Page 74 of As the Rain Falls (Sainte Madeleine #1)

LET ME HOLD YOUR SHAKY HANDS

Beckett

I drive to Caleb’s house, hoping to get there before the storm comes. Dark, thunderous clouds are gathering on the horizon. A bad omen if I’ve ever seen one.

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!”

Her words are especially sharp, coated with agitation, probably from being high, and I want to say something about her partying while still being in recovery, but it’ll go in one ear and out the other. I really have to pick my battles tonight.

“Oh my God, we’re finally here!” I park the car to drop Angelina off at her house, and she jumps out of the car yawning like a sleepy cat. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Don’t mention it.” I smile weakly while bumping my fist against hers. “But please, Angie. Get some water in your system.”

“I will! I so will!” Angelina promises, stretching her arms above her head. Her gaze slides from me to Cassandra, who still hasn’t said a word. “So what’s the deal? Do I text you later or not, Rivera?”

Cassandra blinks, caught off guard.

“Oh, you can text me,” she mumbles quietly, her voice soft. “But I don’t think you have my number.”

The brunette smiles cheekily, waving her off. She pulls her house keys off her purse, the purple fluffy keychain catching the light as the LED lights twinkle in her palm.

“Don’t worry, girl. I do.”

“Isn’t she so cool and popular?” I snicker, absentmindedly reaching out to the backseat to grab Cassandra’s hand and give it a quick squeeze.

Angelina gives me the middle finger.

“It’s true, though,” I insist, a bubbly laugh coming out of me. “Go to bed, Kuromi.”

“You do know that’s my least favorite character, right?”

I smirk, “It’s done on purpose.”

“Mn. I really shouldn’t have taught you that one.” She yawns again, pulling her bangs away from her face. “Stay safe, people!”

Cassandra waves her goodbye, and I turn the car back on again, rolling the windows up to get the AC running. She’s still keeping to herself, not speaking to me directly, and I glance over my shoulders, expecting her to move to the passenger seat.

I wait for another second, but Cassandra just stares ahead.

“Cass,” I call out her name, hoping to get her attention.

“Yes?”

“Come on.” I motion to the seat next to mine. “I want you next to me while I’m driving.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She inhales sharply before opening the door and doing as she’s told. “Thanks for driving me home.”

I reverse the car once she enters and shuts the door, keeping my eyes on the road, trying to make sure I’m not bumping into anything. I can’t afford to scratch my baby even if she’s old.

“Feeling better?” I ask, still maneuvering the wheel.

Cassandra gives me a shaky breath as a response.

“I’m not.” She lets out a teary laugh, shaking her head side to side. “I’m really not.”

“What’s wrong? Do you need me to drive you to the hospital?”

“I threw up back at Caleb’s. I think I made a… a complete fool of myself tonight in front of everyone.”

Oh, this is why she won’t look at me.

“That’s okay.” I touch her knee gently, wanting to get her to relax. “Everybody has a bad trip sometimes.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Did you take anything tonight?”

“I only took a pill,” she exhales. “I don’t think I’m high, though. I just feel weird.”

Cassandra’s hand also shifts in the same direction, probably to scratch at her skin. Our fingers brush, lightly grazing against each other. When I allude to pulling away, she grabs my wrist, her nails leaving half-crescent marks on me.

“Baby, you’re shaking,” I gasp, bringing her hand to my lips and pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles. “Do you still feel like throwing up?”

She sighs softly at the use of the pet name, a little sad sound that sets me on edge. I’m too aware of her mood shifting for the worse, and I don’t like it. I want to fix whatever is bothering her.

“I don’t know,” Cassandra cries. “I think I’m nervous too.”

I let the car die again, not caring if we’re parked in the middle of the street. It’s all empty anyway.

“Alright, tell me what the hell happened,” I ask, my voice quieter now. “Who hurt you?”

“Nothing.”

“Cassandra,” I press. “If someone did something to you, I’m driving back right now.”

“I’m fine. I’m just really nervous and sick,” she promises, gripping my hand a little tighter. “Can we just breathe for a second?”

“Breathe?”

“Yeah,” she looks at me hesitantly and sighs. “Just breathe.”

I nod, and we spend the next five minutes or so breathing. It doesn’t help. Cassandra closes her eyes shut and faces the road ahead of us, but I hear the sound of her breath catching in her throat as she starts hyperventilating.

“Beckett?”

“Yeah?”

“He’s going to tell her.”

Then, suddenly, everything darkens right as I’m about to say something. The power goes out, shutting the entire street down.