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𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀

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Early the next morning, Cassie's eyes fluttered open with her braid somehow still in tact. She had forgotten to take it out due to last night's events so she already knew that once she unraveled it, her hair was about to be a mess of waves.

She felt Rafe's arm draped around her body with his shirtless chest pressed up against her back as he slept next to her and she cursed in her brain, starting to go over everything that had happened last night.

As her eyes danced around Rafe's room, she finally started to process what she had actually did with the boy. But for some reason, instead of feeling satisfied since she had finally got back at Sarah and JJ, she had felt...regret.

And now all she wanted to do was get out.

She slowly moved away from underneath his arm, trying to be careful not to wake him up. However, it didn't seem to work because as soon as his arm fell from her body, his eyes opened. "Cassie?" He spoke groggily, seeing her get up from the bed and grab her phone from his nightstand. "Where are you going?"

"Um, nowhere? I was just, uh, stretching my legs," she fibbed. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Rafe grinned. "No, it's okay," he assured her, taking in her appearance after he was able to see all of her last night. He had went through the moments in his mind, his body heating up at the thought. "Why don't you come back to bed. It's still early," he offered.

Cassie swallowed hard. She should have been happy about this. She should have been relishing in the fact that it seemed like Rafe Cameron was down bad for Sarah Cameron's arch enemy. But she just felt dirty, shameful. Like she had forced herself to do something she didn't want to do.

Which she had.

And it wasn't like Rafe had forced her into doing anything, she had been okay with it as it happened. But looking back, she knew she would be regretting her decision to go through with it for a long, long time.

"Oh, no, I should probably get home. My mom is probably freaking out because I haven't been able to text her where I am," she told the boy, looking for any excuse to just get out of there.

Rafe looked up at her from the bed, seeing the wariness on her expression but assumed it had been because she was nervous around him. And he liked that. He liked having that type of power over people. Especially girls. And many of the girls on Figure Eight seemed to act that way around him.

"Okay. Okay, yeah. But, uh, before you leave..." Rafe trailed off, making Cassie's stomach drop nervously since she had no idea what he could say right then. "You know we've been talking for a while and, uh, after last night...I have a feeling we both like each other."

Cassie forced out a chuckle, "Yeah." But she didn't like him. She had just been using him. Which she started to feel bad about since he was being so kind. That made her regret grow even stronger.

"I was wondering if you'd want to be exclusive with me. You know, no labels or anything yet. Especially because I know you and Sarah don't really get along. I just...I feel like this thing we have going on could be more," he admitted.

Cassie blinked at him, feeling as if someone had slapped her across the face. What have I done? She thought to herself. She didn't think that Rafe Cameron would actually want to solely be with her. When she had been planning her whole revenge against Sarah, she thought that if anything were to happen between her and Rafe, that it would be one and done thing. She would have never thought he would want to be with her.

How much flirting over the phone had she done with him for the past month?

Rafe watched as she didn't answer, wondering why it had been taking her so long. Any girl would have been jumping for joy if he had asked her to be exclusive with him due to his good looks, his last name, and the fact that he had never done that with any girl before. So the fact that Cassandra Blake, some girl he used to reject before he realized he had been overlooking her this whole time, wasn't doing just that...he knew something was wrong.

"Um..." Cassie finally voiced, at a loss for words which was something uncommon for her. "I think we, uh...we should just go with the flow for now, you know? I mean, not jump into anything right away," she slowly told him, trying to let him down easily without making it seem like she was totally rejecting him.

Rafe blinked at her owlishly, his muscles tensing underneath the covers of his bed. Cassie swallowed hard again, just wanting to run out of that room and never step foot in it again.

The Cameron boy then began to nod, running his tongue along his front teeth as he slowly got out of bed to stand up, asserting his dominance over her. "So your answer's no then?" He cut right to the chase, not wanting her to beat around the bush.

"Well — I — Um," Cassie stammered, looking up at the boy's tall frame in front of her.

"Just answer it, Cassie," Rafe said, getting impatient with the blonde girl in front of him.

Cassie released a sigh. "I'm just not ready for a relationship right now, Rafe. That's all."

"You're not ready for a relationship, but you're ready to fuck me?" Rafe questioned, making the girl sharply inhale. "I never you took you to be such a slut."

Cassie scoffed at him, growing angry. Suddenly, she didn't feel all too bad for using the boy. "Oh, so just because I don't want to date you automatically means I'm a slut?"

"Why else wouldn't you want to date me unless there are other guys you have lined up?" Rafe interrogated, stepping closer to her.

