Rafe and Kie: Kook Year

Chapter 7: Rafe Refresh

The next morning I woke up in a daze. Yesterday didn't feel real. For the first time in a long time I felt something. But I knew this feeling was short lived. Sarah Cameron wasn't my friend. She probably felt bad for me and wanted an excuse to skip school. I went to the academy with the same mindset as always. Don't be seen and try not to cause trouble. I open my locker to grab my textbooks when I'm suddenly greeted by Sarah.

"Hey," she says with a smile.

"Hi," I respond confused.

"Yesterday was fun. Thanks for coming with me."

"I had fun too," I say smiling.

"Good because I was hoping you'd want to hangout again."

"Today?" I ask picking up my bag.

"Ya, if you're free."

"I'm free."

"Cool. We'll walk to my place after school. See you later Kiara." She walks away, joining a group of people in the hallway.

"Bye Sarah," I respond.

What the fuck just happened.

*****

I spent the rest of the day thinking about my interaction with Sarah this morning. Did she really remember me? Did she really want to hang out again? It all felt like some sick game. As if all the Kooks got the Kook princess to befriend me just so they can humiliate me some more. I told myself to stop being pessimistic. Something was different with her. Maybe she genuinely wanted to be my friend. A Kook friend...who would've thought? We met up after school just like she'd planned.

"So how far is your house?" I ask, feeling the weight of the textbooks in my bag.

"Not far. I can ask my brother for a ride if you'd like, but he'd probably say no."

It suddenly occurred to me that Sarah was Rafe's sister. It's strange because they're nothing alike. Sarah walks around with butterflies following her, and Rafe is just...Rafe.

"It's ok. I like walking," I say as we start heading for her house.

Along the walk we talk about our day and scout out different types of birds. The birds in Outer Banks are different from regular birds. They're bigger, with long beaks and taller legs. By the time we finished our conversation on forest animals we arrived at the house. This house wasn't an average mansion. It was filled with a wealthy history. The outside was white, large windows spaced across each wall. The balcony spanned across the whole front and the roof was supported by large white pillars. The greenery was impeccable. I wondered if they had a gardener. However, the outside view didn't even compare to the elegant furnishings on the inside. Light from the large windows filled each room. This house screamed full Kook. Sarah took me up the spiralling stairs and showed me her room. The walls were painted blue. Not blue like the ocean, but a blue that's like someone's eye colour. It was, like the rest of the house, spacious.

"This place is so nice," I say looking at all the trinkets around the room.

"Thanks. When I was little I begged my dad to paint the walls pink but he said I'd like this better and he was right." She sits on the bed.

I walk over to the window.

"You're lucky to have an ocean view. In my room all you can see is the grass below and some bushes."

"It's nice. It gets really dark at night though." She looks over at the window.

"Are you thirsty? I can go get some water and popcorn," she offers.

"Sure, that sounds good." I respond, looking through her book collection.

I hear the door creak open slightly.