Rafe and I parked my aunt's car under the oning they had by the garage. I couldn't risk getting her car destroyed by a storm.

"Are you sure it's fine for me to be here? I'm literally half dressed." I looked down at the big t-shirt and flip-flops I had on.

Rafe shrugged. "Should've let me go." I shook my head and followed him in.

This was the last place I wanted to be. I got this weird feeling in my gut every time I was in this house. Rose and Ward have always been nice to me but they were always off to me.

"Do you think Sarah has a pair of shorts I could borrow?" I asked Rafe standing behind him as he shut the garage door.

"Probably. She's upstairs." Rafe motioned to the stairs and I went up. If I was gonna be here all night I at least wanted to be comfortable.

I took in my surroundings as I held onto the railing while walking up. This house was probably more expensive than my aunts 5 bedroom home.

I knocked on the bedroom door and opened it. Sarah wasn't there. I continued walking in and found my way to her closet. I found a pair of jean shorts and slipped them on over my bikini bottoms. Once I was dressed I found myself looking at all of the family pictures she had in her room.

By this point, the storm had already rolled in. I let my mom know "Sarah" invited me to stay over. I could hear the thunder and the rain pouring down.

"What are you doing in here?" A soft voice spoke.

I jumped and knocked over a picture at the sound of their voice. "Oh my gosh. You scared me. Wheezie?"

"Yeah?" She furrowed her brows.

"It's me, Kennedy. Topper's cousin. You've grown so much! Look at you. Already a woman!" I smiled.

"Oh hi! I didn't recognize you either. Why are you here?" She asked.

It's wheezie, I couldn't lie to her. "I was gonna take Rafe surfing to let off some steam but the storm started rolling in and we came here because it was closer."

"You were hanging out with Rafe? My brother Rafe?" She questioned.

I laughed at her confusion. "Yeah. He was um....having a rough day and I bumped into him at the country club earlier. Topper was busy so I took matters into my own hands."

"Oh." That was all she said. "Well have fun!" She uncrossed her arms and walked out of the room.

"So if you want you can sleep in here tonight." Rafe walked into the room once again scaring me.

"Do you people never knock? The jumpscares I've had in the past minutes are insane." I held my hand over my chest.

Rafe stared at me unamused. "Rose made dinner if you want something to eat."

"Sure." I nodded. Rafe walked out and I followed close behind. As we got closer to the bottom of the stairs I could see the rest of the family at the dinner table, this was about to be the worst dinner of my life.

"Hey! I didn't know you were here Ken!" Ward's eyes grew wide with a smile on his face.

"Just needed a safe place to stay until the storm passes." I softly smiled.

Rose flashed a small smile. "Have a seat you guys. Rafe fix her a plate."

I looked at Rafe who had a smug look. "It's okay! I'll come with you."

We walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plate from the counter. Spread out was salad, pasta, and a chocolate cake for dessert. It looked amazing!

"So do you guys go all out for dinner every night?" I grabbed the spoon from the pasta bowl and placed a spoonful on my plate.

"No. You act like Topper doesn't eat at the country club all the time with special treatment." Rafe put the tongs into the salad bowl on the counter. He shifted to the opposite side of me getting pasta.

I grabbed what I wanted and made my way back to the dinner table. I sat down beside Wheezie and left an open space between Rafe and me.

"So Kennedy are you going to midsummers with your family?" Rose asked sitting across from me.

"I'm not sure. We haven't talked about it. I dropped a donation off for my aunt this morning so I think she plans on going." I looked up and then placed the fork full of pasta in my mouth.

"So how long have you and that boyfriend of yours been together?" Ward asked. I always found it weird when he asked about Zach.

"Umm..2 years." My eyes kept their focus on the food in front of me.

"See Rafe. She's got her life together. A boyfriend, she's in school, abides by the rules." Ward continued to go on and on about how "perfect" I am.

Rafe slammed his napkin on the table and walked away. I understood why he was pissed but it felt like more than that. I've noticed recently when Zach is mentioned, Rafe tenses up. Maybe he was jealous that I had a relationship. Or maybe it was him being afraid to feel anything other than anger.

I placed my napkin gently on the table. "um excuse me." I stood up and walked away from the dinner table trying to figure out where Rafe ran off to. I walked past a window and saw him outside sitting on the stairs of their house. He couldn't go far because of the storm. I opened the door and walked around to where Rafe sat. He held a small glass of whiskey in his hand and a tray in his lap. "I don't think drugs and alcohol cure anger." I sighed sitting down beside him.

"Maybe not for you, but for me it does." He went to raise the glass to his lips but I snatched it from his grasp before he could taste the liquid. I took a quick sip and handed it back only to receive a small smirk. "what was that about?"

I cleared my throat before speaking. "Just to see what it does to fill the void. It doesn't. You know my life isn't as perfect as everyone makes it seem right? I guess Topper never told anyone." I sighed crossing my arms and holding my legs in against my chest. "Before I met Zach...I had a best friend named Audrey."

"oh yeah. She used to come with you sometimes when we were younger." Rafe recognized the name. "What happened to her?"

I looked out at the rain to distract myself from choking up. "um she was killed in a drunk driving accident. She was hit head-on and died on impact. I felt like I lost the other half of me. I went into a severe depression, had to be put on anti-depressants, and stayed in a mental hospital for a couple of months, I ended up getting into drugs and alcohol to cure my pain, it wasn't until after I met Zach that I did a full 360 and wanted to get my life together."

"I-i'm sorry." Rafe looked over at me. "That's why you don't drink."

I nodded and looked at him. "Or do any kind of drugs. You don't have to have your life together Rafe. You're only 19 years old. You can start making plans for your life but you don't have to have it all together. You stress yourself out because you want your dad's approval. It doesn't matter." We locked eyes. I genuinely wanted him to know that it was okay to not plan everything out. Rafe kept his focus on me. "um... I'm gonna head inside." I stood up and brushed myself off.

"Wait, Kennedy!" Rafe grabbed my wrist gently as he stood close in front of me. I looked up at his blue eyes. They were as blue as the ocean on a perfectly sunny summer day. Rafe grabbed my face with his palm resting on my cheek and pulled me in for a kiss. I placed my hand on his lower waist as he pulled me closer.

I pushed him away once I came back to reality. "Rafe... I-I can't. I'm sorry."