Page 356 of As the Rain Falls
Right then, my best friend screams.
“I’m the happiest girl in the world!”
“Is she?” Antony looks down at the camera in his hands, absently toying with the buttons. I hum, feeling Beckett’s armslip around my waist and pull me closer. “I’ll talk to her about it later, then. Thanks, Cass!”
Beckett hands me back my phone, eyes still on the screen.
“You look really good in all of these.” He smiles softly, impressed. “I really like the pink theme you have going on.”
“Right?” I nuzzle against his chest again, dropping my voice to just a whisper for him. “Mateo only posts shirtless pictures of himself.”
It still comes out of me a little louder than I intended and everyone hears it, but instead of bringing more tension, my comment instantly lightens the mood.
A ripple of laughter follows, with even Angelina hesitantly joining in. She looks a lot less sad than before. It makes me feel good when I make others happy. I wonder if they can tell.
“Rivera attacks Pereira sneakily!” Tony speaks fast, like a narrator retelling a soccer match. “She steals the ball when he least expects it, and…”
Mateo’s head snaps towards us, the corner of his lips twitching before he finally smiles. “I can hear you, Cassandra!”
“I wasn’t trying to hide!” I lie.
“Yes, you were!” He starts jogging ahead of us. “I can hear you loud and clear!”
Kayla’s gaze locks with mine, and we smile at each other for the first time in days.
“It’s really embarrassing for him, isn’t it?” I ask.
She agrees with a simple nod, and something in me softens.
I miss just being around her.
I miss my best friend.
She nudges Angelina, trying to get her to smile a little, too. “Is this really the guy you want to have a crush on?”
“A crush? We’re just friends!”
“Friends?” Mateo gasps, as if offended. “I’m notonlyyour friend, Angelina. How can you even say that?”
“He sometimes uses the dog filter!” I giggle loudly.
“And she strikes again!” Tony jumps.
A distant, dramatic cry echoes back.
It’s Mateo again.
“Cassandra Rivera, I can still hear you!”
GIVE A LITTLE, GET A LOT
Beckett
MARCH, 2017
The bell rings, andI unlock the passenger seat door, waiting for Cassandra to get in.
Exhaustion presses down on me; sleepless nights are all I’ve been having. My eyelids droop as I press my head against the window, heavy with the weight of it all—remembering Lucia, trying to be a good friend, and an even better boyfriend.Cassandra sleeps poorly most days, and I end up staying awake with her. Our late night conversations are the best and worst part of my day. I love talking to her, but we need to find a way to make her sleep through the night.
