LIKE RAIN (6 page)

Chapter
Eleven

"Hello? Earth to Nev," I heard Halley say.

"Oh, sorry," I said, bringing my attention back to the present. I was sitting in Maddy's old room, and I hardly recognized it. It looked completely different now that it was inhabited by someone else. "Could I used your bathroom?" I asked.

"Sure, it's-," Halley started.

"I know where it is," I said before she could finish.

She squinted her eyes at me. "How do you know where it is?" She looked confused.

"My best friend used to live here," I said. "I've been here a million times."

"Oh my God, I didn't know that. So did she move?" Halley asked.

I looked down at the floor and heaved a sigh. "She passed away," I said, "a little over a month ago."

Halley's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God Nevaeh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

I shook my head, still looking at the floor. "It's okay," I said, holding back tears the way I always did. "I'll be right back." I headed down the familiar hallway to the bathroom. It was basically the same. The walls were the same, the floor, the sink, the tub, the toilet were all just how I remembered them. I stood in front of the mirror where Maddy and I often did to do our hair or our make up.

I walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to what had been Maddy's brother Scott's room. He had been my very first crush until I finally realized that 16 year olds don't date 9 year olds. Maddy and I had both cried our eyes out when he left for college. I could still remember peaking in at him in his room and watching him while he played his guitar. Of course, he'd always catch me and tell me to come it. He'd pull me up next to him on his bed and play me a song. I never saw him again after he went off to college. He never came back to visit.

I looked at the wall opposite Scott's room where you could still see the pencil marks marking Maddy's, Scott's, and even my height. Mine and Maddy's final mark had been made a couple months before she died. I had been about 2 inches taller than her. It took me a moment to notice that Margaret was standing behind me.

"Oh, I've been meaning to paint over that," she said. "Must have been left behind by whoever lived here before."

I nodded. Suddenly the memories were flooding me and I couldn't take another moment in that house. I ran back into Halley's room

"Halley I need to go," I said.

"Why? What's wrong?" she asked me. "Oh God, what did my mother say to you?"

"No, it's nothing," I said quickly. "I just really have to go. I'm sorry."

She nodded. "Okay." I grabbed my stuff by the side of her bed, ran downstairs and out the door.

The air was cool and felt good on my face. It wasn't very late yet, just beginning to get dark. I could see my dad's car parked in the garage, which meant he and Jasmine hadn't left for their date yet. I didn't feel like going home so instead I walked down the street to Cael's house. When I rang the doorbell it was his father who answered.

"Nev!" he said with a huge smile plastered across his face. "I haven't seen you in ages! How've you been?"

"Pretty good, I guess. And yourself?"

"Oh, I've been alright, just exhausted," he said with a sigh. "I've been swamped with work for the past few weeks." Both Cael's parents had just recently opened a new 50's restaurant on the other side of town. They seemed to be having a little bit of trouble getting things running smoothly.

"So, what's with the stuff?" he asked. "Camping out?" I looked down at the back pack, pillow, and sleeping bag in my hands.

"Oh, I just came back from a friend's house," I explained.

He nodded. "Well, come on in," he said. "I'll get Cael for you." I went in the door and closed it behind me. "Cael, could you come down here?" his father called. "Nevaeh's here."

Cael came bounding down the stairs. When he saw me he looked surprised, not to mention uncomfortable. And then behind him, a girl came trotting to his side. I felt myself do a double take.

"Oh, hi Nev," Cael said quietly, looking slightly embarrassed. Not baby or babe, just Nev.

"Um, hi," I said. I suddenly felt stupid standing there with my pillow and sleeping bag.

"Hi," the girl said smiling brightly. "I'm Kyla. Cael's obviously not very good with introductions." She nudged him in the ribs. He blushed. She was pretty. Not gorgeous, but still pretty. She had dark brown hair that was a mass of curls, brown eyes, and somewhat dark skin. She was thin and real short, much too short for Cael.

"So you're Nevaeh," she said. "Cael told me about you."

"He did?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah, he told me you guys were really good friends," she said.

I nodded. "Well, he didn't tell me anything about you," I said eyeing him.

