing my way past Rose and Wheezie who were now joining the family.
    "Phoebe!" I heard Rafe call out. He followed me down the hall and into the room.
    I attempted to slam the door in his face but he quickly caught it.
       "That was harsh." Rafe breathed. I put one hand on my waist and cocked my right brow. I was fuming.
    "I don't give a fuck, Rafe!" I shouted. "Okay." Rafe puts his hands up in surrender. "I get that you're mad." He starts. I scoff. "I think mad is an understatement." I say.
     "Baby, you have to understand why I did it. I can't live without you. You're everything to me. And don't say I'm not everything to you, too. I watch you continuously choose me over those Pogues." He states.
    He was right. I did always choose him. And I hated myself for it. "I'm going for a walk." I say. I push past Rafe once again as I head out the room and back down the hall.
     After walking for a few minutes I stop in a room full of boxes and huge cargo. And then I see it. The cross sitting in a huge crate. Completely exposed.
    "That lying asshole." I say. It was obvious that Ward was lying about John B. It didn't make sense.
      "Attention, all passengers, all crew, report to the tween forward hull. That's an order."
    I heard the demand ring out through the speaker. I roll my eyes. There's no chance I'm taking orders from these crew members.
     "Repeat. All passengers, all crew, report to the tween forward hull immediately."
     A line of crew members began to pile down the hall. I watched them walk into the room. Wheezie and Rose followed shortly after with Rafe behind them.
   But then he stops. He looks around the room as if he was searching for me. "Paranoid ass." I whisper to myself, hiding behind one of the crates.
    Rafe blatantly ignores the intercom and heads back towards the cross. He jumps down the ladder before quickly pulling the tarps over the cross to cover it up.
    Rafe takes a deep breath of relief before leaving. I wait a few minutes before coming out of hiding.
I began to hate the cross. It had only been a few days. Or what I assumed to be a few days since I was passed out for most of it. The shiny metal dazzled from the red lights that began to flash.
    My fingers traced the jewels on the front. My breath evened as I realized how much of a terrible friends and cousin I've been in the last few months.
    If I ever got to see my friends again; the first thing I will do would be to apologize for everything.
     I began to cry. I had done nothing but cry the last few days and I sometimes believed I had no tears left to cry.
    The events of the past week were like a roller coaster. Constantly moving fast with no way to jump off without the operator stopping it.
    I buried my face into my hands, hiding my tear stained cheeks. "Phoebe!" I heard my name.
    I lifted my head from my hands to see Kiara and JJ standing in front of me. They both wore a huge smile.
    "Oh, my God!" I sobbed. The two of them immediately brought me into a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry." I cried. I buried my face into Kiara's neck. JJ rubbed soothing circles on my back.
    "Don't apologize." JJ said, pulling away from the hug. He takes my face in his hands. "We're gonna get you outta here, baby." His thick southern accent drags as he pretends to do an Elvis impression.
    I laugh, wiping my tears.