Page 173 of As the Rain Falls
I nod weakly. “Yeah.”
He takes a long sip, making a low sound of satisfaction as he gulps down the sweet beverage. After I don’t say anything for a couple of minutes, he sighs.
“Alright, come on, dude. Go talk to her. Caleb’s got thirty minutes left. Drag her outside, smooth things over.” Iautomatically grimace in response, but Mateo smirks, winking at me. “Go get this girl back.”
“She’s not my—” I rise abruptly, my skin feeling too tight. “Look, she’s not my girl, okay?”
Mateo leans back, sipping my cocktail and tilting his head as he does so. He seems more amused by the situation now that he’s gotten under my skin. This little fucker, I swear.
“I saidthis.” He points a finger at Cassandra. “As inher.”
I scoff, toss him a twenty, and walk out.
Cassandra doesn’t follow, even though I wait outside for a while, thinking she might.
Whatever.
It’s whatever.
HELL IS HERE
Cassandra
DECEMBER, 2016
Sainte Madeleine’s main currencywill always be gossip. This is especially sad for girls like Angelina Cardoso—she’s everybody’s favorite topic.
It’s been a few weeks of watching this happen. Each time the clock hits twelve o’clock, we have to witness her hesitation, standing still at the edge of the cafeteria, like she’s calculatingwhich table she should be sitting at.None of the girls are warming up to her sarcastic, grumpy ways, and the boys are not entirely charmed either. She looks sickly, exhausted, and always a little out of it.
I feel bad about leaving her alone, but inviting her to sit with me would be fake. We’ve never been close like that. Besides, I don’t think Angelina likes me very much, which is fine. I also don’t like her either.
“It’s the bandages. She needs to take them off.” Kayla shoves another spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, chewing slowly. “I mean, I get it. She probably fucked up her arms real bad after she you-know-what. It’s definitely throwing people off.”
“I don’t think it’s just the bandages,” Zacharias counters, taking a sip from his soda while glancing at her.
He and Kayla have this newfound friendship going on, and I wonder why that is. Though, I can’t say Alice feels the same.
The closer Kayla gets to Zacharias, the further Alice drifts away from her. I barely see them talk anymore, at least not in class, and no matter how much Kayla tries to instigate little fights, provoking her with constant little jabs at every twist and turn, Alice just ignores her.
It’s too mature of a reaction. Something is definitely going on.
“It’s the whole coming-back-from-the-psych-ward thing that’s doing it,” I say, cutting into the conversation.
Nobody wants to befriend the town’s newest “psycho”.
Not that Angelina truly is one. I mean.We don’t even know what the doctors truly said about her. Maybe she was just sick for a while but isn’t anymore.Maybe it was just grief.
I cut another piece of my steak, poking it with my fork before setting it aside. My full plate makes me nauseous, and I glance from our table to the empty one across the room.Angelina sits alone, four vacant seats around her that would’ve been takena few months ago. It bothers me that they aren’t. Everyone is acting like she’s contagious because her life isn’t as easy as it used to be anymore.
I wonder where Antony is right now.I know they used to be good friends before her stay at the hospital, and at least I hope they still are now that she’s coming back to school again.
“Alice is doing that thing again.” Kayla scoffs, waving her knife around. I send her a curious look, not knowing what she’s talking about. “She’s been talking about Angelina all day long, laughing at her answers, even when the teacher is looking. It’s so childish.”
No shit, Sherlock. I want to say.It’s because she can’t laugh at you anymore.
Kayla never brings up Alice unless it’s to complain about her. Whatever history lingers between them, it can’t be a good one. She won’t talk about the fundraiser either, no matter how much I’ve asked her about it.
“It’s mean, even I have to say so,” Zach agrees, ginger hair parted in the middle, clinging to his forehead. “And Angelina never fights back, which makes it ten times worse.”
