✗ | 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 ; rafe cameron

ONE

THE FACT THAT the only thing that little Riley Stratford did all day since school ended was hang out with his sick friends was all that he needed.

His house was empty 24/7 due to his father going away on business trips all the time. As for Mrs. Stratford, she was dead. Technically, it's not illegal since the household dad still lived their was coming to check on them, although rarely. But their eldest daughter was of legal age to look after Riley, and was coming back from her freshman year of college for the summer.

Riley was just chilling with his friends in a middle of a conversation in the living room area of the Stratford household when he heard familiar voice telling his name.

"Riley!" the loud and booming voice said once again.

"Ugh, one minute. I think Iris might be home." He rolled his eyes due to the interruption and got out of his seat to see what was going on at the front door.

"Do any of you guys at least have the decency to help a girl out?" Riley's sister was struggling to maintain to bring in all her bags and stuff.

"Here, I got you, sis." Riley raced to his sister's position and helped her with her bags, with his best friends following in right after.

"I also bought pizza." the 18-year-old brunette girl said as she continued to struggle to hold the 2 boxes of pizza, as well as her fully packed bags that carried most of her belongings from her room back in her college dorm.

"Oh, finally. The good stuff has arrived." Kelce said, as him and Topper snatched the pizza boxes from her hands and opened it to pick up a slice.

"That statement better not be about Ris." said Riley, as his protective side generated.

"Yikes. Calm down, Riles. It was obviously about the pizza." Kelce replied, as he took his first munch of the pizza.

"And maybe about your hot sister as well." said the 19-year-old blond, whom Iris has just tossed her car keys to as he set them down on the nearby table.

"Thanks, Rafe." she rolled her eyes sarcastically. He gave her a welcoming nod in return.

"But it was mostly about this delicious pizza too." Topper said, as he took a bite from the warm cheese pizza that Riley's sister had brought.

"Okay, while you boys embark on that pizza, me and my brother have some unpacking to get started on." Iris was already on her way to her bedroom on the first floor, when she noticed that her little brother wasn't following behind. "Riley! As in now!"

"Okay, okay!" he puts his arms up in surrender right before he was heading in for a good slice of pizza. "Hey, save a slice or two for me, will ya?" he said as he ran up to her sister with the rest of her things.

The two siblings set down all Iris' belongings onto her old bedroom's floor, and almost immediately flopped to ground in exhaustion.

"Dad's not home?" the girl asked.

"No, I think he still has 3 more weeks." Riley looked up at the ceiling, before pausing. "So, um-"

"Go." the older sister knew exactly what he wanted. Riley got up right away and sprinted downstairs to get his share of the store-bought pizza.

As tired as she was, she gained the energy to finally get up and change her clothes that she sweated all day from. A 3hr drive from Richmond, Virginia to the outer banks of North Carolina was not cutting it for the young Iris Stratford.

Ris rushed out into their kitchen in her new change of clothes and her backpack hanging on her shoulders, in order to grab a slice of her pizza before the boys had taken all of it. As she opened the box, she discovered that there was already only 5 out of the 8 slices left of the last pizza.

"How the fuck did you guys finish it so quickly?" she took a cheese slice and turned towards her brother and his friends.

"How was freshman year? Did you pipe anyone?" Rafe asked, completely ignoring her question, as he sat on a nearby chair and munched on slice of pizza.

"Like you would care, dropout." the brunette answered sarcastically, as she took a bite of her slice. "Anyways, how's the princess doing?" Ris was referring to Rafe's self-centered sister, Ward Cameron's favourite daughter, and Topper's current girlfriend.

"She's-" Rafe started to speak until Iris cut him off.

"That was directed towards Topper, bozo." Iris emphasized her attention switch from the Cameron to the Thornton, as she continued to munch on her pizza.

"She's good, I guess you could say. We-" another one of Riley's friends were cut off by Iris again.

"That's very nice to hear. But as much I hate to say it, I'm already losing interest in this conversation." she said, as she grabbed her set of keys and started to make her way out the back door. "I think I might head out for a little walk for some fresh air."

"Yeah, we were thinking of heading out too very soon, Ris." Riley told his older sister. He and his friends were discussing about it before Iris came downstairs.

"Yeah, that's fine, I guess." she shrugged. "Just, if any of you boys see me out there, please mind you're own business and don't fucking bother me."

"Note taken." said Kelce, as the group of friends put their arms up in surrender at the threatening command from Riley's older sister.

"Oh, and Ris? There was a huge ass storm last night, so be careful walking around the house. There are trees and telephone lines everywhere." Riley informed.

"Thanks, Riles. It's not like I can see by the huge ass tree blocking the front driveway." she gave one last fake smile as she walked out the door.

A MESSAGE FROM ELORA!
i apologize for this extremely
slow chapter with
absolutely zero content,
and i will try to make
it up to y'all
in the next one.