SACRIFICE // currently editing!

nine, connecting the dots

CHAPTER NINE ━━ CONNECTING THE DOTS
Sacrifice!          0109

A FEW HOURS LATER, JULES was woken up by Rafe getting out of bed. He had gently told her he would only be a few minutes because Topper and Kelce had texted him saying they were at the house. But he had been gone for more than fifteen minutes, and she wasn't able to fall back asleep. So Jules got to her feet, her legs trembling and aching, and got dressed in her own clothes despite her sore body and limbs.

She made her way downstairs carefully. She paused behind the wall that blocked off the kitchen from the stairs when she heard voices.

"Has she found out yet?"

That was Topper, his voice hushed and slightly excited. A scoff from Kelce followed.

"How could she? She's just an oblivious brat."

"She's not gonna fucking find out, okay?" Rafe snapped at his friends. "Like Kelce said — just an oblivious brat."

"But what if she does find out, Rafe? What are you gonna do then?" Topper asked.

"I told you — Jules isn't gonna find out about the bet," Rafe told him, his voice agitated. "She's too in love with me to notice anything." He paused. "Look . . . I already completed the entirety of the bet. What more do you guys want from me?"

"You fucked her already?" Kelce exclaimed. "It's only been a few months. Our boy does work fast."

Jules pressed herself further into the wall, hoping it would animate and consume her whole. Pressure was building up behind her eyes, a stinging pain emanating from deep within, waiting to crack her apart completely. What the fuck were they talking about? What bet? And why did it involve her?

"I guess use her til you get bored of her," Topper suggested, a smirk evident through his words

"That works with me," Rafe chuckled.

After a few minutes of connecting the dots, after connecting shit together that shouldn't have been related whatsoever, Jules decided she had heard enough. Because frankly, whatever they were discussing, it had to do with her and it was rubbing her in the completely wrong way. Regardless of what it was, only a few words had truly stuck out to Jules: bet and use her.

So right now, Jules had two options: walk away and confront Rafe later, or storm in and make a big scene. The latter didn't seem like it would really get anyone anywhere so she opted for the first.

Jules took a shaky deep breath before hurrying through the living room towards the front door, with the slam of it catching the guys' attentions. She hardly noticed Rafe running after her and calling her name as she was too busy getting on the phone with Sarah as tears began flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Jules, please, I—"

She forced herself to ignore Rafe as he tried touching her and talking to her. She pulled away each time, crying harder and harder every time she put more space between them. Then she was left alone with Rafe as her best friend hung up the phone quickly saying she would be right down.

The younger Cameron rushed downstairs in record time. Once outside, she shoved Rafe aside and took Jules into her arms. Jules cried into Sarah's chest for a long time, not realizing her friend had gotten on the phone.

Sarah had finally moved Jules away from the front door and away from Rafe. He trailed behind them, keeping a healthy distance between him and the two girls, but Topper and Kelce came outside and began urging him back indoors. He reluctantly gave in, but only after Sarah screamed at him to fuck off.

"You're gonna be okay," Sarah kept whispering, wiping away Jules's tears as her brother disappeared inside the house. "John B and the gang on their way."

Jules felt like her skin was crawling all over. Like an army of ants marched just beneath the surface, some in time while others were way offbeat. Her heart was heavy and breaking into a million minuscule shards as they trampled over her sensitive veins.

The Twinkie finally appeared from down the driveway. JJ didn't even wait for John B to put it in to park before jumping out and racing towards Jules. Sarah stepped back just as he ran into Jules and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and tight. The tears just kept falling as Jules registered who was cradling her.

After a few minutes, JJ cradled Jules into his arms in order to carry her bridal style. At the van, Pope and Kie were already waiting to hug her, with John B simply not knowing what to do; after years of knowing her, he'd never seen Jules so utterly broken. JJ was fighting back the incredibly intense urge to barge into the Cameron's home and beat the life out of Rafe. He didn't know what he'd done to Jules because neither she nor Sarah had said anything yet. But a part of him just knew it had to do with that pathetic piece of shit.

Jules realized that they were all crammed into the van on the way to the Château as a new wave of tears spilled past her eyelashes. She was currently in JJ's arms, pressed into his chest, with her legs over Pope's thighs. Kie was holding her hand with John B driving and Sarah sitting next to him in shotgun.

None of the Pogues spoke until they were inside the Château. Sarah and Pope were holding both of her hands, John B was sitting down across the room with Kie standing next to him, and JJ . . . JJ was pacing like it would save his life. But Jules, to the best of her abilities, had cautiously explained what happened. There wasn't much information at the moment, but there was certainly enough to make multiple conclusions and assumptions.

An hour or so later, Jules was laying down on the pull-out couch. She had been peacefully scrolling through her phone for awhile. She was using it as an excuse to wait for a text or call from Rafe. But after that hour was up, there was nothing on Rafe's end. Her heart twisted like it were being grappled by spindly vines from deep within the tight confines of her chest.

Sarah soon joined her best friend on the couch, laying beside her without a word.

"You okay?" she asked softly after a few minutes.

Jules bit her lip. She shut off her phone and placed it face down into the shitty mattress. "No. Not really," she answered, her voice hoarse from crying so much. "I've just . . . He hasn't texted me or anything."

"I'm sorry." Sarah began twisting a strand of Jules's hair between her fingers. "He'll come around. Y'know, it's Rafe. He'll get his shit together then explain himself. He has to."

"I guess."

"Jules, I'm serious. He's so fucking in love with you but he won't say or admit it."

A familiar stinging pain was building up far too quickly behind Jules's eyes at Sarah's words. "If he is, why . . . why did he do it in the first place?"

"I don't know," Sarah admitted. "I . . . I don't know."