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looneyleyle · 24 days

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valse triste ~ r. cameron

synopsis: the ever forbidden love story between a pogue and a kook, a woman and death. after all, life imitates art far more than art imitates life (oscar wilde).

warnings: ig death mentioned, fighting, cameron-family typical warnings, i made oc portuguese but it's rlly not a prominent thing or anything.

words: 6118 words

notes: not proofread but i wanted to share cuz i was really excited about this idea!!

third person pov

valse triste is a piece composed by jean sibelius in 1903 for the finnish play "kuolema" (in english, "death"). the play, written by sibelius's brother-in-law, follows a woman on her death bed who is visited by death himself late in the night.

camila matos. pogue. a witty, beautiful girl raised on the cut. friend of john b, jj, kiara, and pope. an observer, always preferring to stay on the sides and take everything in. the best surfer of the pogues, which went hand in hand with her job at the country club as a lifeguard.

"ayo camila, heading back to the chateau?" jj asked after their shifts had finished.

"nah, i'm on little brother duty tonight while my parents work the late night shift. i'll pop in tomorrow before the boneyard though." she replied, grabbing her bike from the rack. just as she was about to ride off, a sleek, black range rover promptly cut her off and zoomed into the country club. a middle finger and flurry of obscenities left the blonde boy's mouth.

"fucking asshole. one day he's gonna get what's coming for him." jj mumbled.

"he's a cameron, what do you expect?"

rafe cameron. king of the kooks. a hotheaded coke-addicted psychopath, at least in the eyes of the pogues. always flanked by his posse of kelce and topper. ever the impulsive, ending seemingly every party covered in blood, though usually not his own.

"what's up man?" topper greeted as rafe sat down at their table.

"hear about the boneyard party tomorrow?" kelce asked, not waiting for the man's reply. "lots of tourons around this time of year. i know ward has been on your back about the company. could be a good way to let off some steam" at the mention of his father, rafe's jaw clenched, muscles tensing in his arms and shoulders.

"yeah, i might stop by."

the piece is divided into six prominent sections.

first, the invitation.

death knocks on the woman’s door and invites her to dance. the woman refuses. death asks once again, only this time, the woman concedes.

the party was in full swing by the time camila and the pogues got there. a couple empty kegs were scattered around, discarded red solo cups littering the ground.

"no fights this time guys. i mean it, we can't afford any more trouble." kiara warns the group, a pointed glare thrown at john b and jj.

"no fights." john b promised, hands raised up at kiara's accusatory glare.

"i make no promises. the kooks have it coming." jj commented, already looking at the group of kooks by the nearest keg. kie and jj started bickering, with pope and john b heading to one of the farther kegs to avoid kook central. camila rolled her eyes, not afraid of some entitled pricks.

as she made her way to the spout of the keg, she heard a voice from behind her.

"what's a girl like you doing over here?" the voice taunted. she rolled her eyes, continuing to pour herself a drink.

"ha ha rafe, do you really have nothing better to do than going around picking fights?" she quipped, topping off her drink and turning to face the man. he was wearing a plain grey tee and some khaki shorts, completely overdressed compared to all the shirtless men roaming around. an amused smirk played across his lips, his eyes swimming with trouble.

"i'm not picking any fights sweetheart, i'm just making conversation. it's called being polite, you should try it sometime." he teased, towering over the girl. their height difference did nothing to deter her or her smart mouth.

"you wouldn't know polite if it crashed into your pretty little range rover. besides, i am being polite. i've just spent a whole minute talking to you and i haven't even kicked you in the balls."

"such a sweet way with words you have." camila rolled her eyes, starting to walk away from the man.

"ah yes, my goal in life, to make men swoon." as her back finally turned on rafe, he grabbed her arm, stopping her from going any further.

"rafe, i swear to god-"

"dance with me." he said, pulling her back towards him.

"why in the world would i dance with you?" camila asked, her mind reeling from the question. when has rafe cameron ever shown anything but anger towards the pogues? and now he's not only being somewhat civil, but asking to dance?

