Cassie's POV

I exit my bathroom after a long steaming hot shower and I see Kiara sat on my bed, hair wet from her own shower.

"You good, Kie?" I ask my little sister in concern.

"Yeah. I was just wondering...it's been a while since we went to midsummers together" She points out vaguely and I smile softly, seeing what she's doing.

"Kiara, do you want to get ready with me?" I ask in amusement and she tries to smother a happy smile but fails.

"I mean, if you really want me to" She shrugs, trying to act nonchalant and I laugh.

"Go get your things, stupid" I tell her and she leaps up, skipping out the room.

I shake my head and slip on my yellow satin robe, tying a bow in the front. Kiara bounces back into my room, hanging up her dress with mine and dropping her other things on my bed as I play some music.

I love getting ready to music

"Come sit" I grin, patting the chair at my vanity.

She sits down and I start drying her hair, trying my best to maintain her dark curls that I know she loves. I then tie her hair up in a messy bun, leaving out some hair at the front to frame her face and she smiles happily, thanking me. I wave her off and apply minimum makeup to her gorgeous face, knowing she hates too much of the stuff.

"Do you want to do my hair?" I ask curiously.

"Sure" Kiara chirps, jumping off the seat.

She pushes me down onto it and I laugh, turning to the mirror to watch what she does. I hum contently to the music as my sister dries and straightens my hair, the both of us chatting over the music and laugh together like old times. She does my makeup and my mind wanders to the Pogues.

"You heard from JJ, or Pope, or even John B for that matter?" I ask my sister curiously.

"No, I haven't heard from them. I'm getting worried, Cassie" She admits and I nod.

"Me too" I agree.

Before can continue the conversation further, my phone rings loudly and I pick it up to see an incoming FaceTime call from Sarah. Kiara grabs her dress and heads into the bathroom as I answer the call.

"Hey, Sar!" I grin widely "Where have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in so long" 

"It's a long story, but I'll tell you later" She answers "I actually called to ask you something"

"Shoot" I chirp, setting up my phone so I can apply some mascara to my full lashes.

"What colour is your dress?" My best friend asks.

"Why, do you wanna match?" I smirk, winking at the screen which makes her smile.

"Something like that" She replies vaguely.

"My dress is blue" I tell her "Pale blue"

She smirks widely and I get an uneasy feeling.

"I don't like it when you get that creepy glint in your eyes. What are you up to, Sarah Cameron?" I question her suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all" She responds innocently and I scoff.

I hear Kiara exit the bathroom and I pick up my phone.

"I gotta go, Sar, but I'll see you there" I tell her.

"See you there, Cassie" She grins, blowing me a kiss.

I grin widely and hang up, turning to my sister. My eyes widen in awe and she does a little twirl, showing me her dress. It's a long mauve coloured dress that reaches her ankles and looks perfect on her.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Kie" I tell her truthfully and she smiles gratefully.

"Thank you for this, Cassie" She says as I grab her purple flower crown, placing it on her head.

"Always" I smile softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She throws her arms around me and I hug her back tightly. After a minute or two of us both soaking up the moment and freezing it in our minds, we part and I see her eyes watering.

"Don't cry, Kie, or you'll make me cry and we'll ruin our makeup" I joke, making her laugh as she wipes her eyes, being careful of her make up.

"Go get changed before I get anymore sappy" She groans, pushing my shoulder.

I laugh, grabbing my dress and heading into the bathroom. I change into the dress and look at myself in the mirror. The dress is pale blue with floral lace on it and a large slit up the left leg.

I put my blue flower crown top of my long straightened hair and head back into my room. Kiara looks up from putting her heels on and her eyes widen in awe.

"You look beautiful" She gasps.

"Why, thank you" I grin, slipping my gold stilettos.

"Let's go show your mum" I suggest and pull Kiara off my bed, onto her feet.

I skip along the hall happily, dragging Kiara with me as she rolls her eyes and hides a smile. We reach our dad and Anna's room and I see Anna slipping on her heels. I knock gently on the open door and the woman looks at us, her eyes lighting up immediately.

