Wicked Game - Rafe Cameron X OC

Chapter 2.

Rafe Cameron sat near the bonfire, a bottle of beer in his hand as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The light from the fire flickered against his face, casting shadows that danced in sync with the gentle crackling of the flames. His Kook friends, Topper and Kelce, were laughing about something, but Rafe wasn't really paying attention. His mind was elsewhere.

He took a swig of his beer, letting the cool liquid run down his throat as he stared out at the horizon. The beach was quiet, with a few scattered groups enjoying the last bit of sunlight. He felt a sense of calm here, away from his dad's expectations, away from the weight of being a Cameron.

But the calm never lasted.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rafe spotted movement further down the beach. A familiar group—Pogues. Of course. He narrowed his eyes, recognizing the Twinkie parked nearby. His jaw tightened involuntarily. Wherever the Pogues went, trouble followed.

His gaze scanned the group as they set up near the water. John B, Kiara, Pope, and JJ—same old crew. Then he saw her. Katherine Smith. A Pogue, through and through. She was standing near the water, laughing at something JJ said, her hair catching the fading light, making her look almost... untouchable.

Rafe's stomach twisted, and he wasn't sure why. There was something about Katherine that had always gotten under his skin. She didn't look at him like the other girls did, didn't fawn over his money, his status, his name. In fact, she barely looked at him at all. That should have made it easier to ignore her, but it didn't. She was different from the other Pogues too—tough, but not in the same loud, reckless way as JJ or John B. No, Katherine was...quiet strength, and that irritated him more than he cared to admit.

He hated how she acted like she didn't care. About him, about the Kooks. Like they didn't matter to her. He could feel the tension bubbling up just thinking about it. Who did she think she was?

Topper must have noticed Rafe's shift in mood because he followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Pogues," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "Always showing up where they don't belong."

Rafe didn't respond. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on Katherine, watching as she tossed her head back, laughing at something Pope said now. The way she looked so carefree, so at ease in her world, while Rafe wrestled with everything going on in his.

He drained the rest of his beer and threw the empty bottle into the sand with a little more force than necessary. Topper shot him a look, but Rafe ignored it. His irritation was starting to build, a familiar heat rising inside him.

Why did it bother him so much that she never gave him the time of day? He didn't need her approval. He had everything. Money, status, power. None of the Pogues could touch that. And yet, here he was, feeling like something was out of his control.

Kelce clapped a hand on Rafe's shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. "What's the deal, man? You good?"

Rafe nodded, though his jaw was clenched. "Yeah, I'm good," he lied.

But as he glanced back toward Katherine one last time, watching her dive into the water with that same effortless grace, he knew there was something about her he couldn't shake. And it pissed him off more than he'd ever admit.

-

Kathrine emerged from the water, after her dive. The feeling of the ocean water engulfing her. She felt a pair of eyes burning the back of my skull. She turn's to see Rafe staring at her, with an unreadable expression on his face.

Katherine roll's my eyes, turning her attention back to her friends. Laughing at JJ's horrible attempt to tackle John B.

Out of nowhere, she get a full splash of water in the face. She wipe my eye's and sees JJ grinning at her. She punch his shoulder, and splash's him back.Katherine sees a playful look in his eyes. Knowing what's coming next, she starts sprinting, the water slowing her down.