The next day, the Pogues decided to throw a party.

It wasn't some fancy event like Midsummers or some Kook mansion rager—this was their kind of party. Bonfires, cheap beer, loud music, and the sound of waves crashing just a few feet away.

John B had been the one to suggest it, but everyone knew it was really JJ's idea. And, for whatever stupid reason, they invited the Kooks.

"Why the hell are they here?" Kiara muttered, crossing her arms as she spotted a group of Kooks stepping onto the sand JJ grinned, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "Because, Kie, I believe in chaos."

She shoved him off. "You just want to start sh*t." He shot her finger guns. "Exactly." Zoe wasn't sure how she felt about it. The Pogues rarely invited Kooks to their part of the island, and for good reason. It always ended in disaster.

Still, she couldn't deny the small part of her that was curious. How bad could it get? Then she spotted Rafe. And Topper. And Kelce. Oh. That bad.

The tension was immediate.

John B and Topper locked eyes across the bonfire, and everyone knew what was coming. It started as words—snide comments, insults disguised as jokes. Then, before anyone could stop it, Topper shoved John B.

John B swung. Then it was just chaos. JJ was already grinning as he shoved someone out of the way to get a better view. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

Kiara groaned. "Goddammit." Zoe watched as the two of them went at it, fists flying, sand kicking up beneath them. Sarah was furious, pushing through the crowd. "Topper, stop!"

But Topper wasn't listening. He never did when it came to John B. John B got a good hit in, knocking Topper back, but Topper retaliated fast, tackling him to the ground. JJ whistled. "Alright, alright, I'll break it up."

Pope scoffed. "Yeah, right." JJ grinned. "No, really. I got ten bucks on John B." Zoe rolled her eyes before stepping forward. "Enough!" She shoved Topper back, stepping between them. "Jesus, do you ever take a break?"

Topper wiped his mouth, glaring at her. "Stay out of it, Jones." John B was already trying to push past her, ready for round two. Zoe shoved him back this time. "And you. You really think this is worth it?"

John B clenched his jaw, but the fight in his eyes didn't fade. Sarah pulled him back. "He's not worth it, JB." Topper scoffed, brushing sand off his clothes. "You should listen to your Kook girlfriend." Sarah turned on him. "You're pathetic."

Zoe could already see JJ and Pope watching closely, prepared to step in. Rafe, on the other hand, had been silent the whole time. Zoe caught his gaze across the fire.

And for once, he didn't look entertained. He just looked tired.

The fight didn't completely ruin the party, but the divide between the Kooks and Pogues was clear. People stuck to their sides. Kooks on one, Pogues on the other, a bonfire in the middle like some kind of invisible line between them.

JJ, of course, found his way into the Kook side on purpose. Zoe watched as he snatched a drink from one of them, downing it before throwing an arm around some random Kook girl. Kiara sighed. "He wants to get jumped."

Pope smirked. "Yeah, but you gotta admire the commitment." Meanwhile, Rafe had finally stepped away from the mess, heading towards the water.

Zoe didn't know why, but she followed.

Rafe was standing near the shoreline, looking out at the ocean, his beer barely touched in his hand. Zoe came up beside him, kicking at the wet sand. "You didn't join the fight. That's new." He snorted. "Yeah, well. Not really in the mood to get my face bashed in tonight."

Zoe tilted her head. "That a first?" Rafe let out a breath. "Guess so." For a moment, there was just silence between them. The sound of waves, distant laughter from the party behind them.

Then, Rafe glanced at her. "You good?" Zoe blinked, surprised he was even asking. She shrugged. "I don't know." Rafe looked at her for a long moment, then nodded toward the fire. "At least JJ's having fun." Zoe turned, watching as JJ threw an arm around Pope, laughing at something.

Despite everything, she smiled. "Yeah," she muttered. "I guess he is."

The party only got wilder as the night went on. The bonfire burned brighter, the music got louder, and the drinks kept coming.