"You look just lovely, girls" She smiles sweetly as I curtsy with a cheeky grin which makes her chuckle.

I plop myself on the bed as Anna puts in a pair of earrings and Kiara stares at herself in the full length mirror. I watch as my sister's face falls and I know she's thinking about the Pogues.

"This is disgusting" She scoffs.

"I know. It's just horrible. I'm asking you to relax and go to a fun party" Anna says sarcastically as she turns to look at her daughter.

"I look like a bourgeoisie pig" Kiara states and I snort, crossing my right leg over my left.

"Will you please not worry about socioeconomic injustice for one night?" Anna pleads, fixing her appearance in the mirror.

"Mom, people not three miles from here have no power, no running water, and we're going to Midsummers. That's so tone-deaf" Kiara complains.

"Honey, do you know how hard we had to work to get into the Island Club?" Anna sighs.

"Yeah, Mom. How could I forget? You had to grovel for, like, ten years-" Kiara is cut off.

"Twelve, and we also had to cough up a huge chunk of dough, and do you know why we did that?" Anna asks.

"To keep up with the Joneses?" Kiara asks sarcastically making me smile in amusement.

"No. So you two could have the same experiences that I had as a child. Honey, do you know what the Island Club is?" Anna asks her daughter.

"A factory farm for debutantes" Kiara scoffs.

"It is a nice place, with nice people, where you can do fun stuff" Anna corrects.

"With out of touch rich people, while the island sinks slowly into the ocean" Kiara adds.

"Okay, I want you to put on your party face, Kie, if you want to live" Anna snaps before walking out the room. 

"It's not that bad, Kie. It's kinda fun" I shrug.

"You've been going with the Cameron's since you were a kid, you're used to it" She argues "It's just not for me, Cassie"

"It's one night. We can save the turtles tomorrow, I promise" I joke.

☁️☁️☁️

We arrive at the country club and we enter together as a family.

"I'm going to find Pope" Kiara declares.

"Tell him I say hi" I reply and she nods, walking off.

"I'm going to see if Sarah's here yet" I tell my dad and Anna who nod, a lot more happy with my choice of friend than Kiara's which bothers me.

I set off in search for my dirty blonde haired best friend but come up empty handed which makes me groan.

"Cassie!" I hear two voices holler and I turn to see Topper with Kelce.

They both wave at me and I roll my eyes, wandering over to them.

"Hello, assholes" I quip.

"We're sorry" Topper apologises and I sigh.

"There's only so many times you can say sorry before it loses all it's meaning" I say to the boys.

"But not when it comes to Rafe" Kelce smirks in reply.

"Shut up, Kelcey" I retort and both boys laugh.

"Speak of the devil and he may appear" Topper comments, looking behind me.

I turn around to see the Cameron family enter the green, my eyes immediately going to Rafe who is dressed in a pale blue suit with a bow tie.

"You're matching. How cute" Kelce coos and I backhand his chest, making him grunt in pain.

Rafe and Sarah head towards us but before the boys can make anymore comments, I grab Sarah and drag her away. We reach a spot on the decking where no one is standing and I turn to my best friend.

"You're evil" I state, a smile tugging at my lips as she smirks widely at me.

"You look pretty" She says, changing the subject.

"Thank you"  I grin proudly "You look great too"

"You like Rafe's suit?" My best friend asks, glancing to the side.

I follow her gaze to see the boys staring at us, talking between themselves. My eyes lock with Rafe's and his lips tug up at one side making my stomach fill with butterflies. I quickly kill the pesky insects and turn back to my best friend.

"Why are you so obsessed with setting me up with your brother?" I huff, crossing my arms.

"Because you obviously like each other, and don't argue with me, Cassandra Carrera. I know my best friend and I know my brother. Just get your shit together and let him wife you" She groans in frustration.

"You're crazy" I scoff.

