The First to Fall ⚢

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 • 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧

I'm either going insane or Cara was definitely watching me sleep last night.

I was only able to tell when I could feel her body heat near me. Oh, also when I peeked through squinted eyes as she was standing right by my side, analyzing my hair.

Part of me feels like I should be flattered, maybe? But then the other part of me—the part that knows Cara hates my guts—is kind of terrified that she may or may not be plotting my murder. Knowing her, though, there's no way she'd go through with it anyway; the girl can't even tell the cashier no when they ask if she wants a receipt.

As I'm getting ready for my first class, Cara is nowhere to be seen. The room has a ghostly feel when I walk around alone, searching for a good top to pair with my favorite skirt. I end up going with a brown crochet top to match the earthy tones of the patchwork-style maxi skirt I picked out last night. I throw on my favorite summer waist beads—the ones that I bought online from my favorite African seller—with a few shells mixed in, and I prep my face for some makeup. It's nothing too over the top, just enough to make my eyes and lips pop, and suddenly I'm done getting ready for the day.

My first class doesn't start until eleven, so I spend the next hour looking over my piano arrangement for my Honors piano class instead. It's ridiculously difficult, but I think I can have it down in time for the first presentation. After all, I have an entire month to learn it.

"Knock, knock," I hear a familiar singsong voice through the bedroom door. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, it's open," I tell Norah before she swings the door open with a paper plate in her hand, holding a generously iced toaster strudel.

"I made breakfast," she beams. "It's nothing fancy but this is my favorite thing to eat in the morning and Opal doesn't like sweets for breakfast. Do you want some?"

It does look tempting.

"Sure, you can save me one," I give in, prepping my stomach for heaven. "I'm almost done; I'll come eat it in a minute."

"Okay!" Norah sets the plate down on the small dining table in our mini living room and turns on the TV we have set up in there. I can't remember who brought it, but it surely wasn't me.

Suddenly, I get a notification from my phone that catches me completely by surprise. A message from Cara pops up, and at first, I think my phone is just glitching out, but then she sends a second text as soon as I finish reading the first one.

Cara Jasper: Sorry for texting out of the blue but I have a question to ask you.

Cara Jasper: Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?

...Am I reading this right? Cara's not asking what I think she's asking, is she? How would that even make sense?

On one hand, I'm convinced she just worded her question wrong and isn't blatantly asking me out right now. But on the other hand, what other words could she possibly have meant to use? Do you want to have dinner with me tonight is pretty damn straightforward—