Page 211 of As the Rain Falls
Knowing the power might go off anytime is making me nervous. Lucia’s dog doesn’t like to be kept in the dark,especially not alone. He cries and even wets himself at times.It’s a fucking mess.
A bunch of kids are gathering outside, passing cigarettes from hand to hand. Caleb lives in governmental housing, the kind of neighborhood that looked really nice a couple of years ago, but now the streetlights are busted and the walls are peeling.Forgotten, to say the least. I don’t think anybody cares about the people living around here.
I honk twice after texting Angelina, then roll the driver’s window down to scan for any signs of the brunette.
“Hey, Beckett!” A girl perched on the stairs, maybe a few years older than me, calls out. “She’s inside!”
“Thanks, love!” I reply, offering a quick smile before parking the car.
I’m not surprised they know who I might be looking for. This was my daily routine back when Lucia was alive. I’m expecting Angelina to come out alone though. To my surprise, she doesn’t. Cassandra follows after her, head down and moving slowly, like she wishes she could dig a hole and hide herself inside of it.
“Is this Rivera?”
“Fuck, that’s Principal Rivera’s daughter!”
“Geez, are you flirting with that piece of junk?” Angelina opens the passenger door and slides inside. She takes off her glasses, leaning in to press a quick kiss to my cheek. “You need better taste, Becks.”
I snort, not taking her seriously.
“I’m being nice, ever heard of that?”
Cassandra quietly climbs in the backseat.
“Rivera, what are you doing here?”
“Hey, Cass.” I throw her a curious glance, wondering why she’s not staying for longer with her newest boyfriend. “Everything okay?”
Cassandra smiles at me then, her green eyes muted.I’ve never seen her look so sad before.
“Hi, Beckett. I’m good, and you?”
“Good.” I turn the keys, winking at her cheekily. “Long night?”
Her words in response are quite simple, “Always.”
The guys outside keep yelling her name, asking her to come out of the car. Some of them are even making lewd sounds, pretending to be moaning loudly. I wonder what that’s about.
“Rivera! Just give me a chance!”
“Okay, that’s enough.” I start unlocking my seatbelt. “Do you want me to go talk to them?”
“No!” Cassandra shakes her head. “Please, don’t!”
“Can you just drop her off?” Angelina pops a piece of gum into her mouth, chewing loudly. “I figured it wouldn’t be a problem, since she lives next door.”
She pulls her window down and flips them off, not sparing them a glance. The boys all laugh, some of them raising their drinks up in the air.
“Angelina, don’t break my heart!”
“Sure,” I shrug, watching the blonde girl from the rearview mirror. “What are they even talking about?”
“Nothing!” The girls yell in unison. “Just drop it!”
***
The ride is unusually quiet, except for when Angelina decides to go on tangents about whatever show she’s watching now.
“And then, his brother just shows up out of nowhere. And I know originally, in the books, she ends up with Stefan, but like, it’s so obvious that Damon and Elena have better chemistry in the show!”
