Page 179 of As the Rain Falls
I can tell; it’s all very obvious to me.The way her hands are clenched into fists, how her body tenses at the slight mention of his name. She’s hiding something, maybe protecting someone. And suddenly, just like that, it clicks in my brain, clarity slipping in.
“Alright, what did he do to her?” I whisper.
Lucia Evans.
The name I’ve been avoiding since that night after the fundraiser. Every single bad thing that’s been happening somehow always leads up to her, and there’s no way this can be any different.
Angelina’s head snaps toward me in confusion. “Who are you even talking about?”
“Lucia, who else?” I ask. “You got so mad at me, but if it’s about her, I get it. She’s your friend, and I’m just some girl. But what did he do to her anyway?”
Her lips press into a thin line.
She grabs the scalpel from me, and without a warning, slices Tiana right open. The cut is deep, starting around her neck and then down to the stomach, and I have to breathe through my nose very deeply to avoid spilling my stomach’s contents all over the table.
“Tiana is officially dead. Are you taking out the organs, or am I?” she asks, her tone cold and detached. She lets the scalpelgo and raises her hand to call the teacher. “Mr. Valdez? I think Cassandra and I need your help with the dissection.”
She’s ignoring me.
“Angelina, did I say something wrong?” I ask, staring at our work, a little horrified. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
Behind us, I hear a few of the kids start laughing.
“God, she’s literally insane.”
I turn, glaring at them, growing tired of this, whateverthisis. So what if Angelina has problems? Who do they think they are, pointing fingers at her?
“What’s so funny?” I say, loud enough for the entire class to hear. “Why don’t you guys say it out loud instead of whispering to each other? Come on, let me in on the joke.”
“What are you now, her friend?” One of the girls, a redheaded one, scoffs. I don’t remember her name right now. It’s unimportant.
“She’s not!” Angelina snaps.
“I am!” I say at the same time.
We both freeze, staring at each other. Angelina gives me a confused look, like she can’t believe someone is finally standing up for her.
I know what that feels like. I’ve never had it happen for myself either.Every single time I had to sit and have dinner with a black eye on my face, only to be ignored the whole night by my parents, my heart died a little more deep inside.
It’d be good to have someone standing up for me someday. It’d be really nice to have someone on my side.
“Girls?” Mr. Valdez stops behind Angelina, touching her back gently. “Do you need a moment?”
“I’m fine, sir. Cassandra and I just need your help with the assignment,” Angelina’s voice is perfectly even, but I can tell it’s just a front.
I shift, motioning to trade spots with her, keeping her further away from the girls. She notices it, and I catch a flicker of gratitude in her gaze when she glances back at me.
“We can’t figure out how to dissect it.”
“Should I just cut this way?” I ask curiously. “I was thinking horizontally made more sense.”
It’s a blatant lie, but also the best way to divert the attention of my classmates back to their own work. I know damn well that I don’t have to do that, but the teacher smiles brightly, happy that I’m finally showing some interest in the lesson.
And it works. Mr. Valdez and I spend the next ten minutes or so talking, and he explains to me exactly what I need to do again. I even take notes, putting on my perfect student act. Once he leaves, my attention drifts back to the girls who were just harassing Angelina.
“You guys think you can do and say anything you want all the time,” my voice is quiet but firm. “And yet, none of you know how to produce a thought that doesn’t come from someone else’s head.”
The redhead scoffs. “Geez, Cassie. Relax.”
