Rafe felt like a safety net to Katherine, as shitty as that sounded. She cared about him deeply as a friend, but making out with him was simply like a drug to help her forget the hurt that she felt after Todd's admission. Emphasis on making out, because she told him she wanted to take things slow, AKA, she didn't want to sleep with him again. Not when she wasn't exactly clear on what she wanted between them.

Rafe's room was silent, apart from the two of them coming up for air every so often, between locking their lips together. She drove him completely mad with lust just by simply existing. The taste of her tongue against his, fighting for dominance was intoxicating. It was better than the cocaine addiction he'd been sporting, though, that was definitely a very close second.

Katherine was straddling him on his bed, ignoring the way his hands trailed over her thighs in an attempt to push her skirt up slightly. He was pitifully desperate for any kind of touch she'd give him. It was almost endearing. Almost.

"Fuck, Kat, come on," he groaned against her lips. "You're killing me." She felt bad, really. She knew the kind of affect she was having on him--she could feel it through the swim trunks he was wearing.

So, she decided to be generous. She started to kiss down his body, still sitting in his lap, but before she could get too far, the bedroom door swung open and Katherine sat upright. Topper's eyes widened before quickly squeezing shut. "Fuck, dude, my bad!"

Saved by the Topper, she thought to herself. "Sorry, maybe next time," she shrugged, giving him a quick peck on the lips for good measure.

"Fucking tease," he muttered, almost frustrated. "Tell them I'll be a minute."

Katherine stifled a chuckle as she smoothed her hair back down. She left the bedroom and was met with a frowning Sarah right outside. "What are you doing, Kat," she chastised.

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Sarah knew Katherine didn't actually like Rafe in that way and she didn't even care about it being on Rafe's account, but she didn't want to see her best friend go down yet another bad path like she had with Todd.

Katherine, however, wasn't in the mood to be lectured. "You're the one that told me to have fun, so that's exactly what I'm doing," she countered, more hostile than she'd intended. "So, are we going to this stupid beach clean up, or what?" Sarah flinched at the harshness in her tone and Katherine immediately ceased fire. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "Rafe and I are just having fun, okay? I'm not...I'm not going there with him." she shrugged, looking down at her nails that badly needed to be filled. "Sorry for scarring your boyfriend." She didn't bother stifling the smirk that crept onto her face. "He should probably learn to knock, though."

Sarah's smile met her eyes, like it always did. "He's fine, just throwing up in the bathroom," she joked, linking their arms as they walked down the stairs together.

Katherine knew that no matter what curveballs were thrown her way, Sarah Cameron would be the only constant and there was nothing in this fucked up world that could convince her otherwise.

The four of them walked outside and made their way to Topper's fancy new boat that he couldn't wait to show off. Even Katherine had to admit, it was pretty freaking sweet. Its sleek black exterior with red accents stood out against the array of white yachts that lined the pier.

Rafe grabbed her hand and helped her aboard, before pulling her to sit in his lap at the back of the boat. Sarah perched herself next to Topper by the wheel like a good trophy girlfriend did, as they began to wade down the marsh towards the beach.

Katherine slid her glasses up into her hair at the sight of a skimpy little boat headed in the opposite direction. She was still draped in an unassuming Rafe's lap, but she was certain he was going to feel the way her heart sped up in her chest when she made direct eye contact with the blonde haired, ocean-eyed, smart-ass Pogue that still infiltrated her mind, no matter how many times she kissed the drug she knew as Rafe Cameron. She couldn't make out the hurt in his eyes, but she still hoped he couldn't see the regret in hers.

JJ couldn't see anything past the embarrassment that churned in his gut. He wasn't sure what he was expecting the next time he saw Katherine, but it damn sure wasn't to be clinging on to Rafe like the finest of accessories.

Pope gave his shoulder a subtle squeeze. "Sorry, man."

"They're all the same, JJ," John B muttered, still sulking after having trusted Sarah not to tell her father that he had stolen the scuba gear.

JJ quickly bounced back, shrugging his shoulders, feigning nonchalance. "Yeah, no, I-I mean, obviously," he scoffed.

Kie was too busy glaring at the girls in the boat to even remotely care about what the boys were talking about. "Don't have to act like you don't see us, bitches," she called.

Katherine focused her gaze forward, brushing her hair over her shoulder. A firm frown found it's way onto her face and she slid her sunglasses down in an attempt to hide the rest of her expression.

Several other of Kildare's teens had already found themselves on the beach, getting ready for a thrilling day of cleaning trash and what debris was left from Agatha.

All eyes were on them when they left the boat, but that was nothing new for any of them. They came from the three richest families in Kildare, so people either loved them or wanted to be them.

This time in particular, though, Katherine felt like more eyes and whispers fell on her directly. Everyone was wondering what in the hell she was doing there with Rafe instead of Todd. She held her head high, though, as the four of them grabbed trash bags and gloves.

Blissfully unaware of the eyes on them, Sarah started to tell them about her run-in with John B the evening before. "You should've heard how he talked to me," she scoffed. "That kid's got a mouth on him." She worked to slip her gloves on over her hands.

