Page 42 of Before We’re More Than Friends (When We Faced the Music #1)

Raina

E very head turned toward me as I stormed back to my chair, mascara-stained tears streaming down my face, to grab my purse. I should’ve known better than to wear stupid makeup. I probably looked like a clown drowned in a hurricane.

Sienna, eyes wide with worry, was the first one to speak. “What happened?”

“Someone needs to give Arielle a ride,” I said as I searched my wallet for my driver’s license. My smiling face with perfect makeup appeared in the back pouch. Perfect. “I’m driving home.”

Arielle shot up. “But you haven’t driven in months! And you hate driving in the dark.”

“Well, I’m going to.” It took the little strength I had in me to keep my voice from shaking.

“I’m really sorry,” Hayden said, standing from his seat as well. “I didn’t want this to happen?—”

“It was going to one way or another.”

Sienna blinked. “I’m sorry, but I’m hella lost. What haven’t you been telling me? ”

“It’s not my place to ask,” Caleb said. “But I’m lost, too.”

“Did Dallas do something?” Oliver asked, concern in his eyes. “Do I need to talk to him?”

“Any of you can talk to him.” I strapped my purse over my shoulder. “I don’t care who knows now. It’s done.”

Hurt covered Sienna’s features. “Why didn’t I know?”

I couldn’t stop myself from snapping. “No one was supposed to know!” Even I wasn’t .

“Don’t take it personally,” Arielle said softly to Sienna, whose face fell. “It’s a messy situation.”

Messy? More like a freaking dumpster fire.

Tired of the unwanted attention, I ran into the front yard with tears clouding my vision. Footsteps followed me, and I groaned.

“How do you plan to drive without these?” Arielle said, jangling the keys in her hand. “I can’t let you be on the road like this, Raina. You don’t even drive on a good day.”

I knew she hadn’t meant it as an insult, but it still stung. “Why? Am I that much of a disaster?”

Arielle frowned. “You know that’s not why.”

“I need to be alone right now.”

“When you can barely see? That’s just begging for a wreck.” She opened the driver’s side door and got in. “Oliver says he might finish the bonfire early since everyone is upset now.”

“Why is everyone else upset?” I got in the passenger’s seat and slammed the door. “I was the one being lied to!”

“They’re just confused.” She sighed. “But it’s okay for you to be upset right now.”

“Everyone keeps telling me that, but it doesn’t change what happened.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “It doesn’t stop my heart from breaking.”

“I know.” Arielle looked at me, empathy shining in her eyes.

She knew what it was like to be deceived this way.

The only difference was that she and Hayden had been dating.

Dallas and I hadn’t been even close to dating, regardless of his feelings toward me.

Regardless of the flutters in my stomach I’d started getting around him.

Regardless of the flutters I’d gotten when he almost kissed me before I stormed away.

He wasn’t about to toy with my heart that way.

Arielle reached for the radio, but I lowered her hand. “Don’t,” I said. “I need silence.”

She nodded before driving out of the neighborhood. Like the drive last night, she didn’t utter a single word.

A part of me softened from the grudge I’d been holding toward her since yesterday. I knew she cared about me, even if she didn’t always know how to express it. She was the better half of me.

I rolled down the window and let the breeze through my hair. I finally stopped crying, forcing myself to push back the spiraling thoughts in my mind. But minutes later, another wave of emotion washed over, and the tears came back in full force.

Would this cycle ever end?

When we got home, Mom was sitting on the couch with a small-town romance book that was trending all over the internet. When she looked up at me, her face fell. “Raina?”

“She had a bad night,” Arielle said as she kicked her shoes off.

“Oh, princess.” Mom put down her book and walked over to me. “I’m so sorry.” She wrapped her arms around me and rubbed my back.

My tears poured onto the back of her crewneck as Arielle joined the hug. The warmth of their bodies soothed the pain in my chest.

“Let it all out,” Mom whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

There was no way I was going to the shelter on Sunday afternoon. I sent Mrs. Landers an email saying I wasn’t in the right headspace to volunteer and that I’d make up my hours another day. I needed at least one day to process my pain alone.

Gosh, this was so pathetic. It was nothing compared to Dad getting arrested or Mom’s addiction spiraling out of control, but it felt like the end of the world. My friendship with Alex had been everything to me. And I’d enjoyed being around Dallas.

A little too much.

Mrs. Landers was understanding and told me to take care of myself. I still felt a twinge of guilt, knowing I hadn’t volunteered for the entire week Dad had gotten arrested. I loved being at the shelter and knew she didn’t have as many volunteers as she wanted.

I’d turned my text notifications off in the car last night, but I turned them on again Sunday afternoon.

My phone buzzed for minutes on end, the red bubble expanding.

Most of the texts were from Sienna, who still wanted to know what happened.

The rest were from my bandmates asking if I was okay and if I needed anything. Not a single one was from Dallas.

Good. He could shove whatever he wanted to say up his butt.

After I replied to everyone, Sienna asked if she and Gracelynn could come over after dinner. I agreed, even though I didn’t feel like rehashing the situation. Part of me felt bad that she was in the dark about things.

