Page 130 of As the Rain Falls
“Nothing important is happening, really. They’re like Tom and Jerry.”
“Which one is Tom out of the two?” I wonder.
“It’s Kayla, obviously. I think Alice is the only person who can get under her skin, you know?”
“Like Jerry.” I smile too, understanding the comparison. “Are they like… a thing?”
Cassandra’s eyes light up. “Oh, God. This is exactly what I wanted to say. I’ve been wanting to talk about it, but nobody ever brings it up. I feel like it’s so obvious!”
“Has she told you anything?” My arm brushes against hers. “Or have you even asked?”
“No, and not really. I tried once, but she totally evaded the question.”
“I mean, if you don’t have something to hide…” I trail off.
“Then, you don’t act like you do. Exactly my point,” she finishes off my sentence while nodding in agreement. “I do think there’s something, you know? Kayla gets all flushed when she talks about her. It’s very cute.”
“You’re making me miss high school with all this talking,” I admit. “I feel like I never got to enjoy being there all that much.”
We cut through the trees, following the end of the path. The park has been abandoned for years now, leaving most of the structure to rust. The neighborhood council decided it was too dangerous to be used after too many kids got lost in the woods,so they built a new one closer to the beach.I don’t go there very often because it’s too far.
Cassandra walks ahead, brushing her fingers over the chipped paint of the merry-go-round. She frowns a little before her expression eventually smoothes out.
“I used to come here all the time with my brother,” she explains.
I hum, “Before they shut it down? Lucia did too.”
“She did? I don’t remember ever seeing her here.” She glances over her shoulder, smirking. “We’re breaking the rules right now, aren’t we?”
My voice drops, “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
She flashes a bright grin in response, and I find myself staring at her without meaning to. The top buttons of her t-shirt are coming undone, and the fabric slowly slides down her shoulders with every movement. The right sleeve drops lower, flashing a small glimpse of the baby pink lace bra underneath the uniform.
My eyes follow the curve of Cassandra’s neck as she adjusts the fabric against her skin, completely unfazed. I hold out my hand towards her, giving her something to lean against as she steps into the merry-go-round.
“Hey, Beckett?”
“Mn?”
“I need to tell you about something important.”
My stomach flips, and I inhale a little sharply.
She starts, “Kayla and I were in the bathroom the other day, and I went in, well, to use the bathroom. There was this poster stuck behind the door, and I pulled it. There was writing on the bathroom door about Lucia. I just—I just thought you should know.”
The whole world tilts for a second.
“Lucia?” I echo, trying to understand what people would be writing about my sister in a bathroom stall.
“You don’t have to worry about it. I took care of everything,” she continues, her hands shifting to intertwine our fingers together and pull me a little closer. “Kayla had a permanent pen, so I covered it all up.”
“What…” I swallow hard. “What did they say about her?”
Cassandra’s face falls, and she glances at me sadly. “Oh, Becky. You really don’t want to know.”
“Tell me,” I insist, my voice breaking a little. “What did they say?”
She hesitates, then cups my face, forcing me to meet her eyes. “I really don’t think I should tell you. It was too cruel.”
