Page 269 of As the Rain Falls
I wince, remembering one of our past conversations.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Not as long as she’s still stuck here. No matter what happens, I can’t let them hurt her ever again.
“Okay, Becky.” She yawns again, and I bring her knuckles to my lips, taking the time to kiss them too. “I’m sorry about feeling happy that you’re stuck here tonight. I just really need you right now.”
Her last sentence causes a lump start to form in my throat.
“I know.”
Another tear falls, streaming down her face. I make it disappear, picking it up with my thumb. No one knocks on her door again, and the house falls into complete silence.
They don’t even care if she’s eaten or not, I realize. Her well-being matters very little to them.
“Night, Beckett.”
“Goodnight, Cass.”
The broken girl in my arms sleeps soundly, and I stay awake, listening, trying to decide what my next steps should be.
THE WAY THEY LOOK AT ME
Cassandra
JANUARY 2017
Angelina hands my generalexam results back to me, slides the three pages from her desk to mine, crosses one leg over the other, and pops another piece of gum into her mouth.
The air around us stills, an artificial scent of strawberry candy and sugary milk hitting me. I stare at the grades written at thetop of the paper for a second, trying not to have a panic attack over my most recent failure.
“Want some?” Her tone is nonchalant, unbothered.
I catch her sneaking a look at her own results before rolling her eyes. Clearly, she’s not as worried about this as I feel.
I can taste the sweetness of the gum on my tongue. My nose twitches. “No, thanks.”
It’s amazing how a bad reputation can both pull people in and push them away. Zacharias wants nothing to do with Kayla now, and watching the aftermath is unsettling. The rest of the school either agrees with him. I’m slutty, desperate, and terribly boy-obsessed, or they’re too busy drowning in schoolwork to care. College applications are also looming. It’s overall just a very stressful time.
Angelina sticks to me like I might vanish if she looks away for too long. Weirdly enough, I don’t mind it. We’re friends, apparently. At least, the kind who sit together in class, at lunch, or any other time in between.
Sometimes, I wonder if it’s our shared history with Caleb that keeps her around. Now, she finally has someone to relate to. Other times, I think it’s our hatred of Sainte Madeleine, Maria, and Alice, and anyone who dares to look at us funny.
Angelina chews slowly, brown eyes narrowing when Kayla lets out a frustrated sigh. “What’s up?”
I press my palms against my cheeks, heat creeping in. My rosacea always acts up at the worst time, and using concealer every day is only making it worse.
The curly-haired girl sighs again, her shoulders tensing. “Nothing.”
“Obviously it’s not nothing.” Angelina taps her fingers against the desk, impatient. “What’s wrong?”
I roll my eyes and pull out my phone, quickly texting Beckett back.
Beckett: Bringing Pepé to the vet again. Are you okay?
Me: hi.
still at school.
