The Wreck was buzzing—plates clinking, forks scraping, the hum of conversation mixing with the ocean breeze rolling in through the open windows. It was the kind of place that felt safe—warm, familiar, untouched by all the chaos happening outside of their little bubble.

Zoe had always liked that about it. JJ was slouched in the booth beside her, drumming his fingers on the table while Kiara side-eyed him, clearly two seconds away from smacking him. Pope was flipping through a menu like he hadn't already memorized it, and John B was stirring his coffee with the straw, looking half-asleep.

Typical Pogue breakfast. "Alright," JJ said, stretching his arms above his head. "What's the move today? Because I refuse to do anything that involves actual work." Pope shot him a look. "Shocking."

JJ grinned. "I know." Kiara sighed, sipping her orange juice. "I dunno, maybe we should take a break from getting chased, almost dying, and committing light felonies for once."

John B smirked. "Wow. Sounds fake, but okay." Zoe snorted. "Yeah, Kie. You really think we can go one day without causing a scene?" JJ slung an arm around Zoe's shoulders, grinning. "Not if I have anything to do with it."

She rolled her eyes but didn't shove him off. Kiara just shook her head. "Fine. But if we get into another fight with Kooks, I swear to God—" "I promise," JJ cut in, holding up a hand, "that I will absolutely throw the first punch."

Kiara groaned. John B just laughed. "Alright, how about we just hit the beach today? No trouble, no plans. Just hanging out." Pope raised a brow. "So we are getting into trouble later."

John B smirked. "Probably." Zoe shook her head, biting back a smile. "You guys are the worst."

JJ nudged her. "And yet, here you are." Yeah.

Here she was. And for a moment, she let herself forget about everything else—the fights, the lies, the fact that she still felt Rafe Cameron's eyes on her from last night. Because right now?

She was just Zoe Jones. A Pogue. And that was all that mattered.

They spent the afternoon at the beach, stretched out on towels, letting the sun sink into their skin. JJ and John B got into a wrestling match in the water, which, of course, turned into them both getting slammed into the sand while Kiara and Pope heckled them from the shore.

Zoe laughed until her stomach hurt. It was good—being with them, feeling like everything was normal.

Until it wasn't. Because as the sun dipped lower, casting everything in gold, she saw them. Kooks.

Not just any Kooks, either. Rafe. Topper. A few others, sitting on the docks, beer bottles in hand, watching them like a bunch of sharks circling the edge of the water.

Zoe's stomach tightened. JJ followed her gaze and let out a groan. "Oh, great. The Kook Academy Dropouts decided to make an appearance."

Kiara scoffed. "God, do they ever do anything besides drink and look miserable?" John B tensed, shifting on his towel. "We should go." Pope nodded. "Agreed."

But Zoe hesitated.Because Rafe wasn't just watching them. He was watching her.

The air shifted. Zoe could feel it—the way the lighthearted, easygoing vibe of the day disappeared the second Rafe and his crew entered the picture.

John B was already on edge, eyes locked on Topper like he was waiting for him to say one wrong thing. JJ, as usual, looked ready to start something, rolling his shoulders like he was psyching himself up for a fight. Zoe? She was still caught in Rafe's stare.

His arm was draped over the back of the bench, beer bottle dangling from his fingers, looking so effortlessly Rafe—that infuriating mixture of careless and calculated. And he wasn't looking away.

JJ noticed. "Yo, Z, you good?" She blinked, snapping out of it. "Yeah. Fine." JJ followed her line of sight, then groaned. "Ugh. Cameron." He dragged a hand down his face. "Why is he always around?"

"Bad karma," Pope muttered. Kiara rolled her eyes. "Just ignore them." Easier said than done.

Because just as she was about to turn away Rafe smirked. A slow, lazy thing, like he knew exactly what he was doing. And then, just to make things worse, he leaned over and said something to Topper—something that made the other Kook laugh before standing up and making his way toward them.

Zoe's stomach tightened. "Great," JJ muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Here comes King Douche himself." John B sat up straighter, muscles tensing. Kiara and Pope exchanged a look, already bracing for whatever was about to happen.

Zoe? She just clenched her jaw and waited. Topper stopped a few feet away, beer in hand, that superior Kook look plastered all over his face. "Didn't expect to see you guys here."

John B scoffed. "Yeah, well, we live here, Top." Topper ignored him, glancing at Zoe instead. "Interesting company you keep, Jones." His eyes flicked to Rafe for a split second before returning to her. "Guess you really have gone full Pogue, huh?"

Zoe didn't react. Didn't flinch. She just stared him down and said, "Is there a point to this conversation? Or are you just trying to impress your little Kook audience?" JJ let out a loud laugh. "Damn, burn."

