18

The car ride out of Figure Eight was filled with the sound of Olivia's playlist—loud and bass-heavy, window glass vibrating. Stella sat in the passenger seat, chin resting in her hand, the sea breeze pushing her hair into her lip gloss.

"I'm telling you, one more trip to this side of town, and I'll be full Kook soon. I need something... exciting!" Olivia exclaimed, one hand on the wheel, the other gesturing wildly as she talked. "The beach is boring. Everyone's boring. I swear if I see one more guy wearing Chubbies and a backwards hat I'm gonna lose my mind."

Stella cracked a smile. "You need therapy."

"You know what, JJ owes me a joint anyways. We'll go pick him up. You like him right?"

Stella just nodded, letting the music drown out the rest of her thoughts. She hadn't told Olivia about the thing with Rafe. Or the fight. Or the fact that she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since.

The Kut was always loud in a different way—gravel crunching under tires, dogs barking behind half-broken fences, voices carrying from porches. JJ greeted them shirtless from the front yard, waving them toward the house with a half-smoked cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"Yo, perfect timing," he called out. "I was just about to hit Barry's."

"Then we're tagging along," Olivia grinned, looking in the backseat as JJ hopped in. "I need to restock."

"Stella you in?" he asked low, "Barry's not exactly... warm vibes and herbal tea."

Stella shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "Not like I haven't been there before"

JJ studied her for a beat. "Whatever you say, Valentine."

Barry's place was ten minutes inland, tucked behind a run-down auto shop and half-collapsed fencing. The house itself looked like it had been pissed on by time—peeling paint, broken screens, overgrown grass.

Barry opened the door himself, tank top stained and a grin already plastered across his face. "Well, well," he drawled, eyeing Olivia first and then letting his gaze drag over Stella. "JJ didn't tell me he was bringing his own sunshine."

Stella took a step back instinctively. Olivia just rolled her eyes. "Barry, please. Don't be gross."

"Just being honest," he said with a wink at Stella. "You ever get tired of those glass mansions, you let me know. I'll show you what real Southern hospitality feels like."

"She's good," JJ said, stepping in between them. His tone was light, but his look wasn't.

Barry smirked and backed off, muttering something under his breath as he turned toward the hallway. "Come on in, y'all. Don't gotta stand out there acting scared."

JJ stayed close as they stepped into the dimly lit living room, his shoulder just slightly brushing Stella's. She didn't say anything, but she was glad for it.

Olivia had already peeled off toward the back room—Barry's "office," though they all knew it was where he kept his stash. Stella could hear her laugh echo faintly from down the hall,

JJ tossed a glance around the living room and rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want," he mumbled under his breath. "I'll get you out if you feel uncomfortable."

Stella opened her mouth to respond when someone cleared their throat. She turned—slowly, instinctively—and her breath caught in her throat.

Rafe.

He was sitting slouched on the battered couch, one arm draped over the back, legs spread out like he owned the whole damn room. A cigarette burned between his fingers, the smoke curling lazily into the thick air. His collared shirt unbuttoned, and his expression was unreadable.

"Didn't realize we were inviting the country club crowd now," he said, voice low and dry.

JJ stiffened beside her, but didn't say anything. He just looked at Stella. She blinked, her spine straightening even though her stomach flipped. "Didn't realize you lived here," she said, matching his tone.

Rafe gave a humorless smile, eyes dragging over her slowly like he was trying to see right through her. "Cozy right?" Sarcasm filling his voice,

Stella didn't respond. She didn't know if she could. Everything about him—his tone, his posture, his stare—felt like an echo from last night that hadn't quite faded.

Rafe looked away first, tapping ash onto the floor. The room was quiet except for the static hum of the old TV and Olivia's muffled voice from down the hall.

Rafe's eyes flicked back to her once more. Then he looked away again, like she hadn't even been worth the glance.

Just when the silence stretched too long—too heavy to ignore—Olivia's voice cut through it like a breeze.

"Well, look who it is," she drawled from the hallway, stepping into the room with a plastic bag loosely tied in one hand and a crooked smirk on her face. "Isn't this a fun little reunion?"

She glanced between Stella and Rafe, raising an eyebrow. "Y'all planning this? 'Cause if so, I wasn't looped in."

Stella forced a laugh, short and tight. "Total coincidence." She pursed her lips.

Rafe didn't say anything. Just exhaled smoke, still not looking at her. JJ gave Olivia a look that said, read the room, but she only grinned wider.

"Got the goods," she said, shaking the bag. "Let's bounce before Barry tries to make us stay and watch whatever weird movie he's obsessed with this week."

JJ nodded, clearly relieved. "Yeah, let's go."

Stella turned to leave without another glance in Rafe's direction, her heart pounding in a way she couldn't explain. She felt the weight of his stare on her back as they walked out, even if he didn't actually look.

The air outside hit cooler than before, the sun lower now, throwing gold streaks over the cracked pavement. They climbed back into JJ's beat-up van, windows down as Olivia cranked the music—something loud and bass-heavy to fill the space none of them really wanted to talk in.

They ended up at the dock ten minutes later, the sky tinted amber and lilac. JJ sat on the edge with his feet dangling over the water, Olivia stretched out on her back across one of the benches,

Stella stood quiet for a moment, staring out at the water. JJ glanced up at her and nodded toward the open spot next to him. "You good?"

"Yeah," she lied softly, sitting down. "Just a long night."

JJ just nodded, like he understood where she was coming from.

They were all stretched out on the dock, sun low in the sky, glinting off the water. Olivia was quiet for once, eyes closed and soaking it in. Stella sat beside JJ, legs dangling over the edge, toes skimming the surface.

He flicked a rock into the water and glanced at her, his voice low. "Hey... can I ask you something?"

Stella blinked over at him. "Yeah?"

JJ scratched the back of his neck, like he was debating even saying it, then looked back at the water. "At Midsummers, when Rafe said I was the guy you're fucking, or hooking up with, or whatever. What did he mean?"

She froze for a second, lips parting before she could stop it. "Oh god."

JJ looked at her again, but he wasn't teasing. No smirk, no judgment—just that rare softness he didn't show a lot of people.

"I was drunk," she said quickly, covering her face for a second. "Like—stupid drunk. And I wanted my friends to believe I was hooking up with someone, and he was already pissed, and I just... I blurted it out."

JJ gave a small nod, then half-smiled, making Stella let out a groan. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag you into it."

He bumped her shoulder with his. "Hey. It's all good. Honestly, if lying about banging me gets Rafe all hot and bothered, that's kinda a win."

She snorted, cheeks still flushed. "You're dumb."

JJ grinned now, easy and boyish. "Yeah, but I'm also hot, remember? Made your fake story extra convincing."

Olivia cracked an eye open and mumbled, "God, get a room."

They both laughed.

But as the sun dipped lower and the wind off the water picked up, Stella finally felt at peace for the day. Not dealing with boy drama or Kook drama at the matter,

She was happy.