"Crazy in love" She sighs, making me smile.

"Topper's a lucky guy" I reply and her face falls.

"Uh...about that" She drawls off, making me gasp.

"There's someone else?" I ask in shock and she nods guiltily.

poor Top

"I really love him, Cassie. He makes me feel something that no one else ever has" She explains and I sigh softly, grabbing her hand.

"You're my best friend, Sarah, and all I want is to see you happy...but Topper is my friend and I don't want you to hurt him any more than you're already going to. You have to tell him it's over" I tell her and she nods.

"I know. I'm going to tell him, I swear" She assures me.

"Sooner rather than later, Sar" I warn her and she nods.

"So...who's the lucky guy?" I ask curiously, a cheeky grin creeping onto my face.

"Please don't be mad" She pleads and I frown in confusion.

"Sarah, who is the guy?" I ask again, concerned at the guilty look on her face.

"It's John B" She admits and I gasp loudly, my mouth dropping open in shock.

"Johnathan Booker Routledge?!" I shriek and she covers my mouth, looking around to make sure no one heard me.

"Yes. Your Johnathan" She grumbles and I slap her hands away.

"He's your Johnathan now" I tease, making her cheeks heat up.

Sarah explains to me that John B let her in on the treasure hunt and she took him to White Chapel to find some answers, the both of them sneaking onto a tugboat to get there and then making out in the rain.

"I'm going to kill that little weasel. Corrupting my sweet little angel" I coo, pulling her head to my chest.

She swats me away, laughing lightly and I shake my head.

"On a serious note, promise me something, Sar" I ask her.

"Sure, what exactly?" She asks curiously.

"Look after him, okay? Don't break his heart" I tell her.

"I promise" She smiles.

"I'm glad you found your one" I smile softly at the girl who grins back at me.

"Hey, your one isn't too far away" She replies, glancing at her brother.

I turn to look at him, laughing with Topper and Kelce at a joke that probably would make Sarah and I roll our eyes.

"Don't overlook him just because he's your best friend's brother. Everything's changing now, Cassie. What makes you think he can't?" Sarah advises me and I smile a small smile, taking in her wise sounding words.

"Thanks for the talk, Ghandi" I joke "I really needed this"

"Anytime, Cassie" She grins.

"Hey, can I steal my girlfriend away for a second?" Topper asks, walking towards us.

"Sure, but don't keep her away too long" I warn the boy who grins, tugging Sarah away.

☁️☁️☁️

I turn and lean on the railing, staring out at the moon rising over the calm blue sea. A presence appears next to me and I turn my head to see Rafe leaning on the railing next to me. I stand up and lean back against the large pillar next to me, Rafe taking a step towards me and tucking my hair behind my ear.

"You look stunning, Cas" He tells me, a small genuine smile on his face the makes my heart flutter.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Rafie" I grin, reaching up to fix his crooked bow tie.

"Sarah practically forced me into this suit" He explains "But now I see why"

"She's convinced we're soulmates or something" I laugh in amusement.

"You say that like it's a bad thing" He frowns.

"It's not a bad thing" I assure him, wrapping my arms around his neck "You're just not a relationship kinda guy and every relationship i've had, i've fucked it up. Seems like a recipe for disaster"

"Sometimes two negatives make a positive" Rafe mumbles, gently grabbing my hips.

"Sometimes two negatives make an explosion" I retort pessimistically.

"I thought you were a risk taker" Rafe grins teasingly "50/50 seems promising"

My eyes glance behind Rafe and my heart drops, my eyes immediately watering.

"Cas, are you okay?" Rafe asks worriedly.

I brush past the boy and slowly make my way towards the curly haired figure standing a couple of metres away.

"Liam?" I choke out and he smiles warmly.

"Sandy, I've missed you" He tells me, wrapping his arms around me.

I melt into his arms, my heart hammering against my chest and he kisses my head. The reason he's not seen me in so long comes rushing back and I push him away.

