๋࣭ ⭑-.BARRYS TRAILER '.'

The low hum of the TV was the only sound in Barry's trailer, filling the silence as Zoe curled up on the worn-out couch. She wasn't paying attention to whatever rerun was playing—just trying to ignore the suffocating heat and the lingering scent of cigarettes and cheap beer.
Barry was out, handling whatever shady business kept him busy, and Zoe was enjoying the rare moment of quiet. That was, until she heard the unmistakable sound of a truck pulling up outside.
She knew that engine. Zoe sat up, already irritated, and barely had time to react before the front door swung open without so much as a knock. And there he was.

Rafe Cameron strolled in like he owned the place, the dim light catching the sharp angles of his face. He was dressed like always—expensive clothes that didn't quite match his messy, reckless energy. His dirty blonde hair was tousled, his sharp blue eyes scanning the room before landing on her.
"Oh, great," Zoe muttered, rolling her eyes. "My day wasn't miserable enough."
Rafe smirked, shutting the door behind him. "Trust me, I'm just as thrilled to see you, Jones."

She crossed her arms, watching as he made himself at home, leaning against the counter like he belonged there. It was infuriating how at ease he looked, like he had no concept of boundaries—or maybe he just didn't care.
"What do you want?" she asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance.
Rafe ignored her question and instead glanced around the trailer. "Where's Barry?"
"Not here."
His smirk deepened, like he knew he was getting under her skin. "That so?" He took a step closer, and Zoe hated that her pulse reacted before she could tell it not to.

She stood her ground. "You need something, or did you just come to ruin my night?"
"Little bit of both." Rafe tilted his head, studying her. "But since Barry isn't here, guess I'll have to kill time with you."
Zoe scoffed. "I'd rather eat glass."

Rafe let out a low chuckle, and for a split second, something flickered in his eyes—something almost amused, almost dangerous.
"I'd like to see you try," he murmured.
The air between them shifted, heavy with the kind of tension Zoe refused to acknowledge.
Before she could fire back, the sound of another truck pulling up outside cut through the moment. Barry was home.

Zoe exhaled, shaking her head. "Guess your 'quality time' is over." Rafe just smirked, like he knew something she didn't. "
Oh, Zoe," he said, voice dripping with amusement. "We're just getting started." And with that, he turned toward the door,
leaving her standing there, pulse racing for all the wrong reasons.

The second the door clicked shut behind Rafe, Zoe let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, frustration burning through her veins.
Rafe Cameron had a special talent for getting under her skin, and the worst part? He knew it.

She paced the small space of Barry's trailer, shaking off the lingering tension he left behind. The last thing she needed was him crawling into her head, taking up space that wasn't his to claim.

A few minutes later, the sound of Barry's voice outside made her snap back to reality. She didn't want to deal with whatever shady business was about to go down, and she sure as hell didn't want to be around when Rafe and Barry started scheming.

Grabbing her bag from the counter, Zoe slung it over her shoulder and quietly slipped out the back door. The night air was thick and humid, clinging to her skin as she moved through the trees behind the trailer. She walked quickly, staying off the main roads, taking the familiar path through the marsh. It was risky sneaking off like this—Barry would lose his mind if he knew where she was going—but she didn't care.

Because there was only one place she actually felt like herself.

๋࣭ ⭑-.THE CHATEAU '.'

By the time she made it to the Pogues' hideout, her pulse had settled, the stress of the night fading. She could already hear their voices before she stepped onto the porch.

Zoe pushed open the screen door, and the conversation inside immediately halted.
JJ was the first to react, flashing a grin as he leaned back against the couch. "Well, well, if it isn't our favorite Kook-adjacent criminal."

"Shut up," Zoe muttered, dropping onto the arm of the couch. Kiara smirked, passing her a beer. "Rough night?" Zoe scoffed. "The worst."

Pope, always the cautious one, eyed her warily. "Does Barry know you're here?" "Nope." She popped the "p" and took a sip of the beer. "And he's not gonna." John B, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke. "Did you see him?"

She didn't have to ask who he meant. They all knew. Zoe's grip tightened around the bottle, but she kept her expression neutral. "Yeah. He showed up at the trailer looking for Barry."

JJ rolled his eyes. "Of course he did." Kiara frowned. "What did he say?"

"Nothing important," Zoe lied, ignoring the way Rafe's words still echoed in her head. We're just getting started. Pope shook his head. "You know you shouldn't be anywhere near him, right?"

Zoe let out a dry laugh. "Tell me something I don't know." But it wasn't that simple. Because for all the reasons she should stay away from Rafe Cameron, there was a small, reckless part of her that didn't want to.

And that was the real problem.

The Chateau felt like a different world. Out here, away from the grime of Barry's trailer and the suffocating tension that always came with Rafe, Zoe could actually breathe.

She leaned her head back against the couch, letting the chatter of the Pogues wash over her. JJ was ranting about some new scheme to make quick cash, Pope was trying to talk sense into him, and Kiara was rolling her eyes like she had heard it all before.

For a while, it was easy to pretend she belonged here. Easy to forget who she was when she wasn't with them.

John B studied her from across the room, beer in hand. He wasn't buying her nonchalant act. "So," he said casually, "how bad was it?" Zoe exhaled, swirling the bottle between her fingers. "Typical Rafe," she muttered. "Cocky. Annoying. Acting like he owns the world."

JJ snorted. "Sounds about right." "He also had that look," she added before she could stop herself.
Kiara frowned. "What look?" Zoe hesitated. She hated even acknowledging it, but they all knew what she meant.

That look Rafe got when he was up to something. The one that made her feel like she was already playing a game she didn't know the rules to.
Pope rubbed a hand down his face. "Great. That's exactly what we need—Rafe Cameron stirring up more trouble." "He's always stirring up trouble," JJ pointed out. Then he turned to Zoe, grinning. "Question is... are you in trouble?"

Zoe gave him a look. "Don't start." JJ held up his hands. "I'm just saying... You and Rafe have, like, vibes—"

"Shut up, JJ." "—toxic, 'I hate you but I also kinda wanna make out with you' vibes." jj blurts out. Zoe groaned, throwing a pillow at him. "I really hate you."

John B smirked. "He's not wrong, though." She shot him a glare. "You too?" Kiara rolled her eyes. "Ignore them. They love drama."

JJ grinned. "And you're full of it." Zoe took another sip of her beer, pretending their words didn't get to her. Because yeah, maybe she and Rafe had something—but whatever it was, it wasn't good.

It wasn't safe. And yet, she knew this wouldn't be the last time she saw him. Not even close.