"just one dance, that's all i'm asking for. then i'll get out of your hair."

camila weighed the pros and cons, ultimately deciding that he would only get more annoying and more persistent the longer she denies him. and so, she stopped struggling against his hold, earning a victorious smirk from rafe.

"see? now that wasn't that hard, was it?" he patronized, leading her to a more secluded area.

"don't push your luck cameron." she then noticed just how far away they were from the rest of the partiers.

"if you're pulling me away from everyone to murder me, i'm-"

"relax, it's so your pogue buddies don't try and jump me for being near you. i don't think you want them seeing you either, dancing with their sworn enemy and all." he huffed, coming to a stop behind a pile of driftwood.

then, the dance.

the tempo picks up, albeit timidly, as death and the woman gain their bearings. the music is soft, reflecting the woman's unsureness of dancing with this stranger. their movements are sharp and calculated, as if measuring each other.

then, the music swells into a swinging waltz. death and the woman twist and turn in a flurry of dips, spins, and twirls, no longer rigid with distrust. the woman enjoys her time, carried away by the music, until she remembers just who her dance partner is.

the music was indiscernible, but still audible despite being so far away. some sort of slow-ish song played, and rafe took both of camila's hands in his, starting to sway them back and forth lazily.

"so c'mon, why'd you ask me to dance with you?" camila interrogated. rafe let out a sigh, his jaw clenching ever so slightly.

"i can't just want to talk to you?"

"i'm a pogue, rafe. one of those people you treat like shit? or have you forgotten?" she pointed out. rafe stayed quiet for a second, still moving them around in the dance.

"everyone just agrees with me all the time and it's fucking annoying. but you don't, you keep it real." he explained shortly, refusing to look at her. her heart jumped for a second, though she kept her face neutral.

"so i say something to you and it's 'keeping it real', but pope says the same thing and you start swinging?" she continued. his grip on her hands tightened a bit.

"he's a punk." was all rafe could come up with. camila smirked at that, but bit her cheek to prevent any further comments.

"so what do you like to do besides terrorize us pogues?"

and with that, one song turned to two, and two turned to four, until the two lost track of time. they eventually switched from dancing to sitting down on some driftwood, chatting away about themselves. camila learned that besides doing coke and making their lives hell, he likes to golf and fish. he has two younger sisters, sarah and wheezie, who annoy the everliving daylights out of him, but whom he cares for deeply nonetheless. he has a father who is constantly on his ass about everything, which tends to be the cause for his drug usage. he even admitted that he wants to get clean, but can't seem to stop.

rafe already knew more than he cared to share about camila. as creepy as it sounded, he would always notice when she was around, observing her. she was fit, good with a board, and wouldn't go around picking fights like the rest of the pogues. he did learn a bit more of the less obvious things about her, like that she has a younger brother, joao, and parents who work day in and day out running one of the only gas stations on the cut.

the two were laughing about some story about camila's brother when they heard a loud "what the fuck?!" coming from behind them. they turned to see jj, who was followed by a very confused looking kiara. it was that moment when camila realized just how close the two were sitting, and abruptly got up. she could have swore she heard a sigh coming from rafe, but she had bigger fish to fry at the moment.

"what the fuck are you doing over here with him?" jj seethed.

"look man, it-" rafe started, but was immediately cut off by camila.

"not now rafe." she mumbled. "jj, it's fine-"

"fine?!" jj had smoke coming out from his ears. "it's fine?! camila, have you forgotten everything this entitled douchebag has done to us?" camila didn't have a response to this. jj was right, rafe had given the pogues nothing but trouble for years, no good reason to trust him or even be near him. the man has tormented pogues for far too long, so why was she even entertaining a conversation with him?

"i'll take that as my queue to leave. it was nice talking with you camila. can't say the same to you maybank." rafe mumbled, already walking away, adding his pointed remark at the end.

"no no no, you don't get to walk away so easily rafe. what were you doing with camila-"

"jj, enough." kiara stopped him, holding him back from following rafe.

