Chance Of Rain (8 page)

He rolled down his window. “Good night, Ashley.”

“Good night.” I smiled and walked to the front door. He didn’t leave until after I made it safely inside.

My mom was in the den. She looked up when I entered. “Hey, there. How’d it go?”

“We had a nice time,” I said. I was relieved when I realized she wasn’t going to scream at me for not having called her. In fact I was shocked that she said nothing about my not introducing her to Trent.

“How
nice
.” She raised her brows.

“It’s not like that, Mom. We’re just…
friends
,” I said with disappointment.

She seemed satisfied. I was surprised I didn’t have to try harder to convince her.

“Well, you can never have too many friends. How was school?” she asked, changing the subject.

“It was fine, Mom. I’m pretty tired, though.”

She switched off the TV. “Good night, dear.”

VIII

50 %

T
he next morning I made sure I looked extra cute. I had to show Trent what he was missing. Bri arrived a little early, and I was glad. I couldn’t wait to tell her all about last night.

“Spill it, woman! I want the deets!” she demanded when I slid into the passenger seat of her car.

As she drove, I described the Gnarled Oak to her and promised I’d take her one day.

“OK, OK, it was a neat restaurant. I get it. Now tell me—did you two kiss?”

“He referred to me as his…
friend
.”

“Ewww.” Bri squished her face up like she’d just tasted a lemon. “The F-word. That’s rough, babe.”

“Yeah, what goes around comes around, right? I just got
Blaked
.”

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as all that. Maybe he’s just taking it slow. Nothing wrong with that. Heck, I’ll be his friend if you don’t wanna!”

I laughed.

“So I got some news myself,” Bri said, as she turned into the parking lot.

“About Cole?” I asked.

“No, about my new, rich daddy!”

“Your mom and J.T. hit it off last night?”

“
Big
time!”

Ms. Elliott had our names written on index cards and taped to our assigned beanbags. “Find your names, ladies and gentlemen, and have a seat,” she said as she bustled around the room. “We’re going to get to know someone else today, so chop, chop! Before this year is over, we’re going to be one big, happy family.”

Phew!
At least Lacey wasn’t going to be sitting with Trent today; she was already sitting with Kayla. Lacey was yakking ninety miles an hour, and Kayla looked awestruck as she hung on to every last word that came from Lacey’s lip-glossed mouth.

I finally found my name.
Mmm, not bad. Angel Martinez
. I looked for Bri so I could rub it in her face. She was already seated, waving at me with the silliest ha-ha-ha-ha-ha grin on her face. She spun the empty beanbag around that was next to her so I could read the name, Trent. She stuck her tongue out at me.

I smiled then discreetly pointed behind me at Angel, and I raised my brows up and down.

“Looks like you hit the jackpot,” Trent said, as he pushed past me to sit down. Sarcasm looked good on him.

I hadn’t seen him come in. Bri and I looked at each other with huge eyes. I bit my lip and quickly took my seat.

After the announcements, Ms. Elliott gave us a handout. It was a short list of questions about yesterday’s reading assignment. We were supposed to answer the questions with our assigned partners in preparation for a quiz.

I didn’t try to eavesdrop today. I had an inside spy who’d fill me in on everything. It was a good thing too, because Angel was hard to ignore. He had dark eyes and hard muscles covered in tan skin. His smile was pearly and perfect, and he had the most adorable dimples. His nose had never been in a fight either.

“You still working at the Star-Lite?” he asked me.

“Yeah. Me and Bri both.”

“I heard a lot of people quit now that school started. Do you know if they’re still hiring?”

“Mack, my boss, said there were some openings.”

Angel leaned closer to me. “You’ll have to put in a good word for me. I’m looking for a job.” He grinned. I had a strong desire to reach out and pinch his cheeks, so I did.

I felt someone nudge my arm hard. “Can I borrow a pen?” It was Trent.

“For what?” I asked suspiciously.

He looked at me very intensely and said, “I want…to…take…notes.”

I rifled through my purse.

“You need some help there?” Angel asked.

I smiled. “I think I got it.”

Angel acted like he was going to stick his hands in my bag. “Quit,” I said playfully. He laughed and did it even more. “Stop it.” I giggled then finally found a pen. Angel wrestled it from my hand then chucked it at Trent.

“Here, man. Now go away.”

The muscles in Trent’s jaw clenched. Was this jealousy I detected? In my…
friend
?

At the end of class, as I gathered my things, Angel stood and held out a hand to pull me up. I felt shy, but I accepted his offer. He held on to my hand a little longer than necessary. Then he looked down at me and said, “So what time did you say you were working tonight?”

“My shift starts at seven.”

“I’ll see you at seven.”

I turned to see Bri and Trent looking at me.
Awkward!

“Hey….you two have fun?” I asked.

Bri and Trent looked at each other for a half second. Then Bri looked at me and smiled suggestively. “Apparently not as much as you two.”

I rolled my eyes and pretended to be annoyed.

“I’ve gotta run to class. See ya,” said Bri. She arched her brows at me as she passed.

A silly grin found its way to Trent’s face. “What?” I asked him.

He looked down, still grinning, and shook his head, like he knew something I didn’t.

“Whatever,” I said. “We need to get to class.”

