Sunset games. Rafe Cameron

twenty five

TWENTY FIVE
[25]
"godspeed" frank ocean

Olivia sat on the cold, damp sidewalk, rain dripping down her face and soaking through her clothes. She hugged her knees to her chest, feeling smaller and more broken than she ever had before. The sound of the rain was deafening, but it couldn't drown out the echo of JJ's voice in her head: "We don't fucking care about you." The words played on repeat, piercing her chest every time. She couldn't stop the tears that streamed down her face, mingling with the rain. Her breath hitched in her throat as she sobbed harder, the weight of everything suffocating her.

She felt alone in the truest sense. Alone and undeserving of love or kindness. JJ's words had stripped her of every ounce of confidence, and the argument with the Pogues had ripped open old wounds she hadn't even realized were still there. And Sarah...Sarah's silence, her betrayal, cut the deepest. The promise they had made as kids felt like a cruel joke now, something fleeting and fragile that had slipped through her fingers,

Her heart ached in a way that felt unbearable, and for a moment, she wished she could just disappear. She didn't know where she was or how long she had been sitting there. She didn't care. She felt like she didn't deserve to feel okay.Not after everything.

Suddenly, through the blur of tears and rain, she heard the crunch of footsteps on the wet pavement. A familiar voice, laced with concern, called out to her. "Olivia? Olivia, what the hell are you doing out here?"

She looked up and saw Rafe standing a few feet away, his hair damp from the rain and his expression etched with worry. "What happened to you?" he asked, his voice tightening as he crouched down in front of her. "Why are you out here alone like this?"

But Olivia didn't have the strength to answer. She didn't have the words. Instead, she launched herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest as she clung to him. A fresh wave of tears broke free, and her body trembled as she sobbed against him.

Rafe's arms immediately wrapped around her, pulling her close as he whispered, "It's okay, baby. I'm here. I've got you." His voice was soft, soothing, but it only made Olivia cry harder. He held her tightly, his hand gently running up and down her back, trying to calm her down, but her tears seemed endless.

Minutes passed, and she still couldn't stop crying. "Who the fuck did this to you?" Rafe's voice was sharper now, anger seeping into his tone. He pulled back slightly, his hands on her shoulders as he looked her in the eyes. His face was tight, his jaw clenched, and his blue eyes were blazing with fury. "Tell me. Right now. Who the hell hurt you?"

Olivia hesitated, sniffling as she wiped at her face, but Rafe wasn't letting it go. "Olivia," he said, his voice firm but still soft enough to show he cared. "Tell me what happened. Please."

Taking a shaky breath, Olivia finally told him everything. She explained about Topper's boat, how JJ and Pope had sabotaged it and laughed about it afterward. She told him about the argument, about Kiara's cruel words, and finally, about JJ screaming that they didn't care about her. She admitted how Sarah had been ignoring her, and how it felt like she was losing every single person she had once called a friend.

As she spoke, Rafe's expression darkened. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his jaw tightening so much that Olivia thought it might snap. "I swear to God," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. "I'm going to kill that fucking Pogue."

"Rafe, no," Olivia said, standing up quickly and grabbing his arm. She was still trembling, her voice weak, but she shook her head. "It's okay.
Just...let it go. Please."

"Let it go?" Rafe repeated, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "No, Olivia, It's not okay. They hurt you. They don't get to do that and just walk away like nothing happened,"

Olivia placed her hands on his chest, trying to calm him down. "Rafe, please," she said softly, her voice breaking. "I just want this to be over. I don't want any more fighting."

Rafe stared at her for a long moment, his chest heaving as he tried to contain his anger. But his hands relaxed slightly, and he covered her hands with his own. "You're too good, you know that?" he said quietly, his voice softening."You're too good to let people like that walk all over you."

She shook her head, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm not good, Rafe. I'm not anything. They're right. They don't care about me, and maybe no one should."

"Hey, don't you dare say that," Rafe said firmly, tilting her chin up so she had to look at him. His gaze softened as he wiped a tear from her cheek. "You're everything, Vi, And anyone who doesn't see that is a fucking idiot."

She didn't know how to respond, so she just nodded, letting him pull her into his arms again.
They stood there in the rain, the world around them fading away as Rafe held her tightly, refusing to let her go. For the first time that night, Riley felt a flicker of warmth in her chest, a small spark of hope that maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought.