Page 128 of As the Rain Falls
Her sweet scent surrounds me, and the corners of my lips stretch into a small smile. “I missed you too.”
“How was the appointment? I got so busy with school that I forgot to ask, and Caleb wanted to show me his cousin’s new apartment after class.”
Caleb rolls his eyes slowly, as if hearing his own name being spoken from afar. It’s only then that I truly notice him still watching us through the window. I don’t pull away from Cassandra and even start to feel bold enough to bury my nose against her hair instead because fuck him. His indifference to another guy being this close to the girl he supposedly likes should be a red flag, but she doesn’t see the way he is giving me a thumbs up as the car drives off.
Clearly, Caleb doesn’t care about her, while I… Ihatethe mere thought of her spending the afternoon running shitty errands with him. I might be losing my mind or something, because this isn’t normal. I shouldn’t be feeling like this about my friend.
“Pepé’s officially on anxiety pills,” I sigh, pressing small kisses to her forehead. “I need to call the pharmacy to see if they have the prescription ready or not.”
“I can do that if you give me the name.” Cassandra pulls back before glancing at Pepé. He stares her down pointedly before turning away to lick his paw, not paying her any mind either. “Aw, he’s mad at me too?”
I shrug. “I’ve been trying to cheer him up.”
She gasps dramatically, “And no luck?”
I shake my head. It’s obvious just how much Pepé hates me now.
“Why’s he so cranky?” she pouts as the dog trots away, still set on snubbing her. “Pepé, do you want to go to thepark?”
Thatmakes him freeze mid-set and walk right back, tail wagging enthusiastically. The blue pleated skirt hikes up to her mid-thighs as Pepé tries to sniff at it. Cassandra laughs, adjusting her uniform. I pull her close, trying to help her keep her balance.
“Pepé! That’s my skirt, you silly!”
“The vet trimmed his nails too,” I explain, nudging him away when he gets too nosy. “One was growing into his paw. We didn’t notice it.”
Her eyes soften, “Poor guy. Do you still want me to help take care of him?”
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. Her nurturing side is good for him. Cassandra makes things easy, which is more than I can say about myself. “He’s a handful.”
“Pepé is the kind of dog who’ll always act like a puppy, you know?” she smiles, this time without showing teeth. “Walk to the park with me?”
“Sure.”
“Okay.”
I mean, why not?
The back of our hands touch when I give her the leash, and something happens in my stomach when her knuckles softly brush against mine. For a second, her touch lingers, and I just…
I really want to hold her hand.
It must be because I just saw her with Caleb. I really don’t like the guy. I like him even less because he’s still around her. I really doubt Caleb even sees her the same way I do. If Antony is right, she is just another conquest to him.
“You’re okay?” she asks, tone more serious now. “It’s just… you look a little tired.”
“Yes, I’m…” I trail off. Tired, as she just said. Sleepy. Exhausted. “Rough night.”
She kicks a pebble on the sidewalk before glancing at me again. Her voice is light, even as we start drifting to a heavier topic. “Do you want to talk about it?”
It’s what we usually do. Even if we don’t go too deeply into the reasons why our sleep schedules are a mess, Cassandra and I always listen to each other. But I don’t feel like talking about the hours pacing in my kitchen, wishing I could find it in me to convince Dad to sell the house.
Everything about it reminds me of my sister; her absence makes the rooms seem bigger somehow. When you have so much space but nowhere you really want to run to, it all feels the same as having no space at all. You still can’t move.
It’s a strange idea, how all my best memories in that house are forever tied to Lucia. She made it fun. She made it feel a little more like home. Now, I don’t even have sentimentality to hold onto. I’m truly my parents’ child in the end. I avoid it if it hurts too much. I run away if it starts feeling too wrong. I don’t patch things up. If it stops serving me, I let it go.
“No, not really.” I shake my head, gently dismissing her. “Tell me about your day instead.”
“Okay.” Cassandra flicks her braid back, tugging at the leash to get Pepé to slow down. He’s too excited about going to the park. “Can you believe our Spanish teacher skipped three weeks of class back in September? We’re still trying to catch up, but she’s terrible at teaching.”