"Well I guess I'll just have to tell you about myself then," she said. She came the rest of the way down the stairs and sat down on the couch, motioning for me to come sit next to her. Cael sat down in the chair opposite the couch in silence.

"When did you meet Cael?" I asked her. I could tell that Cael was avoiding my eyes.

"Oh, just a few weeks ago. We work together," she said.

"Oh, okay," I said. "So what are you guys up to this evening?"

"Oh nothing really," she said. "We're just hanging out. We were thinking about going to see a movie. Do you want to come?" Cael still wouldn't look at me.

"Oh thanks," I said, "but I'll just let you two go on your own."

"It's no trouble if you want to come. We don't mind," she said. I smiled a slightly fake smile.

"Thanks for the invite," I said, "but I've got to get home anyway."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure. I'll see you guys later. Have fun." I got up and started to walk towards the door.

"Bye Nevaeh," Kyla called. I smiled and stepped out the door, not even waiting for a word from Cael.

It was hard to believe Cael had a girlfriend. It wasn't like it was surprising, considering how gorgeous he was. I just wasn't used to him having another girl in his life. Sure he'd had girlfriends before, but he wasn't one of those guys with a new girl every week. It never seemed a big deal when he had girlfriends before, but he never brought them around. It was easier when I didn't have to see them, so this time it was already hard. The worst part of it, though, was that I liked her.

Chapter
Twelve

My father's car wasn't at our house, but someone else's was. It was Nathan's, and I could see him waiting for me on the front steps. He smiled when he saw me.

"Hey," he said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was waiting for you. What do you think?" he said.

"Well, how'd you know I'd even be home soon?" I asked him

"I didn't," he replied. "So what's with the stuff?"

"Oh, I just came from a friend's house."

"That guy?"

"No. Well, yes. I was going to spend the night at my friend's house who lives across the street," I said, pointing at Halley's. "But then I changed my mind and just went over to Cael's for a little while."

"Why'd you change your mind?" he asked.

"Too many memories," I explained. "Remember, I told you my other friend used to live there..."

"But she died," he finished. I nodded.

"Well, you can come in if you want," I said.

"Okay, let me help you." He took both my pillow and sleeping bag and followed me inside the house. "So, where's your room?" he asked once we got inside.

I looked at him suspiciously. "It's upstairs," I said.

"Will you show me?" I stared at him for a moment. "I gotta take this stuff up there anyway."

"Okay." He followed me up the stairs and through the door to my room. "Here it is."

"Nice," he said, setting down my pillow and sleeping bag.

"Okay that was fun. Let's go back downstairs," I said walking towards the door. Nathan grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Wait," he said. "What's your hurry?"

"My room's not that exciting, you know."

"I can make it exciting." He pulled me towards him and planted his lips on mine. He kissed me long and hard, and I felt his hands running up my shirt. I pulled away. "What?" he said.

"Nathan, I just met you," I said.

"So?"

I sighed. "This isn't going to work. I can already tell that you're fast, and you obviously don't like to hear the word no. You should just leave," I said.

"Hey, hey," he said. "I can slow it down. I can handle no."

"No, I don't think you can," I said, starting to direct him out the door. He grabbed my hands and stopped me. He put his arms around my waist and held me against his chest.

"Do you like this?" he asked. I thought it an odd question.

"Yes," I answered honestly.

"Then this is all we have to do," he said. I looked at him and he met my eyes, the way Cael never would.

"Okay," I said. I didn't know why I was giving in to him, but I figured I didn't have anything to lose. I heard someone knocking on the door downstairs. "I'll be right back," I told Nathan and went downstairs to answer the door. My eyes widened slightly when I saw that it was Cael.

"Hi," he said, looking at the floor.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to explain," he said.

"Cael, there's nothing to explain. Like you said, we're just friends. It just surprised me, that's all."

"Kind of like seeing you kiss that guy surprised me," he said.

"Right. So I should warn you, he's here."

He looked up. "He is?"

"Yeah," I said. "He's upstairs."

"Oh, I guess I should go then."

"I thought you were going to a movie with Kyla," I said.

"I am," he replied. "She's still at my house. I just told her I wanted to come talk to you for a minute."

"Well, she must be pretty cool if she'll allow that," I said with a smile.

