"It's my right to be hellish, I still get jealous."

❥

One week before summer break

group chat "pogues forever"

Pope sent a picture:

look who I found flirting today

JayB:

Iz, JJ?

Kie:

J, hands off my cousin

Izzy:

guys, we were talking about the waves, that's it

no pogue on pogue macking, remember?

JJ:

you're not even a pogue

Kie:

we're no Kooks either

JayB:

It's still weird

you look like your flirting

Pope:

is that how girls flirt?

Izzy:

I love how you supportive you'd be

Kie:

why don't you tell John b that you're not flirting?

Iz?

Izzy:

Damn

I just put my phone away for like two seconds

because you wouldn't believe it if I denied it

so why even make the effort

JJ:

why ignore what they say?

You were obviously flirting with me babe

Izzy:

seriously?

wow this is why I like kook boys better

they're not so needy

Pope:

What's that supposed to mean?

Izzy:

You're an exception, P 💖

Kie:

since when do you actually like Kooks?

Izzy:

that's not a crime, Kie

you only like to ignore that I'm friends with Top

JayB:

Top?

Wow okay someone else is needy

Izzy:

wow okay bye

JJ:

man you ruined it,

I was on a good way to get her

Kie:

I can't believe you hang out with someone like Topper

and call him "Top" 🤢

Pope:

and like him

JayB:

is she like ditching us for them?

Kie:

now she's ignoring us, what a bitch

JJ:

Yo, Iz, angry sex?

Pope:

Give up, bro

❥

"Bella, who irritated you again?", Topper asks with a concerned look when he joins Sarah and I in her family's garden and gives me a drink. "Do I look angry?"

"You always type so fast and aggressively when you're angry", Sarah tells me from the side sitting on a sun lounger next to me. "Just annoyed but it doesn't matter", I throw my phone in my bag and take a sip from my drink only to contort my face a moment after, "Top, that's too much alcohol."

"Are the pogues bothering you?", Rafe squashes himself on my lounger. "Nope", I lie easily and give him a quick kiss on his cheek so he would stop asking about them. Rafe and I aren't dating anymore but we hooked up from time to time. That's why no one looks at me weirdly when i kiss his cheeks or he kisses mine. It's not a surprise to him or the others.

It's not like I need to hook up with two guys at the same time, I don't like the situation either. Everything's just complicated with Rafe right now. I know that JJ is a flirt and in the past, the others and I saw him making out with a lot of girls, really a lot of girls. Almost every girl who breathes to be exact.

Even though JJ and I started dating after I've broken up with Rafe months ago, I still had to distance myself from Rafe slowly. That is why I didn't let go of him quickly after our breakup. I also had feelings for him, maybe I still do, but when JJ and I got together, things with Rafe completely ended, no matter how hard he was trying.

The moment that I broke up with him, he was devastated. I've never seen him like that before, not even when he's having a discussion with his dad. I was afraid that he would become insane if I left him within a second, especially since I knew about his addiction which to him, is only fun and not an addiction. I guess that is what a dilemma is called.

"It's a shame you lost her, bro", Topper grins holding Sarah in his arms. "Not my fault. Tell her that." "Hey, not that topic", I stop them but give my friends a sympathetic smile.

❥

"Ah, there you are, Izzy", I hear another voice behind me so I turn around and face John B and JJ. What the hell are they doing on the Cameron's dock? John B works here, alright, but JJ? Do they want to get killed?

"Hey, this is kook land. Leave my property", Rafe immediately stands up and points to their boat. I roll my eyes mentally. This would not end well. "Isn't that your daddy's, kook?", JJ grins stupidly, "We're just here for Izzy. So, you ditch us for kooks?"

"What are you even doing here? Are you following me now?", I ask instead. I decide to ignore JJ's childish comment and turn to John B believing that it was better to talk to him right now. "You're going to regret it if you follow her like that", Rafe hisses but I hold him back by his arm. "I had to fix the boat", John B points to Ward's yacht, "JJ helped me and we saw you hanging out here with them."

"Good then you can work on the boat or at least leave the garden now, right?", I look at him seriously while Topper and Sarah clap in the background - they are obviously enjoying this - and Rafe lays his arm around my waist and kisses my cheek to show me off. "That's my girl", he whispers in my ear but still loud enough for the others to hear it. JJ is going to freak out.. I couldn't even tell anyone the truth because Rafe would freak out if he knew about JJ and John B and JJ would also hate me for lying to them about Rafe, even if it's been months ago. 

"If you want to downgrade yourself with some kooks, fine. Hope he fucks you at least half as good as I would", JJ goes on as expected. And although I could understand him, I wonder how he could talk to me like that. Before I could even reply, Rafe lunges out to drag JJ to the ground in just a second. He isn't much stronger than JJ but he chose the right moment when JJ didn't expect it. "Rafe! JJ!", I scream, "Drop it, both of you. Please."

"This pogue can't just come to my house and talk to my girlfriend like that!", Rafe yells back and tries to punch JJ again but Topper holds him back. Luckily, Topper understands me when I look at him. "Girlfriend?", John B and JJ repeat shocked and give me a look which tells me that we would have to talk later. "Rafe and I are not dating", I state quietly and hope that everyone else would stay as calm as I try to be, "Please, will you two just leave now? I'll explain this to you later." Great, now the pogues are going to hate me. Thanks Rafe.