"oh, so we're just giving kooks free passes for trying to mack on our girls, i see how it is. that makes total sense." jj muttered, throwing his arms about in wide, angry gestures. he started walking back towards john b and pope, kie and camila following a couple paces behind.

"what were you doing with rafe?" she asked quietly. camila just looked around, wanting to be anywhere but the boneyard.

"nothing."

next, the rekindling.

death waits a moment for the woman to collect her thoughts. he asks again, slowly and gently, if she would like to continue. the woman hesitates, but agrees nonetheless.

a couple of days passed before camila saw rafe again. she got quite the mouthful from the pogues about the night, and didn't plan on revisiting that. so, she spent her days working at the country club, watching the waves to make sure no one was in trouble.

"well well well, look who it is." a pit sank in camila's stomach.

"hey rafe." she answered plainly. she knew jj was just a couple yards away, bussing tables. if he saw her talking to rafe again, he would probably go apeshit and lose his job.

"what's with the silent treatment? thought we had a nice conversation the other day." he asked, looking down at his hands through slanted eyes, fidgeting with his rings. he almost seemed nervous, but with his laid back posture and dry tone, he was anything but. it was almost intimidating the way he questioned her without even looking her way, yet she felt so compelled to answer.

"jj was right. you've done nothing but torment us for years. i don't owe you any conversation or dance or anything of the sort." he lifted an eyebrow at this, his focus now on the sea in front of them.

"i don't think i was tormenting you the other day." he said. he then finally looked at her, his piercing blue eyes staring straight into her soul. camila was always one to stand her ground, but his stare was too intense to hold.

"look, rafe, we're just too different. i mean, you're-"

"what, i'm a kook? is that your argument? c'mon camila, i thought we were past that bullshit by now." he drawls. she doesn't answer, causing him to sigh.

"look, i'm not- i'm not gonna force you to do something you don't want to, but i'm going to the mainland tomorrow, and i want you to come with." he stated, running a hand through his hair, no longer able to look at camila. her lack of response caused him to look back at her, and his face fell for a moment when she just stared back, no visual indication of leaning one way or the other.

"alright well, if you wanna come, i'll be outside the country club at 10." a couple beats passed, and he started walking away.

"make it outside the wreck at 10:30." she yelled out. he stopped in his tracks, looking back at her to give her what almost seemed to be a smile, and continued on back to the building. camila checked the deck, and luckily there was no jj in sight. she sighed, her heart racing.

what did i just get myself into? she thought, shaking away her thoughts and focusing back in on the waves.

the reunion.

death and the woman go back into the waltz. it begins quiet and slow, but quickly, the music soars, the woman being swept around by death in a frenzy of passion.

it was 10:30 on the dot, and no camila in sight. rafe had been anxiously tapping the steering wheel for the past five minutes, parked outside the wreck, getting a couple looks from the people on the sidewalks.

by 10:35, he had given up, letting his head hit the wheel. he was stood up.

"fuck!" he yelled, hitting the wheel.

"woah there, what're you all worked up about this early in the morning?" a voice asked from his passenger side. he looked over to see camila outside the rolled down window. rafe let out a breath before trying to find some excuse.

"i, uh- i got-"

"close your mouth pretty boy, you look like a fish." she laughed, getting into the car. she had on a white sundress with a red floral print, along with beaded and woven bracelets stacked on her wrists.

"sorry for being late, had to take joao to a friend's house before this."

"nah, it's fine, it's cool." he said, composing himself. they then took off, rafe's music filling the car. camila took the opportunity to study the man. he was wearing a blue polo and white shorts, some expensive watch on his wrist. his hair was a bit messy, which camila couldn't help but admire.

"so captain, what's the plan for today?" camila asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the silence between them. he just lazily rolled his head towards her, giving her a lopsided grin.

"you'll see."

the image burned itself into her memory, with his one hand on the wheel, the other on the gear shift, and his cocky, pretty little face. camila mentally beat herself up for how easily she was caving for this man.

rafe ended up having quiet a wonderful plan. they started off walking around in a beautiful botanical garden, admiring all the pretty flowers and plants. then, he took her to a little corner cafe, treating her to lunch. after that, he took her to an art museum, knowing a surprising amount about the paintings on the walls.

