Page 368 of As the Rain Falls
This is what I knew would happen.
I’m not surprised.
I’m really not.
“You’ll be okay, Cassandra,” she swears, bringing me into her arms again. “I promise you.”
Empty promises.
Right.
It’s—
It’s whatever.
Some would say this is great, even.
THE LAST NOTE
Cassandra
MARCH, 2017
The party starts anhour later than we first planned.
Invitations were given to the six of us, Alice Chartrand, and Mateo’s older sister. All things considered, the only person who’s really missing is his mother. Mrs. Pereira is working late tonight, stuck on the other side of town, answering to a picky client whoinsisted on getting her hair done in the comforts of her own house.
We decorated the dining table with balloons and covered the cake withbrigadeiro,a sweet topping made of chocolate powder, butter, and condensed milk.
The boys were very adamant about buying our drinks, and I even convinced Beckett to pick up some extra sour candy at the store near Sainte Madeleine on his way home. The local brand is a nice throwback to the day Mateo, Antony, and I decided to skip detention together. Only now our group feels all the more complete.
Kayla and I spent our time licking the casserole after Angelina was done cooking the chocolate mixture because it tasted absolutely delicious, but the sweetness is now making my stomach hurt a little. Or maybe it’s how nervous I feel. Being out tonight, even for something as casual as this, is making me jittery.
Mateo blows out the candles after we sing him happy birthday, brown eyes shining with emotion as he searches for confirmation that this isn’t some kind of twisted joke.
“Aw, man! You guys really didn’t have to!”
“Are you crying, Gabriel?” Angelina hugs him tightly, a ghost of a smile blooming on her face. “Ohmygod, you really are!”
“I’m not!”
“We wanted you to feel special!” She kisses him on the lips, a very light and quick peck, but it’s enough to get Mateo to break. His gaze is unwaveringly soft as he stares into her eyes, looking every bit as enamored as she is. “Do you like it?”
“Yeah.” He tucks her hair behind her ear. “Obrigada, bebê.”
“Ew!” I roll my eyes, pretending to be disgusted. “Enough kissing! Disgusting! Disgusting!”
“Oh?” Angelina crosses her arms over her chest, pretending to be upset. “Says the one who won’t stop kissing Beckett!”
“It’s your first year here,besta.” Antony pokes a balloon until it explodes. “You’re surviving, aren’t you? It’s a reason to celebrate in itself!”
“Alice is late.” Kayla pouts. She looks a little bumped. “She said her father and her are still stuck in traffic.”
“Why did we invite her again?” Beckett whispers to me, a little confused. “I thought you guys weren’t friends.”
I shrug, “That was all Kay-Kay; don’t question it.”
The group keeps chatting about Mateo’s birthday, our plans for the summer break and what to do together this weekend. Mateo really wants to visit the waterfalls in the forest, but we need someone to guide us through the trails or else we’ll get lost.
