This is Me Trying ⭑ Rafe Cameron

forty five

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE
[45]
song: arrow by death valley girls

"Gonna be a wild one this year, Ash." The announcer spoke eagerly to the crowd.

Cassie walked alongside John B as he dragged his bike through the sand.

"What has gotten into you?" John B shook his head confusedly. "This is incredibly stupid—"

"You don't think I know that?" Cassie spoke quietly, not wanting all of her friends to hear what was on the line with this race.

"Who do you have in this race?" The announcers continued.

"Man, I've got my eyes on my man Meatball Howell. He's coming in hot into this race."

"John B," Cassie frowned examining his disappointed, frustrated expression. "Do you have any better ideas on how I can get twenty thousand dollars? Fast?"

"We be in this mess if you didn't make a deal with Barracuda Mike!" John B exclaimed.

"Yeah? But then the shop would be closed by now. It would've closed weeks ago. We were broke." Cassie explained, trying to be patient.

"We got Topper looking good. Rafe Cameron on that fire-breathing KTM, he could be your favorite today."

Cassie and John B both stopped pushing the bike as Rafe walked past them. She thought maybe she was in the clear, he was going on as if she didn't exist as usual and she'd go on without having to say a word to him.

But then he stopped, took a moment, then turned back around.

Cassie could see John B's shoulders fall as he turned to give her a knowing glance. Then he turned back to Rafe. "What do you want?" He asks, already annoyed.

Rafe glanced at Cassie, then to John B, then back to Cassie. His gloved hands holding onto the shoulder straps of his black chest protector.

"My dad went off with you and never came back." He nodded firmly. "I didn't forget that."

Cassie clenched her jaw, eyes trailing off to the cheering crowd around them, too annoyed to look at him.

"Had it all planned out." Rafe continued. "Didn't you, Cas?"

Cassie lets out a loud scoff, shaking her head. The nickname was used so intentionally. "When are you gonna stop blaming us, and start blaming your idiot dad who cared more about money than he did his own kids?"

Rafe was still for a second. Then he sprung forward, startling both Cassie and John B. "You fucking kidding me?!" His voice was raised, trying to get in her face, but John B stepped in between them.

"We've got a little bit of a tiff at the starting line— oh!"

Cassie was being pulled away before she could even process that he was yelling at her. That his face was so red, because of her. That the veins popping out at his neck, were because of her.

He'd never yelled at her like that before, and Cassie realized she'd gone too far.

"Well ladies and gentleman, the race hasn't even started and tensions are already high."