After another day of dealing with his dad, Rafe ran off to the beach. He liked the beach at night. It was quiet. There usually wasn’t anyone else there, and the sound of the waves crashing against one another soothed him. It helped him forget. It helped him focus. The moon was currently at its crescent stage. The stars twinkled a little bit brighter, and they reflected against the water. His shoulders weren’t tensed. His chest wasn’t heavy. He could breathe.

When he stumbled across you, sitting in the sand with your head on your knees, crying loudly to yourself— he stared. He just stared. His brain was telling him— no, yelling- to walk away. Mind his business. Although he couldn’t see your face, he knew exactly who it was sitting there. You had the same denim shorts that you always wore over your pink bikini. Your hair was wild around you, blowing softly in the wind. It pushed your vanilla-scented perfume his way, and he froze— gulping.

“Hey, you uh, you okay?” He asked awkwardly. He cursed himself inwardly for the stupid question and tried his best to keep himself emotionless. Regardless, you were a pogue. JJ’s pogue girlfriend, nonetheless. He shouldn’t have even tried talking to you. He should’ve walked away and let you cry. But he didn’t.