angel - rafe cameron (outerbanks)

16 - get it together

chapter 16
get it together

when angie arrived home that afternoon, the house was eerily quiet, her parents nowhere in sight. instead, a note was carefully placed on the kitchen counter, its message brief but unmistakable.

following a lead in louisiana. we'll be back in a couple of days. love you – mom + dad

this wasn't the first time her parents had chased an unverified lead, and angie didn't hold much hope that this one would be any different. she sighed, tossing her keys aside and letting herself drift through the house. for the next few hours, she sprawled out on the couch, eventually drifting off to sleep with a movie playing softly in the background.

hours had passed, and it was pitch black outside when a loud, insistent banging jolted her awake. her heart hammered in her chest, the sound still ringing in her ears. it took her a few disorienting seconds to realize the noise was coming from the front door. the doorbell rang in rapid succession, the banging continuing without pause. still half-dazed, angie stumbled to her feet and rushed to the door, her thoughts scattered and confused. she fumbled with the lock, swinging the door open widely—the knocking stopped. standing on the other side, fist still raised, was rafe. his face was streaked with tears, his eyes red and swollen. angie's breath caught in her throat.

"holy shit," she whispered, her gaze quickly scanning him. her eyes froze on his bandaged left forearm. "what happened?"

rafe's voice cracked as he spoke, desperation in his eyes. "can i stay here? please, angie."

she nodded.

rafe stepped inside, his shoulders slumped as though the weight of the world had settled on them. angie quickly closed the door behind him, locking it, though the action felt automatic, almost unimportant. her mind was still racing, trying to process everything—the frantic knocking, his appearance, the bandaged arm.

"come on," she said softly, motioning toward the living room where they both sat awkwardly on the couch.

the silence in the room was heavy, and rafe's strained breathing only made the tension worse. he shifted uncomfortably on the couch, clearly torn between saying more and staying quiet. angie stood up, pacing a little as she tried to make sense of what was happening. something was off, and she needed to understand it all.

"what happened?" she asked again, her voice softer now, though the concern was impossible to mask. "what did you do, rafe?"

rafe's gaze flickered to her, his lips tightening into a grim line. "i messed up. okay? i thought i could fix things. i thought—i thought if i could get enough money, i could pay barry back, but i just made things worse." he paused, his voice faltering as he seemed to relive the events in his head. "i tried to steal my dad's watch from the safe. thought i could sell it, pay off my debt. but i got caught."

angie froze, her eyes widening.

rafe nodded, his hand gripping the edge of the couch. "he drove me to barry's place, he said he'd take care of the money—" his voice broke for a moment, but he continued, a hollow bitterness creeping in. "but he didn't just pay barry back. he beat the shit out of him. told me i was a thief and a liar. he told me i'm not allowed home."

a pit formed in angie's stomach as rafe's words sank in.

"i didn't know where else to go," rafe said quietly, his voice raw.

angie took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. her head was spinning with a million thoughts, each one more concerning than the last. she wanted to help him, but she wasn't sure how.