Zoe had lost track of how many beers she'd had. Not that it mattered. She felt good. Light. Like she wasn't thinking about anything—her dad, Barry, Rafe, the Pogues, the Kooks—none of it. Just this.

And then there was JJ. JJ, who was just as drunk as she was. JJ, who pulled her into the mess of people dancing around the fire, grinning like an idiot.

"C'mon, Jones," he slurred, spinning her around. "You never dance." Zoe laughed. "I do dance!" He squinted at her. "Bullsh*t. Prove it." So she did.

She threw her arms up, swaying with the music, letting herself get lost in it. And JJ? He was all in.
Their laughter mixed with the bass of the music, JJ's hands landing on her hips as he spun her again, pulling her close. It wasn't serious—just drunk fun.

At least, that's what she thought. Until she caught Rafe watching.

He was standing by the bonfire, beer in hand, his jaw tight. Topper and Kelce were saying something to him, but he wasn't listening. His eyes were locked right on them.

On her. On JJ. The way JJ's hands were gripping her waist. The way she leaned into him, laughing like nothing else in the world mattered.

Rafe felt something ugly coil in his stomach. He had no right to feel like this—he knew that. But it didn't stop the fire burning in his chest, the irritation simmering under his skin.

"Dude," Topper elbowed him. "What's your problem?" Kelce followed Rafe's gaze and smirked. "Ohhh. That's your problem." Rafe tore his eyes away, scowling. "Shut up, Kelce."

Kelce snorted. "I'm just saying, man. If you wanna do something about it..." Rafe clenched his jaw, gripping his beer so tight he thought the bottle might shatter. Then, as if things couldn't get worse, Zoe did something stupid.

She grabbed JJ's face and kissed him.

It wasn't some big, serious thing. It wasn't a declaration of love. It was just drunken impulse. One second, Zoe was laughing, the next, she was pulling JJ closer, her lips crashing against his. JJ, of course, didn't hesitate.

He kissed her back, hands gripping her waist, pulling her flush against him. The fire crackled behind them, the bass of the music vibrating through the sand, but in that moment, none of it mattered.

They were just drunk—carefree and reckless, caught up in the chaos of the night. And maybe Zoe didn't fully realize what she was doing.

But Rafe did. His entire body tensed, the grip on his beer so tight that his knuckles went white. He wanted to look away, to pretend like he didn't care—but he couldn't.

Topper let out a low whistle. "Damn." Kelce snickered. "Yikes, man. That's rough." Rafe shoved past them without a word. He didn't know where he was going—he just knew he had to move.

When Zoe finally pulled back, her head was spinning. JJ was grinning, eyes half-lidded, the taste of cheap beer still on his lips. "Well, damn, Jones."

Zoe rolled her eyes, pushing him lightly. "You wish."
But her stomach was twisting—because, yeah, it was fun, but it also didn't feel real. Not really. JJ must've noticed the shift in her expression because his smirk faded just a bit. "Hey, we're just having fun, right?"

Zoe exhaled. "Yeah. Just fun." But her eyes flickered toward where Rafe had been standing. He was gone.

And for some reason, that made her stomach twist even tighter.

Zoe found him away from the party, standing near the water, his hands on his hips, shoulders tense.
She hesitated for half a second before stepping closer. "You good?" Rafe scoffed, shaking his head. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" He turned to face her, his expression unreadable—but his eyes? They were burning. "Act like you don't know," he muttered. Zoe frowned. "Know what?"

Rafe let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Jesus, Zoe. You really think I don't see what you're doing?" She folded her arms. "And what am I doing, Rafe?" Rafe's jaw clenched tightly as his eyes bore into Zoe's. "You're playing games, Zoe." His voice was low, tight with something she couldn't quite place, but there was no mistaking the frustration in his tone.

Zoe blinked, her pulse picking up. "What are you talking about?" He let out an exhale, shaking his head as if in disbelief. "You kiss JJ in front of me, then act like it doesn't matter. Do you think I don't see what you're doing? You think I don't know you're doing this to mess with me?"

