R A I N E

Friday, like most others, is my favourite day of the week. Yesterday, however, was among the most dramatic Fridays of my life from start to finish. I'm still thinking about my visit to the grocery store as I emerge from my bedroom and collapse onto the couch in front of the television.

Oh, hell, what am I going to do if Aidan asks me about last night? Did he even catch onto what his manager was saying about me? What if—

"Raine?"

I crane my neck to look my mom, who's standing behind the couch and hovering over my head. Oh, no. Why is she giving me that look? Did she somehow find out about last night? 

She holds out her ringing phone. My eyes flicker to the contact's name, and I'm immediately shaking my head no. This is much worse than her finding out about what happened at the grocery store last night.

"Raine, come on. It's been a year, sweetheart," Mom sighs, walking around the couch so she can sit beside me. "She's not a stranger. She's your aunt. She doesn't blame you for what happened."

"Mom, please," I shake my head again. "You know I can't."

The ringing stops. She frowns at me and pulls her legs up on the couch and tucks a few strands of my hair behind my ear. "How long will this go on?"

I shrug and break eye contact. I'd much rather embarrass myself in front of Aidan again than have this conversation, but Mom will never let this drop.

"I'm not ready to talk to her or Uncle Matthew, Mom. I just need a little more time,"

Just a little more time. Is that too much to ask for?

"You'll never be ready if you keep this up. Look at Candy! She isn't afraid of pools or seas. I'm tired of telling my sister you can't talk to her. I'm tired of looking into your sad eyes. Just get into a pool and—"

"You weren't there, Mom, were you?" I snap, fed up with her pushy side. "You didn't watch her drown. I did. I was the one who let her. I listened to her screams. I saw and heard her skull crack open. It was me. Not you, not Dad, not Candy. It. Was. Me."

It was me.

I seemed to be so caught up in my rant that I hadn't even noticed my eyes were stinging until the tears stream down my cheeks like raindrops racing on the windshield of a car.

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry," Mom wipes away my tears with her hand and wraps her arms around me, stroking my hair until I've calmed down.

"What's going on here?" Dad peeks into the living room as I pull away from Mom's hug. His face drops when he sees me. "Raine? What happened? Are you okay?"

Quick! Use this to your advantage!

"Yeah, Dad," I sniff, blowing my nose with a tissue that Mom had handed me. "Though I could really use a burrito while I drown in my misery, you know?"

Within a second, he's out the door while putting his jacket on with his car keys in hand.

"Don't forget to get me one too!" Mom calls after him. She turns back to me, mirroring my wicked grin. "I think your friends are a very bad influence on you."

"But you love them," I grin, the stuffiness beginning to go away.

"That, I do," Mom nods, leaning back on the couch. Her expression turns serious again. "Sweetie, her death wasn't your fault. Please stop blaming yourself. No one else does, and Gemma wouldn't want you to."

I draw in a sharp breath when my breath hitches. Mom's right, Gemma wouldn't want me to blame myself, but I can't help it.

"I'm trying," I whisper.

A loud thump from upstairs breaks through the depressing aroma. Mom and I scrunch our faces up. What the heck is Candy doing?

"I'm going to go see what she's up to," I tell Mom, pushing myself off the couch. When I make it to her room, my confusion only spirals. I press my ear to the door at the sound of two voices before barging in.

My sister was standing by Jin Ae, her girlfriend of six months, who sat on the windowsill. I raise both of my brows at the two of them.

"Jin Ae? What are you doing here? Wasn't your flight scheduled to arrive tomorrow?"

For the past month, she had been visiting family in South Korea, leaving me to deal with Candy's stupidity twenty-four seven. I've been waiting forever for her return. She's just as much my saviour as she is Candy's.

Jin Ae shakes her head and runs a hand through her electric blue hair. Previously it had been dyed the shade of bubblegum pink, and it was pink for as long as I can remember.

"I flew in last night," she beams, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you, Raine."

I smile at her but then turn to my sister. "How exactly did she get inside?"

"Through the window, duh." Candy replies, grinning. "It was cooler that way."

Of course it was.

Something other than Jin Ae's hair feels different. She's still wearing her signature leather jacket with her sneakers. Hold on, she isn't wearing any of her piercings!

"What happened to—"

"My piercings?" Jin Ae cuts me off, finishing the sentence for me. "I had to take them all off because it drove halmoni nuts."

"Wait, wait. I know this, don't tell me," I bite my lip, trying to recall the translation. When nothing comes to mind, I turn around in an attempt to hide my phone from them and pull up Google Translate, punching in the word.

Without registering the word into my mind, I read it out loud.

"Ass cheeks!"

Wait, what?

Candy turns to gape at her girlfriend. "You took off your piercings from your ears because it irritated your butt?"

"What the fuck? No! It means grandmother!" Jin Ae exclaims. The tips of her ears go red and her face flushes.

I cringe. No wonder my French forbids us to use Google Translate.

"Babe, if my mom hears you swear, she'll kill me instead of killing you," Candy says.

