Yes, this is a brand new chapter. I was going to add it to the original Chap. 13, but it ended up being wayyyy too long. I figured it was easiest just to make this its own chapter :)

So, nearly 5 years after I first wrote this book, here is a brand new chapter. 

Silently Falling: Chapter Thirteen

West and I finished our lesson right around six, and once he left I went to the kitchen to start cooking for Toby and myself. It may not be Tuesday, but tacos are calling my name and they are extremely simple to make. And a short thirty minutes later, I have the meat cooked, the tortillas warmed, and the salsa, cheese, and sour cream out on the counter for Toby and I to spoon onto our tacos as we please. As if on queue, Toby comes back from wherever he was just as I turn off the stovetop.

"It smells absolutely delicious in this house, and I am absolutely starving," he calls out from the entrance.

I hear as he struggles to take off his shoes, small grunts echoing down the hallway as he no doubt tries to squeeze them off without untying the laces. As I hear one loudly hit the wall, I picture him accidentally shooting it off of his feet and launching it forward, and it makes me silently chuckle.

"Taco Tuesd- wait, it's Monday, sis. Tacos on a Monday?"

I turn towards him, noting that his styled hair is definitely no longer styled, and shrug as I carefully set down our plates next to the homemade taco bar.

"There's no rulebook that says we can't."

He grins at me, running over and messing up my hair before loading half of the meat onto his single tortilla that he puts way too much faith in to hold up the burrito he's about to create.

"You are correct. We don't have any parents here to tell us what we can and can't cook."

Reaching for my plate, I begin making my own burrito and ignore the pit that forms in my stomach from his comment. We don't have any parents here, and that's not right. We lost our mother, but we still have a father who should be here for us.

"Thank you for making dinner, Raine. I appreciate it," Toby says as he goes towards the island, pulling out a barstool with one hand while carefully balancing the plate with his overstuffed burrito on the other.

As we eat, we are both caught off guard by Toby's phone beginning to buzz on the granite countertop. With taco sauce all over his hands, and sour cream dotting his chin, he glances at me to answer his phone. I quirk a brow.

"If that's not a FaceTime call, I can't exactly answer it."

He reads my hands and quickly chews his last few bites, swallowing hard before licking the sauce off of his fingers and wiping his chin with the back of his hand, then transferring that filth to his shirt. Reaching over, he snags his phone before the call can end and flips the screen to face him. His body freezes as he reads the contact, brows furrowing before breaking into a smile.

"It's dad!"

My heart skips a beat, and instead of relief and excitement, I feel anxious and almost...angry. He hasn't called in nearly a week, but one random call should make us happy?

"Dad!" Toby says as the connection strengthens and our dad pops up on his phone screen.

Our dad looks more like Toby than me, but only in facial features. His hair is nothing like Toby's, since it is silver color, his blonde hair slowly morphing into gray. Not to mention his hair is long enough to flow down to the base of his neck, and he has a styled beard to complete the look. If you didn't notice their identical noses and smile, you wouldn't know he was Toby's dad.

He and I share no similarities.

"Toby! How are you, son?" He asks, deep voice chipper with no sense of guilt for this being his first time contacting us in seven days.

"I'm doing great, Raine just cooked some mean tacos," he says.

"I can see that from the salsa on your nose," dad chuckles.

His laugh tugs on my heart strings as I recall the nights he used to be in this kitchen dancing around while cooking for us, laughing as Toby and I poked fun at his awful dance moves.

"Where is Raine?"

Toby shifts the phone and scoots closer to me so that the both of us are in the frame, and I see my dads face light up when he sees me. My heart gets tugged a little more, and my smile forms naturally when he signs "There's my beautiful daughter."

"Hi dad."

"How are you, sweetheart?

"I'm good, still hungry."

He tilts his head, "I thought you made tacos?"

"Yeah, and Toby ate nearly all the meat."

Toby reads my signs and nudges me, "Did not."

Dad chuckles again, and I watch as Toby gleams with pride. He cherishes these phone calls with dad, and I know he talks to him a lot more than I do. There will be some nights I hear him on the phone with him, telling him about his day.

"Well, I won't keep you two, but I wanted to call and let you know that I'm going to be flying home for a few days next week."

"Really?" Toby exclaims, snatching the phone closer to him out of excitement.

"Of course, I've been gone too long and things at the office should slow down for a few days next week."

