Cassie's POV

I'm woken up to the sunlight pouring into my room and I groan, turning over. I collide with a warm surface and a smile tugs at my lips knowing it's Rafe under me.

"Most guys leave before the girl wakes up" I mumble sleepily.

"I'm not most guys" His raspy morning voice replies.

I peel open my eyes and lift my head to see him watching me contently as he draws patterns on my bare back with his finger. The sun rays beaming down on his face only make him look even more beautiful, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the light.

"Can we talk about what happened at Midsummers? Who was that guy?" Rafe suddenly asks.

"He's my ex boyfriend" I answer simply.

"The one who gave you this?" Rafe asks, tracing the scar on my chin and I nod.

"A lot happened in New York" I sigh.

"You can tell me anything. You know that, don't you?" He says, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"I'm scared, Rafe" I admit, looking down "I don't want you to look at me differently"

He cups my cheeks in his hands and lifts my head up to look me in the eyes.

"Nothing you say will ever make me look at you differently, Cas" He assures me.

I gulp and nod softly, laying my head on his chest as he goes back to drawing patterns on my back. I take a deep breath and begin telling him everything that happened, start to finish.

Rafe listens to every word I say, holding me close and comforting me as I struggle to tell him my story. When I finish, I look up at him and he looks down at me with an unreadable expression.

"Rafe, say something" I plead, sniffling softly.

"I should have killed him" Rafe spits angrily.

A laugh escapes my throat and Rafe looks at me in confusion.

"Thank you, Rafie" I mumble, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek "For not looking at me like I'm broken"

His face softens and he wipes my tears away, kissing my head.

"You're not broken, Cas" He whispers "You're perfect"

"Shut up" I giggle, hitting his chest and he smiles.

He opens his mouth to say something but my door handle is abruptly rattled and my eyes widen.

"Cassie, open the fucking door!" I hear my sister sob, knocking loudly.

"One sec, Kie!" I holler, jumping out of bed.

I pull Rafe's shirt on and do up a few buttons before throwing his pants at him. He yanks them on and I push him into my closet, telling him to stay quiet. I then unlock the door and Kiara falls into my arms, rambling through her tears.

"Kie, sweetheart, you're gonna have to take a deep breath and tell me what's going on" I tell her, rubbing her back soothingly.

She shakily takes a deep breath and wipes her tear stained cheeks.

"John B's in hospital, Topper pushed him off the Hawk's Nest" My sister tells me and my heart drops.

"No" I gasp, starting to hyperventilate "No, no, no, no, no"

"Cassie, he's okay" Kiara assures me and I look at her in disbelief.

"Why didn't you say that!" I snap.

"I thought he was dead, Cassie! He was just laying there and he wasn't moving. I was so scared" She tells me, tearing up again.

"Oh, Kie" I sigh, pulling her into a hug.

Suddenly a realisation hits me and I break away from Kiara, my eyes widening in fear.

"Kie, did you say he was in hospital? Like the actual hospital?" I ask worriedly and she nods.

"Fuck!" I curse loudly, running my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"Cassie, what's going on?" She asks me in confusion.

"The DCS, Kiara! They're gonna find him!" I shriek and her eyes widen.

"No, he's gonna be fine" She shakes her head, hope shining in her eyes.

"Yeah, you're right. Everything's gonna be fine. Just go get some rest, okay?" I tell her, calming myself down as not to worry her.

"Okay. I can do that" She nods, turning to exit the room.

Suddenly a phone starts ringing and I turn to see Rafe's phone light up from my bedside table. Kiara looks at me in confusion and walks over to pick up the phone but I beat her to it, snatching the phone.

"That's not your phone" She comments "Who's phone is that?"

"It's Kelce's, he told me to hold onto it for him yesterday but I accidentally went home with it" I lie and she looks at me sceptically, but nods.

"I'll speak to you later" She states and I smile sweetly at her before she leaves.

I then lock the door again and throw open the closet.

"You missed a call from your dad" I huff, handing him his phone.

He rolls his eyes and clicks the call option, padding over to flop onto my bed.

"Hello?...Why?...Are you being serious?...Fine, I'm on my way...I'm at a friend's...I said 'I'm on my way'...bye" He hangs up and drops his phone onto the mattress.

