Something Like Rain (Something Like... Book 8) (2 page)

“Prom isn’t until next semester,” Abby was saying. “Why would you worry about a dress now?”

Holly gripped his arm tighter. “You’ve gotta plan ahead for such things. This is our last chance!”

“You don’t even have a date,” Lily said, always the practical one. “And there’s still senior prom.”

“Fine,” Holly said, “I’m still planning ahead. I won’t let
junior
prom be a disaster like Homecoming was. I want this dance to be magical!”

“Is this about losing your virginity?” Lily asked with a snort.

“No!” Holly insisted. Then she amended, “Maybe.”

“You’re ridiculous. Why wait for some stupid dance? Am I right?”

She jostled William, which made him tense up further. Oh yes, Lily was extremely practical, which is why she posed the greatest threat. Any other guy would be thrilled, but lately William ensured he was never alone with her. He really was hopeless. Holly was funny and energetic, Lily was athletic and clever, and Abby was thoughtful and artistic. Each was attractive, the variety of skin tones and hair colors leaving him spoiled for choice. Holly was just as blonde and pale as himself, Lily tan and tough despite her delicate name, and Abby’s stylish clothes and Asian features were enchanting. He tried to imagine them as guys instead and quickly had to shove the thought aside.

They reached his next class, stopping outside the room. None of the girls shared this period with him, and yet Holly still held on to his arm. Lily and Abby weren’t going anywhere either.

“Better get going before the bell rings,” he prompted.

His friends seemed to size each other up. Then they grudgingly continued on their way. He breathed out in relief and turned to enter the classroom. Before he could, a familiar voice said his name. Lily was loping her way back toward him.

“Hey,” she said, wearing a smile.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he responded, trying to make light of the situation. Or did the banter come across as flirtatious?

Maybe so, because Lily’s smile widened. “I need to tell you something.”

“What?” William said, resisting the urge to swallow.

“I think Holly has a crush on you.”

“Oh.”

“Isn’t that messed up? Or do you like her back?”

William struggled to find the right answer. He failed. “Uh…”

“I know that you two have a history,” Lily continued. “Or at least, she already made her move and you shot her down. That was years ago though, so maybe your feelings have changed. Maybe you like her back now.”

William wished that was true. “I don’t want her to get hurt,” he blurted out.

“So you don’t?” Lily’s smile was bright, her head bobbing optimistically. “Okay. Cool!”

“Cool?” he repeated, understanding but pretending not to.

“Yeah,” she said with an easy shrug. “I like you. So I’m glad you don’t like her. In that way.”

“Oh.” He clutched a textbook to his chest. “Um.”

“Relax,” Lily said with a laugh. “I’m not worried about prom or anything complicated like that. I just want to hang out and see what happens.” She took in his expression, amusement fading. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

He looked her over, noticing again the athletic build and tan skin that came from playing baseball, her auburn hair stopping just short of shoulder length. She really was fun to be around, more easy-going than the other two. Her brown eyes often twinkled, like life was one big joke, and she never made a big deal of anything. She probably wouldn’t even mind if he needed a little extra coaxing to get things going.

William found himself nodding. It was worth a shot, right?

“Yeah?” Lily said, the smile returning.

“Okay. Sure. Class is about to start.” He inched toward the door, hoping a parting kiss wasn’t expected. Lily seemed to have more to say. Her mouth even opened, but the voice that rang out definitely wasn’t hers.

“William!”

He nearly snapped to attention, bewildered as someone nudged Lily out of the way and stepped into his personal space. Not that he minded much. He smelled the musky cologne at the same time he noticed dark skin and brown eyes that made him react in a way that Lily’s didn’t. He was less fond of the clenching jaw and thick lips that were tight with indignation. Still, there was something attractive about the anger radiating off this person, since it was exactly the masculine sort of trait he found himself lacking. He even admired the scowl and angry words that followed.

“Do you know who I am?”

William searched his memory. The face was familiar, although it had been a little chubbier, the short-cropped hair in cornrows back then. He definitely knew this person, even though they had never really spoken or shared a class since junior high. “Kelly, right? Yeah. Kelly Phillips.”

“Wrong! I’m the fastest guy in school. No one can outrun me. No one’s ever come close!”

Okay. William looked around for some clue of what was going on and saw many leering faces. Lily appeared concerned, probably because of the excited whispering about a fight. William had never been in one, and he had no desire to change that. Then again, why was Kelly talking about being the fastest? That didn’t sound like he wanted to fight. “Are you saying you want to race?”

“I’m saying there’s no point!” Kelly raised himself up to be the same height as William, which didn’t take much effort since he was only an inch or so shorter. “You’d never keep up with me. I thought no one could, but yesterday, Jared Holt beat me.”

“Jared Holt,” William repeated. Then it all fell into place. On the way to class, some guy had sauntered up to him and snidely implied that William would lose the upcoming triathlon. He hadn’t understood the point of that or thought much about it since. “The guy from yesterday?”

“That’s right. So when he came up to you and said you’d never win, you should have listened. Don’t even bother showing up next week, because—”

Kelly lunged forward. Or someone had pushed him. Either way, the situation was clearly escalating. William pressed his back to the wall, wishing the classroom door wasn’t blocked by rows of curious onlookers. He eyed Kelly warily. The guy had a runner’s build, which meant he was a good deal lankier than William, but the muscles he did have were ropey and tight. He might be stronger than he looked, but that didn’t really matter, because surely he was tougher. William assumed all black guys were. They had to be. The world wasn’t as fair to people like Kelly, or as generous, which made William feel even weaker. This fight was lost even before it began.