I walked out of the room first and headed to my next class. Trent walked fast and closed the distance between us. He leaned down and whispered in my ear as we walked, “Quit, Angel. Stop. Don’t. Stop. Don’t Stop! Don’t stop!”

I elbowed him in the ribs. “Aw, come on now,” he said. “You know it’s funny.” He laughed and playfully pulled me to his side.

Spanish was boring. No talking today.
Nada
. We had to copy vocabulary words and conversational questions, like “¿
Como este
?” By the time I was finished, the tiny callous on my finger was red and tender.

Art, on the other hand, was much more interesting. We actually got to draw something. Mrs. Frost arranged some roses in a vase, and we took out our pads and pencils.

I was eager to get started; I loved to doodle. The lead in my pencil was dark and very sharp, and my tablet was full of snow-white paper that was begging to be covered in self-expression.

Trent kept trying to look at my work. I turned my pad and tried to block it with my arm. “Would you quit?” I fussed.

He and I were having a lot of fun. I’d have to remind myself—when I replayed this moment over and over in my head in bed that night—that he was just teasing and
not
flirting.

I sneaked a peek at his sketchpad. I was stunned when I finally caught a glimpse. It was really good; it was…beautiful.

When the bell rang, Trent walked me to the parking lot. Before things had a chance to get weird, I simply said, “See ya” and kept walking.

Without saying a word, he smiled and headed to his car.

I felt a little uncomfortable as I approached Bri’s car because Cole was leaning against it, and Bri was leaning into him. They had their arms around each other.

“Hey, Ash.” Bri smiled at me. “Looks like we’re going to have a third wheel today.”

“Looks like
I’m
the third wheel,” I replied.
I’m definitely getting a car!
I thought.

“You can ride with me, Ash,” Angel called out. He was parked next to Bri’s Chevelle.

I shrugged and cheerfully said, “OK.”

Angel was a great guy. He was charming, and we always had a blast when we were around each other. He took my backpack from my shoulder and
walked me to the passenger side. He tossed my bag to the center of the seat then offered me his hand to help me get into the cab of his truck.

I smiled. “Thanks.”

I noticed Trent was behind us as we exited the lot, and then I forgot about him when Angel teased me about taking Spanish.

“If you ever need help, I’m your man.” He laughed. “Consider it payback for all those times you helped me get through math,
chica
.”

IX

55 %

M
y house was empty when Angel dropped me off. It was lunchtime, and my mom wouldn’t be home until after I left for work.

I took advantage of the time to do a little homework and catch up on some housework. It didn’t take long to do either. I dumped a load of bath towels into the washing machine then sat down at the kitchen table. I only had a few questions to answer for Spanish. The house wasn’t very dusty from the last time I’d wiped things down. I unloaded the dishwasher and filled it with the dirty dishes from the sink.

I flipped on the Weather Channel. A new episode of
Storm Chasers
was coming on tonight. I quickly programmed the DVR before I forgot.

When the buzzer went off on the washer, I threw the towels into the dryer then curled up on my bed and read until I dozed off. I must have been tired, because when I woke up, I had to rush to get ready for work.

Fifteen short minutes later, I was ready. Just in time too—I heard a horn. I wondered why Bri hadn’t given me her usual warning text.

I grabbed my phone, took one last look in the mirror, and headed for the door. It had clouded up and was unusually dark. The headlights were blinding me as I approached.

When I got a little closer, I realized it wasn’t a Chevelle but a Challenger. The door swung open.

“What are you waiting for?” Trent asked.

“I’m just a little surprised. I was expecting Bri.”

“She didn’t tell you?”

“No, we haven’t spoken since school let out.” A tiny smile touched the corner of my mouth when I thought about Angel.

“I guess you were
busy
,” he said with an insinuating tone and a playful grin.

“So why exactly are you here?”

“It’s not obvious?”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“I’m taking you to work. Get in.”

“You’re so cute when you’re assertive.”

Trent smiled. I got in and shut the door, and we headed to the theater. It felt so good to be sitting next to him in his car once again. I wanted this to be
my
seat. It felt so natural, so right—like I
belonged
here.

Butterflies tickled my stomach when I became aware that he was spending more time watching me than the road.

“You look nice,” he said.

I tried to think of a funny way to put myself down but said, “Thanks” instead.

The ride was far too short. “What time should I pick you up…ten?”

“Who says I don’t already have a ride?” I asked him.

“Man, you’re feisty. It makes you—what’s the word I’m looking for?”

“Irresistible?”

“Irritating.”

“You know, Angel is applying to work at the theater this evening. My boss, Mack, most likely will start him tonight.”

“Your point?”

“I may catch a ride home with him. He’s my
friend
too, ya know.”

“I’ll be here at ten.”

I smiled and shut the door. Trent watched to make sure I made it inside. Just before I got to the door, Angel walked up.

“Hey. Ash. Wait up!” he called. “I’ll walk in with you.”

He held the door open for me and put his hand on my back as he guided me through the door. Before it closed, I thought I heard a Challenger rev its engine in the distance.

I stopped Mack as he was walking by with a clipboard filled with a thick, messy stack of paper. “Mack, I’d like you to meet Angel Martinez.”

Mack was almost completely bald. The few remaining hairs on top of his round head stood on end and always made him look exasperated. He had a
pencil behind one ear and a pen behind the other. He wore glasses and had a big belly that hung over his belt.