A Chapter| Chapter Eight

Lila was use to waking up early now, her body had gotten use to it after she moved to the OBX. Something she wasn't use to was waking up somewhere she didn't know and that seemed to be exactly what she did that morning. With a gasp she sat up straight, finding herself in a room she didn't recognize. It took Lila a second to recall the memory from the night before as she relax, she was only at Toppers.

She found the bed she was in empty, her being the only one there. That's not how she fell asleep, she remembered Rafe being with her when she did. With a rub to her eyes, Lila got herself out of the extremely soft bed, one she wanted to stay in for a moment longer but she had to remember herself this was Toppers house, and he didn't necessarily seem to like Lila too much. She found the floral shorts on the ground, her purple baiting suit top all the way across the room as she groaned and went to get it.

Once she was dressed again Lila passed a mirror on the wall, pulling her hair up so it didn't appear so unkept, not expecting to find a hair brush any time soon. Hesitantly, she opened the bedroom door after making the bed and made her way toward the staircase. Her bare feet tingled against the marble floors, wishing she knew where her shoes were. The house was still a mess from the night before, to Lilas luck it seemed to be empty.

In order to get to the door she had to pass through the large kitchen, not thinking anything of it. As Lila did so she gasped when she saw Topper pouring protein powder into a blender. He looked at her in shock, both of them stunned. It surprised Lila how quiet he was, she'd expected to hear him when she made her way downstairs if he was here. As of Topper, he was just shocked to see the blonde in his house.

"Topper, hey." Lila said awkwardly, putting her weight on one foot as she cleared her throat.

"Hey, Lila, what are you doing here?" he asked her confused. Lila thought it was odd how he didn't snap at her like he usually did, but she knew people usually acting a lot different around people they needed to impress.

"I ugh- I fell asleep here last night, i'm really sorry." she apologized quickly, ready to take the yell he'd project onto her any second now.

"No, no don't worry about it. I didn't even know you came last night." he said while continuing the measure the powder, putting it into the blender.

"Yeah, Rafe invited me. Um, I slept in the last room on the right, I made the bed and everything though." Lila said quickly as he laughed at her slightly, looking up from the measuring cups as he put the lid on the blender.

"Don't worry about it." he shrugged his shoulders as Lila cleared her throat with a small nod.

"I ugh- have you seen any sandals? They're purple, have these little white flowers on the edges. I have no clue where they went." Lila asked him, hoping he'd see them so she didn't have to walk barefoot all the way back over to the cut.

"No, no, I don't think so. If I find them I can run them by though, you moved into the guest house, right? Over at Sarah's?" he asked, his face falling slightly as he said her name, Lila wanted to question what happened but she knew she was the last person he was gonna open up about relationships with.

"Yeah, well, kinda, we move today. Don't worry about it though, it's fine." Lila said as she took a step backwards toward the door, needing a excuse to leave but he seemed to still talk.

"Are you hungry? We got like, breakfast bars and stuff." Topper went on as he motioned toward the pantry behind him as Lila shook her head.

"No, no, it's fine." she said quickly, the growl of her stomach saying other side though.

"Here, just take one for the road." the blonde said as he turned to grab one, scanning through the box in the cabinet before he grabbed a blue wrapper.

"Thanks." Lila smiled as she took it from him, scanning the ingredients quickly.

"Hey um, did-" Lila stumbled over her words, she wanted to ask him about Rafe, stopping herself knowing it would have gave it away about last night. Topper noticed the hesitation on her face, mixed with worry and unreadable emotions.

"He left about half a hour ago, we're gonna go golfing so he had to go grab some stuff. Do you wanna stay and wait?" Topper asked as Lila shook her head quickly, possibly giving herself whiplash as she took a step back from the counter.

"No, no i'm okay, thanks though. See you around." Lila said, offering him a small smile as he gave her a wave as she opened the door before turning around quickly.

"Hey, are you, like, good?" Lila asked him, remember what Rafe said about him doing his first lines last night, pillowtalk as some would say, he gave her a confused look.

"I'm good, why?" he asked her, his finger hovering over the blender button as he looked up at her.

"No reason, bye." she said once again, a half smile as she left the house quickly. The sun burned her eyes as she wished she would have had her sunglasses with her, not expecting to be sleeping over though. Lilas feet burned on the concrete, hurrying to try and walk in the glass.

"Lila! Finally! We almost left without you." Pope said as he saw Lila walked toward the boat him and JJ were loading different delivers on.

"Sorry, I got here as quick as I could." Lila said as she shielded her eyes from the sun, taking JJs hand as he helped her on the boat before grabbing her arms.

"Woah, who and where were you last night?" the boy asked with a laugh, nodding toward the reddish purple marks scattered along Lilas neck and chest.

