Page 8 of As the Rain Falls (Sainte Madeleine #1)

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CAFETERIA...

Cassandra

My classmates are all texting each other trying to figure out if anyone has a copy of Mrs. Yun’s test.

So far, nothing.

Kayla sends picture: 2015 algebra exam - semester 1

Antony sent me this

I think today’s test will be the same

Me: i honestly doubt it

ill take a look later thx :D

A miracle needs to happen if Kayla wants to cheat.

Mrs. Yun’s tests never leak. Sadly enough, she really is that kind of teacher.

It’s an achievement in itself, considering a lot of the teachers copy and paste the same programs each year, only adapting a few exercises according to the changes required by the government.

Last year’s exam can even be found easily on the Internet.

“You just have to find a way to make it make sense to you. That’s how it is for me. It all makes sense once you get the click!”

Sainte Madeleine’s main outside alley is entirely covered by a thin layer of water, keeping us confined indoors.

I’m pretty sure it used to be a convent before the island got its independence.

The main building, housing both the nursery room and my father’s office, got renovated before my first year as a high school student.

It still holds the same Caribbean Creole architecture, with blue and white walls as its main colors.

Only high school students have classes here. Middle schoolers and younger children are accommodated at separate locations. Sometimes, the nuns bring them over to us our cafeteria, though. It’s funny to watch the little beasts stealing our snacks.

I readjust the light jacket around my shoulders, marveling at how the long sleeves hide the tips of my fingers. Bringing the fabric closer to my face allows me to inhale the lingering scent of a boy’s perfume.

My silly little crush feels so hopeless, but the leather still smells like Beckett does. It’s been driving me absolutely crazy.

“And once you get the click, all the pieces will fall right into place! I’m telling you, Cassandra. There’s no way in hell you’re failing math this year!”

I press my lips into a pout, nodding profusely as Kayla chatters my ears off.

She has a lot more energy than I do, jumping from one topic onto the next flawlessly.

Her newest obsession is, of course, my academic success.

It’s very important for the smartest girl at Sainte Madeleine to be surrounded with equally successful friends.

So what if she’s a little bit obsessive sometimes? It’s all part of the charm. Sure, it’s totally weird for her to be thinking about this way more than I am, but—

Kayla’s feminine voice breaks my train of thought.

“Are you going to the library later? I think that we can go together. The earlier we get there, the higher the chance of us finding a good spot. You know how crowded it gets, and I don’t want to be sitting by the tiny bathroom again, Cassie. That’s where the med students like to go to throw up.”

“We can go if you really want to, but listen to me,” I sigh dramatically, pressing my left hand against her arm and giving it a little squeeze, trying to get her to look at me.

Kayla gives me a curious glance, and I smile slyly.

“I’m really tired, so you’ll have to be super extra nice to me if we’re going to do this together. ”

Her face twists into a scowl, brown almond-shaped eyes narrowing suspiciously. Kayla smacks her lips together disapprovingly before answering.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Am I not usually kind?”

The golden earrings hanging around her ears jingle, knotting around her braids. I shake my head lightly, moving to fix her up.

Unlike me, Kayla never sticks to one kind of look.

She enjoys getting new piercings, trying new combinations, and testing whatever style comes to mind.

For as long as I’ve known her, she’s always done whatever she wanted with her appearance, regardless of if others find it pretty or not.

That’s what makes her the coolest girl I know.

“Well,” I pause, biting my lower lip until the dry skin starts to peel off. Her jaw twitches with impatience. I wave my hand around her face, bringing my forefinger and thumb together. “Is it bad if I can tell that you’re this close to losing it?”

Kayla rolls her eyes at me.

“I am so not!”

“You so are!” I insist.

Knowing her like I do—and I know Kayla really well—she’s probably trying to find me another teacher by now.I’m a bit of a lost cause when it comes to math.

“You’re a little liar… A little liar who lies, Cassandra!”

“Well, let’s see what happens after the test!” I voice cheekily.

She slaps my arm lightly, her cheeks blushing with embarrassment for being called out.

“Stop giving me so much attitude when I’m much better at it than you are. I will hurt your feelings if I have to, Ms. Rivera.”

“Ms. Rivera?” I snort. “Don’t call me that!”

The school’s cafeteria is still filling by the time we walk in.

I lean my head against her shoulder. Kayla is only a bit taller than me, and it’s a very convenient and comfortable position to be in.

