Page 206 of As the Rain Falls
“It’s fine,” I answer, rolling my eyes as I do so. “I broke things off.”
“Ugh, boring. But I guessed as much.” Angelina snorts, her red-rimmed eyes narrowing at me. “Bitch, how high are you right now?
“I don’t know. I only took one pill.”
“Pussy.”
“I have another one.” I show her the pill, trying to crush it between my fingers. “Look!”
“Wait! Don’t do this!” Angelina quickly kneels beside me. “Give it to me if you’re not going to take it.”
I place the pill in the middle of her palm, and Angelina promptly pops it into her mouth, giggling like this is the funniest thing in the world. I find myself laughing too, but only just a little.
“I’m not supposed to do that,” she admits quietly. “What I’m supposed to be doing is taking my medication.”
I frown. “Can’t this make you—”
“Overdose?” She shakes her head. “I stopped lately. They make me too drowsy, and I can’t keep up with class.”
“That’s the wrong thing to do,” I point out.
“Like you’re one to talk,” she counters, rolling her brown eyes at me. “Sneaking around with a boy who’s in a committed relationship, and all that.”
I fall silent, knowing she has a point.
My heart beats fast in my chest. This feels too casual, almost like we’re friends. But I don’t think I could ever be friends with a girl like her.
“Want me to fix it?”
She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her small pearl earrings shining under the light.
“What?”
“Your face.” I unzip my purse, handing her my pocket-sized mirror. “Sad and emo is clearly not your look.”
She frowns, unconvinced.
“Come on, I bet you don’t want to go back out there looking like this.” I smile without showing teeth, hoping I sound somewhat kind.
Angelina gasps at her reflection. “I look horrible!”
“Would you like me to fix it for you?”
She inhales sharply, stuttering over her words. “Y-Yes, please.”
For a while, I don’t say anything else.
I simply grab some tissues, hold her chin towards the light, and carefully tap over her cheekbones in a gentle way, drying away all the tears and all the snot.
The pill keeps working in my system, building something in my guts that I can’t quite explain. I jump from one thought to the next, trying to keep control over myself and my hand dexterity.
But then I remember something, and it’s a good… a good story. A really good one, and I’m too high to care, so naturally I start speaking before I can stop myself.
“I talked to her this one time.” The words float between us, suspended in time. It’s immediately obvious who I’m talking about.
“You did?” Angelina exhales shakily, her almond eyes widening. “When was that?”
“A long time ago. We were much younger,” I recall. “She still wore her bangs parted sideways.”