Zoe's stomach dropped, a mix of confusion and irritation swirling inside her. She'd kissed JJ—it was just a kiss. It meant nothing, at least to her. It was the alcohol, the adrenaline, the stupid energy of the party. Nothing more. But the way Rafe was looking at her made it feel like she'd done something huge.

"What are you talking about, Rafe?" she said, trying to steady her voice, though it felt a little shaky. "I didn't do anything to you. I kissed JJ because—because I was drunk. And I don't even know what it means, okay?" Her hands were trembling as she spoke, more out of frustration than anything else. She didn't owe him an explanation. She didn't owe anyone an explanation.

Rafe's face softened, just a little. "That's the problem," he muttered, more to himself than to her. He stepped closer, looking at her with a mix of frustration and something else—something deeper. "You don't know what it means, but I do."

Zoe stared at him, confused. "What does it mean then?" She wasn't sure what she wanted him to say, but in the back of her mind, she knew she wasn't ready to hear it.

Rafe took a slow breath, letting it out through his nose, his gaze never leaving hers. For a second, everything was still—the sound of the waves crashing against the shore was the only thing she could hear. Then, almost in a whisper, he said, "It means I care. It means you're making me care."

Zoe felt her heart skip a beat, but she didn't say anything. She couldn't. He stepped even closer, his voice quieter now, almost raw. "I told you, Zoe, I'm not used to caring about anyone. I don't do feelings, but you—" He paused, swallowing hard as if the words were stuck in his throat. "You've got me tangled up, and I don't know what the hell to do with that."

Zoe's chest tightened, her mind racing. She hadn't realized how much she'd been pushing Rafe's buttons until that moment. The distance, the teasing, the sarcastic remarks—it was all a defense mechanism, wasn't it? She had her own walls built up, and it looked like he had too. But seeing him like this, vulnerable in a way she'd never expected, made her rethink everything.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt thick, charged. Finally, Zoe took a step back, shaking her head. "I didn't mean for it to be like this," she said quietly. "I never meant to mess with you, Rafe."

His eyes softened slightly, but the hurt was still there. "Maybe you didn't. But that's what happens when you do stuff like that." He looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. "You should've known I'd care, even if I didn't want to."

Zoe bit her lip, looking away, unsure what to say. She didn't know how to make sense of this, or how to fix the tension that had suddenly risen between them. She wasn't even sure what she felt.

Rafe cleared his throat and turned away slightly, as if pulling himself back together. "Just—just think about it, Zoe. Okay?" He didn't wait for her response before walking away, leaving her standing there, the cool air from the ocean hitting her like a wave.

Zoe found herself standing alone by the fire a little while later. The party still raged around her, but the buzz of excitement felt distant now. Her head was still spinning, both from the alcohol and from everything that had just happened with Rafe.

She'd kissed JJ. She'd said things she didn't mean, done things she didn't know how to explain. And now, she couldn't stop thinking about the way Rafe had looked at her. About the words he'd said.

He cares. You've got me tangled up. It was all too much. The drama with the Kooks, the tension with her family, her strained friendship with the Pogues—it was all building up, crashing down on her all at once.

Zoe rubbed her temples, trying to clear her head, but when she looked up, she saw JJ stumbling toward her with a grin plastered on his face. "Hey, Jones," he said, clearly a little too drunk. He threw an arm around her shoulders. "You okay?"

Zoe didn't know how to answer. She just smiled faintly, trying to push everything down. "Yeah, just... fine." JJ didn't notice the strain in her voice. He was too busy laughing, pulling her back toward the chaos of the bonfire.

But as they walked back toward the crowd, Zoe couldn't help but glance around for Rafe. She didn't know why, but she needed to know where he was.

And when she saw him standing by the edge of the fire, his eyes locked on her from across the crowd, she couldn't ignore the ache in her chest. The night was far from over, and somehow, the drama had only just begun.