"Oh my God, you are so full of yourself!" Cassie exclaimed, forgetting that there were others probably sleeping in the house. "You think that just because every other girl wants to be in a relationship with you means that I want to as well? That's not how it works." She then began to shake her head, seeing the way that Rafe's fists had clenched. "I'm fuckin' leaving."

"Oh, yeah? Going to some other guy's house?" Rafe challenged.

Cassie gave him a mocking smile. "Yeah, wanna watch?" She bit back before she turned around and pulled open the door, exiting his room. She heard him release an exasperated sigh behind her, but didn't want to look back.

She looked down the hallway, seeing which door had been Sarah's. If she had been sticking with her plan, she would have tried to do some ridiculous stunt to make Sarah wake up and see her walking out of Rafe's room.

But now, she didn't want anyone to know what had happened between her and Rafe.

As Cassie snuck out of the Cameron household, Rafe ran his hands through his hair angrily before he marched over to one of his drawers, pulling out a bag of cocaine that he had been hiding under some old clothes. He examined it as he breathed out deeply before he began making himself a line.

Once Cassie had trekked her way back home, she was met with her mother's questioning about where she had been. Cassie had lied and told her she slept over Kiara's, which Savannah seemed to believe. However, she could tell that something had been bothering her daughter, she just didn't know what. And she knew better than to ask her since she would definitely be met with Cassie's ice cold responses.

Cassie stayed in her bedroom, lying back down since she had woken up early. But she couldn't go back to bed. Not when her mind had been racing, thinking about last night and that morning's events.

Nothing had gone in the way that she hoped and now she had to cope with the fact that she had slept with a man that had just called her a slut like she had meant nothing to him. And it wasn't like she wanted to mean something to him. She just wanted things to work out for her, which they never did.

She was starting to wish she had just stayed with the Pogues last night despite her argument with JJ.

Speaking of JJ, Kiara had been driving the Twinkie to Cassie's house with JJ in the passenger seat. She was making him apologize to her for what he said to her last night, not wanting Cassie to keep on avoiding them.

"So what am I supposed to say to her?" JJ questioned as Kiara pulled up to the house, parking in front of it.

"You say you're sorry, that's what. You say you didn't mean it, which you didn't," Kiara told him and he gave her a look. "I know you didn't mean it, JJ. You guys may argue at every chance you get, but you don't actually hate each other. You've never even done anything to each other to warrant that type of emotion."

"She just pisses me off," JJ rolled his eyes.

"Because she's the only girl who doesn't want to drop her pants as soon as you speak to her," Kiara pointed out, making him narrow his eyes at her. "Except me, of course," she winked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," JJ muttered as he pushed open the car door, stepping out onto the sidewalk and stretching his arms. "If she murders me, I'm coming back to haunt you," he warned the Carrera girl, pointing at her.

Kiara grinned teasingly. "Can't wait."

JJ turned around and walked up to Cassie's large house, licking his lips. He had only ever been inside it a few times since the usual hang out spot was the Château. Cassie would invite Kiara over and sometimes the three Pogues tagged along.

JJ walked up to the door and held his knuckles up hesitantly before he knocked on it. He then put his hands in his pockets as he waited for someone to answer the door.

It had been a minute or so until the door opened, revealing Savannah Blake. She furrowed her brows a bit at the blonde boy, not knowing why he had been there by himself. She knew that her daughter wasn't too fond of him, always complaining that he always ruined her hangouts with Kiara.

"JJ? What are you doing here?" She asked the boy.

JJ cleared his throat, taking his hands out of his pockets. "Mrs. Blake. I, uh, I'm here to talk to Cassie. Is she here?"

"Yes, she's in her room. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's good. I just , uh...need to speak with her," JJ said to the woman slowly.

Savannah's eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if the reason Cassie seemed so off that morning was because of the Maybank boy in front of her. "Okay. Her room is upstairs, the first door on the right," she told the boy. "Oh, and keep the door cracked, please."

JJ let out a low laugh, knowing what she had meant by that. "Oh, trust me, it's not like that at all," he immediately told the woman, not wanting her to get the wrong impression.

"Oh, I know. I just don't trust..." She trailed off, taking in the boy's appearance. It was clear that the Blakes and the Maybanks lived two completely different lives. "...boys like you."

JJ tensed at the woman's words, knowing that what she wanted to say was "Pogue boys like you." He had only spoken to the woman once or twice in passing, but he knew most Kooks were the same.

He forced a grin onto his face, nonetheless. "Right...You said the first door to the right?"

Savannah also forced a smile as she stepped aside, allowing the blonde boy inside. "Mhm." JJ stepped inside, making his way toward the steps. "Cassandra, you have a visitor!" Savannah yelled up to her daughter.

