Page 250 of As the Rain Falls
“Just stick by me and Kayla, and she won’t ever touch you.” A short snort comes out of her. “She’s so fucking pathetic. Getting so mad at everyone but the ugly boy who won’t come between her legs. Can you believe how desperate she is?”
I nod in agreement but don’t say anything else. After all, I often think the exact same thing about me.
***
And yet, ignoring Maria’s existence is like holding a ticking bomb and expecting it not to explode. She’s constantly at the back of my mind, keeping me on edge.
I still find myself trying to avoid a confrontation. I steer away from Caleb and her that entire week, keeping to myself even as the five of us eat lunch together in the cafeteria, but eventually, it happens.
She finds me.
Or, better yet,I find her before she can.
The bell rings for the last time as I’m walking through the main hall, eager to get to the parking lot where my bicycle is parked. Tomorrow is Friday, and I’m excited for the weekend to come. I want to stay home, do my homework calmly, and maybe watch a movie or two.
Head down, I don’t pay attention to the chatter around me, but oh, how much they talk. I feel their whispers brushing against my skin, and my heart speeds in my chest.
She’s a fucking slut.
Don’t talk to her.
Look at her.
Cassandra Rivera you make me want to come in my pants!
I know they’re saying things about me, things I can’t exactly defend myself from, because I’m guilty of all of it.
“Cassandra?”
I pause, feeling my back straightening.
Hold your ground.
Don’t let her step all over you.
Maria is standing a few steps ahead of me, and when I raise my gaze to face her, I’m met with her hateful glare, her lips pressed tight into a thin line.
She looks like she hasn’t gotten a single bit of sleep over the past few nights, and I find the whole thing ironic. Sleeplessnights. Yet another trait we seem to have in common, besides being naïve enough to fall for the same guy.
“Maria,” I hesitate to speak, knowing that she probably feels about me the same way Laura did. Still, I don’t want a repeat of that. I can’t miss any more school, and I don’t want anyone to be suspended because of me again. “Look, whatever you heard about me—”
And I guess that’s all it takes.
Maria takes a step forward, her arm flying back as her hand rises. It takes me less than a second to understand that she’s going to slap me, and then another second to realize that my knee-jerk reaction of cowering isn’t what’s happening.
Instead, as soon as her palm comes close to my face, I grab her wrist and keep it at a distance.
“I don’t want to fight,” I warn her, forcing her hand back.
“Should’ve thought about that before you texted my boyfriend, you fucking bitch!” She snarls, struggling to free herself.
It’s enough time for someone to intervene. Angelina finds me, Mateo a few steps behind her. They stand by my side, trying to pull her away from me.
“You fuckedmyboyfriend!”Maria spits.
“Back off, Maria!” Angelina sneers, trying to come in between us. “Let her go!”
“Really, Angelina?” Maria’s brown eyes darken with fury as they flicker towards her. “You know what she did to me! Everybody here knows that you stole him from me!”
