Page 174 of As the Rain Falls
“That too.” Kayla clicks her tongue, taking another full bite. “I’d much prefer if she actually said something. Watching her take it is just sad. It’s like watching a puppy getting kicked.”
Zach grins, finding humor in this terrible situation. “More like a black cat getting stepped on.”
“Speaking of the devil,” I mumble to myself, barely registering their words because, across the room, Alice is rising from her seat. She walks up to Angelina’s table, making a few heads turn her way as she walks there too.
Alice’s ballerina legs draw attention as her skirt rises up to her thighs. Most girls add some little twist to their uniforms, something to make the boring clothes more like their own, but Alice doesn’t. She likes to keep herself pristine and classic,wearing little to no make-up or jewelry, and the only pop of color I ever see is the sky blue bow tying up her front pieces together at the back of her head. Even with her insane dance schedule, not an ounce of tiredness shows on her face.
The minimal look really works for her.
It’s the face, I think. She does have a pretty face.
Her features are very symmetrical, which makes them nice to look at at first glance. With a petite pale mouth and dark cold eyes, Alice is always looking like she might be glaring at someone or feeling upset about something.
It’s impressive; I know a perfectionist when I see one. The problem with Alice is that with the way she can’t seem to find it in her to be kind to anyone for long, I can tell it’s all fake. Her calmness starts to seem more rehearsed if you look close enough to see the cracks. Deep down, she’s always one second away from snapping. Once you’ve seen the meanness she keeps inside is just a way to cope, her attempts turn bleak, too.
It’s always fun to watch from afar, though, as someone who never really got close enough to mean something important to her. Who even is she when the lights are completely off and no one is watching? And, maybe, more importantly—
Who am I to even ask that?
It’s not like I am doing any better on my end of things.
“Are you guys seeing this?” I snort, hiding my full mouth behind my hand. Kayla’s eyes narrow, following my gaze.
“What is she doing?” She gasps.
Alice leans down, closer to Angelina, reaching out to pat her arm condescendingly. She ends up saying something we don’t get to hear, and I brace myself for the other girl’s reaction.
“Ah, shit;” Zacharias facepalms. “Here we go again.”
To her credit, it does take more than a second for Angelina to snap. The sound of Alice’s shriek pierces through the air as she grabs her wrist and slams it against the table repeatedly.
My hand flies to my mouth. “Oh my—”
“Don’t touch me again!” Angelina grits out, her lips paling as she adds. “You hear me, you dumb fucking bitch? Don’t you ever touch me again!”
The room goes silent, and so do we.
All chaos breaks loose.
Before I know it, Kayla shoots up from her seat, rushing towards Alice, and I’m right behind her, trying to keep her away from the fight.
“What are you doing?” Kayla thrashes against me. “We have to stop her!”
“Let me go!” Alice screeches loudly, yanking at Angelina’s grip to free herself. “You’re crushing my fucking bones, you freak!”
My gaze flickers to the nearest supervisor, but Mr. Fernandez is talking to kitchen staff, flirting with one of the ladies. He’s also the only one working at this time of day.
I pull Kayla towards me.
“Kissing her is one thing, but picking up fights on her behalf?” My friend looks like I’ve just slapped her in the face. I try to soften my words, but they still come out harsh. “Last time you got suspended for an entire season. Wasn’t it enough?”
I might not be the smartest person in the room, but I’m also not about to let my friend make the same mistake twice.
Alice and Kayla are from rival dance teams, and they aren’t willing to play fair about it competing against each other. Last year they faced each other twice. Kayla lost the first competition, but Alice fell out of her turns during her second solo becauseshe felt too lightheaded.
Right.
She lost by half a point, and Kayla may-or-may-not have bragged too much about it, which in turn made Alice lose her cool. Her outburst caused a huge fight, which cost Kayla first place in that competition and a suspension.
