Page 186 of As the Rain Falls
That night, my brother made me cry really hard, and if Caleb hadn’t been so nice about it, I would’ve been honestly mortified.
“Okay, no.” I roll my eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m being a bitch.”
“Yeah, you really are.”
He starts driving, and I blink fast.
Something feels wrong.
“We’re still on for next Saturday?” Caleb rolls down the windows and locks the door again.
I press my hand against the leather seat and try not to think about what we’re about to do together.
“You’re not bailing on me again, are you?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Not this time.”
And it should be a good thing that I’m finally saying yes, but Caleb still doesn’t look happy about it as he mumbles under his breath.
“Finally.”
***
“We’re still spending New Year’s Eve together this year, right?” I ask, trying to squash down my nerves.
Kayla is sitting on the floor, blindly reapplying castor oil to her scalp to make sure that every single braid looks perfectly shiny and in place.
My best friend totally is the kind of girl who is willing to spend a full day doing her hair if she has to, and I get her because I feel the same about mine when I have to go all out. It’s one of the reasons why we get along so well.
Her family is packing up to travel to Paris for Christmas, and I was supposed to be helping her, but we somehow got distracted along the way.
“Duh, of course.” She rolls her eyes like it’s obvious, tossing her hair back and checking herself in the mirror. “I’m truly a beautiful human being, aren’t I?”
“Conceited much?” I say jokingly as I roll onto my stomach, flipping the fashion magazine and circling the items I want to buy someday.
“So fucking conceited.” She grins, spinning around before stopping by the bed, standing right in front of me. “I have gossip to tell you.”
I sit up, patting the mattress for her to join me. “I’m listening.”
“I think Angelina Cardoso and Mateo Pereira might be seeing each other.” Kayla flashes a row of small white teeth. “I mean, did you see them the other day? The way they acted during the fight?”
I close the magazine, setting it aside. “I thought about it, but I didn’t want to be the one to point it out.”
“He took her to your dad’s office and everything. They were talking. Well, I mean, he was talking.” She tilts her head, considering her next words carefully, wanting me to get a full picture. “I was very discreet, but she definitely caught me staring.”
I gasp, “Kayla!”
Angelina is a smart girl. What she said to me back at the library tells me so. I don’t want Kayla to be on herI-hate-youlist.
“I know.” She hides her face behind her hands, looking embarrassed. “But I’m loud, Cassie. Phoebe Buffay with black puffy hair. You know that.”
“Not an excuse.” I poke her arm, and she rolls over dramatically. “Let’s just pray she forgets all about it quickly. We don’t want her going all I’m-going-to-skin-you-alive on you.”
Kayla groans, “I checked my schedule for next semester. We have math together every Monday at seven thirty.”
I shake my head, looking at the bright side of things.
“At least you won’t have to wonder if she’s mad at you. She’ll call you out for being nosy first thing in the morning.”