"No. You don't get to miss me" I speak up "You're the one who left me"

"I couldn't go to jail. You know how much shit I had in that car" He excuses his actions.

"I could have died, Liam!" I shriek angrily.

"I didn't force you to take that much, you did that yourself" He spits.

"Who is this guy?" Rafe asks, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"It doesn't matter, Rafe" I assure him

"This is Rafe?" Liam asks with a sarcastic laugh.

"Yeah, who the fuck are you?" Rafe snaps.

"I'm Cassandra's boyfriend" Liam answers and Rafe's grip on me loosens as he looks down at me in disbelief.

"Boyfriend?" The dirty blonde haired Kook repeats in betrayal.

"No, Rafe-" I'm cut off by him.

"I don't wanna hear it" He scoffs, storming away and leaving me with Liam.

I watch him walk away and I feel a pang in my chest as a frown forms on my face. Liam's arm wraps around my waist and I turn, pushing him away from me.

"I'm not your fucking girlfriend!" I growl out.

"If I remember correctly, we didn't actually break up" Liam replies with a shrug "The way I see it, you're still mine"

"I'm not yours, I never was and I never will be" I retort.

"I see. Your thing for Ralph is clouding your judgement" He sighs.

"It's Rafe, and I don't have a thing for him" I scoff angrily.

"You expect me to believe that?" He asks in disbelief.

"I'm done with this conversation, Liam. Get the hell out of my life" I state firmly, storming past him.

"You're done when I say you're done!" Liam barks, grabbing my arm and yanking me back roughly.

"Let go of her" I hear a voice demand and I turn my head to see John B.

"What are you going to do about it, huh?" Liam scoffs.

John B throws his fist at Liam's face and I gasp, looking around to make sure no one saw it. Luckily there is no one around and I grab John B back before he causes a scene. The brunette brushes me off and yanks Liam off the floor, getting in his face.

"If I ever see you touch her like that again, I'll kill you" John B threatens, throwing the Carter boy back to the ground.

"Are you okay, Cassandra?" He asks me, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm gonna be fine, Johnathan" I assure him, hugging him tightly "Thank you"

I watch as Liam scrambles off the ground and quickly leaves, making me sigh in relief. We part and I smile at him gratefully.

"Who was that guy?" John B asks curiously.

"Liam" I answer with a sigh.

"The guy from New York?" He says in surprise and I nod.

"I heard about you and Sarah" I state, changing the subject and a blush covers his cheeks.

"It's really nothing" He shrugs and I look at him in shock, slapping his chest.

"You better not be leading her on, Johnathan! Because I swear to God, I will castrate you" I warn him and he gulps.

"You're not mad that we're together?" He asks me in surprise.

"Does she make you happy?" I ask him in return.

"Really happy" He answers.

"Then I'm happy for you. As long as you are both happy and don't hurt each other, I'm not mad" I assure him and he smiles widely.

"Just promise me something" I add and he nods "Treat her right and don't hurt her"

"I promise" He smiles at me warmly.

"Oh, and for goodness sake, don't take relationship advice from JJ, he knows nothing" I joke with a big smile and we both burst out laughing.

"Thank you again for helping me, but I gotta go find someone" I sigh.

"Rafe?" John B guesses.

"Rafe" I confirm with a short nod.

He pats me on the back and takes off, letting me wander off to find my...my Rafe.

 I search high and low for the Kook prince but come out empty handed. Just as I'm about to give up and go find my sister, I hear commotion coming from the men's locker room.

"If you could please stop talking? It's very disrespectful when I'm trying to hit a ball. Learn your etiquette, my friend" I hear Rafe snap and I push the door open slightly.

"Come on" JJ groans, struggling with Kelce who holds him in a choke hold.

"Your face looks really bad. Starting to look like your dad a lot more" Rafe says in amusement.

"That's enough, Rafe" I speak up, a disappointed tone in my voice.

All their heads snap to me and I shake my head angrily.

"Get the hell out of here before I scream" I warn the others, who all hurry out the room leaving Rafe and Kelce with JJ.

