Zoe woke up with a headache and a mouth that tasted like regret.

The sunlight seeping through the blinds was too bright, her body felt too heavy, and the memories of the night before were too vivid.

Rafe. His lips. His hands. The way she had let herself slip. She groaned, rolling onto her stomach, burying her face into the pillow.

This was bad. Like, really bad. Because it wasn't just the kiss—it was the way it happened. The way it had felt inevitable.

And the worst part? She wanted to do it again. She squeezed her eyes shut. Nope. No. Not happening.

She needed to forget. She needed a distraction. And she knew exactly where to find one.

If there was one thing Zoe loved about the Pogues, it was how easy it was to be around them.

There was no pressure. No expectations. Just laughter, bad jokes, and the kind of friendship that made all the bullshit feel far away.

They spent the afternoon in town, walking through shops, stealing free samples, and arguing over the best flavor of ice cream.

(It was cookies and cream. Pope disagreed. He was wrong.) For a while, it worked. For a while, she forgot. Until she saw him. Rafe.

Standing outside a store, talking with Topper and a few other Kooks. Zoe froze mid-step. And, of course, he noticed immediately.

His gaze flicked to her, locking on with that infuriatingly smug expression, like he knew. Like he could still feel her lips on his.

Zoe's stomach flipped, but she forced herself to ignore him. She turned back to Kiara, pretending nothing happened. "So, you guys wanna hit the beach or—" JJ, who had zero subtlety, glanced between her and Rafe, grinning. "Yo, what's up with that?" Zoe played dumb. "With what?"

JJ wiggled his eyebrows. "You and Cameron over there." Pope frowned. "Wait—what?" "Nothing," Zoe snapped, too fast. "Absolutely nothing."

Kiara narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?" Zoe groaned. "Yes. Drop it." John B smirked. "Damn, did something happen at the party?" Zoe whirled on them. "Nothing happened."

JJ snorted. "You're a terrible liar, Jones." She glared at him, ready to argue— But then she felt it. Felt him. Rafe was still watching her. Like he was at the party.

Rafe was still watching her. Like he was waiting for something. Like he knew she was trying to ignore him and was enjoying every second of it.

Zoe clenched her jaw, forcing herself to turn away, to focus on the Pogues, to not give him the satisfaction. But, of course, JJ wasn't about to let it go.

"I knew something happened," he said, elbowing her. "What was it? Did he hit on you? Did you hit him?" Zoe groaned. "Oh my God, drop it." Kiara raised a brow. "Wait, but like, did you hit him?"

Zoe hesitated. "...No." JJ's jaw dropped. "Then what did you do?" Zoe shot him a look. "Nothing." "Uh-huh." John B smirked. "You're being weird, Zoe."

"I'm always weird," she shot back. Pope sighed, rubbing his temple. "Can we please stop talking about Rafe Cameron?" Zoe pointed at him. "Yes. Thank you."

JJ grinned. "Oh, this is so not over." Zoe rolled her eyes, grabbing Kiara's arm and pulling her toward a store. "Come on. Let's go before JJ explodes from curiosity."

Kiara let herself be dragged, but not before whispering, "We are talking about this later." Zoe groaned.

By the time she got home, the sun was starting to set, casting long shadows across the dirt road. The moment she stepped inside, she knew something was off.

Barry was sitting at the table, rolling a joint, his expression unreadable. And Rafe was standing in the corner, arms crossed, looking way too comfortable in her space. Zoe froze. "No."

Barry barely glanced at her. "Nice to see you too, Z." Zoe ignored him, glaring at Rafe. "What are you doing here?" Rafe smirked. "Just checking in."

She scoffed. "On what?" His smirk widened. "You." Zoe's stomach twisted. Barry exhaled smoke, looking between them. "Ran into Rafe earlier. He mentioned seeing you with the Pogues today."

Zoe stiffened. Barry's voice was calm, but there was something dangerous underneath it. She forced herself to shrug. "Yeah. So?" Barry gave her a look. "You know how I feel about you hanging around them."

Zoe crossed her arms. "And I don't care." Barry's expression darkened. "Zoe." Zoe lifted her chin. "What? It's not like I'm dealing with them. They're my friends."

