Tonight Will Change Our Lives

Rachel and Caden had gone straight to her home after school was out. The confrontation with Megan had put Rachel on edge a little. But Caden didn’t seem to be the least bit worried. Rachel looked at him from her desk. He was lying on her bed throwing a ball up in the air and catching it over and over again. He sort of looked like a cat. Rachel turned back to homework and tried to focus. But she couldn’t.

“Megan and Jake are mad at me,” Rachel said staring blankly at her math book.

“That’s their problem,” Caden replied still throwing the ball up in the air.

Rachel turned in her chair to watch Caden again, “Aiden won’t talk to you.”

“That’s his problem,” he responded simply.

Rachel frowned at Caden’s inattention. He could at least give her the respect of looking at her. Caden caught the ball in midair and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed having heard Rachel’s thoughts. She smiled at him. He smiled in return. Rachel’s smile faded.

“I just don’t think it’s worth losing those close to us,” Rachel said.

“Look Rachel,” Caden started. “We knew what we were getting ourselves into. I-“

Caden…

Caden stopped mid-sentence. A look of concern was etched on his face. Rachel could see that something was happening but she didn’t know what it was. She watched as Caden got off her bed and peered out of her window.

“What is it?” Rachel asked worriedly.

Caden had a blank expression on his face which didn’t help calm Rachel. If anything,, it only made her worry more.

“Cade-“

“I have to leave,” Caden said quickly as he headed out her door.

“Caden!” Rachel yelled. But he didn’t turn around. Quickly, Rachel ran to her window. Her stomach jumped when she saw the last person she wanted to see at that moment.

Aiden looked up at Rachel from behind his glasses. His mouth was in a grim line. The two stood there looking at each other. Rachel, waiting for an answer. Aiden, not giving it. a few seconds later Caden joined Aiden and they walked off together. The feeling of dread settled at the bottom of Rachel’s stomach.

“Rachel! Dinner!” her mother called from the kitchen.

Rachel made her way downstairs slowly. Her appetite was not there but still her feet dragged her downstairs an d into her chair. Both her parents were there already, happily discussing trivial things like the weather. It was not until her mother asked her about Caden did Rachel come back to reality.

“What?” Rachel asked with a brow of confusion.

“I asked you how Caden was,” her mother said giving her a questionable look.

“Oh, yeah, he’s fine,” Rachel said distractedly.

“That’s good. You know we’d like to meet him and not just see him walk through our home,” Rachel’s mother said.

“Yeah,” her father piped in. “I’d like to know who’s dating my daughter.”

Rachel brought her eyes up from her food to her father who was looking at her expectantly. She nodded, not having the mental ability to find words.

-

Rachel went to school the next day with a hopeful outlook. She hoped that maybe yesterday was just a onetime thing and that everything would be normal in gym. Normal, Rachel thought sarcastically in head. What is normal anymore?. But when she got to gym that day neither Caden nor Aiden was present.

The next few hours were torturously long for her. It took everything in her power to not run home.

“Hey,” Rachel greeted Megan and Jake as she sat at their table during lunch.

Before she even reached the seat of her chair, Megan was out of hers and pulling Jake along with her, leaving Rachel shocked and alone at the table.

“Really, you guys?” Rachel called after them in agitation. “Real mature.”

That day, Rachel ate alone.

On her way to art, Rachel found herself hoping that Aiden would be there. As much as she disliked the blonde Winter, she needed answers and if Aiden was there that meant that Caden was still here and that was all Rachel hoped for. But when she walked into class, he wasn't there.

Rachel sat at her easel and started to cry.