Topper's jaw tensed. Clearly, he hadn't expected her to bite back. Before he could say anything, another voice chimed in. "Come on, Top. Let's not scare her off." Rafe.

And just like that, the air got heavier. He took his sweet time walking over, like this was his beach, like he wasn't just another rich asshole acting like he owned the world.

His eyes flickered to Zoe—just for a second—before he looked at the rest of them. "Didn't think you guys were allowed this close to civilization." John B smirked. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing."

Rafe's smirk twitched. "Cute." Zoe exhaled sharply, already done with whatever this was. "What do you want, Cameron?" Rafe tilted his head. "Just saying hi."

"Yeah, sure," Kiara muttered. "Because that's believable." Pope shook his head. "We're not doing this today." Rafe's eyes were locked on Zoe now, a slow smirk tugging at his lips.

"Didn't expect to see you here, Jones," he said, tilting his head slightly. "Thought you were more of a 'stay in the shadows' kind of girl." Zoe clenched her jaw. "Yeah? And I thought you were more of a 'stumble around drunk and ruin your daddy's reputation' kind of guy, but here you are."

JJ let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, damn, I missed this." Rafe's smirk twitched, something sharp flashing behind his eyes. But he didn't take the bait. Instead, he just took another step closer, invading her space like he owned it.

"Careful, Jones," he murmured, voice dropping just enough that only she could hear it. "Don't want your little Pogue buddies getting the wrong idea about us, do you?" Zoe hated the way her pulse spiked.

Because that's what Rafe did. He pushed, he played games, he got under people's skin just to see what they'd do. And she refused to let him win. She squared her shoulders, stepping closer so they were almost nose to nose. "Trust me, Cameron, the only idea they have about you is that you're a spoiled little prick with daddy issues." JJ whistled. "Yo, I love this side of you."

Rafe didn't move. Didn't back down. Instead, he just grinned, like he loved this. Like he wanted her to fight back. But before he could say anything else, Topper let out a loud scoff. "Jesus, Zoe," he said, shaking his head. "You really let yourself sink this low?"

Zoe turned, giving him a sharp glare. "Excuse me?"
m Topper gestured at the Pogues, looking disgusted. "I mean, this? You're really wasting your time with these dirty little thieves?" Kiara shot up. "What the hell did you just say?"

"Oh, come on," Topper continued, sneering. "It's not like it's a secret. John B's dad was a washed-up loser, Pope's dad is nothing but a glorified boat cleaner, and JJ? He's just a walking mugshot waiting to happen." JJ's entire body tensed. "Say that again, Kook."

Topper smirked. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings, Maybank?" John B stood up now too. "Back the hell off, Topper." But Topper wasn't done yet. He turned back to Zoe, shaking his head. "You could've had everything, Jones. You're just like Rafe—Barry's little sidekick, running around with the trash instead of where you actually belong."

Zoe felt something snap. Before she could even think, she was stepping forward, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "And where exactly do I belong, Top?" she bit out, voice sharp.

Topper scoffed. "Anywhere but here. You think these Pogues actually care about you? You're just another stray they picked up, another loser who—" JJ moved first. One second, he was standing next to Zoe, and the next, his fist connected with Topper's jaw, sending him stumbling backward.

"JJ!" Kiara shouted, but it was too late. The beach erupted into chaos. Topper recovered quickly, lunging at JJ, and suddenly fists were flying. John B tackled another Kook who had tried to jump in, and Pope shoved one off of JJ before getting swung at himself.

"Jesus Christ," Zoe muttered, dodging out of the way as Kiara grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She barely had time to process what was happening before she caught a glimpse of Rafe. He was watching her. Not fighting. Not jumping in. Just watching.

And then—he moved. Zoe barely had time to react before Rafe was right there, his hand gripping her wrist as he yanked her out of the way of the brawl.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped, trying to jerk away. Rafe tightened his grip. "Keeping you out of this mess." She glared at him. "Like you care."

He exhaled sharply, jaw clenching. "Just shut up and stay out of the way." Zoe wrenched her arm free, anger bubbling in her chest. "I don't need you protecting me, Cameron."

Something flickered in his eyes—something almost like frustration. But before he could say anything, JJ's voice cut through the noise. "Yo, Z, you just gonna stand there, or are you actually on our side?"

Zoe whipped around. Topper was getting to his feet again, wiping blood from his mouth, and JJ was breathing hard, fists still clenched. The Kooks looked pissed. And Rafe?

He was looking at her like this was some kind of test. Like he was waiting to see what she'd do. Zoe's pulse pounded. Then, without thinking, she moved—right back to JJ's side, shoving Rafe's hand off her arm.

"I think that answers your question," she said, lifting her chin. JJ smirked. "That's my girl." Rafe's expression darkened. And just like that, the lines were drawn.