"Kelce, let him go" I demand and the boy looks to Rafe in worry.

Rafe shake's his head and Kelce keeps his hold on the struggling JJ.

"You don't get to barge in here and order my boys around. That's my job" Rafe states sternly and I frown.

"Rafe, please. I'm tired and I want to go home, can you take me home?" I plead, feeling mentally and physically exhausted.

"Get your boyfriend to take you home" He scoffs and the room goes silent.

JJ stops struggling and looks at me in confusion while Kelce gives me the same look.

"He's not my boyfriend. I haven't even seen the guy in over a year" I explain and Rafe's expression softens "Now, let JJ go"

Rafe nods at Kelce and the boy lets the blonde Pogue go. JJ looks like he's going to punch Kelce so I grab his arm and pull him away.

"You should go, JJ" I tell him before lowering my voice "You're obviously here for a reason" 

He nods at me and pecks my cheek, running off. Kelce awkwardly claps his hands and exits the room, telling us he'll see us later. I feel a hand slip into my own and I look down to see Rafe's fingers intertwine with mine.

"Come on, let's get you home" He sighs, tugging me along.

I tell my dad I'm leaving and we manage to slip out unnoticed due to the large scene JJ makes for himself and the other Pogues, including my sister. Rafe drives me home in complete silence and drops me off with a short goodnight.

☁️☁️☁️

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling with a million thoughts running through my mind and I find no surprise that most of them are about Rafe. No matter how much I deny any feelings towards the boy, he keeps popping up and proving me wrong. I hate that he makes me feel something after years of being numb and I hate even more that the feelings I feel are more than just friendship.

As the traitorous thoughts swirl around in my head, I hear a light knock on my balcony door.

who could that be at this time?

I crawl out of bed and tiptoe over to the door, pulling back the curtain to see Rafe staring back at me. A smile tugs at my lips and I unlock the door, pushing it open. When the cold breeze hits my bare legs, I immediately regret wearing my silky nightgown and wrap my arms around myself.

"What are you doing here?" I ask in confusion.

Before I can say or do anything else, Rafe grabs the back of my head and slams his lips onto mine. I kiss him back, my brain going fuzzy and my body heating up to his touch. He walks me backwards into my room and I feel my legs hit the bed. I'm pushed down onto the soft comforter and he leans over me, his hands wandering all over while his lips capture my own in another heated kiss. Rafe's hand slides up my thigh under my nightgown and something inside me wakes up. I push him off me and slip out onto the balcony. A second later, I feel Rafe's arms around me and I melt into his touch.

"I told you we can't do that anymore" I mumble.

"I didn't think you meant it" He admits.

"I did. This can't happen again" I tell him firmly.

"Why not?" He groans in frustration, his chest vibrating onto my back and tingles are sent down my body.

"Look, Rafe" I start, slipping out of his arms and turning to face him "If you want to fuck somebody then there is plenty of girls who want you"

"You think I haven't tried, Cas? I have!" He retorts, getting angry as he explains "In total i've fucked three other girls since you, all of them ended the same fucking way. My stupid fucking brain realises the girl under me isn't you and shuts down. My body goes limp and I can't finish"

A burst of giggles erupt from my mouth and Rafe glares at me in rage.

"You've ruined me for all other women!" He accuses me and I laugh even louder, struggling for breath.

"It's not funny" He growls out and I manage to sober up.

"Awe, little Rafie can't come?" I coo teasingly and the boy grabs me, pressing me up against one of the glass doors.

Partly because of slight pity for the eldest Cameron and partly due to the red hot burning between my legs, I grab the front of his white button up shirt and pull him into my bedroom. I lock the door to my room and push Rafe onto my bed. He looks up at me with lust pooling in his beautiful blue eyes and I crawl on top of him, leaning down to whisper in his ear.

"Go on then, Rafie" I breathe out "Fuck me"

He doesn't have to be told twice, flipping our positions and getting down to business.