At seven o’clock, Sienna texted me that they were here. I looked out my balcony window to see them standing in our huge driveway, the size of ants. Gracelynn waved at me, and Sienna waved what looked like a cup of coffee. I smiled for the first time today and waved back before leaving my room.

“The princess rises from her tower,” Arielle sang as I walked down the spiral staircase.

I brushed my hand along the railing. “I came out for dinner.”

“Yeah, after I called you about ten times.”

“Whatever.”

When Arielle let Sienna and Gracelynn through the door, both of them looked at me with wide eyes. Sienna held a coffee in one hand and a deck of UNO cards in the other.

“I’ve risen from my tower,” I muttered.

“And your hair has risen from your scalp,” Gracelynn said.

Sienna jabbed her in the ribs. “You’ve looked worse,” she told me. “Your beautiful eyes make up for everything.”

I combed a hand through my tangled locks. “Yeah, like they’re not red from crying.”

“Arielle told us everything that happened with you and Dallas,” Sienna said as she sat on the living room floor. She set down her cup of coffee and opened the box of UNO cards. “I’m sorry. I had no idea that was going on.”

“I’m sorry for how I’ve acted,” I said. “It’s just been hard for me. Everything in my life decided to go wrong at once.”

“No, we understand.” Sienna shuffled the UNO deck. “Screw everything and everyone, honestly.”

As she said that, Mom walked into the living room. “Even me?” she asked playfully, but concern laced her delicate features.

Sienna’s cheeks flushed. “Oh, not you, Mrs. V.” She blew Mom a kiss. “We love you.”

“Thank you.” Mom smiled before facing Gracelynn. “How is your mom doing? I haven’t been around her much at work.”

Yeah, because you two have been avoiding each other like the plague as you secretly hope your fallout doesn’t cause drama at her husband’s firm.

“She’s doing all right as usual,” Gracelynn said as she picked up the UNO pile Sienna gave her. “She says hi.”

“Good.” Mom smiled again, though it seemed forced. “Tell her I said hi back.” She went into the kitchen.

“Because you’re a messenger,” Arielle muttered as she put a card down to start the game.

“I’m used to it.” Gracelynn sighed. “Anyway, I’m sorry about what happened with Alex. He shouldn’t have hidden the truth from you for that long.”

“I still feel like he did it because there’s something wrong with me,” I admitted as I placed a card down. “Everything was fine until I asked to share my real name with him. He freaked out and disappeared.”

“His reaction does confuse me,” Sienna mused. “Like, he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with you, but it’s not like avoiding you helped.”

I chewed my bottom lip. I hadn’t told Arielle that he’d confessed his feelings for me. As much as he’d hurt me, I didn’t want to spread his business around.

But he’d said he freaking loved me. How could you love someone but want to hide from them?

Had he really been that scared?

Was there really nothing wrong with me?

“It’s complicated,” I said after a few beats of silence. “He’s complicated.”

“Don’t I know that well when it comes to guys,” Gracelynn muttered as she pulled a card. “Gosh, how am I so bad at this game?”

“It’s not like you have a chance against me, anyway,” Sienna, who was already down to three cards, said. “You know I always win. ”

“Because you’re the one who shuffles the cards.”

Sienna held up a hand. “I promise it’s pure talent.”

“It’s pronounced horse?—”

“Smarts.”

“Horse smarts?” I snorted. “That one really came out of your?—”

“Awesome brain.” Sienna smirked.

“You guys are ridiculous,” Arielle said, rolling her eyes.

“That’s why we came,” Gracelynn said. “Raina needs to smile.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

We finished the game of UNO, distracted from our conversation about Dallas. As always, Sienna ended up winning, and Gracelynn frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Sienna said, punching Gracelynn in the elbow.

“Gosh.” Gracelynn rubbed her arm. “How much have you been hanging out with Caleb?” Caleb and Gracelynn used to always punch each other’s arms like that. Before making out, of course.

Sienna collected the cards together to play another round. “I don’t like that he annoys you, but he is a fun guy.”

“Sure he is.” Gracelynn forced a laugh, but her muscles tensed.

Maybe our conversation about my fallout with Dallas had brought up memories of her breakup with Caleb.

She was the one who dumped him, but since they had been best friends their whole lives, living next door to each other, Caleb didn’t take it well at all.

Though it hadn’t been smart of Gracelynn to date his now ex-best friend after they broke up.

Last year was full of bad relationships and decisions.

And this year wasn’t going any better.

“Stop thinking about it,” Gracelynn said as Sienna shuffled the next deck. “It’s over. After next summer, I’ll never have to see him again.” She bit her lip. “Maybe even sooner.”

Sienna raised an eyebrow as she gave us our cards. “Don’t get any big ideas.”

“Just saying,” Gracelynn said before looking at her cards. “Seriously?”

“Not rigged,” Sienna sang.

Arielle and I exchanged an eye roll but smiled. We hadn’t talked since last night, and I was still upset about what happened on Friday, but I’d slowly warm up to her again. Some things took more time than others.