𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | RAFE CAMERON

Sixteen | C R A N E A N D P A I N

Sarah, Kie and I sat on the ledge of the boat as JJ, Pope, and John B came over in theirs. "Don't give them the satisfaction of thinking this worked." Kie said.

"Absolutely Not." We agreed.

"Still hate me?" John B asked anchoring the boat.

Sarah crossed her arms, "A little. We're all gonna get you back when you least expect it."

"Watch your back boys." Kie said.

"So. Did you guys, you know?" Pope asked.

"Reconcile our differences?" We shook our heads.

"Not even close." Kie said.

"But we're willing to work together." Sarah winked at Kie and I.

"Alright. Shut up. You guys ready to Jack some loot?" John B asked.

"Yeah. Whatever." We settled in, the boats engine rumbling to life, we started our mission to the Crane house and check-listed everything we needed. Once we arrived we got out, with confidence.

John B opened the van door to let us out. "Wait wait wait. I wanna say thank you guys, seriously. Means a lot to me that you're here."

"Always." Kie smiled.

"Of course man." Pope dapped up John B. Sarah and John B smiled to each other.

JJ hopped out the van. "Alright we done with this circle jerk? Can we do this?"

Just then, my phone buzzed with a text from Rafe.  "Shit" I  muttered under my breath, feeling a wave of guilt about not coming home last night.

"What's wrong?" JJ asked, noticing my concern. "You scared of Crane or something? I can hold your hand."

I forced a laugh, trying to brush it off. "No, um... it's just cramps."

Pope reminded me, "You're the one who's supposed to go down there."

I attempted to fake a groan, hoping to convince them to let me stay in the van. "I know, but my cramps are really bad, guys."

John B was quick to offer to take my place. "I'll do it. You can stay here."

I assured them, "Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

With that, they closed the van door and headed inside, leaving me alone with my phone. I quickly called Rafe, whose voice on the other end sounded upset.

"Hey," he said, his tone laced with concern.

"Hey, did your dad give you more crap?" I asked, trying to deflect attention from my absence.

But Rafe cut straight to the point. "No. Where have you been? I've been calling you all damn day."

I hesitated, knowing I'd been caught. "I was out with my friends because they needed me."

Rafe's response was laced with bitterness. "What a great excuse. You were out with the Pogues for an entire day, weren't you?"

I stumbled, trying to come up with a convincing excuse, but it was too late. Suddenly, a loud pop echoed from the house, making me jump. Then, an eerie silence fell.

"What was that?" Rafe asked, my heart racing.

"Nothing, I'll be home soon." I quickly hung up, my mind racing, as another loud pop sounded from the house. It was a gunshot.

I saw the Pogues running frantically toward the van, their faces etched with fear. I frantically opened the door, letting them pile in. But one was missing, John B.