Barry exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You're gonna get yourself in trouble." Zoe scoffed

"Trouble? That's rich coming from you." Barry's eyes narrowed. "This isn't a joke, Z." She knew that.

She knew how Barry operated, how deep he was in the things she tried to avoid. But she also knew that he didn't get to dictate her life.

"They're my friends," she repeated, her voice sharper this time. "Not yours. So whatever business you've got going on with Rafe or anyone else? It has nothing to do with me."

Barry exchanged a glance with Rafe, something unspoken passing between them. That only pissed her off more. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she snapped, turning to Rafe. "Did you seriously come here just to snitch on me?"

Rafe grinned, looking far too pleased with himself. "Just looking out for you, Jones." Her hands clenched into fists. "I don't need you to look out for me."

Rafe tilted his head. "Yeah? Because it looked like you needed someone to pull you away from Maybank before he dragged you into his mess."

Zoe laughed, but it was all disbelief. "His mess? Oh, that's funny, Rafe, considering you're the biggest mess in this entire town." Rafe's smirk faltered for a second, but he recovered quickly. "Still spent the whole night pressed up against me, though, didn't you?"

Zoe's stomach flipped, but she refused to let it show. Barry's head snapped up. "The hell does that mean?" Rafe grinned. "Nothing." Zoe shot Rafe a look that could kill.

Barry sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Look, I don't care what you do. Just be smart about it." Zoe folded her arms. "I am smart." Barry gave her a long look. "Then act like it."

The room went silent. The tension sat heavy between them, but Zoe wasn't backing down. Eventually, Barry sighed and shook his head. "Whatever. I don't have time for this."

He pushed himself up from the table, giving Rafe a nod before disappearing into the back of the trailer. Leaving them alone. Zoe exhaled sharply, turning back to Rafe. "Are you done ruining my night?"

Rafe just smiled. "You looked like you were having fun earlier." She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, until you showed up." He took a slow step toward her, lowering his voice. "You sure about that?"

Her breath caught, but she refused to let him win. She took a step back. "You should go." Rafe studied her for a second, like he was debating something.

Then, finally, he smirked. "See you around, Jones."

And with that, Rafe turned and walked out, leaving the door swinging behind him. Zoe stood there, heart pounding, hands clenched into fists at her sides.

She hated him. Hated the way he got under her skin. Hated the way he smirked like he had her figured out.

Hated that part of her wasn't entirely sure he was wrong. She let out a frustrated groan, running a hand through her hair. Forget it. Move on. He's not worth it. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, chugging it like it could wash away every bad decision from the last twenty-four hours.

Her phone buzzed.

JJ: yo u good? that whole rafe thing earlier was weird af

Zoe exhaled through her nose, thumbs hovering over the screen before she replied.

Zoe: I'm fine. Just tired.

A few seconds later—

JJ: ok well if u need to break into a country club and steal expensive alcohol to feel better just say the word

Zoe smirked. Zoe: noted

She stared at the screen for a second, then dropped her phone onto the counter with a sigh. Everything felt off. The Pogues were easy, safe—but every time Rafe was near, it was like he cracked open something inside her that she didn't know how to shove back down.

And that terrified her. Because Rafe Cameron was nothing but danger. And if she wasn't careful, she was going to get burned.

She needed air. Needed space. So she found herself at the beach, where the sound of the waves drowned out her thoughts and the cold night air cooled the heat still lingering under her skin.

She sat on the sand, arms wrapped around her knees, watching the tide roll in and out. Footsteps crunched behind her.

She didn't have to turn to know it was them. JJ flopped down beside her first, followed by Kiara, then John B and Pope. None of them said anything right away. They just sat there, looking out at the ocean, existing together.

And for the first time all night, Zoe felt like she could breathe. Kiara nudged her. "Wanna tell us what's actually going on with you?" Zoe hesitated.

Because what was she supposed to say? Yeah, I made out with Rafe Cameron and I think I might actually want to do it again? No way in hell.

So instead, she just shook her head, offering a small smile. "I'm just... figuring things out." Kiara studied her for a second, then nodded. "Okay." No pushing. No prying. Just acceptance.

Zoe exhaled, leaning back on her hands. "Thanks." JJ grinned. "Wanna do something stupid to take your mind off it?" Zoe smirked. "Always."

And just like that, she felt like herself again.