Forever Rain

Chapter 7

Rain

"Come on, Rain. If you don't go, no one is going."

It's two days away from Halloween, and Lila is trying to convince me to attend a Halloween party. We're having lunch at our usual table which now consists of five people. Since Damon and Lila made my table their permanent seats, two more of Damon's friends had joined him. Cam, the one who is throwing the party, mirrors Lila in personality, and although they constantly bicker, I can sense a slight admiration between the both of them. Huntley is the one that makes me quite uncomfortable. Quiet and withdrawn, he always gives me hostile looks, as if I've done something to wrong him in the past.

The crowd has caused me to rarely speak and eat at first, but now I have grown accustomed to the chatter and laughs they bring.

"Lila, the whole senior class is going. What do you mean no one will go?" I reply to her, taking a bite of my cheese pizza.

"Damon and Lila won't go if you don't, and if Damon doesn't show up, my party will be a bust," Cam reasons. "It'll be the best party you've ever been to. My parents are out of town, so we'll have the whole house to ourselves."

"That doesn't sound safe, Cam." I can't imagine what a house full of teenagers is going to be like without adult supervision. That's me, Miss Life-of-the-Party.

"My housekeepers will be there. And my uncle is a cop that lives a block away. If you don't go, I'll take it as an offense because I'm black," Cam persists.

"No! Oh my god, Cam! Why would you say that?" I can feel my face rising in temperature, but the rest of the table breaks out in laughter, even Huntley.

"You're crazy, Cameron," Damon finally speaks up from beside me. "Rain, I promise it's going to be fun. And we can leave whenever you want."

"But Cam said we have to dress up in costumes, and I don't have anything to wear," I say, hoping that this will get me off the hook.

"You do not have to worry about that. I will take care of it!" Lila chirps from across the round table. "It's settled then. We'll head back to my house after school on Friday." Lila reaches next to her and gives Cam a high five, and I feel myself slowly slouching in the chair.

"You know when I was little, I've always wanted to be a princess, which I'm sure a million other girls wanted. Maybe I'll dress as a sexy princess. We can be sexy princesses, Rain!" Lila yells out.

I cringe with mortification. Those are two words I never want to wear. I think Damon can see the horror in my face because he laughs and reaches for my hand under the table.

"I was always a robot when I was little," Cam adds. "Maybe I'll go as a sexy robot with my top completely bare."

We all laugh at the thought of Cam dressed up in aluminum, shirtless. Cam has this massive body. Not only is he tall, his midsection is slightly round and heavyset. Damon has told me that Cam's body makes him a perfect offensive player for the football team.

"It's just a party, not that big of a deal who comes," Huntley grunts unexpectedly.

"Shut up, Huntley. You know you love my parties. The only way that you can pick up girls is when they're drunk," Cam replies teasingly, and Huntley gives him a middle finger.

It was unusual watching a group of teenagers interact at my table. At my previous school, gestures like that would have led to physical altercations, but Cam and Huntley seem to not take the attacks personally. I've spent my entire school life trying to keep my distance from other kids, not wanting to make friends, afraid of the drama and conflicts it may bring. But now as I watch Cam make a joke at Damon, and Damon throwing him a punch in the arm, and Lila stealing a cookie from my tray, I slowly understand why people have tried to surround themselves with groups of peers, bringing a sense of happiness during your school days.

In the short amount of time I've been here, so much has changed for me. But the reminder of my mortifying familial background keeps me from fully accepting these changes, knowing that a dark part of my life must remain hidden.