𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 ⇉ 𝗝𝗝 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴

Rafe inhales sharply as he drives, his eyes moving between the road and his sister, who kept her eyes on the road. She was so far away from him and if he didn't know any better, he would've thought she was ready to jump out the truck at any moment.

"You have to understand why I'm doing this." Rafe breaks the silence between them.

"Well, I don't, Rafe. None of this makes fucking sense." Ariella snaps, still not daring to look in his direction.

"I need to be something, Ariella. I want to be something." Rafe starts. "Dad doesn't care about me. I know that, but maybe if I do this, he finally see me for who I am. You don't know what it's like. He's got so far in my head and all I want to do is prove him wrong."

Ariella knew exactly what it's like. "So, you torment me and my friends? You've hurt us. Completely destroyed everything we had going for us. You don't need to prove anything to—."

"Yes I do!" Rafe shouts, squeezing the steering wheel tight. "You don't get it. You-You got out. You left. You...You left me behind. The second you left, I had nothing. You were all I had, Ella. All I fucking had and you started your own family with those Pogues."

"You were everything to me, Rafe!" Ariella exclaims, tears welling in her eyes. Rafe holding back his own. His words sound so...broken. "You were more than just by big brother, you were my best friend. I looked up to you, I admired you and then you hurt me! You—."

"I-I never meant to hurt you." Rafe stumbled over his words. "You're the last person on earth I ever wanted to hurt. I'm so fucked in the head, Ari. I am. I don't know what to do anymore."

"I was in your shoes once, suffocating in that house, trying to fit under Ward's standards, but then I got out. I only survived for so long because of you Rafe." Ariella hesitantly moves to place her hand on him arm and she could see his body relax. "I know how much you're worth. I always have. If Ward can't see that, then fuck him. Is doing this really worth destroying yourself?"

Rafe falls silent again, though she could see that he was contemplating her words. "I killed people, Ari. I don't think I can come back from this. Do-Do you think you can forgive me?"

"You know, despite everything...I still love you. I don't want to, but I do." Ariella glances down at her hands. "But I can't forgive you, Rafe. At least not now. Gosh, it doesn't even have anything to do with you accidentally shooting me twice, but everything to do with how you forcibly tried to drown me. You knew what you were doing Rafe and if it wasn't for Topper, who knows if me and my ba—."

"Don't." Rafe cuts her off. "Don't finish that sentence."

And so, she didn't. Silence once again fills the truck and the two siblings never utter another word. Rafe comes to a sudden stop in the middle of woods and she knew exactly what he was going to do. Ariella stares outside her window, her eyes catching a certain figure she knew all too well.

Pope.

Did he hold on the whole way here? He ran into the woods hiding behind a tree as Rafe made his way out the truck. "Stay here. Don't move, please."

Ariella could only nod, worry filling her chest as her eyes move back to Pope. Rafe drags the body out the back of the truck, letting Limbrey's man drop harshly to the floor. He continues to drag the dead man into a nearby stream, letting his body go to float.

Rafe stood there for a couple seconds, she almost seemed to catch a sight of pity in his eyes and she didn't know if it was because he had killed the man or because an alligator was going towards the man, ready to destroy him. As soon as the alligator snarled, it chomped on the already dead man and Ariella flinched at the sight.