Page 79 of Before We're More Than Friends
Hayden was already storming away with his lunch box clutched to his chest, his braids swaying every which way.
I faced Arielle, who was invested in digging something up from her locker. “What’s going on with him?” Hayden had always been passionate about music—even after being kicked out of four bands—but I knew something was up if he wasthisdesperate.
“He just wants to prove himself to his parents,” Arielle said before gasping. “Found it!” She took a tampon out of her locker.
“Why don’t you just keep those in your backpack?” I asked.
“Because they’ll fly out in front of a boy when I try to reach for something.”
“I don’t think Hayden would mind.”
Arielle’s cheeks flushed before she hit my shoulder with the tampon.
“That was the softest hit ever.” I rubbed my arm three times. I fought the urge to rub again.
“Just think about it, okay?’ Arielle asked.
“Think about tampons flying out of my backpack in front of boys?”
“Don’t make me hit you again.”
I sighed. “How can you possibly see me of all people being a lead singer in a band? Even just for a month or so?”
“You have a beautiful voice, Raina. And you get to show off your?—”
“It’s not happening.” I closed my locker before beginning to walk to the cafeteria. Even though when I’d been little, I’d wanted to sing on the side, the dream died after a while. I remembered the days when Arielle and I used to have concerts for our parents in the living room. It lasted all the way until freshman year when my entire life changed. I no longer had Isabelle to be my biggest cheerleader, Arielle was absorbed into the high school life, and Mom and Dad changed for the worse.
My life of making music was in the past—all I did was listen to it now. Every now and then, I’d write down lyrics that came to mind, but I never made anything out of them. No way would I survive in a band.
Let me rephrase that—no way would a band survive withmein it.
After Dad went to prison last week, Mom had canceled my Thursday appointment with Susanna. But now I was back in the waiting room that smelled like a hotel, scrolling on my phone.
Like I always did, I checked Isabelle’s Instagram. It’d been a while since I checked it, which surprised me because it was one of my bad habits. Of course she had a selfie of her, her boyfriend, and her friends at some game from last night posted onto her feed. She was decked out in makeup and a low-cut blue-and-white uniform to match her friends.
She used to think sports games were overrated, I grumbled to myself before scrolling to the next post in her feed, which wasjust her and her boyfriend having a night out, beaming as they held each other. If I saw one more post of them together, I might actually block her.
But I knew I wouldn’t.
“Raina?” I looked up to see Susanna peeking her head through the door. “Come in. I missed you last week.”
I stuffed my phone into my purse before following her into her office. “Hey.”
“I know a lot has happened,” she said as she sat at her desk.
“Yeah, the news made sure to display every last part to the public.” I flipped my hair. “I’m honored that my dad is now at celebrity status.” I tried to make it sound effortless, but it was as stiff as ever. My humor game was shot.
“You don’t sound too honored.” Susanna wrote something down in her notebook. “I’m sorry about everything that’s happened.” Her voice was sincere, but it only made me remember all the condolences people gave me last week. My chest tightened. “How has the truth and the change been affecting you?”
I swallowed, resisting the urge to stare at my feet. “That’s a complex question.”
She gave me a small smile. “That’s what I’m here for.”
CHAPTER 21
Dallas
Playing with the kittens as a shelter task sounded way easier than it was. While dogs had the strength to trample you, they didn’t have what kittens did—nails. No, razors at the tips of their paws.
