Slater supposed she should have been grateful that her parents were even letting her come to Midsummers in the midst of her grounding. Although, due to her protests about the whole event, they likely considered it a punishment all on her own.

The Cambry-Shoupe family loaded themselves into the car before driving over to the country club. Unlike their home, the club bordered the ocean. As they drove past the water, Slater couldn't help but itch to be in it. The waves were in the perfect condition for a great evening of surfing.

They pulled up to the clubhouse, where a valet took their car away. Vic led his wife and daughters inside the building, where there was already quite a crowd of rich kooks.

Slater's eyes darted towards the bar. She really wanted a drink. She knew the bartenders regularly served Figure Eight's underaged youth, but she doubted her parents would let her even have a single glass of champagne. She knew her father wouldn't want his daughter to be seen at a public event underage drinking, even though he himself turned a blind eye to the business's alcohol policies.

"I'm going to go find my friends," Maeve announced before setting out into the crowd.

"Me too," Slater said. As she took a step forward, she felt a firm hand clamp on her arm.

"What friends are those, Slater?" Vic asked.

Slater sighed. "Kiara Carrera. She's the only person I know here, Dad. Please don't be like this tonight, Dad."

Vic's eyes softened and he released his grip on Slater's arm. He was suddenly unable to meet her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Slate. Go ahead. Have fun tonight."

She offered a soft smile. "Thank you."

As her parents' set off towards their friends, Slater drifted through the crowd, keeping her eyes out for any familiar faces. She recognized a lot of them, of course, as Figure Eight was an extremely familiar community. However, she didn't see the Carreras yet.

"Slater Cambry."

A voice jumped out from behind her, setting uncomfortable shivers down the back of Slater's spine. She turned around, seeing Rafe Cameron's smug face in front of her.

"Rafe Cameron."

A waiter walked by, offering them each a glass of champagne. Slater took the drink, suddenly not caring what her parents thought. If she was going to have to talk to Rafe Cameron, she was going to need it.

"You clean up nicely," he said, smiling as he gave her a mocking nod of approval. "I can almost remember why I enjoyed last summer."

Slater rolled her eyes. "I guess you look okay too," she replied. "Although, I think you have something on your nose," she teased, touching the side of her nostril.

Rafe's face fell and he wiped at his nose before turning back to Slater with a glare. "Ha ha. Very funny."

Rafe's cocaine habit seemed to be common knowledge in Kildare County, to everyone but the boy's father, it seemed. Slater supposed Ward Cameron was too busy with his many business ventures and golden child, Sarah, to even care about his son's drug usage. It was sad, almost, though Slater knew that deep down, Rafe was the worst kind of asshole. He'd been that way before the drugs, and he would be that way long after.

He was handsome, though, and Slater's backhanded comment had some semblance of truth in it. He was dressed in a light blue suit, one that fit his muscular frame snugly and brought out the color in his light blue eyes. His hair was combed back neatly, and Slater could almost understand why she'd fallen for their little dalliance the previous summer.

"Our fathers look pretty chummy," Rafe noted, pointing across the room to where Leanore and Victor were chatting with Ward and Rose, Rafe's stepmother.

"They do," Slater agreed, narrowing her eyes at the two couples. Since when had her father been friendly with Ward Cameron?

"You've gotta come over and try that whiskey, Vic," Ward hooted, loud enough that Slater could hear it from across the room.

Slater's nose wrinkled and she turned away, catching a glimpse of a girl in a purple dress. Her eyes lit up as she realized who it was — Kiara.

"Rafe, as enchanting as it's been talking with you, I'm going to go," Slater said, giving the Cameron boy a brief wave.

"Don't let me stop you," Rafe said, taking a sip of his champagne as he disappeared into the crowd.

She made her way through the crowd to Kiara, who was standing with her parents.

"Kie!" Slater called out, tapping the girl's shoulder.

"Slater!" Kiara's face lit up as she saw her friend, and she pulled her in for a hug. "I'm so glad you're here. You look amazing!"