She pokes my nose. “You’re grumpy.”

“Of course, I am!”I whine, glancing at her with pitiful eyes. “Mrs. Yun will fail me!”

“I really don’t think she can do that.”

“She failed Tony, remember?” I point out.

Antony Silva should have graduated by now. He got held back this summer, and the board decided to keep him around for another year to improve his college acceptances.According to my father, his results were quite catastrophic.

“I don’t know, Cassie. You are a more dedicated student than he is.” Kayla throws her hair back dramatically, her braids circling around her and hitting me in the face in the process. I gently pull them back, fixing the way they look against her chest. “And you’re not as stupid either.”

I frown.

“That’s not very nice!”

“Bitch, I’m being honest. Your math is a struggle, but at least you try.” Kayla raises her hand, as if swearing. “I promise to help you improve whatever grade you get. We just have to work extra hard.”

I joke with a teasing smile, “Maybe your teaching sucks; have you thought about that?”

“You’re really out to get me today, aren’t you?” Kayla doesn’t miss a beat.“Maybe we should find you another teacher.”

“Like who?” I laugh openly, throwing my head back.

She makes her way across the cafeteria, holding my right hand like we did back in second grade, and pulling me.I just follow, tracing after her.

“Nobody talks to me around here.”

“Well, that’s because your dad is the principal.” I give her a long look. She quickly adds, “No offense, really. He’s actually kind of nice.”

I shake my head. The principal’s daughter is always hated. It’s a rule in the high school popularity contest, or something. They read my name and immediately think that I’m stuck up, which I kind of am.

“That’s not it, Kayla.” I press my books tighter against my chest. “They think I’m weird.”

“They think you have an advantage because Daddy has contacts.”

Contacts who might help me with getting early admissions into some very fancy international universities by the end of the school year . She’s wrong, though. It’s not just that I am my father’s daughter; that’s not the only issue. I’m just not the best at first or second impressions.

I’m shy and introverted. I like all the things other kids my age do, but I tend to like them obsessively.

Books are never just books. Movies are never just movies.

Bands are never just bands. Everything I love consumes me forever and becomes my entire personality, and I can never crack the code on how to make myself seem cooler.

I don’t know how to talk to them without feeling nervous, which means that I just… I just say nothing and stare, hoping they’ll get the memo.

What if they hate me?

What if I sound too stupid?

“I’m just saying.” Kayla stops and smiles confidently. “It’s simple-minded people’s jealousy, Cassie. You’re way too pretty and too kind to care about them, so don’t let it get to you.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Of course, I am.” She steals an apple from the fruit trail and hands it to me. I take it. “You know I’d never lie to you about it.”

“I don’t want another teacher. I’m happy with the one I have right now. Nobody is better at adding numbers than you are.”

“Beckett Evans is. He even won two awards for it.” She shows me two of her fingers. “Isn’t he literally your neighbor? You could ask him for help.”

My stomach does a weird flip.

I take a bite, considering the idea.

“This is really sweet.”

“Is it? Then, I’ll take one for me too,” she smiles, showing perfect white teeth. “So? Are you going to ask him?”

A second later, I shake my head.

“I don’t think so,” I admit.

“He works at the farm, right? It could be a side hustle or something,” Kayla presses, biting her apple and humming with satisfaction. “So sweet!”

“Right.” I take another bite, hiding my mouth with my hand as I chew. “I should distract him from the impending doom caused by the death of his sister and show him high school-level equations.”

Kayla winces, certainly thinking of Lucia Evans now.

“I kind of forgot about that part.”

“Let’s just find a table, okay?”

She points at an empty table in a corner, close to food trails. “This one?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Sure.”

Once we’re sat, I open my books and try to find the chapters I was supposed to read for our history assignment. I feel Kayla’s gaze over me, like she’s thinking about something.

“You know, Beckett Evans is really cute.” She pauses dramatically. “So is his jacket.”

“I’m, like, begging you to stop.”

“What? I’m just saying!” Kayla takes another bite, chewing very slowly. “I’ve always wondered, you know. Everybody I know finds him cute.”

I wet my lips, raising an eyebrow. “But you don’t?”

“I don’t find him ugly by any means. My problem is with the fact that…” She stops mid-sentence and rolls her eyes, annoyed that I’m so good at evading the question. “I can see what you’re doing, Cassandra.”