Toby and him continue their conversation, and I pick at the remnants of my burrito, being sure to smile and nod every time Toby points the camera in my direction. But, I can't ignore the fact that I'm not nearly as excited as Toby. I'm happy to see my dad, I know that I'm lucky that he's still in my life, even if it's just barely. But I harbor resentment for him up and leaving us like he did. Right when I needed him the most.

OoO

I tossed and turned all night. I couldn't keep thoughts of my parents out of my head. I kept dreaming of what life would be like if my mom hadn't died, or if my dad hadn't left Toby and I to live in New York 70% of the time. As hard as I tried to keep those thoughts away, they kept forcing their way into my dreams.

I don't want to dream about something that will never happen. It's false hope.

So, as Toby and I drive to school with Alyse, I try my best to hide my exhaustion. Toby doesn't notice, still exhilarated from the news Dad gave us last night. He has been talking Alyse's ear off about how Dad is coming to stay for a few days, outlining some of the stuff he plans on doing with him. I stay out of it, staring silently out the window while unconsciously fiddling with my mothers necklace around my neck. Alyse doesn't notice my lack of excitement, too caught up in the fact Toby is pouring out his entire weekend plan to her that for once doesn't consist of other girls.

I fiddle the small charm, feeling the rough grooves of the diamond on the pads of my fingers. I roll it around my thumb, picturing my mother once doing the same thing. Her necklace survived the car crash, only the chain needing mending. The found it buried under the broken glass. It must have been ripped off of her neck during the collision when the tractor trailer barreled into her side of the car.

If she was still here, she wouldn't have let dad leave us for weeks on end. If she was still here, he may have wanted to stay.

I snap out of my thoughts as Toby pulls aggressively into his parking spot, slamming on the brakes and hopping out of the truck while still talking a mile a minute to Alyse. I shake my head and let the charm drop down to its place on my neck, getting out of the truck to be greeted by Tyler and Gray.

"Good morning, Raine. You look beautiful as always," Gray says kindly.

Tyler helps me down from Toby's slightly lifted truck, delicately taking my hand with a cheeky grin.

"You do look a little tired though," he says as I let go of his hand.

Gray smacks his shoulder, "Come on, Ty. You'd think from the amount of girls you've been with that you'd understand not to tell a girl she looks tired."

I wave it off when Tyler spins back to face me with puppy dog eyes and a giant pout, stopping his apology before it can start. That's when I catch sight of West from further down the parking lot, hiking his backpack onto his shoulder as he steps out of his old Jeep, throwing the banged up door shut afterwards. He can't even take two steps before Tina is at his side, standing way too close, and I scowl. I cross my arms over my chest without realizing, trying to tear my eyes away from the two of them as Toby and Alyse walk around the truck to greet Tyler and Gray.

"Our Dad called last night," Toby announces proudly to them.

I roll my eyes and prepare for his long, excited proclaim of everything he has planned for the two of them when his plane lands. However, when I glance back towards where West and Tina are, I notice that it's now just him, and he's staring right at me. When we make eye contact, his lips curve into his signature smile and he changes his course from school to me. He's wearing dark navy denim jeans, a few fashion-statement rips in the thigh, with a long sleeve gray shirt overtop, and his dog-tag chain around his neck.

"Hey Sunshine."

I playfully roll my eyes at the nickname, though I have to admit it's starting to grow on me.

"Are you going to use my real name some day?"

He smirks at me and ignores the question, tuning into Toby's story.

"Wait, your dad is back?" He asks.

"He'll be back some time next week for a few days," Toby states, happy to start his story over yet again.

I glance at my phone to check the time, noting that we need to get moving if we don't want to be late, and start walking towards the building with the group. As we walk, I feel a cool gaze stuck on me and tilt my head up. West is watching me, looking at Toby and nodding every few seconds to show he's still listening, but his focus seems settled on me.

Thankfully, when we get inside Toby, Tyler, and Gray have to go the opposite direction as me and I can finally be free of hearing how excited Toby is to 'go out to dinner with dad' and 'finally catch up on the last season of Survivor all weekend.'

I know I should be happy like Toby. With what little time I get to spend with Dad, I should be thrilled to get to see him next week. But...I'm not. I can't help it. I can't help the feeling of being abandoned and the anger that he just happens to fly back every now and then and expects us to welcome him with open arms and happy smiles. Because that's exactly what he expects every time.

"That's awesome that your dad is flying home, Raine," Alyse says as she walks with me and West. "You haven't seen him in a week or two, right?"

I can't be annoyed with her for being caught up in Toby's excitement. She doesn't know any better.

"I can't wait," I sign, smiling at her.

"Seems like it," West chirps from the other side of me.

