Page 149 of Before We're More Than Friends
“It’s really not,” Oliver said, his eyes heavy. “I’m sorry you drove all the way for this.” I’d never seen anyone here other than Raina more upset. And it gave me the same feeling that seeing my parents fight did.
Freaking hollow.
“We tried to solve it,” Caleb said, no longer looking like he could shoot lasers out of his glasses.
“Good job,” I muttered before leaving the garage, my eyes stinging. I’d finally been excited about a big opportunity, about having a new friend group to make music with, and it was all shattered.
So much for being the new kid.
When I went out the front door, Hayden and Arielle were shouting at each other near the mailbox, hands in the air every which way. When they saw me, they both bit their lips.
“Differences, huh?” I asked, taking my keys out of my pocket.
“Y-Yeah,” Hayden said. “A lot.”
I sighed and got in my car. I put my head on the steering wheel, setting the horn off.
Something knocked against the passenger window, causing me to jerk back in my seat. I looked to see Raina putting her hands on the window.
I unlocked the car and watched her open the door. “Don’t scare me like that.”
“Sorry. I just wanted to say goodbye.” Her gaze went to the empty seat. “Unless you’re going anywhere fun.”
“Well, I definitely don’t want to go home,” I muttered. “Wanna go to the park? I can drive you home after.”
She nodded and buckled herself up. “Anywhere is better than here.”
CHAPTER 36
Raina
Being at the dog park wasn’t the same without Penrose and Houston, but the cold evening air welcomed us back as we stepped out of the car. I knew that when I got home, I’d ask Arielle about what happened with Hayden and let her cry on my shoulder if she needed to, but I didn’t want to think about the downfall of our band. Not now.
Not when I’d finally found a distraction from the rest of the chaos in my life.
Dallas and I sat on our bench for a few minutes, but we didn’t talk much. I listened to his shallow breathing as he studied the stars.
“Remember that black cat from the shelter before she got adopted?” he asked as he looked at the half-moon.
“Moonlight? I loved her.” I smiled, remembering feeling bittersweet when I found out a young couple had adopted her and Sunshine. They deserved a loving home, but I enjoyed playing with them so much. Like they were my own cats.
“I know. She and her sister were awesome.” Dallas wrapped his arm around me. “Since then, the moon reminds me of you.”
“Because it’s beautiful?” I asked as I rested my head on his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat.
“And because it’s the biggest source of natural light in the dark,” he whispered in my ear. “And that’s who you are to me.”
“Just like you outshine everything in the daylight, my sunshine,” I whispered back before pressing my lips against his. The soft touch never failed to send a shiver through my spine, the butterflies in my stomach fluttering away. Even in a moment like this, I could kiss him for hours. I craved the way he made me forget about all our problems, the way he took my breath?—
My ringtone went off, and we both jumped out of the kiss. “Shoot, I thought it was on silent,” I said before picking up the phone to see Arielle’s face on my screen. I answered the call and held my phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Raina—” A noise I couldn’t detect came from the other end of the line. “Hold on.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked, but from the muffled noises that followed after, I figured she was doing something else.
“What’s going on?” Dallas asked me, worry in his eyes. “Why is Arielle calling?”
“I-I have no idea.” My blood pounded in my ears as the muffling noises became louder through the line. There was a blaring noise that I couldn’t decipher, but it was consistent. The other noises were voices, one sounding like a man. Had Arielle gone to a party and gotten in trouble? “Arielle?” I said after a few moments.