"how do you know so much about these?" she asked, cutting him off from an explanation of the andy warhol work to their right. he slowed down a bit, hyper fixating on the paintings.

"my... i didn't know my mom much before she was gone, but she loved art. she would take me and sarah here all the time and would go on and on about each painting. once she was... gone, rose tried to do the same for us, but it just wasn't the same. so, i filled in for mom, taking sarah around just like she would." he explained, trying to keep his voice level. he started fidgeting with his ring, to which camila placed her hand over his, taking it into her own. rafe looked down at her, looking into her big eyes that urged him to continue. he took in a deep breath and ran his free hand through his hair.

"i was nine. dad didn't take it too well, locking himself up in his office for days at a time. when rose entered the picture, sarah and i didn't really consider her a mom. still don't." he didn't seem to want to continue, so camila asked him about the next painting, relief filling rafe at the change in topic, very much aware of camila's hand still in his.

that night, while rafe drove them back to outer banks, camila couldn't find it in her to dislike him anymore. she understood where he was coming from, which totally did not justify the things he had done to the pogues, but allowed her to empathize with why he did what he did. at his core, he was just a boy who never truly got to feel the love of a family, who had to step up at an early age and suffer from constant pressure from his work-obsessed father.

when rafe parked outside of her house, camila just sat there, not wanting the day to end.

"i had a lot of fun today." she told him, looking up at him with those same big eyes from before. rafe couldn't breathe, he didn't know what was wrong with him. he had never been this affected by anyone in his life.

"yeah, me too." the tension in the car was quickly climbing, both sitting there, waiting to see what the other would do.

"give me your phone." camila ordered, breaking up the tension. rafe just blinked for a second, the words taking a moment to process in his head. then, he quickly grabbed his phone from his pocket and handed it to the girl. she typed away for a second before handing it back.

"i'll see you later rafe." and with that, she was out the door and gone, rafe staring at his phone.

new contact!

camila ☼ (xxx) xxx-xxxx

after that, rafe and camila found themselves seeing each other all the time, behind the pogues' backs, of course. he would pick her up from shifts, taking her back to his to go on the boat, or walking along the beach. she even tried to teach him how to surf, but to no avail. they would spend late nights wrapped up in blankets, watching some horror movie or dumb comedy. she was helping him to find healthier coping habits to deal with the constant stress and thoughts he would have, even getting him to schedule a consultation with a therapist on the mainland. the experience was new for the both of them, so surprisingly domestic considering their fiery personalities. of course, there was still the constant banter and snarky comments, but there were also vulnerable conversations, and moments in which they would just hold each other, trying to wash away the other's worries.

then, the turmoil.

the woman battles with herself. to give herself to death, or to fight back and remain as she is?

of course, the two were destined to face some troubles. in fact, they were surprised that they got through a whole month and a half without being caught or having anyone suspicious of them.

it was kiara who first noticed something. everyone was at the chateau, just bumming about, laying in the hammocks and splayed across the furniture. camila's phone was going off like crazy when the girl stepped inside to make a sandwich. kie, who was the closest to her phone, picked it up to silence it, but noticed the contact that was blowing her up.

my bitch boy <3 when are you coming over i have popcorn i even got those candies that you like c'mon, no one's home rn, but we don't have all day

kiara looked up at the others, all of them off in their own little worlds. kiara silenced the notifications and got back in her seat.

"hey guys?" she started when camila entered the room again. everyone mumbled some noise of acknowledgement. "wanna head out to the beach tonight? supposed to be a really clear sky tonight, we can do some stargazing."

"yeah, sounds good to me."

"sounds kinda boring, can i bring a j?"

"sure."

"sorry, i can't tonight." kiara looked up at the girl.

"you can't? why not?" she pushed, trying to keep it subtle.

"oh, i have to watch my little brother. parents working late again tonight."

"ah, i see, you're all good." kiara replied, but remained skeptical.

not thirty minutes later, camila left, bidding the group goodnight. kiara watched her calculatedly as she left.

