sunburn - rafe cameron (outerbanks)

6 - not afraid to slum it

chapter 6
not afraid to slum it

angie had always loved the beach, where soft white sands meet crystal-clear waters. her and maddie would spend endless summer days collecting seashells, building sandcastles, and laughing as the waves gently lapped at their feet. The scent of salt in the air and the sound of seagulls overhead were the backdrop to their carefree adventures, and the beach was their sanctuary. the beauty of kildare's shores had since became tainted. what was once her sanctuary now left a sour taste in her mouth. the vibrant energy she once felt was overshadowed by a deep sense of nostalgia mixed with sorrow. memories of joyous summers turned bittersweet as she recalled moments that would never return. angie feels empty, the joy and excitement that had once filled her had left with maddie.

she had agreed with sarah that they would have a 'beach day', despite her grumbling about the sand and longing for the cool comfort of a pool. but sarah didn't falter, and since it was her turn to decide how they spent their day, angie had found herself packing her beach bag that morning. she made her way to the beach, she knew the way there like the back of her hand, so much so she even knew all of the best shortcuts. she took a left, walking through the gates that lead to the sprawling golf course. angie admired the manicured greens and gentle slopes although golf held little interest for her, the beauty of the landscape was a nice distraction from the beach day that loomed ahead.

as angie neared the shoreline, the peacefulness of the course was shattered by a sudden cry of pain. her face flooded with confusion and her heart raced as she rounded the corner, her stomach dropped at the sight: rafe and topper; viciously swinging their golf clubs into pope heyward's body. angie's breath caught in her throat. she shouted for topper to stop, her voice ringing out with unexpected authority. unexpectedly, she surged forward, shoving rafe away with as much force as she could given he was almost an entire foot taller, adrenaline coursed through her veins.

topper only laughed, a cruel edge to his tone that made her blood boil. "you're seriously sticking up for him after what they did?" he sneered.

"he didn't do anything. just because his friends are out of control doesn't give you the right to beat him up," she retorted, her anger fuelling her resolve. rafe stood silent, caught off guard by her intervention, his golf club dropping to his side. "you're both sick." she spat, kneeling to help pope up, allowing him to lean on her for support as they walked towards where he said he had docked their boat.

--

rafe had not expected for angie to appear on the course. why would she be there? the sight of her made his heart drop, a pang of embarrassment mixing with the adrenaline that was already coursing through him. he wanted to look away but couldn't. his gaze was locked on her, and in that instant, he felt a strange, hollow pit form in his stomach. she was helping pope heyward to his feet, and the look on her face—disbelief and anger, raw and unmistakable—made him feel sick to his core. he had never seen her like this before, never seen that fierce expression directed at him. it tore through him, deeper than he expected.

she helped pope heyward from the ground, him leaning heavily against her. the reality of the moment crashed down on him, and he wanted to call out to her, to explain that this wasn't him, but the words wouldn't come. his mind raced, scrambling for any sense of reason, any excuse to explain what he had done. what was he doing? this wasn't who he was. or maybe it was... but it wasn't who he wanted to be. not now. not in front of her. the words were stuck, caught somewhere in his throat. no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't force them out. it was as if everything he wanted to say had been swallowed up by the pit growing inside him. she was walking away with pope, and it was like watching something slip from his grasp—something important, though he couldn't quite figure out why.