Topper gave her a sympathetic sigh. "Well, he showed his true colors Sarah. I-it's what I've been trying to tell you. He's lucky your dad didn't press charges."

Katherine raised an eyebrow, listening to the exchange. "You ratted him out?" She looked at her best friend through her sunglasses.

Sarah was quick to shake her head. "No. But he didn't even give me a chance to tell him that," she scoffed. "Stealing scuba from us after everything my dad has done for him. He's been so generous. You'd think that he'd be more grateful. And then he yelled at me like it's my fault!" She ceased her ranting, shaking her head.

"They're dirty fucking Pogues, Sarah," Rafe huffed, uninterested in hearing her drone on and on about the lowlife. "Not sure what you were expecting."

Katherine frowned at the harshness of Rafe's voice in regards to the Pogues. They weren't all bad, but she didn't dare argue that point with him.

"Yo, you guys look thirsty!" Katherine had never been more thankful in her life to see Kelce. He held up a clear bottle with what looked to be flavored water, but she knew better when it came to him, especially with the look on his face.

Rafe's eyebrow immediately perked up in interest, as he pulled the cup from Kelce's hand. He unscrewed the top and sniffed the contents before pulling his head back. "Holy shit," he laughed, before taking a swig. He scrunched his face in disgust. "What the fuck his this," he chuckled out.

"That's how we do it baby," Kelce wrung his hands together.

Katherine took the bottle from her hands and, just as Rafe had done, she smelled of the contents. "Kelce, what the fuck did you do to this," she scoffed, taking a swig. The alcohol was so strong, it seized all of her senses—burning her tongue, nose, throat and even made her eyes water. "That was terrible," she choked out through her laughter. Topper was next, then Sarah, but Katherine's eyes widened when Wheezie snatched the bottle from her sisters hands. "Whoa, Wheezer!"

Sarah was quick to grab the bottle back, just as surprised. "When did you start drinking?" She sounded more amused than angry.

Wheezie simply shrugged. "Since today," she said with nonchalance.

Katherine laughed, shoving the youngest Cameron playfully. "Great going, Kelce," she scoffed, taking the bottle back from Sarah, fully prepared to choke down another sip. She needed as much of a distraction as possible to get through the day. Plus, she had to admit, she was having fun hanging out with her friends.

Her plan was foiled by one of the church leaders that was heading their way. "You guys got it under control?" Katherine's eyes widened and she shoved the bottle back into Kelce's chest, who was quick to position it back into his cooler.

Topper waved casually, putting on his famous Thorton shit-eating grin. "Yes sir! It's looking good sir."

"Just hydrating," Sarah followed his lead. Katherine did her best to stifle a giggle that was trying to surface. They all formed a wall in front of Kelce, trying to hide the contents of the bottle. "Almost finished."

The man simply gave them a thumbs up and an oblivious smile. "Great job. Keep it up!"

"I sure am trying," Katherine hummed lightly through her toothy grin, just loud enough that her friends around her could hear, making them erupt into their own fit of laughter.

Between the five of them—and Wheezie, who had managed to sneak a few more sips without them knowing—they finished off two bottles of the mystery liquid. By the end of the day, they had a lot more fun than they had intended.

When they circled up at the water's edge, the sun was beginning to set beyond the horizon and cast a beautiful golden hue that reflected off of the ocean. Rafe couldn't help but notice the way it made Katherine looked like an embodiment of heaven.

Katherine, on the other hand, was focused on her best friend, as they tried to stifle their giggles at the man in the center who was speaking, but when he reference 'The Big Kahuna' Katherine snorted and Sarah giggled.

Topper shh'd them, but he was clearly trying to keep himself from laughing, too.

"Thank you for the opportunity for us to come out here and restore Masonborough to its virgin glory. Amen."

That sent Topper over the edge, as he leaned into Sarah to try and soften his laughter, but when it was matched by Sarah and Katherine's giggles, it was no use.

Rafe simply rolled his eyes, choosing not to feed into the childishness of giggling at the word Virgin. He pulled Katherine closer to him, who was more than happy to lean her weight on him. "You're drunk," he scoffed, fighting off a grin.

Katherine shrugged, waving him off. "You're drunk," she objected, wrapping her arms around Sarah in a hug. "And so are you."

Topper and Rafe looked between the girls, but Topper was the first to speak. "Alright, let's get you two back to the boat. Both of them obliged, starting out hand in hand with each other, before drifting into the guys' arms.

Katherine couldn't seem to keep her hands off of Rafe and he didn't mind at all, especially on the boat ride. "Stay tonight," he murmured in her ear, definitely feeling worked up thanks to her cascade of kisses down his neck.

"I'm drunk," she reminded him, teasingly.

"And I'm horny," he scoffed. "What's your point?"

Katherine brushed his hair back, looking imploringly into his eyes in hopes of finding something that made her heart skip a beat. There was nothing, though. Nothing but sexual tension that they had both been building.

It was a shame, though, because on paper, Rafe was the perfect guy for her. He was rich, incredibly attractive and stood up for her when it came to Todd. She wanted to like him as more than just a friend...maybe one day she could get there.