Page 357 of As the Rain Falls
I’m thinking about talking to her about considering a visit to the doctor. Sleeping pills and prescriptions are not ideal, but she could use them if nothing else works. I pop another gum into my mouth and exhale deeply.
Then I see them.
Cassandra walks out with Antony, stepping onto the sidewalk. A few faces behind, Angelina, Kayla, and Mateo follow, their laughter blending into the background noise.
The group stops at the gates, waiting for a car to pass. Antony gestures wildly as he talks, pointing at himself and the school behind him, like he’s explaining something important.
I’m so distracted by the sight of her, how good she looks with her hair down, that I almost miss the flash of a red car pulling up at the corner of my eye, slow and deliberate.
It yanks me out of my sleepy haze.
The driver’s door swings open, and a tall man steps out, older than me by only a few years. Something about him feels sharp today, calculated.
His tailored suit is crisp, his blonde hair is slicked back, and not a strand is out of place. And the way he steps onto the pavement gives him an air of importance, like the world has yet to figure out that we all owe him something.
Nathaniel Rivera.
Cassandra sees him after I do.
Her face crumbles and her body goes rigid as he moves fast, making his way towards her and our friends. Alarmed green eyes snap to mine. I’m out of the truck before I can even think, my body moving of its own.
She takes a step back, gripping Antony’s sleeve and shrinking into herself, trying to make her body appear smaller. Antony frowns, confused, looking between her and me.
Nathaniel moves fast. Too fast. He closes the distance between them with sharp, practiced strides, taking off his sunglasses.
“Get in the car.” I hear him command.
Whatever expression is showing on my face can’t be good, because Antony instinctively pushes him back, stepping in front of Cassandra.
“Calm down, man.”
“What’s going on?”
Mateo moves closer too, with an effortless mask of calm as he intertwines his fingers with Angelina, pulling her back. The tension crackles in the air as I reach where they are, crossing the street without even looking both ways.
Nathaniel fixes his posture, looking the perfect picture of calm as he looks back, noticing me for the very first time.
“Just picking up my sister.”
Cassandra’s breath hitches, her eyebrows shooting up in desperation. “I’m not going with him.”
“Yes, you are.” Nathaniel’s eyes flick back to our friends, hard and unyielding. “This is about Cassandra and me, so you better stay out of it.”
“You don’t get to order her around,” I say, stepping closer and reaching for her.
Cassandra meets me halfway to grab my hand, her fingers shaking as they circle mine. I pull her into my arms, and she doesn’t resist, her skin cold beneath my fingers.
“We’re hanging out at Silvio’s,” I tell him my tone is final. “She’ll get her homework done. I’ll drive her home later.”
It’s a lie.
She’ll sleep atmyhouse.
Cassandra is not going home tonight, not while he’s there.
My pulse hammers. I really don’t care that he’s back or that her father might call the cops. I can’t let him take her.
Nathaniel tilts his head, like he’s reevaluating his approach.