"Nowhere, where's your bag?" she asked, getting out of his hold as he nodded toward the backpack he had. Lila dug through it, looking for any shoes.

"JJ, where's your extra flops?" Lila asked, remembering him keeping a pair with him usually.

"There in there." he answered as Lila sighed and continued to search before she found them, pulling them on her feet as she walked to help the boys.

"Hey Popes dad." Lila smiled at the man as she grabbed a bag from his hands.

"Hey there Lila." he greeted her, a comforting feeling washing over Lila as she smiled.

"You three get these groceries over to Figure Eight. Get straight back here when you're done. No fishin and no throwing yourself off the boat, i'm looking at you lady." Pope dad said with a knowing look as Lila couldn't help but laugh, nodding her head as she was carful to lay the groceries down next to JJs feet.

"Could have just picked you up over at Figure Eight, that was where you were, wasn't it?" JJ asked as he looked at Lila, making her give him a look.

"Give me a break, JJ." she sighed, playful pushing him as he pushed her back, grabbing her arms before she fell as the duo laughed together.

"I still don't like your friends." Pope dad said as he looked at the blondes, Pope sighed knowingly.

"Rich folks don't wanna wait for you lazy sons of-" Pope dad began as JJ took a bag from him, "Oh, JJ. Thank you."

"Sons of bitches." he finished his sentence as Lila laughed loudly, taking one of the final bags.

"Right." Pope nodded as he took the last bag and waved his dad goodbye.

"Doesn't even look like the storm hit there." Pope said as they passed one of the Kook houses that looked beautiful as ever.

"That's because they got generators, bro. Get use to it." JJ said as he toyed around with a knife between his fingers, looking over and seeing Lila smiling to herself as she stared out at the water.

"Hey, Cheshire Cat! What you grinnin' about?" JJ called out, getting Lilas attention as she looked over at him like a dear in headlights.

"I'm not, you Golden Retriever!" Lila shot back at him as Pope shook his head at their words.

"I'd leave you alone if you just told me were you where last night." JJ teased as he threw a arm around Lila as Pope pulled over toward the docks.

"I told you I was nowhere." Lila said, poking his side as he jumped and let her go, making Lila chuckle to herself as she put one of the hats, on the boat, backwards over her head.

"So those just appeared on their own?" JJ questioned, motioning toward her chest as Lila nodded her head with a hum.

"Yup, it's my hidden talent." she said as JJ gave her a look of disbelief while Pope laughed loudly.

"Where to first, Poparie?" Lila questioned, picking up a few bags.

"You and JJ are gonna run these over toward your moms actually, ordered some stuff for your move in day." Pope said as Lila nodded, passing JJ a few bags as she was carful to get off the boat.

"We'll be back!" JJ called out to Pope as the boy rolled his eyes at the duo who were walking side by side, faint laughed and odd accents from both of them still echoing in Popes ears.

"I see you finally decide to come back, where were you all yesterday?" Grace asked as she saw her daughter walking over toward her, bags in hand.

"After I jumped off the boat as a protest? Oh I was just sleeping with old men for money and skinny dipping with JJ." Lila said sarcastically as she passed her mom the bag, getting a look in return.

"Very true story actually." JJ said as he following Lila into the guest house.

"We were worried, Lila, you need to start checking in." Grace scolded as they walked into the kitchen to lay the stuff down.

"I will, i'm sorry, just lost track of time and crashed over at Kies." Lila lied as she was thankful JJ wasn't in ear link to hear her.

"Woah, this is nice." JJ said as he looked around at the home, soaking up the AC.

"That reminds me, can JJ stay the night? We're gonna slumber party." Lila asked as Lacey walked into the room.

"We'd love to have JJ!" the woman gushed as JJ gave her a side hug making Lila roll her eyes.

"Your mama loves him." Grace said as she nodded toward the duo who were talking, gushing over the furniture.

"I'm well aware, you on the other hand don't like anyone." Lila said with a laugh as she put a few of the lemonades into the new refrigerator.

"Not true, I like..." Grace trailed off as Lila gave her a knowing look.

"Fine, so I don't like any of your friends." Grace explained as she threw her hands up in the air.

"I told you." Lila said as she gave Rose a small smile.

"Where do you want your stuff, honey?" the blonde asked as Lila blinked.

"Uh, i'll unload everything if it could just go in my room?" Lila asked guilty, feeling bad until movers walked in and brought stuff in, making it known Rose wasn't the one to unload her things.

"JJ! We gotta go!" Lila called out as the blonde looked over his shoulder.

"So good to see you again, have a good day." JJ said sweetly to Lilas mom as the woman smiled at him, Lila rolled her eyes and shoved him out the house.

"Ass kisser." Lila said as she bumped his shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure your mom wants us to get married, Lila." JJ said as the two walked back toward the docks.