"what's that look for?" pope asked, noticing the strange behavior of his friend.

"we'll see..."

the next person to notice was jj. the two would always purposely work the same shifts so they could bike back to the cut together. but, camila claimed that she had to work overtime the past couple of weeks. when he took a peek at the lifeguarding schedule on the wall, however, it said she had requested to change her hours, not work overtime like she claimed.

next, john b. jj was on his typical kook rant, and when rafe's name got mentioned, camila visibly cringed. john b looked around, but no one else seemed to have noticed.

pope, the supposed smart one of the group, was the last to figure it out. camila had to take an urgent call, going inside while everyone else was waxing up their boards. pope, however, really needed to take a piss, and followed shortly behind her. as he went into the bathroom, he could hear camila's voice on the other side of the wall. he tried not to listen in, he really did, but he couldn't help himself.

"rafe, c'mon, i've been at your place nearly every day for the past week. i need some pogue time tonight. they're going surfing and... i know, we can hang out tomorrow. ok, i'll talk to you later. bye."

pope couldn't believe his ears, did he hear her right? why was she talking to rafe? why did she say she had been at his house for the past week? she had told the group she was working extra shifts for a sick coworker.

when camila came back, she started waxing her board while chatting with john b and jj, giving pope a chance to share this newfound information.

"hey kie? c'mere for a second." he whispered, moving away from the chatty surfers.

"what's up?"

"i just overhead camila on the phone with rafe cameron." kiara's jaw dropped for a second, the pieces connecting in her mind.

"oh my god. and you're sure it was him? couldn't be anyone else?"

"how many rafe's do you know in the outer banks, cuz i can only think of one." he replied in a hushed, snarky tone. the two looked back at the rest of the group, who were blissfully unaware of the secret meeting going on a couple yards away. kiara simply nodded at pope, formulating a plan in her head.

that night, once everyone was done surfing and a bonfire was starting, kie enacted her plan.

"hey camila, i heard rafe talking about you the other day." she said, feigning confusion. camila's face paled.

"that fucking asshole, he better keep her name out of his mouth!" jj yelled out.

"what did he say about me?" she asked, trying to mask her horror.

"i don't really remember, but the odd thing is? i don't remember him saying a single bad thing." camila breathed out a small sigh of relief, which didn't go undetected by john b.

"that's weird. maybe he's turning over a new leaf or something?" she suggested. jj snorted at that.

"are you kidding? rafe cameron, change? he'll always be the same entitled asshole for the rest of his life, no doubt about it." pope scoffed. camila's hand clenched against her thigh, but she refused to let them know. that reaction right there was the reason why she could never say anything to them. they hate him too much, they would never give him a chance.

"look, i gotta go, i forgot i told joao that i'd get up early tomorrow to teach him how to surf. g'night guys." camila lied, getting her stuff and leaving them. everyone in the circle looked around at each other, inquisitive glances everywhere.

"something's going on." john b remarked, everyone nodding along.

when rafe didn't hear from camila for two days, he got worried. he understood that she could be busy, she would often put her phone on do not disturb for days at a time when she was particularly stressed and didn't want the added social burden of technology. but two days without a single call or text was unheard of.

my bitch boy <3 camila? you okay? haven't heard from you in a while? are you sick? i can bring over some soup if you want

no answer. for three hours rafe paced around his room, trying to occupy himself with something, anything to get his mind off of her. she could be busy, she could be working.

but rafe's brain wouldn't stop. worries of her being sick of him, finally realizing what a screw-up he is invaded his mind. she was the one person that he felt truly understood him, and he wouldn't give that up that easily.

he had to force himself to not drive over to her house. they had just had a talk about healthy boundaries the other day, and going to her house and pounding on the door to see that she was alive was not an example of healthy boundaries. so, he called her.

after a couple rings, she picked up.

"hey, are you alright? haven't heard from you in a while." he started, trying to seem as calm and cool about this, despite him freaking out on the inside.

"uh, yeah, i'm ok..." she trailed off. rafe could tell that there was something wrong, she would normally launch off into how her day was, telling rafe every minute detail of her day.

