Page 14 of Before We’re More Than Friends (When We Faced the Music #1)
Raina
“ Y ou guys are acting like you haven’t drunk in a week,” I said as my friends and I hung out in the shelter’s break room Wednesday afternoon.
Arielle and Caleb devoured their water and let out heavy breaths. “Those dogs were furious!” Arielle exclaimed. “They didn’t want to be taken out for a walk.”
“I have no idea how Oliver got them to calm down,” Caleb said, wiping sweat from his forehead. “They looked like they wanted to kill us.”
Oliver laughed. “You guys could’ve bathed the cats instead. At least dogs don’t have nails .”
Hayden winced. “Don’t remind me of the time Fireball almost scratched my eyebrow off. I never knew so much blood could be in one area of my face.”
Arielle gagged on her water. “Let’s not relive that experience.”
Even in the break room, I couldn’t escape the stories of wild things animals did.
I checked my right hand, which now had a big Band-Aid over it instead of the gauze.
Most of it was already healed, but it would take a few weeks for the scar to be completely gone.
I checked my hand again after a few seconds as if any healing would take place that fast.
Stop it .
I checked two more times.
Done.
Arielle’s gaze flickered to my hand before she cleared her throat. “Are you guys going to the Saturn Frenzy on Saturday?”
“Yep,” Hayden said as he scribbled in his songwriting notebook, probably brainstorming a new song for the band he was in with Oliver, Caleb, and Sienna. “What girl are you bringing this time, Oliver? Cat Owner’s Daughter?”
“Who?” Oliver blinked. “I’ve been talking to someone else.”
Arielle gasped. “ Already ? Who is it this time?”
“The new vet’s daughter. She and her brother are coming to the Saturn Frenzy to hang out with us.” Oliver grinned. “They’re starting at the shelter and our school next week. I think you guys will like them.”
Hayden’s lips tilted in a smirk. “You clearly do.”
Oliver scoffed. “Hey, she started flirting with me first.”
“Because you’re just so irresistible.” Caleb fanned his face, fluttering his eyelashes. “My pants are falling down just thinking about you.”
Oliver flipped him off. Caleb stuck his tongue out at him.
“I didn’t know the new vet had kids our age,” Arielle said. “And yet Oliver is already making out with one of them.”
“Are we really surprised?” Caleb asked, pulling a bag of chips out of a cabinet. “Oliver collects girls the way my sister collects dolls.”
Oliver scoffed. “I do not collect people! And we haven’t even reached the kissing stage yet.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “So you’re all coming? ”
“Arielle and I can’t this time,” I said. “We’re having a girls’ night out with our mom.”
“That sounds way better than the Saturn Frenzy, honestly,” Sienna murmured, taking a sip of coffee as she leaned against the counter.
If she didn’t have a cup of coffee in the morning and afternoon, she’d been replaced.
“My cousins want to come with me since my aunt and uncle are going on another date.” She rolled her eyes.
“I’m sorry, but what married person loves their partner that much? ”
“I can confirm that not a single one,” Hayden said. “If my parents go on more than four dates a month, I’d think they’re possessed.”
Oliver nodded, sitting next to Hayden at the table. “If my parents go on a date, I’d know they’re either possessed or replaced.”
Caleb looked at the door. “Let’s hope your mom didn’t hear that.”
Oliver rolled his eyes.
I slouched in my chair. My parents used to go on expensive dates once a week, but it’d been months since they’d done it. Around the time when we last had our girls’ night out.
Three days until the night I’ve been waiting for, I told myself. I left to clean up the dog poop outside. I finally had something to look forward to, and even the awful smell of crap couldn’t dim my spirits.
Alex
I’m not dead, I promise!
I’m such a terrible friend.
Chloe
Don’t worry, I wouldn’t have freaked out until it hit the one-week mark. Then I’d be calling the police to report a missing pen pal.
Though I had been freaking out about it. I knew I shouldn’t have asked Alex if I could tell him my real name. It’d been a stupid spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. It was an accident. It was dangerous.
He wasn’t ready for it. For me.
I’d done a good job of blocking the moment out of my mind, but every day when I got home, I checked Connections over and over. I didn’t want to be the one who messaged first and only made it worse.
Alex
I’m sorry I haven’t said anything. It’s just been very stressful arranging everything at home. Yesterday we checked out our shelter, and honestly, it’s pretty cool. The owner’s son is nice too and will be at the same school as us. Nevada hasn’t given me a reason to hate it yet.
Chloe
Oh, what city are you in? You still haven’t told me.
I didn’t want to push, but he’d told me he would tell me once he remembered. It took him around two minutes to reply.
Alex
Boulder Valley. Not too far from April Springs.
Chloe
Ooh, that’s the next town over! I go there a lot.
I wondered if we would ever bump into each other without knowing it. We knew a little bit what we looked like, but the few pictures we shared didn’t have our full faces in it.
Alex
Yeah, it’s cool. Doesn’t get rid of the resentment I have toward moving though.
Chloe
Makes sense. This place has always been my home, and though moving would be nice, it’s not necessarily something I’d want.
How’s your family?
Alex
On edge. Kami and Dad had an argument over the color of the floor tiles. She said light brown, but Dad said beige. Both colors are almost the same thing.
Chloe
But almost and is aren’t the same thing.
Alex
Should’ve known that you of all people would say that. You’re so technical.
Chloe
I hope that’s a compliment and not an insult.
But seriously, the tiles aren’t beige or light brown—they just reflect that color, so they appear that way to the human eye. They can be bright yellow for all we know.
Alex
Gosh, help me.
