Toxic: A Rafe Cameron Story

6.

*** The next day ***

I managed to escape Sarah's house without anybody seeing the hickeys left on my neck from last night.

Now, I'm standing in the mirror trying to find a way to hide them in the next five minutes before I go swimming.

There's no way. I can't put makeup over them, the water will just wash it all off. I can't just go out with them showing because they will obviously ask questions.

"Cass! Hurry up!" Kie yells from outside the bathroom.

"Can you come in!" I yell back. I might as well ask for help, she already knows.

"What?" She asks when she opens the door.

I turn my body toward her and her mouth drops.

"Holy shit." She says with a wide smile. "Rafe gave you those!"

"Yes Kie. How am I supposed to hide them?" I sigh.

"I would wear those proudly." She smiles.

"Seriously, I don't want anybody to know, especially Sarah, that would be weird."

"Okay okay let me think." She says and furrows her eyebrows. "Do you have a high neck bathing suit?"

"Nope." I say.

"Maybe just wear a t-shirt?" She shrugs.

It's not the best idea but it'll have to work, I don't know what else to do.

I walk past Kie into my room and slide a t-shirt over my bikini top.

"This will have to do." I say and we head outside.

Kie and I walk to John B's place to meet up with them. Our plan today is to just chill on his boat and go for a swim. No kooks, just us pogues.

"Hey ladies." JJ says as we approach the dock. John B is just un-tying the boat. We hop in and I lay the cooler down on the seat.

"Drink up boys." I say and JJ opens the lid, passing a beer to everyone.

John B drives us through the marsh and over to the beach. The gang all laugh and act like their foolish selves but I sit there, still processing what happened last night.

It all happened so fast. And when it was over, he ignored me like it was nothing. Of course it was nothing to him though, I'm sure I wasn't the first person Rafe had in that bedroom.

John B tied the boat to a sturdy branch on a tree overhanging the water and we all jump out. Pope and Kie head straight for the water and I spread out my towel on the sand.

"Not coming in?" JJ asks after he pulls his shirt over his head.

"Not right now." I shake my head. I pull my shirt up so it's covering as much of my neck as possible and watch John B and JJ join Kie and Pope in the water.

"Cass come in!" Pope yells and I pretend I don't hear him.

"Pope leave her alone, she doesn't want to come in yet." I hear Kie say.

I lay back on the towel and close my eyes, maybe if they think I'm asleep they will leave me alone.

"John B, where's Sarah?" Pope asks.

"She's coming by later with Topper." He says.

"Is Rafe coming?" I ask sitting up quickly.

"Most likely, she said Kelce and a few others were coming by too." John B shrugs with a weird look on his face.