"You wish, i'll race you!" Lila said before she shoved him and took off back to the boat, JJ fresh on her heels.

"Pope! Dude, you are not gonna believe what just happen to me man!" JJ yelled as him and Lila neared the boat again, carful to climb on as Lila fell onto the seats with a huff.

"That was the best one hundred bucks i've ever made, and Lilas mom even let me keep a beer as long as I drink it in the house, isnt that the best? When I say count me in on all these grocery deliveries. Pope, I mean it." JJ said as he fell into the seat as well. Popes silence made Lila look over, seeing the boy motionless was he stared out at the water.

"Pope, you alright?" Lila asked worried, sitting up some to give him a worried look.

"Yo, what happened to your face, dude?" Lila asked as she saw the bruises forming on Popes face already, pulling his hats up to revel a large gash. Lila sat up quickly, rushing over to the cooler as she dug for ice.

"Jesus! What happened?" JJ asked the boy as Lila hurried past him, carful to put the ice she tied around a wash cloth to his face as he wince slightly.

"Rafe and Topper jumped me." Pope said with zero emotion, continuing to stare forward. It was probably best he did because if he would have looked over he would have saw the blood drain of Lilas face as she blinked in shock.

"Rafe did? How?" Lila asked, standing up straight as she clinched her jaw, trying to hold herself together but her heart was hurting, not knowing the boy was capable of something this bad to one of her best friends at that.

"With a golf club." Pope said to her, JJ looked over to see the hurt expression on Lilas face, knowing it wasn't the right time to ask her.

"They said no Pogues on their side of the island." Pope added in as Lila turned to looked at the water, sucking her lips in as her eyes watered slightly. Things were fucked now.

"What are we gonna do?" JJ spoke up, making Lila turned around. Her eyes resembled a sad puppy dog in those moments, she seemed more hurt then either of them had seen her before. Both boys knew there was more reason behind it, and maybe there was, but Lila wasn't gonna admit that and even they knew that.

"Keep the ice on it, Pope." Lila said, walking over to wipe the boys tear that slide down his face, holding the shitty ice pack to his face better as the boy looked at JJ as the blonde nodded, he knew what he had to do.

"2020 Malibu, 24-MXC." Pope said as he stared at Toppers boat tied to one of the docks, floating nearby as it continued to shine beautifully. Lila sat away from the two now, at the front of the boat as she stared out at the water. Her thoughts were loud, so loud that they were giving her a headache. She didn't know what to say, the feeling of guilt in her stomach as if it was her fault Pope got hurt, feeling the need to take the blame for Rafes actions.

"This is war, Pope. They hit us, we hit them." Lila could hear JJs voice from behind her, usually adding in with anything the boy said but this time she didn't, this time she was silent. Lila looked over when she heard a splash, whipping the few tears that slide down her face, she was truly trying to keep herself together in the moments. She watched the boy swim over toward the boat, unaware of JJ looked at her.

"L, you all right?" JJ asked, seeing her eyes slightly red. Lila nodded, knowing if she tried to speak her voice would break and send her over the edge. Pope swam back after pulling the plug in Toppers boat, climbing up the latter JJ put down for him.

"Wow, you did it." JJ smiled as Pope grinned, holding up the small latch.

"I'm so proud of you right now." JJ went on as he smiled proud at Pope. Lila stood up, going back to the cooler as she pulled out three beers.

"Here we go." Lila said, speaking up for the first time in minutes. Her voice was weak as she passed them the two beers, barely clinking them together as she began to down it and walk back toward the front of the boat to sit down, her thoughts loud once again.

"JJ, Lila! You guys can't tell anybody." Pope said as Lila nodded her head as JJ reassured him he wouldn't.

"No, not anybody. Not Kie, not John B, nobody." Pope shook his head quickly as Lila gave him a quick thumbs up as she turned back to the boat, flipping the beer upside down as the taste she hated so much filled her mouth.

"Yup, our lips are sealed, give me that." JJ said as he took the latch, throwing it out into the water as Pope started the engine again while Toppers expensive boat sunk in the back.

Lila went straight to the Cameron's house once she got off the boat, declining the boys request to go surfing with them and Kie and John B as she told them she had something important to do. Lila pep talked to herself slightly on her way over, whipping her tears as she put on a brave face once she arrived at the house. She made her way up to Rafes room, thankful Rose and Ward were helping her moms out back and Sarah seemed to be no where to be found.

Lila heard the shower going as she entered his room, the bathroom connected to his room steaming from under the door. Lila waiting on his bed, her heart hammering as she tapped her foot, keeping her emotions to herself, knowing she shouldn't show any sight of weakness infront of him right now.

Lila looked up as the shower shut off, her heart race increasing. She thought back to the night before, thought back to the moment they shared that was nothing but perfect at the time. Then she thought back to this morning, thought back to the first thing she thought about when she realized where she was, was that she wanted to see him again. And now she was getting what she wanted, but far from the way she wanted it to be.

