𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑨𝑽𝑬𝑺 | 𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

CHAPTER ONE

Evelyn Banks

The room feels hot, claustrophobic as I dodge the sweaty and intoxicated bodies that rub against each other to the deafening music. This wasn't my ideal way of spending my Saturday night. Sure I like partying, but not when I'm the only Pogue in a house full of Kooks. To make matters worse I lost Sarah and I couldn't locate her anywhere, her phone automatically goes to voicemail and her house is huge-- there's no chance I'm going to get around the whole thing.

Sarah used the opportunity of her parents and Wheezie going out of town for the weekend to throw a rager, which was probably a bad idea considering the place was getting remodeled by the intoxicated teens trashing the place. Convincing me to come tonight, Sarah insisted that it was going to be really fun and that she wanted me to be here, I wouldn't have come if I knew I was going to spend the evening wondering around aimlessly.

"Want a bump?" A random guy questions me as I accidentally push into him as I pass through the hallway leading up to the stairs.

"I'll pass" I say awkwardly as I move around him, sighing in relief when I finally make it up the stairs. I settle on the idea of just camping out in Sarah's room until the party dies down but my plan is derailed when I push open the door and find a couple heavily making out on the bed. I grimace as I quickly shut the door, walking up further until I reach the other doors.

Wheezie's room is locked and so is Ward's and Rose's. I curse under my breath as I jog back down the stairs and try the other rooms. I decide to try the first door I see and to my surprise the door handle pushes down smoothly, the room hasn't been locked. I push the door open, cautiously peering in to prepare myself but when I see it's empty I exhale heavily before sneaking into the room, shutting the door quietly behind me.

This is the first time in four hours that I can finally hear myself think. I'm not surrounded by sweaty bodies and I can actually breath without inhaling the stench of alcohol, cigarettes and weed. As I pace around the room, taking in my surroundings, I realise whose room I'm in. It's Rafe's. The hallway was so dark I could barely see where I was walking let alone which room was which.

I've been over here a few times but I'd only seen Rafe a handful of occasions, its always been brief interactions and most of the time I'm here he's out. I've never spoken to him, of course we know of each other but I've only made awkward eye contact with him and now I'm in his room hiding from the party outside. It felt rude intruding into his personal space like this but I had no other choice, I had to camp out somewhere.

I jolt as I'm startled by the door opening, the noise from the outside filling the room as the person enters.

"I'm getting more man just wait" Rafe calls out to someone before he shuts the door behind him. Shit, should I cough and let him know I'm here or maybe say something to him.