Right Now | Rafe Cameron

36: healthy.

THIRTY SIX

healthy.

When the more civilized people had left the party, the young folk sat around the fire pit, wrapped in blankets. JJ passed a blunt around and they told stories of John B and Sarah. Rafe was there, to Billie's continuing surprise. He hadn't excused himself to go do work. He had stayed. So it was Rafe, the Yankees, and the Pogues, and Wheezie and her girlfriend Holly, a mainlander who seemed mesmerised by everything Outer Banks.

"So how did you actually get together?" Uma asked after a while. The Pogues smiled crookedly at each other.

"John B stole scuba gear off the Cameron's boat and then Sarah was like 'ooh John B hello...'."

"Shut up Wheezie," Sarah said only half-joking to her sister.

"What I was there," Wheezie held her hands up teasingly.

"We can vouch for that, and then she cheated on her boyfriend with John B," Billie said mindlessly as she was poking into the fire. She looked up finding everyone looking at her. Rafe smiled an amused smile and shook his head slowly. She was never very good at keeping her thoughts to herself.

"Sorry, we're not allowed to mention Topper? He's an idiot," Billie smiled.

"True, I sunk his boat," Pope raised his hand.

"Hey, for official police records I sunk his boat shiny boy," JJ interjected and patted Pope's shoulder. The Yankees followed this conversation like it was the most tasty what-the-fuck thing they'd ever heard.

"Hey Rafe, what does Topper do now?" Wheezie suddenly asked her brother, who cleared his throat uncomfortably, being the centre of attention for a moment.

"Last I heard he lost all his parents' money gambling, but I haven't stayed in contact with him," Rafe said and looked around. The Pogues looked satisfied with his answer.

"Can we stop talking about Topper?" Sarah pleaded.

"Yeah, and can we instead talk about why Pope and JJ sunk his boat?" Uma gasped. Billie shot her friend a glance of shut up.

"They hit Pope with a golf club," JJ pointed to Pope.

"What?" Truman exhaled in surprise. "Who did?"

"We did. I'm sorry about that..." Rafe sighed, looking at Pope apologetically, and Billie's eyes went wide. They were not doing this.

"We held you at gunpoint so," Pope reasoned.

"Hey can we not talk about this with company present," Billie finally interrupted and gesticulated at her friends from New York, who looked at her disapprovingly. This was the sickest story they'd heard, like ever.

"It's healthy, we're chatting shit out," JJ said, waving his hands around. Billie elbowed him in the side. He looked at her through furrowed brows.

"Let's talk about how John B and Sarah are already married," Billie smiled knowingly. Kie laughed next to her. She swore she could see Rafe roll his eyes.

"What?" could be heard around the fire pit.

"If that kind of logic applies then you are JJ would also be married now, so come on now," Sarah stated and gave Billie a sceptical look. Rafe drilled his eyes into Sarah holding his breath, a hot pain shooting through his gut.

Billie and JJ looked at each other in shock and then burst into laughter.

"Yeah, sure," Billie giggled so she could barely breathe.