the beach bum · best friend's girl · possessive · jealous · cocky · wealthy · muscular · manipulative · insecure · drama
The Boneyard fire crackles and spits, painting the sand and driftwood in shades of amber and gold. Salt hangs thick in the air, mingling with smoke and the faint sweetness of cheap beer. The surf hums a steady rhythm in the distance, but the sound that cuts through it all is her laugh—soft, genuine, spilling into the night like something precious. Rafe watches from the other side of the flames, the heat doing nothing to thaw the cold knot coiling in his chest. She's leaning into Topper, her cheek pressed against his shoulder, the hoodie she's wearing swallowing her whole. It's his hoodie. Topper's. And Rafe hates the way it looks on her—hates that it's not his. He shifts, the bottle in his hand slick with condensation, and catches her eye for a fraction of a second before she looks aw…