Page 274 of As the Rain Falls
“What?” Caleb laughs harder, taunting me now. “You’re going to call Evans to come beat me up? Finally found someone who’s willing to put up with your bullshit?”
“We’re leaving.” Antony decides, dragging me towards the door. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“No! I don’t want to leave! I want to stay!” I cry, fighting his grip. “Let me go!”
Kayla hesitates, her gaze softening. She seems so sad as she watches me. Finally, she turns to Caleb as she starts shaking her head.
“Are you proud of yourself?” Her voice is loud and strong, addressing him directly. “Look what you’re doing. Does it make you feel good?”
Caleb snickers, “Ah, here comes the fucking lesbo.”
Everybody starts to laugh, but Alice freezes, sitting alone in a corner. He doesn’t stop there, though. It’s not enough for him to humiliate just me, and it all comes down in slow motion, his following words piercing my chest.
“Tell me, Saint-Louis.” Caleb smirks, too proud to care about anything other than hurting whoever is standing in front of him. “Isn’t it sad that out of every person in this world, the only one Cassandra Rivera won’t sleep with is you?”
I suck in a breath, my heart shattering into a thousand pieces for my friend. I think about how uncertain she seemed about this, how unwilling to admit it to herself Kayla was.
How could Caleb be so cruel?
How come I never saw any of the signs that he’d go so far to hurt me?
Did I just ignore everything?
Alice starts to rise, her face suddenly twisted with anger. Caleb turns to her, half-surprised. She points one finger at Kayla, who seems to be completely disconnected from anything that’s happening.
“What did you just say about her?”
Caleb’s smile falters, but he still opens his mouth, ready to repeat his previous words.
“I… I…” he stutters.
Alice cuts him off, not giving him the time to speak.
“Ah-ah, really? You’re going there? No wonder why your mommy dropped you off at a gas station after you were born,” she adds, smiling meanly as she raises two fingers up in the air. “Twice.”
The room goes completely silent.
“I mean, really. God, look at you!” She takes another step forward, her voice rising, and Kayla’s head snaps towards her. “Too bad she didn’t get that sudden realization quicker. Like, nine monthsbeforethat, back when a quick pill would have solved half our problems by makingyouslide down the drain!”
Caleb’s confident façade shatters then.
I watch him rise slowly, and it’s the way his arm is positioned, slowly rising, that tells me everything I need to know. Because I’ve seen it happen before, time and time again, with Nathaniel at home.
He’s going to beat her.
And not only is she just a girl, but Alice also can’t fight.
“Get away from her!” Kayla’s voice rises, and she lunges forward.
I go too, but Antony hauls me into the hallway, shoving the door shut behind us. The sound of students screaming echoes, all blending together, and I spin around to face him, my heart pounding.
“Let me go back inside!” I beg. “He’s going to hurt her!”
“No,” he says and pushes my shoulder, forcing me to step back.
“What the fuck? Are you taking his side?” I ask, hitting him wherever I can. My slaps only grow weaker and weaker when he doesn’t return any of my hostility. “You hear what he said about Kayla? Answer me!”
“His side?” Antony’s eyes darken. He laughs so humorlessly, and says, “Jesus, Cassandra. I’m watching out foryou. God forbid someone actually cares, right?”