"So do you!" Slater replied. Kiara's dress was a stunning shade of lavender, and her curly hair was done into an elegant updo.

"Hey, where did you get that?" Kiara whispered, pointing to Slater's glass.

"A waiter gave it to me," Slater said. "Don't let my parents see."

"Mine either," Kiara said. "I'm in rocky enough water as it is."

"Did you hear anything from the boys about the letter?" Slater asked.

Kiara shook her head. "No," she sighed. "But maybe she has," Kiara said, nodding in the other direction.

Slater turned to see Sarah Cameron chatting with her little sister. She still couldn't believe that John B had included her in on their search. Sure, Slater maybe shouldn't have been one to talk, as it was on Kiara's insistence that she was even in the group, but Sarah Cameron seemed like a risky ally.

Then again, John B was a teenaged boy, one that was clearly into Sarah, despite the fact that she had a boyfriend. Who knew what actually happened in Chapel Hill. Slater wondered if there was anything the two had left out of their story.

Slater's eyes drifted from Sarah, and they landed on Topper Thornton, Sarah's boyfriend, and the boy whose boat Pope and JJ had sunk. She knew that Topper, along with Rafe and their other friends, consistently harassed the pogues and had beaten them up numerous times. Topper was making a beeline for Sarah, and almost as soon as Sarah noticed him, she started moving in the opposite direction.

She smirked and turned to Kiara. "Did you see that?"

"What?" Kiara asked.

"It looks like Sarah's hiding from Topper," Slater replied.

Kiara shrugged her shoulders. "Okay?"

"Do you think anything happened with her and John B when they were in Chapel Hill?" Slater asked.

Kiara shrugged again. "How should I know?"

Slater got the feeling that it was a sore subject, so she dropped it. "Let's get some champagne."

The two girls got new drinks and headed out onto the patio, where Slater was not-so-pleased to see Rafe seated at a table with some of his friends.

"Slater Cambry!" Rafe called out. Based on the rolled up dollar bill that was on the table, he'd just gotten done doing a line. "You just can't keep yourself away from me, can you?"

"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case," Slater muttered, taking a sip of her drink. "Let's go over here, Kie," she said, attempting to move past the kooks.

"Aww, come on," Rafe said. "We've got extra seats here."

"We pass, Rafe," Kiara said, her eyes narrowed at him.

"We're all old friends, right, Kie?" Rafe said, smirking. "Remember when we went to school together?"

"I try not to," Kiara replied.

"I didn't know you two were friends now," Rafe said.

"Well, we are," Slater said, her eyes darting between Kiara and Rafe. Part of her did not want Kiara to find out about her summer with Rafe. It was embarrassing.

"Come on, sit down," Rafe said. "I insist."

"We really can't, Rafe," Slater said, pointing to the benches he and his friends were lounging in. "There's only one spot, so..."

"That's alright, Slater," he said with a smirk as he gestured to his lap. "You can sit here, if you'd like."

Slater felt her face turn red hot, and she pressed her mouth into a thin line. "Fuck off, Rafe," she said before grabbing Kiara's arm and pulling her away. They found a spot far enough away from Rafe and his gang, and Slater sat down, immediately downing the rest of her champagne.

"Slater, are you okay?" Kiara asked. "What was that about? Are you ... do you know Rafe?"

She sighed. "Unfortunately."

Kiara grimmaced and took a sip of her own wine. "Oh god, it's not what I think it is, is it?"

"Unfortunately," Slater repeated.

"Really?" Kiara said, her face contorting. "You and Rafe Cameron? When?"

Slater frowned. "Last summer. It was our first year with the country club memberships, and he was kind of charming. In a, you know, an awful way."

A smirk filled Kiara's face, and Slater could tell she was trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude. It's just ... wow. Okay. Good for you. Was it ... you know, good?"

Slater groaned and covered her face, a laugh escaping her mouth. "It was fine."

