𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐦 ; 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

16

Chapter Sixteen
Midsummers

Riley spent the whole day helping her boss prepare for midsummers, they cleaned up most of the country club and began to pack out all of the food and drinks onto the tables for the guests to take later on. When she left the château that morning she didn't want to wake Iris up because she knew she'd need the extra hour sleep for the day she was about to face but she made sure to let John B know where she was going in case Iris asked him. The last thing her best friend needed today was to be worrying about her.

Riley's phone was beeping nonstop over the last couple of days. Rafe wouldn't leave her alone and she refused to pick up the phone. After everything he done he still couldn't find it in himself to apologize and if that was the way he was always going to act then Riley preferred to have nothing to do with him. Maybe in some way she was lying to herself about how much she cared for him but he was constantly giving her reasons to hate him. Ever since they were kids they've always had this connection, they've always been drawn to each other and now she was beginning to feel like it was always one sided on her part. She no longer wanted to put effort into someone who gave her absolutely nothing back.

"Everyone should be arriving soon" her boss called over to her as she set all of the tables.

"Okay I'm just gonna get changed and I'll be back out... is that okay" she asked as he nodded his head.

"I didn't think you were dressing up" he assumed while she placed the drinks back down onto the bar.

"I wasn't planning on it but then I decided I'm spending the whole night here so I may as well embrace it" she half smiled as he hummed in agreement.

"Take your time there's no rush" he spoke up before she walked off into the direction of the bathrooms.

Riley felt her phone buzz in her pocket for the fifth time today and she decided that enough was enough.

"Rafe what do you want" she huffed.

"I understand why you've been ignoring me and if I was in your shoes I would be the same" he spoke up as she let out a loud sigh.

"Oh would you... the only difference is I would never do the things you've done" she answered honestly while she placed her phone down onto the sink and put it on speaker.

"There's no excuse for the things I've done and in some ways I'm not sorry... but I am sorry for hurting you that was never my intention" he explained as she began to fix her makeup.

"So you hurting my friends and making me watch was your idea of not hurting me... I'm done going over and over the same things with you Rafe... I'm finished I want nothing to do with you" she muttered as he took a moment to reply.

"Will you still be working midsummers tonight" he asked softly.

"Yes obviously... I didn't want Iris to be here on her own" she mumbled.

"Fine okay good... I'll see you there" he spoke before hanging up the phone.

"I'll see you there... he's a fucking idiot" she whispered to herself before changing into a long black dress.

When she looked at herself in the mirror she felt shocked, the girl standing in front of her looked nothing like the girl who spent most of her free time on the cut. She felt confident for the first time in a long time and she was happy to be surrounded by a bunch of kooks for the night, not because she wanted to be one of them but for the first time in her whole life she'd actually look like she belonged here.