Page 271 of As the Rain Falls
“Yeah, sure. I want to grab something to eat.” She slings her bag over her shoulder. “Are you coming with us, Kay?”
Kayla massages her temples, breathing deeply. “No.”
I give her a questioning look.
“Alice and I need to talk about next week’s competition,” she explains.
Angelina and I exchange another look.
This is the worst excuse I’ve ever heard, mine says.
Agreed,is what I can read in hers.
I shrug, “Alright.”
Alice seems to be having none of it.
“I actually have more things to…” Kayla clears her throat, she trails off, rolling her eyes and crossing her right leg over the left one. “I’ll give you five minutes of my precious time. No more.”
“Like I’d ever need any longer than that.” Kayla’s sarcastic tone causes Alice’s nonchalant demeanor to slip, a bit of annoyance finally crossing her face. “Don’t think I like to be around you any more than I need to, Chartrand.”
“Aaaand yet….” Alice speaks using a singsong voice, trying to pretend Kayla’s dismissal doesn’t affect her.
My friend rolls her eyes, offering me a tight smile. “I’ll meet you guys at the cafeteria.”
“Okay.” I tug Angelina’s arm, quickly pulling her towards the exit. We step outside the classroom, and I exhale. “Oh my god! Did you see that? There’s definitely a problem here!”
“Oh, you think?” She scoffs, fixing the glasses sliding down her round nose. “Who the fuck even cares about that ranking? I mean—”
“Kayla does,” I cut in, voice soft. Being the best student is important to her. She takes great pride in it. “She would never miss a chance to be on top, especially not if she’s going againstAliceof all people.”
Angelina stops on her tracks, staring at me like I just told her sky is green. “Really? No way. She can’t bethatgood.”
“But she is,” I state simply, remembering the last time Kayla actually failed at something was when her mother forced her to take a summer class on French baking. Her éclairs never had the right shape. “And the way Alice just looked? What the heck was that?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention.” Angelina sighs. “Alice is going to make her life hell. I don’t get why she’s so obsessed with Kayla like that. It’s weird.”
My phone buzzes. It’s Nathaniel.
Nathaniel: Where did you sleep last night?
I could not answer. Lie. Tell him that he didn’t see me coming home, but I was in my room all night. The thing is, I don’t have any more lies left.
There’s no way he doesn’t know I’ve been hooking up with guys to avoid sleeping at the house. It’s all so obvious, and I’m not trying very hard to hide it. If anything, I’m acting like I’m basically homeless.
Or I could go to Beckett’s.
It’d be a lot easier to slip back into my room in the morning, just like he offered me to. But that will only make me grow more attached to him. I like him too much already. I don’t know. I just don’t trust myself around him.
“Cassie.” Angelina’s airy tone cuts through my thoughts. “You’re skipping class again, aren’t you?”
I sigh. “I don’t know. I might be.”
She clicks her tongue. “At least you’re not lying about it. You can’t lie to save your life.”
“Well, actually,” I start to speak, smiling and feeling smart. “I’m pretty great at it when it’s for a good cause.”
Her eyes soften. “Not to me, no.”
