𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑

I walk down the pier to where I see Sarah and John B having a conversation, glares pointed at each other as they spit insults.

"Hi, John B" I greet the boy who turns to me, his glare melting into a smile

"Hey, Allison" He replies.

"Are you okay?" I ask him in concern, frowning at the nasty black eye he has.

"Don't worry about me. I'll live" He chuckles, climbing onto his boat.

"Say hi to JJ for me?" I then ask and he grins.

"Will do, blondie" He assures me.

"Thank you" I smile widely.

He salutes me and I laugh lightly, doing the same back. I watch in amusement as Sarah does the same thing but sticks her middle finger up at the boy as he heads off.

"Sarah" I scold her, elbowing her gently.

"What?" She replies, linking her arm with mine as we head back to the house.

"He's nice" I tell her.

"Like JJ?" My best friend teases me.

"Yes, like JJ" I shrug with a smile "They're nice to me"

"Everyone's nice to you" Sarah huffs.

"That's because Alli is a nice person" Wheezie buts in and I grin at the younger girl.

"Thank you, Wheeze" I chirp.

"Girls, hurry up!" Ward hollers from the table.

"Come and get some lunch!" My dad adds with a warm smile.

Sarah grabs onto Wheezie and I with a happy grin, dragging us both to the outdoor dining table where both of our families are sat. I sit down in between Sarah and Rose as Wheezie sits opposite me, in between my mother and older brother, Thomas.

My father and Ward are sat at each end of the table with wide smiles as they talk real estate, bickering playfully about their rival firms. My mother and Rose chat happily about the newest issues of their favourite magazines and island gossip.

I catch Sarah making heart eyes at my big brother and I elbow her with a frown, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Who were you two talking to by the Druthers?" Thomas asks Sarah and I curiously, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth.

"Just a guy who works for us" Sarah shrugs.

"He has a name, Sarah" I counter.

"I'm intrigued, Alli. What is his name?" Thomas grins in amusement.

"John" I answer matter of factly.

"Is he cute?" My brother teases me.

"Shut up, Tommy" I huff out.

"She thinks JJ is cuter" Sarah comments and I look at her in betrayal as my brother's grin widens.

"Who's JJ?" He asks me.

"Some Pogue from the cut" Sarah answers for me.

"A Pogue?" Thomas gasps dramatically "How scandalous"

"Enough Pogue talk, you three" Ward warns us firmly, overhearing our conversation.

"Do you kids have any plans for today?" My dad asks us, trying to lighten up the mood.

"I said I'd meet up with some friends from college later" Thomas shrugs.

"I've got plans with some school friends" Wheezie smiles.

"Alli and I are going to a party later" Sarah speaks up confidently and I look at her in confusion.

"We are?" I question.

"We are" She confirms.

"That sounds fun" My mom smiles encouragingly "Where is the party?"

"Just at Topper's house" Sarah replies "It's a small gathering"

Although I know that's a lie, our parents eat it up with satisfied smiles and nod along, not objecting nor complaining.

"Rafe, where have you been?!" Ward shouts, sounding fed up.

I turn my head to see Rafe approaching us with dishevelled hair and a lazy smile on his face, his hands in the pockets of this shorts.

"I was with my friends" He responds bluntly.

"You were supposed to be home for lunch" Rose scolds the boy.

"I'm here now" He retorts.

His eyes scan the table before falling onto me and I immediately get up out of my seat with a wide smile.

"Thanks, babe" He chirps, kissing my cheek and sitting down in my seat.

The boy yanks me down onto his lap roughly and wraps one of his arms around me, caressing my bare thigh with his free hand. The table falls into a conversation about planning a trip to Europe together, my mother and Rose arguing to go to France while my father and Ward counter with Spain.

My eyes turn to my boyfriend in adoration but his eyes are firmly set on the table in a dazed state. I wrap my arms around his neck and my smile immediately drops when I notice a purple mark staining his jugular.

"What is this?" I ask quietly, gently pulling down the collar of his polo shirt.

"It's just a bruise" He lies, swatting my hand away from his neck "Topper caught me with his golf club"

"Rafe" I mumble out in an unconvinced tone.

"Let it go, Allison" He warns me with a stern look and my heart drops.

"I'm sorry" I apologise "I don't mean to nag at you"

"That's my girl" He grins, giving my thigh a squeeze.

Feeling heated gazes burning in my direction, I turn my head to see Sarah and Thomas glaring holes into Rafe and I frown, causing them both to shoot me warm reassuring smiles.

»»-------------¤-------------««

I sit on the sofa in Topper's house, the whole place in utter chaos with loud music and bodies scattered everywhere, dancing and drinking themselves silly.

I watch in boredom as Sarah and Topper dance to the music playing while Rafe completely ignores me, talking to Kelce and a raven haired girl I don't know.

"Rafe, I'm bored" I tell him, trying to get his attention.

"Rafe" I try again, tapping his shoulder.

I tug on his sleeve and he turns to me with an annoyed glare, making me feel even worse than I did before.

"What do you want?" He snaps at me.

"I'm really bored" I answer quietly.

"Then go get a drink or something. I'm not your caretaker, Alli" He retorts.

Before I can even reply, he turns back to Kelce and I sigh deeply before pulling myself to my feet. I head through to the kitchen and pour myself a drink, leaning against the counter with the cup in my hand.

Observing the other party goers in jealousy, I wonder why I can't just let go like them and have fun. I'm then reminded of the reason when my gaze falls onto my boyfriend who refuses to let me embarrass him by getting wasted the way Sarah does.

I lift my arm to take a drink of my punch when someone knocks into me and I gasp as the dark liquid splashes onto my white dress, surely staining the material.

"Watch what you're doing, airhead!" The raven haired girl from earlier shouts at me in anger, patting the small wet patch on the sleeve of her black top.

She storms off and I rush to the sink, grabbing a wet cloth and desperately trying to clean myself up. The more I scrub, the worse the stain gets and my eyes well up with overwhelmed tears of frustration.

"Yeah, man" I hear Rafe laughing and I turn to see him now with a boy named Matt.

"Rafe" I speak up, dropping the cloth into the sink and approaching my boyfriend "Rafe!"

He looks to me and frowns in confusion, his brows furrowing as he scans my form.

"What happened to you?" He asks.

"Some girl bumped into me and I spilled my drink" I explain to him.

"Well, clean it up. You look like a five year old" He tells me.

"I already tried. It won't come out" I counter, my voice breaking "I want to go home"

"I'm not ready to leave yet" He states bluntly.

"But, I have to change" I frown deeply, my vision blurring.

He lets out a frustrated huff and grabs my arm tightly, pulling my away from his confused looking friend. We stop in the dark hallway leading to the staircase that goes upstairs and he pushes me, my back hitting the wall harshly.

"Stop causing a fucking scene" He demands in anger "You're embarrassing me!"

Tears uncontrollably spill from my eyes and he scoffs loudly, looking at me in pure disbelief.

"What the fuck are you crying for?!" He screams at me.

"I'm sorry" I whimper, trying to reach out to him but he pulls away with a disgusted scowl.

"Don't touch me" He spits.

"Rafe, please" I plead.

"Go home, Allison" He orders before storming away from me, back to the party.

I manage to pull myself together and stop crying long enough to exit the house through the front door without anyone stopping me. My legs carry my through the island's streets, a cold breeze making me shiver as I wrap my arms around myself.

My buzzed brain soon causes me to get lost and I stand in middle of a street I don't recognise, tears flowing again as I stumble and trip up.

A cry leaves my lips when my knees scrape on the ground and I choke on my own tears, not being able to see through my blurred vision.

"Allison?"