Chloe
Gosh doesn’t exist.
Oh, I forgot to tell you!
I’m finally going on a date
I accidentally hit enter before I could finish the sentence. Alex’s responses came in like lightning.
Alex
REALLY?
WHO IS HE
THIS IS SO EXCITING OMG
I SWEAR IF HE SUCKS, I’M GONNA BEAT HIS ASS UNTIL HE CAN’T SIT
Excuse my language, I was in my feelings
Please elaborate because I didn’t know you were even into someone
I fell out laughing. Only Alex would react to something like that.
Chloe
Hold your horses!
Alex
I’ve never held a horse before. I’m not sure if I know how to hold one.
Chloe
It’s a date with my mom and Arielle, not with a guy
Alex
Sorry But in all seriousness, I’m happy for you! I like going on special dates with my dad, though we haven’t gone out in a while ourselves.
Chloe
Neither have us ladies. It’s going to be fun. Finally something to look forward to in this mess we’re in.
Alex
You guys really deserve it.
Chloe
Thank you.
I racked my brain for something else we could talk about. So I picked possibly one of the worst subjects ever.
Chloe
If I did start dating a guy, how would you really react?
Alex
Huh?
I nearly slammed my head against my desk. What happened to the carefulness I usually had?
Chloe
Sorry
I was just curious since I found your reaction to the date thing funny and all.
Alex
Oh
Oh . That didn’t sound good at all.
Chloe
Crap, did I say something wrong?
Alex
No, it’s just that
I expected him to follow up with that, but he didn’t.
Chloe
It’s just that what?
More silence. What the heck was happening?
Alex
It’s just that you’re way too young to be dating boys, miss! Focus on your business first.
I snorted, relief pouring through me.
Chloe
You scared me! I thought you were upset.
Alex
Lmao, you’re good. But seriously, if you ever dated someone, I’d be happy for you. As long as he doesn’t suck. That’s a whole other issue.
Chloe
Don’t worry, I’m too picky to date a loser. I won’t have the problem Arielle has.
Alex
Dang, what a diss
Chloe
Oops, it wasn’t supposed to be
But really, thank you
He didn’t respond for almost a minute, but when he did, it felt like the tone had changed.
Alex
Any good friend would be supportive.
The hope I’d carried around the next two days died Saturday morning when I came downstairs to retching coming from my parents’ bedroom. My first thought was that the flu was going around, but when the vomiting became louder, dread coated my stomach. I made my way into the master suite.
“Mom?” I creaked the bathroom door open, not ready for the whiff of puke that would come over my senses.
Mom turned to me like a zombie. Her dark eyes were red and baggy, her lips wet. “Don’t come in, honey. It’s not a nice sight.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Yeah, too late.”
She gave a small laugh before burping. She stuck her head in the toilet and let out another wave.
If this was what happened after drinking too much, then you’d never see me near an alcoholic beverage in my life.
“What the hell did you do?” I asked, my frustration already growing. I tried to be patient with Mom, but it was harder some days than others. And today was not the day.
She faced me with pain in her eyes, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. “One of my law school friends is in town for her birthday and invited me for drinks.”
“And you accepted the invite?”
Mom knew to avoid temptations for her addiction at all costs, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t pass them up. She always convinced herself she’d only have a few sips, knowing it would quickly become more.
It was a game we were all tired of playing, but she was too far gone to end it.
She sighed. “She doesn’t know that I’ve fallen back to my old habits, and I didn’t have it in me to say no. I ended up getting a few shots.”
We clearly had different definitions of a few. “Mom, why would you do this when we had everything planned for this evening?”
“Raina, leave your mother alone,” Dad warned, his footsteps trailing behind me. I turned around to see him standing in the small hallway, sweat dripping down his forehead from his morning workout.
Tears stung behind my eyes. “But what about our date night?”
“Maybe I’ll feel better by then,” Mom said, but her weak tone suggested anything but.
I knew I was being selfish, but it was even more selfish of her to get wasted the day before our special date night. Given how sick she looked, she’d be in bed until Monday morning. It wasn’t even like she was trying to be better for us. For herself.
Mom gagged and stuck her head in the toilet again.
Loose strands fell from her messy bun. Any other time, I would’ve put her bun back together as she threw up.
But this time, I ran past Dad and into the kitchen to grab a granola bar.
I scurried back upstairs, my stomach heavy as if I’d throw up myself.
“Raina!” Arielle said as I stormed into my room, but I slammed the door. She flung it open anyway. “What happened?”
“Mom is hungover and probably won’t be able to go on our date,” I muttered as I collapsed on my chair.
“What!” Fury lit up her face. “Why would she do that? Where did she even go?”
“To get drinks with an old friend.”
“Mom!” Arielle yelled, turning around to go downstairs.
I grabbed her arm. “Don’t.”
“But she keeps ruining things!” She yanked my grip off her. “When is she going to try to get help again?”
I fought the tears that threatened to surface. “I don’t think she wants help. ”
“But our family is going down the drain!”
“Girls, stop it!” Dad shouted from downstairs. Despite how huge our house was, sound traveled at the speed of light.
“But this is important!” Arielle shouted back.
“I’ll take your phone away!”
“Of course that’s the first thing you think about!” Arielle stormed out of my room and slammed my door hard enough for the walls to shake.
She kept yelling at Dad, but I put my earbuds in to drown out the noise. I had jewelry orders that needed to be completed. Penrose sat at my feet to give me comfort, and I rubbed her fur before working on my first bracelet.
I couldn’t let my dysfunctional family keep getting in the way.