Kelly was facing him again, teeth bared. “You might be good at swimming,” he said, “but most of this race is on foot.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” William decided to bluff, to pretend he was anything but intimidated. He made himself stand up straight. “See you at the finish line.”

“I won’t be there, but Jared will. He’ll be waiting for you.”

Brown eyes remained fixed on his, intense with anger. Then Kelly spun around and shoved his way through the crowd. William watched him go, heart pounding. The crowd surged forward, buzzing with questions.

Lily was the first to reach him. She placed a hand on his arm. “What was that all about?”

“I don’t know,” William said.

“Do you know him?” she pressed.

He shook his head. “Not really.”

“Where’s the fight going to be?” someone asked.

“And when?” someone else shouted.

“There’s not going to be a fight!” William said, the panic evident in his voice.

Someone near him laughed. “Of course there will be! After school. In the east parking lot. That’s where they always are.”

“Fight!” someone else yelled in excitement.

This started chanting, the word repeated over and over again until a new voice cut through the air with practiced authority.

“There won’t be a fight.” Mr. Miller, his physics teacher, had come to investigate. “Not unless someone wants to be suspended and repeat the school year. Mr. Townson? Do you want to be suspended?”

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Lily said. “Some guy was picking on him.”

William felt a surge of gratitude toward her, but he just wanted this all to be over. “You better get going,” he whispered.

“Sage advice,” Mr. Miller said, addressing the remaining spectators. “Everyone report to class.
Now.
”

William kept his head down as he slunk into the room. When he took his seat, his stomach churned with nerves. His car was currently in the east parking lot. He’d have to go there at the end of the day—the same location where the promised fight was to take place. Not that Kelly had challenged him directly, but maybe that’s how these things worked. Maybe he was expected to know where to be and when. William sat perfectly still during the remainder of the class, trying to find a solution. What he really wanted was to call in the Marines, or at least his brother, to give him a ride home. Mostly he just struggled with the injustice of it all. A mere half an hour ago, he had felt safe. Now, despite not having done anything wrong, he was in danger. He could either fight or run. As the bell rang and he rose from his desk, William already knew which option he would choose.

* * * * *

Sweaty palms gripped the steering wheel of a blue Ford Taurus, the driver tense as it slowly and silently coasted free of the school parking lot. William expected alarms to sound as he pulled into the street. Instead he heard an engine roar as a car zipped around him impatiently. William exhaled and eased his foot down on the gas pedal. He had made it. So far. Leaving school an hour early—skipping sixth period—would have serious repercussions. He glanced over at the phone resting in the center console, waiting for the call that demanded to know where he had gone. He reached home without this happening, and as he parked in the driveway, decided that he had made the right decision.

Angry school administrators? Disappointed parents? Piece of cake compared to slugging it out in the parking lot after school. William would park in the north lot tomorrow, or maybe he’d start taking the bus. Safety in numbers. For now he just wanted to get inside, stress-eat some cookies, and maybe watch an episode of—

He opened the front door and froze, one foot already inside. Directly ahead of him, in the space where the living room blended into the kitchen, was an older version of himself with darker features and freshly mussed hair. His father appeared to have just awakened from a nap.

“You’re home early,” Lewis said accusingly.

“So are you,” William responded.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now,” he said, puzzled by the question. Wasn’t that obvious? He considered his father’s hair again. “Ugh. You and Mom aren’t…”

“No, she’s still at work.” Lewis was the first to relax, gesturing for him to enter. “Shut the door.”

William did as he was told, hoping that his father wouldn’t ask any more questions. After all, it was his mother who paid attention to things like grades, or made sure he went to the dentist twice a year. His father was only called upon when William or his brothers got too out of control.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?”

William winced as he made his way to the kitchen cabinets for a drinking glass. He didn’t respond until his back was to his father. “There was a situation.”

“Bomb threat?” Lewis asked. “Because it sure as hell isn’t a snow day!”

“Not exactly.”

Lewis sighed. “You skipped school.”

“I have a good reason!” William turned around, hoping to plead his case. “This guy came up to me in the hall and tried to pick a fight. We were supposed to meet after school—or at least everyone acted like… Basically it was either get in trouble for skipping sixth period or get in trouble for fighting. Which would you prefer?”

Lewis leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Someone is giving you a hard time?”

“Yes!”

“Is he bigger than you?”

“Not really,” William said, squirming a little. “He looks pretty tough though.”

“But you stood a chance.”

William nodded grudgingly. “I guess.”

“Then you should have held your ground.”

“What?”

“People are bastards,” Lewis said with a shrug. “You can’t let them walk all over you. This other guy is probably feeling pretty good about himself right now. He’s got someone bigger than him scared and on the run. You really think it’s going to end there? Whatever his issue is, he’s going to keep coming back, keep pushing you until you stand up for yourself.”

William shook his head. “This isn’t a stupid TV show. He’s not going to back down just because I stand up to him. He’ll just end up hitting me.”

“And you’ll hit him back. It’ll hurt him just as much as it hurts you. No matter if you win or lose, I promise you he’ll find an easier target next time. Or you can keep being that easy target. Either way, this won’t end until you man up.”

Man up. If only it were that easy. He watched his father grab an apple and noticed how small it looked in his gnarled hands, how his strong jaw flexed as he took a bite and chewed. Guys like him, Spencer, even Kelly—they had it easy. They understood how to play this game.