"What's wrong?" I ask curiously, crawling onto the bed to lay next to him.

"Looks like your Pogue boyfriend is staying with us" Rafe scoffs and my eyes widen, ignoring the boyfriend dig.

"Your dad took him in?" I ask in disbelief.

"Trust me, I'm surprised too" He replies.

"Do you have to go?" I ask and he turns his head to look at me, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Why? You gonna miss me?" He asks cockily and I roll my eyes, sitting up.

"You're so full of yourself, Rafe Cameron" I state, making a move to get up and Rafe grabs me.

I'm swiftly pinned to the mattress and I look up at the boy hovering above me.

"You could be full of me too. All you gotta do is ask, baby" He grins smugly and I ignore the way my heart flutters at his use of the word 'baby'.

"No thanks, babe" I smirk, pushing him off me and padding over to my bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Rafe whines like a child and I grin, leaning on the doorframe.

"To take a shower" I answer "You coming?"

His face lights up and he scrambles to his feet making me laugh as I enter the bathroom.

☁️☁️☁️

Now fully clean and dry, I stand in my closet trying to find something to wear. I decide on a cute navy dress covered in white flowers which I pair with white wedges.

"Are you ready yet?" Rafe complains from the door and I finish tying a white bandana around my head.

"Yeah, I'm ready" I chirp, waltzing past him.

He follows behind me as we both make our way through the house to the front door and as we exit I see his bike parked in my driveway. I give him an exasperated look and he sheepishly smiles back, shrugging innocently. He hops onto the bike and I climb on behind him, holding onto him tightly as he pulls out of the driveway.

We reach the Cameron mansion in no time and make our way inside to see Sarah at the kitchen table with Wheezie.

"Hey, Sar" I announce and she looks up, immediately rushing to crush me in hug.

"I'm glad you're here. It was awful, Cassie" She mumbles, hugging me tightly.

"Is he doing okay?" I ask, holding her out at arms length and she nods with a small smile.

"He's in the guest room across from the movie theatre if you want to go see him" She tells me and I grin, pecking her cheek.

I turn to Rafe who shrugs makes his way upstairs and then roll my eyes, walking towards John B's room. I reach the door and see him laying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Johnathan!" I squeal, jumping on top of him.

"Cassandra!" He grins, letting out a grunt as I flop onto him.

"You gave me a scare, asshole" I pout, poking his nose and he swats my hand away.

"I'm sorry" He apologises.

"I'm just glad you're okay" I smile, pecking his cheek before rolling off him and onto my back next to him.

"I think I found the gold" He states and I abruptly sit up, looking at him in awe.

"For real?" I ask in disbelief.

"For real" He confirms with a proud smile "We're so close, Cassie"

"Holy shit" I laugh "This is crazy"

"I'm meeting the others later to figure some things out, do you want to come?" He asks curiously.

"Not today, kiddo. Promised Rafe I'd hang out with him" I answer and he nods understandingly "But keep me updated, okay? And keep JJ out of trouble, Kiara too"

"Yes, ma'am" He salutes me.

"Take it easy, Johnathan" I warn him, patting his knee as I hop off the bed.

"You too, Cassandra" He retorts, making me laugh.

I shoot him a warm smile which he returns and exit the room, searching for Rafe. I search everywhere for him before deciding to check the garden. As I exit the house, I spot him with another guy, the both of them seem to be arguing.

"Rafe!" I yell, walking towards them and they both turn to me.

Rafe's face pales and the other guy smirks widely.

"Who's this beautiful lady?" The guy asks and I don't like the way he's looking at me.

"Cassandra, and you are?" I retort, crossing my arms over my chest.

"The name's Barry, I'm your boyfriend's dealer and he owes me a lot of money" He explains smugly and I shoot Rafe a glare to which he avoids eye contact.

"How much?" I ask in concern.

"Too much" Barry spits before lunging forward and grabbing me.

I try to fight him off but he's much stronger than I am. Rafe tries to intervene but Barry punches him hard, sending the Kook prince sprawling onto the gravel. The dealer grabs my arm and slams it down onto the back of Rafe's arm where the exhaust is.

"Put that on there. Yeah" Barry chuckles and a scream of pain leaves my lips as my skin sizzles on the burning hot metal.

