Page 28 of Race to Me

I plop down on her bed, glaring at the other side of the room. “She thinks she’s Foster’s girlfriend.”

“Of course she does! She’s a total psycho!” Kate throws her head back, reeling. “I haven’t been able to tell you how awful she is. I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Don’t ever feel like you’re bothering me. What happened?”

“So, miss chia pet thought it would be okay to borrow my purple dress. You know, my favorite one.” Kate begins. I remember that’s the one she just bought a replica of. “Well, it wasn’t short enough for her, so shecutit.” I roll my eyes angrily as Kate digs the shredded piece of fabric from the trash. “And the bitch just threw it back into my closet when she was through.” She chunks it back into the bin.

“That’s so ...” I can’t find the words. “Shitty! Did you say anything?”

“Very,” Kate nods eagerly. “I talked to the school board, so we’ll see what they say after the review. I didn’t even want to start drama until she did something else that really pissed me off.”

“What did she do?” The idea of Envy being mean to me is annoying and frustrating, but she’s jealous of me. For her to be a bitch to Kate for no reason infuriates me more.

“She stole my earrings! The ones my grandma gave me! But I can’t prove it. The only thing I could show them was my dress.”

Without hesitating, I walk over to Greeny’s side of the room and begin my search. I turn over her mattress and open up all her bags. Rage for my friend overtakes me as I tear open every drawer and turn them over, chunking the contents onto the ground.

I do have to admit that the new, rebellious side of me roars to life a little bit.

That purple dressed can be replaced, and it was. But the earrings her grandmother wore as a teenager and in turn gave to Kate for her sixteenth birthday are something that can’t be replaced. They’re one of Kate’s only items of hers, since she passed away last year.

A pile of dark clothing sits on a nearby black rug, but a sparkle shines through. “Here,” I hand Kate one earring and ruffle through the rest of the clothing until I find the other. She almost cries when I place it in her palm.

“I searched a little, but damn, Sky! You’re like the FBI.” Kate thanks me with a tight hug.

We settle in, slipping into pajamas and spending the day watching a mix of sappy love movies and B-rated horror films.

“I’m so full.” I let out a long sigh, setting down the empty carton that was once full of chow mein. Nightfall has crept onto campus, and the halls are quiet apart from the distant laughter of girls hanging out on a Sunday night.

Kate’s phone dings, and her grin spreads further when she reads the text. “Ryder?” I ask, checking my own phone. Nothing. I should just text him, but what if it’s too soon? I’m way overthinking this.

“Yup!” She squeals, adding, “He wants me to come over.”

“Will the alien be back tonight?”

Kate looks at me in confusion. “Probably not. She always stays out. Why?”

“So, you can go, and I’ll stay here. I brought my stuff for school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, right!” Grabbing my arm playfully, she pulls me up. “If I’m going, so are you!”

I blush, my heart racing. “He’s so weird about me going over there.”

“He’ll be excited. You can wear your new outfit!” She says, trying to lure me in, but Foster still hasn’t texted. What if he doesn’t want to see me? “Seriously, let’s go have some fun.”

Screw it. “Let’s get ready.”

Twelve

Changing into my new outfit feels empowering; more like me. And as we head towards Foster’s place, I find a sense of clarity and self-confidence that I haven’t felt in a very, very long time.

“Turn that up!” Kate yells over the wind, our windows letting in a warm breeze while we ride down the busy Miami streets.

She puts her phone in front of my face. “Jesus! Kate, I’m trying to get us there in one piece. What does it say?” I ask.

She gives me a cheeky grin, and it doesn’t fade. “Ryder asked me to stay the night.”

“Did you bring anything to sleep in?”

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