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as i scanned the beach, my gaze fell on rafe cameron—a classic kook who thrived on making life miserable for pogues. he was with his usual crew: topper, kelce, and a couple of girls i didn't recognize or care about.
on the opposite side of the beach, i was with jj, john b, kiara, pope, and sarah. we were drinking beers and passing around a joint, but i tensed at the sound of rafe's voice, instinctively bracing for trouble.
if he spotted us, he'd be on us in an instant. any opportunity he had, he would throw punches at a pogue, and having his sister, sarah, switch from kook royalty to pogue didn't do anything to cool his temper.
hearing the distant sound of topper and rafe's obnoxious hollering, the pogues all snapped their heads in their direction.
"ugh, rafe and topper are here," sarah groaned, taking another sip of her beer. "they better not come over here."
jj took a long drag from the joint and exhaled. "yeah, and if they do, you're all gonna wish i brought the piece."
pope snatched the joint from him with a sharp look. "quit looking for an excuse to use the gun. my scholarship's already on the line."
"they're too far down; we're fine," i said, shading my eyes from the sun as i watched rafe pull another beer out of their cooler. but just as he twisted the cap off, his head snapped in our direction.
i quickly turned away, hoping rafe didn't notice. my heart pounded in my chest, a reaction i hated but couldn't control. why did he have to be so...distracting?
"don't let him get to you," sarah muttered from beside me. "he thrives on it."
i nodded, trying to act like i didn't care. but rafe always had a way of getting under my skin, more than anyone else. maybe it was because he represented everything i couldn't stand about the kooks. or maybe, deep down, it was because i couldn't stop noticing him.
he was an asshole—there was no denying that. but the way his blue eyes cut through me when he glanced over made my stomach twist. i hated that i even thought about it.
"i'll be back in a bit," i announced, standing and brushing the sand off my shorts. i needed to clear my head.
as i wandered down the beach, i kept my eyes on the ocean, letting the cool breeze calm me. but then i heard footsteps behind me, and my heart sank.
of course.
"finally got tired of the pogues?" rafe's voice was smooth, but there was an edge to it. he came up beside me, hands in his pockets, that familiar smirk on his lips. "i knew you'd eventually learn what side to be on."
