The Four of Us

14. Raven

I was standing on Kennedy's front porch, and before I even rang the doorbell, the door opened up wide with a cheerful, cheeky teenage girl who looked way to excited to be planting, standing on the other side.

"Hola chica, mi casa es tu casa." She greeted, spreading her arm across, gesturing to enter.

"I really don't understand why you want to plant."
"Because Raven, if you must know, I am making a new turn in my life where I spread positivity everywhere." She creepily smiled.
"Spread positivity?"
"Yeah like butter on toast."
"You dumb."
"Say as you please, but I'm doing something good with myself here. Maybe you should try it too."

I rolled my eyes. My mind flashed back to the boy from Home Economics class.

"Hey Kennedy?"
"Hmm?" Her body was pointed away from me as she grabbed her packets of seeds and gloves. "Mind getting that little shovel right there?"
I picked up the shovel and followed her out back. She walked towards where her fence was and I saw that she had built a mini fence for the flowers. "They're to keep the annoying animals away."
"Do you know a guy na-" Before I could finish, she cut me off.
"Shovel me." I handed her the shovel as she had requested. She started stabbing at the ground, digging herself a small hole to plant the seed in.
"Do you know a guy named Tyler?"
"Several, why?"
"Oh wow, you actually took the time to remember their names."
"What's that's supposed to mean?" She asks, making her fourth little hole into the grass.
"You've gotten around, that's all."
"I guess. No point in fighting that truth."
"Anyways, Tyler Beckingham?"
"Beckinghem? No. Don't tell me it's Beckinghem."
"Uhm.." My face went red, and my muscles tensed. It was one of hers.
"Raven. Dear, dear, dear. When will you ever learn not to like the shittiest of guys?"
"He doesn't seem like a bad guy."
"Well he is. He doesn't settle Rae"
"Well you don't either!"
"Exactly why it worked out between us, you know, before he leaked out my nudes."
"Oh c'mon it's not like everybody hasn't already seen you naked."
"Raven!"
"Oops. Anyways, I'm not saying I'm going to date him. It's not like he's noticed me before."
"Listen, the both of us don't date. You do. And I just don't want you to date anybody right now, not after Cayden."
I gritted my teeth. Cayden.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought him up." Kennedy's face flushes with guilt. She puts the shovel on the ground and scoots closer to me. She hugs me tightly and kisses my forehead. "I just worry sometimes."
"I know. Cayden's in the past."
"Is he really though?"
"No. He still haunts me in my dreams. I can still feel his fingertips on my skin. And I can't seem to wash it off no matter how hard I scrub at my skin."
"Then it's not time for you to jump into another relationship. You still need to recover."
"Will I ever?"
We sat in silence, cause even she didn't want to lie to me.