Unhinged [Rafe Cameron]

[pilot]

(tw: gun, violence, guns, alcohol, and mentions of drugs.)

_________

9 years ago...

"Catch, Celeste!" Rafe calls out from behind me, tossing a tennis ball in my direction.

I roll my eyes. "Rafe, not now! My dad wants me to water the plants."

He sighs in disappointment as I throw the ball back to him. "But I want to play."

"Come help me with watering the plants then, and then maybe my dad will let us play." I say matter-of-factly, turning back to the fresh tomatoes on my front lawn.

"Ok!" He says without hesitation, joining me with a watering can.

Once we're done, I drop my gloves onto the ground and dust off my hands. "Okay, let me go in and ask my dad if we can hang out."

I walk into the house and find dad laying on our couch, bottles of beer splayed around him. I sigh and approach him. This situation has happened one too many times that I already know the drill. I lay a blanket softly over him, trying not to look at the sores from injecting all those drugs.

After cleaning up all the bottles and cigarettes, I join Rafe outside on the front porch. He looks at me with eager dark brown eyes.

"So?" He asks.

But when he sees the sullen look on my face his expression changes from expectant to worry.

"What's wrong?"

I blink away tears and attempt to smile. "My dad is passed out, but it'll be okay. Let's play."

Without saying a word, Rafe encloses me in a tight bear hug. I hold him and bury my face into his chest, cherishing this moment, not knowing that this would be my last moment like this with Rafe in a very long time.

Because the next day, we became strangers. Not a single word was spoken, not a single glance was exchanged. It was like an instantaneous switch. No matter whether it was at school or not, he would ignore me. He was never at his house. All the connections that we had before were gone. And I had no idea why.

I wondered back then what I had done wrong to screw up our friendship like this. But even after all these years, I still have no clue.

___________

Present day...

"This is going to be the best bonfire yet!" JJ shouts, playing around with the gun that he got from that dead guy's hotel room.

It's been a day or so since we found that Grady-White sunken in the water of the marsh. Pope made us vow not to tell anyone that we saw it, but I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that the guy who owned it died.

Kie snatches it from him with a huff. "Not with the Kooks there. And stop playing with this, you're going to seriously hurt someone."

"Party pooper." JJ grumbles under his breath.

"What?" Kie exclaims.

"Nothing! Nothing!" JJ says, holding his hands up in defense.

I snicker. JJ turns to me with a grin. "What?? She wasn't supposed to hear that!"

I laugh along with the others at his stupidity.

"By the way, C, you're going to be there right?" John B asks.

I toss my wavy blonde hair over my shoulder. "Yeah, if my junkie dad doesn't make me do chores all night."

Pope claps his hands. "Sooo, you're coming! It's settled."