Fake It 'Til You Make It

|30| Amara

It was Monday, and it was still raining. So, Lydia and I rushed through the rain to her vehicle, placing our arms over our heads to shield ourselves from the steady drizzle. Vienna woke up with a fever, so she decided to stay home. Carson decided to ditch school to hang out with Carl and Shell, so that left Lydia and I rushing into her vehicle. Our clothes were splattered with rain drops, and Lydia's usually tamed hair had frizzed from the weather. She let out a breath as she swung her door shut, quickly gathering her hair into a loose bun on top of her head. Then, she jammed her keys in the engine and backed out of the slick driveway. My fingers instinctively reached to grip my seat, but her usual reckless driving didn't happen.

"You're a better driver in rain rather than shine," I told her with a laugh. 

Lydia rolled her eyes as we drove down the road and towards school. Her windshield wipers rapidly worked to clear the rain as it came down harder and harder by the second. I relaxed as we drove and Lydia cranked up the radio. 

"You know, someone should get you a car," she suddenly said. "I mean, you can drive."

I shrugged.

"We have more than enough money. If you want, I can take you to look for a vehicle after school."

My eyes widened as I turned to look at my sister. "You'd do that for me?" I knew they were rich, but I didn't expect anyone to buy me a vehicle. Besides, carpooling with my siblings wasn't so bad. I was still pondering on how someone could be a horrible driver in regular conditions, but a decent one in the middle of a downpour.

Lydia smiled. "Of course. Mom actually has been wanting to get you one. She said I can use her card to pay for it."

"You do realize how much vehicles cost, right?" I asked, leaning back in my seat and watching as blurs of cars zoomed by us. The sky had darkened significantly, and the windshield wipes could barely keep Lydia's view clear. If only they'd cancel school.

"Yeah, and you do realize that we live in a mansion and have more expensive cars than anyone in your old town probably has."

She was right, and I couldn't help be feel excited. 

Finally, we pulled into the school's parking lot. We hadn't brought any umbrellas since the rain was light when we left. So, Lydia and I grabbed our bags and ran for it. Rain pelted down on us like thousands of water bullets. Her bun began to fall apart, and my ponytail constantly whacked me in the face. We made it into the school in one piece, although very soaked. We both shivered in the air conditioning, then made it towards our separate lockers. We waved good bye to each other, and then I bumped into Tala as I neared my locker.

She took one look at me and shook her head with a smile on her face. "The rain got you, huh?"

I laughed, the opened my locker and got all I needed for my first few classes. "Yup." Then, I closed my locker and swung around to face her. I couldn't help but blurt out, "I'm getting a car!"

"Really? When?" Tala basically shrieked, her eyes crinkling as she became excited for me. 

"After school," I replied.

As she opened her mouth to reply, I nearly bursted out laughing. Of course, I wasn't laughing at her. I was laughing at Asher, who looked like someone had just tried to drown him. He walked over to us and tried to place his elbow on my shoulder, but I sidestepped him with a laugh. I barely remembered what had happened the night before, but something definitely sparked within me. I tried to focus on the clothes sticking to his skin, but that made it worse. I looked to his hair, which stuck up in some places and was matted down in others.