"i can tell something's wrong. did something happen at work? with the pogues? is joao ok?" he asked, rattling off possible problems. she let out a slight laugh. in all reality, his worry made her heart soar. she was never worried that rafe was using her or anything, but the confirmation that he noticed the tiny changes in her mood and cared to make it better had her heart doing flips.

"i just- kie knows. i can tell. she brought you up the other day and-" rafe could hear sobs coming from the other end of the line. "she looked so disappointed in me. and god, the things they say about you, they'd never hear me out." rafe's heart broke at this. in his mind, there was only one solution to this problem. she couldn't have both him and the pogues. and when it came to choosing one person or rafe, the odds were never in his favor.

"i love them so much, they're my best friends, and i don't want to lose them, but i don't want to lose you either."

"i understand. i know how much they mean to you. i wouldn't want to keep you from them." he spoke, eyes tearing up as he twisted his ring around with his thumb.

"i- no, that's not what i'm saying rafe. i'm not giving you up, not in a million years. i, god, i don't know how to describe how much you mean to me. i just don't know how to make them see that you're not this monster they think you are."

"but baby, what if... what if they're right? i mean, i'm no saint. i'm fucked up in the head and i've done terrible things to you guys that i have no way of making up to you guys." he continued, starting to spiral.

"breathe, rafe, breathe. we've talked about this. yes, you've had some not great moments in the past. but look at how far you've come. you haven't gone to barry in months. you're starting to see a therapist. you haven't been in a fight in months. and i'm so proud of you for your progress, and i'm gonna be here with you every step of the way, no matter what happens." she poured. he nodded, even though she couldn't see through the phone. it was quiet for a minute, before...

"come over." she told him. his eyes went wide, she had never invited him over to her place. he wasn't dumb, he knew it was because of their status. when she first walked into the cameron mansion, she looked so uncomfortable and small. it got better as the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, but she never truly got over how big and empty the house felt. rafe had seen her house from the outside, a little ranch house surrounded by trees. they in no way shape or form lived in even similar situations, and it was a tense part of their relationship, or whatever they wanted to call themselves.

"i'll be there in 15."

when rafe got to camila's house, he was bombarded by little 13 year old joao, who had been kicking a soccer ball outside the house.

"are you rafe? like the rafe? the one my sister's dating?" rafe smiled at the boy. knowing that camila had talked about him to her family... knowing that she had talked about him and joao's first reaction wasn't to flinch away... it wasn't something he was used to.

"ay, joao, let the man breathe." rafe heard camila yell. he looked up to the front door to see her there, wrapped up in a blanket. the two boys made their way to her, rafe immediately wrapping his arms around her.

"hey." he whispered into her hair.

"hey." she mumbled into his chest.

"hey, i'm still here!" pouted joao, giving the two the same big eyes that camila would give rafe. it ran in the family, he supposed.

the three walked into the house, running into camila's mother in the kitchen.

"hello mrs. matos. i'm rafe cameron." he introduced cordially, sticking out his hand stiffly to the woman. joao giggled to himself, while a smile spread on camila's face. rafe gave them a confused look before he was crushed into a bone-breaking hug from camila's mom.

"it's so good to finally meet you rafe. i've heard so much about you." she gushed. rafe remained tense in the hug, trying to ease into it, but not used to the touch.

"all bad things i presume." he joked, but mrs. matos gave him a pointed look.

"you wouldn't be standing in this house if i had heard bad things about you kiddo." she quipped, moving back to the kettle on the stovetop. rafe looked over at camila and gave her a dopey, lovesick smile, not used to someone thinking so highly of him.

"c'mon, let's go to my room." she directed, dragging him to another room.

"i want that door open filha! no funny business!"

"yeah yeah mãe, i know."

"see ya rafe!" joao called out, bouncing on over to his own room.

