ISSUES II outer banks

cheers to us

"I hope that you'll be here when I need you the most so don't let me down."

❥

Five months before

"It's good to see you, Isabella. Rose is preparing a delicious dinner. I hope you're hungry", Ward Cameron opened the door for me when I stood in front of their huge house.

I thanked him and looked around. I knew the house since I came here often. My pogue friends would freak out if they knew about it, mainly about the fact that I was dating Rafe Cameron and friends with his sister Sarah. I was afraid of Kiara's reaction since they stopped being friends within a day. The boys would probably have a bigger problem with me and Rafe or the fact that I hang out with Kooks in general.

"Rafe is in his room", Ward told me knowing for whom I was waiting, "Rose is still cooking but you can come downstairs in about ten minutes." I nodded and walked upstairs where Wheezie noticed me. "Bella! Can't you visit us to have dinner more often? Rose never cooks as good as she does when you're here."

"Dad's only trying to impress and make her feel good here. If he actually believed that I was good enough, he wouldn't feel the need to make my girlfriend happy", Rafe came out of his room and laid his arm around my waist as usual. His words made me feel sad for him. I knew that he felt like that and always tried to help as much as I can but I couldn't change their family. I could only try to comfort him. So I turned to face him and laid my hand on his cheek softly "Don't say that. You are good and your dad knows that."

"What? Is she playing your heroine again?" Rafe and I looked to the side where our friend Topper stood showing a goofy grin. "At least I've got one", Rafe reversed and bro-hugged him. "I'm just a lapdog or what", Sarah shook her head but laughed together with me. "Don't mind our idiots. They know they couldn't live without us", I gave her a hug as well.

❥

"Isabella, how are your parents? It's been a long time that I've seen Harvey and Dana", Ward addressed me during dinner which was absolutely delicious just like he promised. "They're busy as always but fine. Mom told me that she got in contact with some new clients and dad as well."

"Well, that's what you do when you're the best lawyer in a city like New York", Ward nodded as if he had already known that I would say that, "I heard that you're working in your aunt and uncle's restaurant now?" "Yes, I am. My first day was Friday. I appreciate it a lot that they gave me the opportunity to live here instead of New York so I hope to be able to help them and give back to them."

"You're a good child, Isabella. If only every child was as kind as you." I decided to stop the topic by not replying and only giving him a smile. Maybe he didn't mean it like that but I could see it in Rafe's eyes that he felt offended by his dad. Honestly, I could understand it. There are a million other things that he could have said. But he didn't.

❥

"Thanks for earlier", Rafe whispered into the dark when we sat on the roof of the house later. "I didn't do anything."

"You always do something and somehow, whatever you do, you do it right. How do you do that? How do you always know what to say?" "I only say what I think, it's nothing special. Your dad doesn't mean it like that. You're not bad just because he never says the opposite to you. You're good to me", I said back before Rafe crashed his lips onto mine desperately.

"I love you, Isabella. So, so much. Never leave me", he stopped for a second, "Say you never leave me. I need to hear it from you. Say it, please."

"I'll never leave you, Rafe."

❥

One week before summer break

"What are we going to do the next months?", Pope asks the four of us when we sit in John B's garden to hang out.

As Kiara's cousin, people consider me being a kook. Plus, my parents and Ward are friends so I guess that this assumption is legitimate. But just like Kie, I consider myself a pogue. I started hanging out with kooks when I first came here because I know how much it means to my aunt and uncle that they live in Figure Eight. They weren't born rich, they work for what they get. As it was generous of them to let me life with them, I try to not make them any problems. But still, I love my pogues. They're my family, I would never deny it. I guess we've found a compromise.

"You sound like it's awful to have a break from school", I chuckle. "As if you are any different", JJ mocks me although he knows the reason why I focus on school.

I look around but my eyes stop when they perceive his ocean blue eyes. I observe his cocky laugh and imagine how it feels like to run my hands through his blonde curls. I don't have to imagine that, I know what it feels like. I remember our little moments that the two of us had the past months. How it started when he helped me after I broke up with Rafe. I never told him what exactly happened and who I was talking about, he would freak out if he knew. But he comforted me when I felt like I had let Rafe down. He was the one who told me that it is okay to think of myself first and who made me believe it.

JJ notices my glance and smiles back softly. I would love to just throw myself at him in that moment but we agreed that the both of us don't want the others to know that we are dating now. I still can't believe it sometimes. 

"I'm spending summer with my best friends. What's better?", John B raises his beer bottle in the air, "Cheers to us!"

"Cheers to us!" "Pogues forever!"