"Hey! Shit! Stop, stop, stop!" Rafe begs.

"Please stop!" I sob loudly.

"That's it, you little bitch!" Barry screams in my face as I cry.

"Okay, stop! Chill, man!" Rafe barks.

"How's that feel, baby girl?" Barry sneers, letting me go.

I crumple to the gravel, holding my arm to my chest as I sob in excruciating pain.

"That's just the coming attractions, big boy" Barry hollers at Rafe "Consider this shit right here your down payment. You got three days!"

Barry hops on the motorcycle and speeds off, leaving us in the dust. I feel a hand land on my shoulder and I jump back, looking up at Rafe in fear. My rapid heartbeat slows when I realise it's just him and he looks down at me through tearful eyes.

"I'm so fucking sorry, Cas" He chokes out "I never wanted you to get hurt"

I let out another sob and he wraps me up in his arms, repeatedly apologising and kissing my head. I'm lifted off the ground and Rafe carries me into the house. I don't really concentrate on where he's taking me, my brain too focused on the searing pain coming from my arm. I'm placed down on a cold surface and I see we're in Rafe's bathroom. He pulls out a first aid kit and wipes away my tears.

"C'mon, let me see it" He orders, looking at the arm I have clutched to my chest.

I hesitantly hold out my arm and see that it's bright red, burnt badly.

"Fuck" He curses, gently grabbing my wrist.

He runs my arm under the cold water from the tap and I hiss in pain, grabbing his arm. He winces slightly at my tight hold but says nothing as he softly dries my arm and applies burn cream before wrapping it in a bandage.

"Here, take these" He says, handing me two pills "For the pain"

I shake my head and push his hand away.

"If I can handle a gunshot wound without painkillers, a burn is gonna be just fine" I joke and he frowns.

"You wouldn't be in pain if I had just-" I cut him off.

"Shut up" I snap and he looks at me in confusion "I don't blame you, Rafe, so stop blaming yourself"

"I'm still sorry" He tells me and I smile.

"I know, and I forgive you" I assure him.

I hop off the counter and exit the bathroom, Rafe following behind me as I do so.

"Can you drop me off at the chateau?" I ask sheepishly "I told Kie I'd see her later"

His face falls slightly but he nods anyways, slinging his arm around my shoulders as we head out. We hop into the family car and Rafe drives in silence, glancing at me every so often which makes me smile. We soon reach the run down home of John B Routledge and I turn to Rafe who stares out the windshield with a clenched jaw.

"Hey, Rafie?" I hum and he relaxes, turning to look at me.

"What?" He asks curiously.

"Stay out of trouble for me, yeah?" I smile softly and he rolls his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.

"For you, I think I can do that" He jokes and my smile widens.

"I'll see you later, Rafe" I chirp, hopping out the car.

"Later, Cas" He replies.

I shut the door and watch him drive off before entering the chateau. Everything is completely silent which lets me know the Pogues aren't back yet so I curl up on the sofa bed and let myself drift off to sleep.

☁️☁️☁️

"No effing way! You brought her here? So what? She's in on this now?" I hear Kiara shout angrily and I sleepily rub my eyes.

I exit the house to see the Pogues on the porch, Sarah sitting next to John B on the sofa.

"Cassie? How long have you been here?" JJ asks me in confusion and I sit down on the decking, laying my head against the Maybank boy's leg.

"A while, I guess" I shrug, not really knowing how long I've been asleep "Rafe dropped me off earlier"

Kiara shoots me a look that screams 'Seriously?!' and I roll my eyes, not feeling like an argument. They go back to arguing about Sarah being here and John B looks at the boys and I for help.

"I dunno" Pope mumbles with a shrug.

"Look, all I care about is her cut comes out of your share" JJ states, absentmindedly playing with my hair.

"Sarah's my best friend and you already know I'm okay with her being here, Johnathan" I sigh and a concerned look flashes in his eyes.

"You know, I don't remember taking a vote. This is our thing. A Pogue thing" Kiara snaps.

"I gotta say, I'm just a tad uncomfortable with all of this" Pope states.

"Thank you!" Kiara huffs.

"When are you not uncomfortable?!" John B snaps at Pope.