"see ya kiddo." he called out with a big smile on his face. rafe had never felt so... homey before. it was a nice change in pace.

when rafe entered camila's room, he took a minute to just admire all the decorations. a broken surfboard hung like a decoration on her wall, surrounded by photos of her, her family, and the pogues. as he looked at each of the pictures, he found one from their first "date". it was a candid of him looking at one of the paintings in the museum. his heart couldn't take it, it couldn't physically take the sheer amount of emotions he had felt since entering this home. he felt arms wrap around his waist, camila's head resting against his shoulder blade, and for the first time in a very long time, he felt truly and completely relaxed, unburdened by all the problems of his life.

and finally, the concession.

the woman finally decides. she will go on and give herself to death, to leave with him. taking his extended hand, the woman follows death into the beyond.

the next day, the pogues and camila decided to go to a local pizza joint after spending the day running errands for heyward. the group hadn't commented on camila's recent weird behavior, and they acted so normal that she assumed they had forgotten all about it.

but, of course, that would be too easy.

as soon as they stepped inside, they saw rafe with his sisters, sitting at a table near the entrance. camila nearly froze in her spot. rafe hadn't noticed yet, he was just sitting there, listening to wheezie talk about who knows what.

"what are you doing here kooks? i thought pizza would be too pogue for you guys." jj started, going straight to their table. kiara sighed, wanting just one peaceful day without this kook-pogue bullshit.

"not now man." rafe told him, staying firmly in his seat.

"too afraid to fight me? nah, i get it, you're a lame ass kook who can't put his money where his mouth is." he continued. camila looked to see if anyone was going to stop him, to pull him away from a fight like they normally do, but they were all looking at her. of course, they knew. hell, they might have set this whole thing up for all camila knew.

"just leave us alone, we're just trying to eat some pizza." he continued, keeping his voice level, focusing on not letting it raise. jj started making chicken noises, walking around rafe's table, causing a scene.

“guys, c’mon, he said to leave them alone.” she finally spoke up. jj turned to her, amazed.

"you're sticking up for this guy? what's going on with you camila?"

“he’s not as bad as you guys make him seem-” a few of them scoffed, and camila felt like crying. she didn't want to have this conversation, not here, not now, and definitely not in public.

"guys, he- he really-" rafe looked up at the tears in her eyes and sprung up, causing jj and john b to square up, ready to fight him off. instead of the fight they were expecting, he simply went up to camila, wiping the few tears off of her face and whispering into her hair. everyone in the vicinity was shell-shocked, even sarah and wheezie. they had never seen their brother like this, and they loved it. the pogues, however, were not loving this.

"hey man, get off her," jj started, trying to pull rafe away from camila. it was john b who stopped him, holding him back from even touching rafe. pope was astounded, about to go up to rafe himself, when kie placed a hand on his chest, telling him to calm down.

"we're gonna get going." kie started, pushing the angry men out. kie lingered behind for a second, looking at her best friend who was obviously torn by the situation. she came up to camila and rafe, putting a comforting hand on camila's arm.

"we're gonna get through this, alright? none of us love this, but they'll come around." she told the girl, who nodded, giving the other girl a hug.

"you gonna stay here with him?" she asked.

"yeah, i'm gonna stay with rafe." camila told her. she whispered a couple 'thanks's to kie before going back to rafe.

"hey, hurt her and you're dead. like actually, cuz jj and pope might kill you either way." she warned.

"yes ma'am. thank you kiara." he told her, wrapping an arm around camila. with that, kie left, dealing with the fuming men outside, while rafe guided camila back to the table.

"oh my gosh, you're camila, right?" sarah started, not believing that her brother was capable of feeling human emotions, and for a pogue nonetheless.

"you're gorgeous!" wheezie gushed. camila's face heated up, not knowing what to say.

"how 'bout we take the rest of this to go and have a movie night at mine, yeah?" rafe asked his girls. sarah and wheezie immediately jumped up, ready to spend time with rafe and his mystery girl.

"it's all gonna be okay, yeah? they'll come around." rafe told her, squeezing her arm gently.

"yeah, it's all gonna be alright." she responded, pulling him down so his forehead rested on hers.

fin.

#rafe cameron #rafe x oc #fanfic #obx #outer banks #Spotify

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