Kiara laughed and sank back into the cushions of her chair. "We all have our mistakes, I guess."

"Some more than others," Slater added with a laugh.

One of the doors opened, revealing Slater's sister.

"Maeve!" Slater sat up immediately, suddenly very concerned that Maeve had overheard her conversation with Kiara.

"Mom and Dad are looking for you," Maeve replied. Her eyes narrowed on the champagne flute in Slater's hand. "Are you drinking?"

Slater nodded. "Yeah."

Maeve shrugged. "Cool."

"What do they want?" Slater asked.

"They want you to meet some people, I guess," Maeve replied.

"Can't you just tell them you couldn't find me?" Slater asked.

"They'll find you eventually. Wouldn't you rather just come with me rather than have them see that you're drinking?" Maeve said.

Slater groaned, knowing her sister was right. "Whatever." She turned to Kiara. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Kie. If I'm not, come get me."

"I'll come with you," Kiara said, standing. "I could use a refill."

The girls walked back into the clubhouse, passing a waiter who offered them more champagne.

"Yes please," Kiara said, grabbing two glasses off of his tray. Slater turned back to look at her, doing a double take at the man with the tray.

"JJ?"

Kiara turned and looked for herself, her eyes widening as she recognized her friend. "J, what the hell are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Hey y'all," JJ said, a grin on his face.

"Why are you dressed like a waiter?" Slater asked.

"I was trying to find you two. And Sarah."

Kiara frowned at the mention of the Cameron girl. "What for?"

"Pope and JB got the letter decoded. We know where the gold is," he said.

"Slater, we have to go find Mom and Dad," Maeve said, nervously looking between the three friends.

"Go on without me, Maeve," Slater said. "Tell them you couldn't find me."

Maeve looked worriedly at her sister. "O-Okay..."

"Go, Maeve," Slater hissed, giving the girl a gentle shove as she pulled Kiara and JJ into a corner. "What do you mean, JJ?"

"Mr. Sunn decoded the letter, and John B knows where to find the gold. I came to get you three and he's grabbing Pope from the fish stand. Now help me find Sarah," he said. "I have to give her this letter." JJ pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

"Why do we need Sarah?" Kiara asked.

JJ shrugged. "John B said we need her."

"We don't need —"

"Kie, we don't have time for that right now," JJ said, his eyes darting around. "Help me find her."

"There she is," Slater said, pointing towards Sarah, who was talking with her stepmother.

"John B's in the twinkie. Meet him down the street," JJ said before heading into the crowd, the tray of champagne glasses in front of his face.

Slater watched him go before turning to Kiara. "We can't just leave JJ here alone," she said.

Kiara nodded in agreement. "There's way too much of a possibility of him getting in trouble."

"You go find Pope and John B. I'll wait here for JJ and Sarah," Slater said.

Kiara frowned. "Are you sure?"

Slater nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Go."

Kiara nodded before heading off towards the back of the clubhouse. Slater made her way through the crowd, following JJ's path.

"Slater, there you are!"

She jumped as she felt an arm on her shoulder. Slater turned to see her mom and Vic smiling at her. "We have some people we want you to meet," Leanore said.

"Oh, Mom, now's really not a good —"

"This is Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, they're friends of your father's..."

Slater tuned out as her mother began talking, scanning the crowd for Sarah and JJ. She saw a flash of Sarah's white dress as the girl headed out on the patio, but JJ was nowhere to be found.

She finally caught a glimpse of him as he set down his tray and headed towards the restrooms. Behind him, however, she noticed Rafe and his group of friends, who were also seemingly headed in the same direction.

"Mom, I have to go. Excuse me," Slater said, ducking out of the circle.

"Slater!" Leanore called after her, but she was already racing through the crowd, following Rafe and JJ. If Rafe saw JJ at the club, there was no telling what he would do to him.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ author's note ✫・゜・。.

i really want to go to a rich people party. midsummers sounds so fun.

thanks for reading!

xx,
madi