"Yeah, she is." He waved goodbye and I closed the door. I wondered what Maddy was thinking, seeing all this happening. She would say it wasn't right and Cael and I were just dating other people to hide our true feelings for each other. And maybe she was right, but it didn't look like Cael and I were going to be together anytime soon, if ever. He had someone waiting for him at his house, and I had someone waiting for me upstairs. Whether or not that was supposed to be what was happening, I didn't know. I only knew that was the way it was, and all I could do was go with it.

Chapter
Thirteen

I heard a soft tapping on my bedroom door late that night. I sat up and looked at the clock. It was 2am.

"Nevaeh? Can I come in?" It was my father.

"Yes," I said. He opened the door and came in my room I couldn't make out his shape in the dark, but I felt him sit down on the bed next to me. My eyes began to adjust to the light, and I could clearly see his face. His eyes looked serious.

"I want to talk to you," he said quietly.

"Okay. About what?" I asked.

"About Jasmine," he said. I sighed and leaned back against the bed post. I waited for him to continue. "We're getting pretty close."

"Unfortunately," I mumbled under my breath. He ignored it.

"I think you should spend some time with her," he said.

"What?! I don't-," I began to say.

"Now Nevaeh," he said cutting me off, "I think you need to get to know her.

"But-"

"You need to get closer to here if we start thinking about marriage," he said.

"Marriage!" I screamed. "Who said anything about marriage? You can't marry her!"

"I know it's a scary thing to think about, but I'm sure you realized that I might some day re-marry," he said.

"I know that, but her?! How can you possibly want to marry her? She can't be my mother!" This was insane. I couldn't believe what he was telling me. There was no way in hell I could stand having her as my mother.

"Nevaeh, calm down. This is why I want you to get to know her. I think you'd really like her if you tried to," he said.

"No way!" I yelled. "There is no way I could ever like her."

"Well, you're spending the day with her tomorrow."

"What? Definitely not! I am not going," I protested.

"Yes you are. Whether you want to or not, you're going. She's taking you shopping and for lunch. She'll be here at 10:30 tomorrow morning so you better be ready. No more complaining."

"But-"

"No more complaining," he said sternly. He got up and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I could not believe what was happening. He couldn't make me go, he couldn't. I was not going to spend the day with her!

But the next morning I found myself sitting in her car, staring out the window and sulking.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" Jasmine said.

"Fun is not the word I was thinking," I mumbled. We got to the mall and Jasmine power-walked to the entrance in her way-too-high, way-too-skinny heels. I could just see her tripping and collapsing on the floor, and I almost wished that it had happened. I had to practically run to keep up with her as we dodged between people and made our way to the first store Jasmine wanted to visit, Bloomingdale's.

"Um, isn't this a little expensive?" I asked as we made our way through racks of skirts, pants, and blouses.

"Oh, don't worry about a thing," she said. "A woman can treat herself every once in a while, can't she?" I just rolled my eyes. "Now you go find your section, and I'll just stay right here in the woman's department. Just come find me when you're done," she said.

I was relieved to get away from her. I didn't even go to my clothing section. I just walked around the store for about 10 or 15 minutes. It wasn't really my kind of store, and I could never pick out something that cost so much money.

I went and found Jasmine after I walked around for a while. She was almost in exactly the same spot as when I left her. I saw she had a variety of clothing articles draped over her arm.

"Oh you're back already!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," I said. "I didn't find anything."

"Alright," she said. "I'm just going to try these things on. I'll be right back darling." I sighed and found a chair to sit in while I waited. Almost 20 minutes later she finally came out.

"What terrible luck," she said. "Absolutely nothing fit right!"

"Come on, let's go somewhere else," I said, growing more and more impatient. It went basically the same in all the stores we went it, except Jasmine was finding more and more things that fit her. By lunch time her arms were full of shopping bags, and mine were still empty.

"Boy, all this shopping sure makes you hungry!" she said. "Let's go eat." Of all the 36 places we could eat she picked McDonalds. She ordered a salad and a diet pepsi, while I ordered 2 hamburgers, chicken selects, and a large fry. Jasmine looked at me with wide eyes when she saw what I had ordered.

"God, where do you put all that?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "Is that all you're eating?"