I've never been more grateful for a phone call, because in a few minutes the two of them would probably be making out and I really don't want to be there to witness it.

I quickly return to my bedroom and answer Fana's call. "Hello?"

"Rainy, I don't care if I have to drag you there myself, but you're going to that party."

"Huh? What party? Who's party? Why are you only telling me? What about the others?"

"I don't know. I don't know again. I'm the only one telling you because I just told you first. Wait for the ambush." Fana says nothing more and disconnects. Ugh, she always leaves me hanging.

But, just as she had said, my phone soon starts blaring with notifications from the group chat. It's the "ambush". Wonderful.

Laurel: crystally_rain

Laurel: crystally_rain

Kris: crystally_rain

Julie: crystally_rain

Angel: crystally_rain

Julie: crystally_rain

Laurel: crystally_rain

Chloe: crystally_rain

Angel: crystally_rain

Chloe: crystally_rain

Kris: crystally_rain

Laurel: crystally_rain

Julie: crystally_rain

Fana: I told ya

Kris: crystally_rain

Chloe: crystally_rain

Angel: crystally_rain

Chloe: crystally_rain

Julie: crystally_rain

Kris: crystally_rain

Laurel: crystally_rain

Chloe: laurelbtsgirl

Chloe: Shit sorry

Chloe: crystally_rain

Laurel: Wha?

Raine: WTF

Raine: I AM HERE

Kris: crystally_rain

Angel: crystally_rain

Julie: crystally_rain

Chloe: crystally_rain

Laurel: crystally_rain

Arih: crystally_rain

Fana: crystally_rain

Raine: OML

Raine: STOP THIS 😭😭

Fana: Suffer

Chloe: Hehehehehehehehe

Angel: Loser

Laurel: It's okay, best daughter

Julie: My thumbs ache

Kris: My stomach aches

Raine: I will get revenge one day, on all of you

Laurel: Don't speak to your mother that way, kid

Raine: Okay, what is this party we are supposedly going to?

Angel: That guy who calls you Raindrop

Fana: Who calls her Raindrop?

Julie: Do we ship?

Chloe: Isn't that the guy with the cat?

Angel: Of course you only remember his cat

Laurel: Who?

Chloe: The cat's name was Felinepretty, I think

Laurel: I meant the guy, not the cat

Rainy: His name is Cole

Kris: Will there be food?

Angel: I hope so

Fana: It's a party, gumasses

Julie: No way :0

Raine: So it's his party, then?

Chloe: No lol, it's his mom's

Raine: -_-

Chloe: What?

Angel: Wait, seriously?

Julie: Huh?

Chloe: Yeah, it's her birthday and he's throwing her a party

Laurel: With a mob of teens?

Chloe: He's Cole. What do you expect?

Raine: But I don't wanna leave my bed :(

Fana: Too bad. You're coming

Raine: When is it?

Arih: Hello

Kris: From the other side

Laurel: Will there be alcohol?

Julie: If you get drunk, we'll dump you

Laurel: Pffft I didn't say I was gonna get drunk

Angel: Let's handcuff her and tie her to a chair

Chloe: Yes

Raine: This is some 50 Shades shit

Julie: And how would you know that?

Fana: I'd like to know too

Chloe: RAINY :0

Angel: —HAS BEEN EXPOSED

Laurel: So, will there be booze or no?

Kris: No

Laurel: My mom said I'm grounded

Julie: Liar

Raine: My mom said I'm grounded too

Julie: Another liar

Raine: Argh, fine. When is the party?

Fana: It starts at 8

Chloe: Cake cutting is at 9, so we get there 20 minutes before to make sure we get some of the biggest slices

Angel: Can I drive?

Julie: NO

Raine: NO

Fana: NO

Kris: NO

Kris: Did someone say cake?

Chloe: NO

Chloe: and YES, I did

Laurel: NYES

Arih: Hi

Raine: Hey

Raine: Okay, I'm gonna go take a dump

Am I really going to go take a dump? No, I am going to go and drive myself crazy. If it's Cole's party—well, Cole's Mom's—then there's no doubt Aidan will be there, which means he'll probably bring up the grocery store.

I toss my phone beside me and sit up on the bed. If Aidan spots me, there would be no escape. Oh, God, why did I ever agree to this? Maybe I can pull a Laurel and get drunk, or at least pretend to be drunk. He wouldn't ask questions then, would he?

There is only an hour until Fana comes to pick us up, so while I'm getting dressed I try to think of the best possible scenarios, along with the worst. Except the best one could also be the worst.

So, either way, I can already tell this party is going to be a disaster.

●●●

This is for exposing my cooking skills crystally_rain hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehhehe

Okay anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter 😂 I made it a bit long since I haven't updated in forever, and y'all deserve it <3

Tbh, I don't know when I will update next because I'm mainly focusing on LMA right now since it's almost done, plus schoolwork :( But I'll try my best to update as often as possible.

Stay safe and healthy!

Chloe ❤