Alyse, upon realizing West is walking with us, glances at me with a mischievous grin. "Well, since we don't have music today I think I'll take a short cut to class and leave you two be to talk about stuff. You know, how you're both single and-"

I smack her arm with much more force than I probably needed to, but it shuts her up. She flinches, but it doesn't stop her grin.

"Bye!" She quickly bolts down the next hallway, grinning at me over her shoulder. I swear.

"So, Sunshine, with Toby talking my ear off you didn't really get a chance to input about your dad coming back. You excited?"

No.

"Of course I am, he's my dad." I sign, but realize he probably couldn't fully comprehend it, so I grab my phone and type it out.

He takes my phone as I hand it to him and quickly reads it over.

"You don't seem super excited."

"I am. This is a good thing."

Even I know that my sign isn't very convincing. I can't get myself to smile with my eyes, hell I can barely get myself to smile with my lips. It comes out as more of a half-assed grin.

West looks down at me, narrowing his eyes. "Is it?"

I'm at a loss for a response. There's no point in lying, West could see right through it.

"You know, it's okay to be upset with him. You don't have to pretend."

Unable to come up with a response, I train my eyes on the tiled floor and try to change the subject. West's earlier interaction with Tina comes to mind, stirring up a different annoyed feeling inside me.

"What did T I N A want?"

I cringe at my choice of topic and especially my facial expression while asking.

West catches it right away and smirks down at me, "Jealous, Sunshine?"

I want to instantly say no, but isn't that exactly what I felt this morning when I saw her walking so close to him that their arms were basically brushing? When I saw the seductive grin she gave him? When I saw his attention focused on her? Forcing that thought from my mind, I convince myself that I was only scowling this morning because I didn't want Tina to sleep with yet another guy from my friend group.

"Am not."

"That's the best response you've got?" He asks with his stupid, cocky grin. "If you must know, she asked me to hang out after school today."

Oh.

"Before you get too jealous, I told her I would, but it's a little cloudy today."

My face contorts into complete confusion and I look up at him, shaking my head.

"What?"

I regret my question as soon as I sign it when I see the way his smirk somehow becomes cockier.

"And I need my daily dose of Sunshine."

My reaction doesn't know if it should blush at how cliché and cute that was, or laugh at how cliché and cute that was. I type my response into my phone, biting back a smile.

'That was insanely cheesy, even for you.'

He reads it and chuckles, quickly crossing in front of me to lean against the wall of lockers that causes me to stop walking.

"Maybe, but it got you flustered."

I scoff. "Did not."

"You are just full of the greatest responses today, aren't you?" He asks with an insufferably handsome chuckle. "But you, Sunshine, are definitely flustered."

"How so?"

"We passed your classroom already."

I instantly look around the hallway and realize that he's right. I close my eyes and clench my jaw as I slowly turn back to face him, not wanting to meet his cocky smile. But I suck it up and open them to glare at him, sucking my teeth as I abruptly turn and walk back in the direction of my class.

"Lesson after school?" West calls out to me.

I don't turn around nor do I answer him, but of course that's answer enough and I know he'll be meeting me at Toby's truck at the end of the day.

---

By the end of the day, I've fully recovered from my morning encounter with West Love. He seems to have a way of burying himself deep into my mind, and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Tyler walked with me to Toby's truck, where I expect to see West, but to my disappointment- no. My surprise, he's not there.

"Raine, you can settle this argument," Alyse says as I walk up, "Gray seems to think that the sign for an Owl is to bring your hands up to your eyes in little circles and twist them around. I told him that was ridiculous."

I quirk a brow, "No, he's right. This is the sign."

Gray triumphantly takes a bite of his granola bar, and Alyse huffs and crosses her arms.

"Aw, don't pout Alyse," Toby says. "You got bested by the smart one of the group, at least it wasn't Ty."

Alyse glances at Tyler who is smiling carelessly, probably focused on the butterfly on Toby's truck's antenna instead of this conversation.

"You've got a point."

As they continue talking, I scan the parking lot to see if West may be walking towards us. However, instead of West, Warren catches my eye. He's flying across the parking lot in his Audi, causing a few students to scurry out of his way and throw him the middle finger as they mutter to each other, most likely about what a douche he is. He reaches his destination, and my heart jumps.

West's Jeep.

West walks up, and I can tell from his body language that he feels no threat by seeing Warren waiting for him at his car. I can practically picture the threatening look on his face as he approaches Warren. The slight narrowing of his eyes that clearly sends a message not to mess with him. 