"I dunno. I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably" Pope retorts, making me grin in amusement.

"It's true. Most relaxed i've ever seen him" JJ nods in agreement.

"That's cute, guys" John B states.

"It's adorable" I correct and Pope grins at me gratefully.

"You know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her" Kiara declares.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Sarah shrieks.

"Then leave" Kiara retorts and I send her a disappointed frown which she ignores.

"I told you" Sarah says to John B.

"Told him what, exactly? That you're a liar?" Kiara asks.

"No, that you're a shit talking bitch" Sarah snaps and I groan, flinging my head back.

"When have I lied to you?" She adds.

"You get somebody close to you for like a month and then-" Kiara is cut off when John B cuts in.

"Everybody shut up!" He hollers.

"Kie, you are my best friend, right?" He asks and Kiara shrugs.

"Ouch" I mutter and I hear the boys behind me stifle laughs.

"And Sarah, you're...you're my..." He trails off.

"Say it" The Kook princess encourages him.

"You're my girlfriend" John B states.

"Ohh...that's new" Pope mumbles.

"That's kinda cute" I comment, looking up at JJ who shrugs.

"She's your girlfriend now?" Kiara scoffs.

"What was all that talk about you were just using her for information? Get a map, cut her loose" The girl adds.

"Johnathan!" I scold him and he looks at me guiltily.

"You said you were using me?" Sarah asks John B, looking slightly hurt.

"No" He lies.

"Yeah, you did" Pope argues.

"You said those things" JJ agrees.

"Look, love just walked in, okay?!" John B snaps.

"Oh, vomit" Kiara gags.

"I didn't expect it. It just- it kind of happened. And I'm not gonna deny it. Right?" John B asks Sarah.

"Oh! That's corny" Pope mutters and JJ retches, making me giggle.

"Look, cut the bullshit, John B. If she's in, I'm out" Kiara announces.

"I'm not doing this. I can't!" John B protests.

"You are gonna decide! I'm very interested, actually! Me or her?" Kiara declares angrily and I shake my head at my sister's childish actions.

"Both" He shrugs nonchalantly and a hurt look crosses her face, making my heart hurt for her.

"Went for the Hail Mary" JJ whistles.

"Nooo" Pope whispers as Kiara storms away.

"It'll be cool, right?" Sarah asks sarcastically, hurt clear on her face "I'm gonna leave"

"Sarah, don't" John B sighs as she gets up.

"Gonna let y'all chat. Let me know" The dirty blonde haired girl snaps before walking away.

"I'd just like to say, you handled that beautifully" JJ comments and I roll my eyes, punching his leg.

☁️☁️☁️

Kiara and I enter the house, my little sister immediately heading to her room in a bad mood. I make my way to my room and once I enter it I see a figure sitting on my bed, hunched over. I flick the light on and Rafe looks up at me through teary eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask, closing the door and walking over to him.

"My dad kicked me out. I had nowhere else to go" He tells me, his voice cracking and I frown deeply, pulling him into a hug.

He wraps his arms around me tightly and lays his head on my chest as I rub his back soothingly.

"You can stay here, for as long as you need" I assure him.

"He called me a liar, and he said he can't have me in the house" Rafe explains, crying softly.

"He's being an ass, don't listen to a word he says" I sigh.

"He hates me" Rafe sobs and my heart breaks.

"No, he doesn't hate you" I tell the boy.

"Yes, he does. He doesn't care about me" He cries, clinging onto me like his life depends on it.

"Y'know what, Rafie?" I hum.

"What?" He sniffles, looking up at me.

"Fuck him. You don't need him. You don't need anybody" I state, cupping his face in my hands.

"I need you" He admits softly and I smile, leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead.

"Well, I'm here" I assure him "I'm always gonna be here"

"Promise me?" He whimpers.

"I promise you" I nod.

"Now, let's go to bed. Yeah?" I hum softly.

"Yeah" He replies shakily.

I change into some pyjama shorts and a sports bra before climbing into bed next to Rafe who has stripped down to his boxers. I lay on my back and he wraps an arm around me, laying his head on my shoulder. He kisses my jaw lightly and I play with his hair, trying my best to lull him to sleep.

"Goodnight, Rafie" I whisper.

"Goodnight, Cas" He sighs.