She nodded. "Some people can't eat a house without getting fat." I almost laughed but stopped myself. "God, you're so tiny. I wasn't sure that you ate at all."

I stopped and looked up at her. I hated her more for saying that. "You know," I said, putting down my hamburger, "I'm suddenly not feeling so good. Would you mind taking me home?"

"Oh nonsense! We've still got loads more shopping to do!"

"But I don't feel well," I said, growing impatient with her. "I want to go home."

"Oh, well if you must," she said. So Jasmine took me home. She wanted to come in and make sure I was okay, but I insisted that she didn't. My dad looked up from his newspaper when I entered the kitchen.

"You're home early," he said.

"Yeah, I wasn't feeling too well," I lied. He looked at me suspiciously. I could tell he didn't believe me.

He sighed heavily. "Nevaeh, the idea wasn't for you to try and get out of it early. You may think you were doing me a favor by going at all, but I wanted you to spend the whole day with her."

"Dad, I spent more than enough time with her. I couldn't take it anymore!" I complained.

"You're being ridiculous," he said. "Jasmine is a wonderful person, and you could see that if you actually tried to."

"I will never see it."

"Well you better start trying harder, because you're going to be seeing a lot more of her," he said.

"You've got to be kidding me," I mumbled

"Sit down," he said, motioning to the chair beside him. I dropped down into the seat. "I have something very important to tell you." He paused. "Jasmine's pregnant. We're going to have a baby."

"WHAT?!" I screamed, jumping up from my seat. "You just met this woman and you're already sleeping with her!"

"Nevaeh, calm down," he said.

"No! I'm tired of being calm! This is insane. This whole thing is completely insane! She can't be pregnant. I don't believe it! I cannot believe you slept with that…that stupid whore!"

"Nevaeh!" he yelled. "Stop it! I don't ever want to hear you talk like that about her again. Do you understand me?"

"I hate you." I turned and ran out the front door. My face was streaming with tears as I ran down the street to Cael's house. I banged on the door, and he came to answer it.

"Nev, what's wrong?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I HATE THIS! IT'S NOT FAIR! SHE CAN'T BE PREGNANT. I HATE HER! I HATE HIM!" I collapsed into his arms and tears were now gushing down my face.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. Come on," he said, pulling me inside his house and shutting the door behind us. He led me to the couch and we both sat down. We didn't speak for a while. He just let me cry into his chest. I finally sat up and dried my tears. "Will you hold on just a second?" he asked. "I'll be right back." I nodded.

Cael left the room and came back a minute later. "Okay," he said, sitting back down on the couch. "What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath. "Jasmine's p-p-pregnant," I said finally.

His eyes widened. "She's what?" he exclaimed.

"Today my dad made me go shopping and to lunch with her. He said he wanted me to get to know her better. Now I know why. Oh my God Cael, I can't stand her. He can't marry her!" I sighed heavily and laid back against him.

"Wow," he said. "I knew this was bad when I saw you crying. You never cry. But try seeing it from your dad's point of view. He's been lonely for 10 years, and for some reason he's less lonely with Jasmine."

"Well he didn't have to be lonely," I said. "I was always there. He's the one who isolated himself from everyone."

"I know, but now he's finally come out from hiding. I think he's gonna need your support in all of this. He needs you to be happy for him."

"I'm not sure I can do that," I said.

"Well you gotta try."

I sighed again. "Cael, this is so crazy. Everything's changing so fast."

"Well, there's one thing you can count on to always stay the same," he said. "I'll always be here for you."

I thought about that. One thing that was changing was my relationship with Cael. He had a girlfriend now, and I sort of had a boyfriend. He wouldn't call me baby anymore, and I knew pretty soon he would have no time left for me.

I smiled to hide what I was feeling. "Thanks," I said. "I should go, I guess."

"Alright," he said. "See ya." He didn't get up. He didn't hug me. He just let me stand up and walk out into the hot afternoon air. I could hear Maddy's voice ringing in my ear, still telling me that I was supposed to be with Cael.

"I'm sorry," I said aloud, directing my words to Maddy as if she could somehow hear me. "But I guess God doesn't want it that way." I could just envision her shaking her head, telling me that if you wanted something you had to get it yourself.