Though I can't hear them from here, I can see Warren's vile, cocky grin as he talks to West. He has his arms crossed over his chest as he talks, and I expect West to take on the same look that he did last week when Warren confronted him. That threatening, brooding glare that had Warren nearly shaking. But instead, I see him take a defensive stance. He actually looks...intimidated? And Warren...well, he doesn't. 

I tug on Tyler's shirt, grabbing his attention and pointing down the parking lot towards the scene unfolding.

"Hey, guys check it out," Tyler says for me, grabbing everyone else's attention to focus on West and Warren.

"What the..." Toby trails off. "What's going on over there?"

"It looks like Warren's talking to West," Tyler answers the rhetorical question.

Toby gives him an incredulous look and lightly smacks the back of his head, "Well obviously."

Tyler flinches and pouts at him, "Then why'd you ask?"

"Warren drove over there and instantly confronted him," I explain. "Do you think it's about his tires?"

The boys cross their arms as they watch.

"Could be," Gray reasons. "Or our suspicious were right and West does know Warren."

"Either way, we should go back him up," Toby says, and then starts on his way over towards West with the others quickly following.

Alyse and I follow behind them and she sends me a wide-eyed look.

"What do you think they're talking about?" She asks quietly.

I look at West, and the closer we get the more I see the anger in his expression, but I also see the slight fear in the way he's standing so defensively. But Warren doesn't look intimidated at all, and that causes warning signs to flare up all around my head. 

"I don't know, but West seems shaken up."

The boys all seem ready for a fight. Their fists are clenched, postures stiff, and eyes focused on their target. However, before we reach the scene, Warren says one more thing to West and then gets into his Audi and speeds away, leaving West in the dust. West seems incredibly frustrated, and I watch as he leans his hands on his Jeep, hanging his head between his arms before slamming his hands on his car with a loud curse. I've never seen West so...angry. I can practically feel his frustrated rage from here, and it leaves me wondering what the hell Warren said to him.

"West, what happened?" Toby asks once we reach him, glaring in the direction Warren sped off.

"Yeah man, are you okay?" Tyler asks.

West stands up straight and runs his hand through his hair, trying to mask his anger with a cool smile. 

"I'm good, guys. Warren just tried to blame the tires on me again, but I sorted it out. Sort of."

And, since they're boys, they instantly believe him and nod, patting him on the shoulder.

"Well, don't worry about that one. You have an airtight alibi between the three of us," Gray says.

"Yeah, no chance in hell Warren can win a case like that," Toby adds. 

"I don't know, his dad's a pretty good lawyer," Tyler says, voicing his thoughts aloud without reading the room.

"Ty!" Toby snaps, hitting him on the back of the head once again.

West chuckles, "Don't worry about it. His dad wouldn't waste his time on a case like this," he mutters, eyeing the direction Warren sped off.  

I narrow my eyes. As West shifts his gaze back to the others, he catches mine. But he doesn't keep it for very long and quickly looks at the boys. 

"Thanks guys, I appreciate you coming to back me up." 

"Yeah, man."

"Don't mention it."

"He's a douche, don't let him bother you too much," Alyse adds.

West nods at Alyse and, since the situation seems defused, the guys start to head back towards Toby's truck with Alyse following. I, however, stay back. From the corner of my eye, I notice Toby realize that I didn't follow and starts walking back to get me. Alyse grabs his arm and tugs him towards the truck, catching my eye and nodding. 

I walk closer to West as he leans against the Jeep, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Are you okay?"  I sign hesitantly.

West glances at my hands and clenches his jaw for a second or two, clearly debating what to tell me. 

"I'm okay, Sunshine." 

I watch him closely before grabbing my phone and typing my response, tossing it to him when I finish.

'You're okay like I think my dad coming to town is a good thing?'

He snorts when he reads it and tosses it back, offering me nothing but a smile as he opens the door to his Jeep. 

"Could we potentially move the lesson back to five?" He asks before getting in. "I've gotta do something real quick, shouldn't take me more than an hour."

I quirk a brow, "That sounded S U S, but sure." 

"I've just got to talk to some friends, but I'll see you at five for my daily dose of Sunshine," he winks, disappearing into his Jeep before I can fathom a response. 

---

9/27/2020 - Writing a brand new chapter to a book you wrote 5 years ago is NOT an easy task, lol. But I really hope you guys love and appreciate this chapter and all the work that went into it. I want to include Raine and Toby's father more in this book to make it more realistic, and include a better, deeper feud between West and Warren.