Cassie slowly got up from her bed, furrowing her brows. "A visitor?" She muttered under her breath. She assumed it had been Kiara, but she still went to go check how she looked in the mirror. She had immediately changed out of her coverup and bikini once she got home, replacing it was shorts and an oversized sweatshirt. She had also undid her braid, allowing the waves to flow down her neck.

She then heard a knock at her door and she pulled it open to see...JJ? "What the hell?" She immediately said breathlessly in confusion. "What the hell are you doing here?" She questioned, her voice raising.

"Sh, sh, sh," JJ quickly shushed her which only made her narrow her eyes. "Can I come in?"

"Why?" She spat, not forgetting about what he had said to her last night.

JJ tapped his foot, pursing his lips. "To...apologize," he revealed slowly.

She knitted her brows together. "Apologize?"

JJ clicked his tongue. "Yeah. So, can I come in?"

Cassie thought about it for a moment before she let out a sigh, stepping out of the way so he could go into her room. He had never been inside it before, taking a look around at the large room with the queen-sized bed and walk-in closet. She also seemed to have a balcony that had a view to three different sides.

"Nice room," he complimented, not knowing how to start this apology.

She narrowed her eyes. "Thanks...I guess. But, uh, what was that you were saying about an apology?" She asked, crossing her arms.

He turned around to face her, taking in her appearance. Seeing Cassie with her hair down had been rare since she had always been obsessed with keeping it in a braid or a braided ponytail. He also couldn't help but notice the bags under her eyes, wondering if she had lost sleep over what he had said to her. If only he knew that wasn't even the half of it.

JJ cleared his throat obnoxiously, earning an eye roll from the girl. "Cassandra Blake...I just want to say that I am deeply sorry for my words last night. I was already mad and I took it out on you. I...never should've said what I said. It wasn't true. I should've thanked you for defending me instead."

Cassie kept her arms crossed as she heard his apology, wondering if he had even truly meant it. "Really? Do you really mean that or did Kie force you to be here?"

JJ gulped. "Okay, well—"

Cassie scoffed, throwing her hands up. "I fucking knew it."

"No, no, Cassie, hey," he quickly said, stepping forward and grabbing her shoulder before he dropped it once she glanced over at it menacingly. "Yeah, Kie did want me to apologize. But she also made me realize that I should be apologizing. That's why I'm here. I mean, do you really think I'd actually come here to say sorry if I didn't actually mean it? Why would I want to even be near you?"

Cassie thought about it for a moment before she realized that he had been right. He wouldn't actually let Kiara force him into an apology, he was too stubborn for that. "Okay, so you didn't mean what you said then? It was just in the heat of the moment?"

"Yes, exactly."

"So you do want me around then?" She asked, but there was a bit of a teasing tone to it.

"Of course not," JJ answered and she narrowed her eyes yet again. "But that doesn't mean the others don't. Kie is your best friend and...I know Pope and JB like having you around."

She couldn't help but have her eyes light up at that. "They do?"

JJ watched the way her face had changed when she said it, realizing that what he said last night was really too far. He didn't want to feel bad, he really didn't. But he couldn't help it. He just didn't know why Cassie had kept on trying impress the Kooks if she wanted to feel accepted by the Pogues as well. "Yeah. They do," he confirmed.

Cassie smiled lightly before she quickly forced it away, not wanting JJ to see it. "Well, JJ...I accept your apology," she told him and the blonde released a sigh of relief, afraid that he would've been murdered. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop insulting you, dipshit. Not when you clearly deserve it."

JJ let out a laugh. "Yeah, I already knew that, Cassandra," he bit back. "I'm kinda surprised you didn't want to automatically kill me when you saw me, though."

"Oh, that's still on the table. Just one more fuck up and you're dead, blondie," she threatened.

"Blondie? You do know you're also blonde, right?" He pointed out.

"Yeah, but you're the dumb blonde in the group so it fits more," she told him and he rolled his eyes at her. And there they were, going back to their usual insults.

However, after JJ's apology, Cassie couldn't help but feel more regret for what she did last night since it had been to spite the boy. But now that he had apologized...had she just done it for nothing?

No, I was also getting back at Sarah, she assured herself, but she still didn't feel the way she hoped she would.

"Anyway, Kie's waiting in the Twinkie. We're going to the Château," JJ told the girl, walking past her.

"And you're inviting me?" She questioned him, turning around to see his back heading toward the door.

"Hell no. Kie is," he said, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah, that makes more sense," Cassie nodded before she followed the blonde boy then paused. "Oh, wait, let me change. We're probably gonna end up in the ocean by the end of today."

authors note!
cassie telling rafe she's not ready
for a relationship after she talked
with him for weeks and slept with him
#womeninmalefields