Lila sat up straight as the bathroom door opened, Rafe walking out as he finished buttoning up the final button on his shirt before his eyes met hers. He smiled, he actually smiled at her as if he had no clue why she was here. Lila stared at him, her foot no longer taping as she stood up.

"Hey." Rafe said, walking over as he leaned down, to what seemed to kiss her, before Lila moved out of the way. Rafe hesitated as he turned to her again, a confused look on his face as he pushed some of the wet locks back. He scanned Lilas face for a second, her jaw clinched in anger as her eyes were filled with pools of anger and hurt.

"What's wrong?" Rafe asked her, his voice was soft toward her like he actually cared, making Lila scoff as she crossed her arms.

"Like you care." she commented as his face fell, he was the one to seem rather hurt now.

"I care..." he trailed off, looking to the side before back at her, "Whats going on?"

"Did you beat Pope with a golf club this morning? On the golf course?" Lila asked. She knew he did, the more she thought about it the more she could see it. Truth was she was just wanting to see if he'd lie to her, but that's another thing she knew he'd do. Rafe blinked as he looked at her, not saying anything.

"I'll take that as your answer. What the hell is your problem?" Lila asked, dropping her arms as she got closer to him with a glare.

"Lila, just chill out." he said to her, never seeing her the way she was.

"I can't chill out when you hurt my friend! He had bruises all over his face, Rafe! You could have broken his ribs, or his jaw!" Lila yelled at him, his concerned look turning into a glare, matching hers as he looking down at her.

"They held a gun to Toppers head, Lila! That's okay to you though?" he asked her in disbelief as Lila rolled her eyes.

"Right, right, after the fact that he tried to drown John B, but that's okay to you thought?" Lila asked, mocking him which he knew she was doing. She'd done it before, never in this situation though, usually playful or jokingly. Rafe was silent and for a second Lila though she'd won the argument and he'd open up, tell her what was going on. But she was so fucking wrong.

Lila barely even saw his hand raise that's how quick he was, his right hand grabbing her face. His thumb digging into her jaw bone as his pointer finger pressed right under her cheek bone. Lila didn't move, she didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to do. She didn't expect Rafe Cameron to put physical pain on her the way he was doing right now, the sweet and sensitive boy who she just recently saw a different side of, digging his fingers into her skin as he backed her up into the wall of his bedroom, leaning down to be on eye level with her. She wished she would have listen to her friends now, she wished she would have stayed away when they told her to.

"I don't know who you think you are or what games you think you're playing, Lila, but I swear to god, keep your fucking mouth shut." Rafe spoke to her angrily, his voice low which terrified her even more then him yelling at her. He held onto her face a second long, yanking his hand away. He stared at her for a few seconds, waiting for her to say something or to do anything. But Lila simply looking up at him, the gloss on her eyes controllable as she held the same brave face she walked in with. Not letting him break her, not letting him get to her like he was wanting.

Rafe took a step back as he opened his mouth to say something, regret in his eyes. His mouth shut quickly as he left the room, his footsteps louder then they usually were down the steps. Lila waiting to hear the door slam before cried once again that day, her tears rolling down her face as she sobbed slightly. The throb in her face hurting, her heart hurting for Pope and for Rafe. She didn't know what to do, all she could bring herself to do was cry before she caught sight of her Moms out the window, unpacking a few things with smiling on their faces.

Reality sat into Lila once again as she realized they'd moved in, that she'd be living only forty feet away as of now. Lila took off out the house, running as fast as her feet could take her away from the Cameron house, she struggled to breath between her cries and her running.

She made it to the beach as she finally slowed down, seeing her friends laughing as they walked out of the water. Kie caught sight of her first, dropping her board as she saw the blonde.

"Lila, whats wrong? What happened?" she asked worried as Lila ran forward again, running into the girls arms as she sobbed. Kie held her close, shhing her as the boys all looked worried as Kie gave them a look.

"Hey, what happened?" John B's voice now filled her eyes as she felt his hand on her back from here she continued to hold onto Kie.

"I can't live there, I can't do it." Lila sobbed as JJ looked to Pope worried, knowing it had to have something to do with Rafe at her sudden change of heart.

"I'm so sorry, Pope, i'm so sorry." Lila cried as she let go off Kie, hugging the boy as he jolted at the sudden impact, hugging her back as JJ walked over, joining in with the two as Kie and John B shared a confused look but joining in on the hug as well, holding and comforting Lila until she was okay again while the finger marking bruises formed slowly on her face.

•••
damn, this had me really sad ngl. Lila being all hurt really hurts me.
if you are in a toxic relationship or your partner is showing signs of abuse or you don't feel safe around him/her/ or they call the hotline below.
1-800-799-7233