Across the brightly lit UMD student center, Cat recognized Delaney Candis hurrying into the rain. The other girl was tall, and she walked fast. On an impulse, Cat gathered up her own books into her backpack and quickly followed. Outside, night had fallen, and the wind whipped her wet hair into her face. Delaney had opened up a large yellow umbrella, which made her easy to spot as she headed toward the south side of campus. Cat jogged to catch up to the other girl, and by the time Delaney reached the border of campus at College Street, Cat was right behind her.
The noise of her footsteps gave her away because Delaney spun around before crossing the street.
“What do you want?” she demanded.
Cat stopped. They were on the grass near the street, which was empty of traffic in the rain. Underneath the umbrella, Delaney was dry, her brown hair full and wavy. Her dark eyes were wary. Cat knew she must look a sight, with her clothes soaked and her hair pasted to her face. Cat was older than Delaney by three years, but the other girl was several inches taller, which made Cat feel small.
“My name’s Cat—”
“I know who you are.”
“Oh. Okay.” Cat tried to make a joke out of it. “Usually, it’s not a good thing when people know who I am.”
“Don’t be cute,” Delaney snapped back. “Yes, I know all about you from the papers, and I know you’re smart because you keep beating me on math tests, but most of all, I know you’re connected to that detective. Serena. I don’t want to talk to her, and I don’t want to talk to you.”
Cat held up her hands in surrender. “Look, I just wanted to say hi.”
“Hi. Is that all? Are we done?”
“Sure, fine, sorry to bother you,” Cat said with an edge in her voice. She began to walk away, but then she stopped and took a breath. The rain was harder than ever. “No, actually, I want to say something else.”
“What is it?”
Cat took a step closer to the other girl. “Hey, if you want to act like a bitch, that’s fine, go ahead. Believe me, I’ve been where you are, and I’ve got the act down cold. It’s a lot easier than letting your guard down. We don’t have to talk. That’s okay. But you and me, we’re not so different. We’ve both been through shit.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“No? I think you’d be surprised how much I know. Like I said, I’ve been there. And I know something else, too. It’s about Zach.”
Delaney’s wide mouth pressed into a flat, unhappy frown. “What about him?”
“He’s still in love with you.”
Cat watched the girl’s lower lip tremble. Her eyes grew glassy with tears, but her face twisted in defiance.
“Don’t talk to me about Zach. Get away from me. I don’t need this.”
“Okay. Whatever you want.”
Cat turned her back on Delaney and started toward campus, but she hadn’t gone far when she heard a low voice calling after her. The word was barely audible above the rain.
“Wait.”
Cat reversed her steps. Delaney stood in the same place near the street, trying to hold the umbrella straight against the wind.
“Is that really true?” she asked. “About Zach?”
Cat nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“I heard he likes you.”
“He doesn’t. He hasn’t gotten over you. I could tell that after talking with him for five minutes.”
“Well, he needs to move on,” Delaney said.
“He can’t. He wants to know why you dumped him.”
Delaney opened her mouth, then shut it tight and said nothing. One tear slipped down her cheek.
Cat looked up and down College Street. A few cars were parked along the curbs. Directly across from them was a row of old houses, most of them now used for student apartments. The rain poured down over her face, making it hard to see.
“Hey, do you mind if we share that umbrella?” she asked.
Delaney shrugged and tilted it upward. Cat came under the protection of the rim, standing close to the other girl. Delaney had a long, slender nose and perfect creamy skin, which was in contrast to Cat’s golden face. Her brown eyes stared at Cat with a mixture of loneliness and resentment. Cat remembered how much time she’d spent feeling the same way. Alone. Bitter. Suspicious of the world and everyone in it.
“I don’t know if it was in the articles about me,” Cat said, “but my mom died when I was six. My dad killed her.”
Delaney nodded with something that looked like sympathy. “Yeah, I read that.”
“It sucked then, and it still sucks.”
“I know how you feel.”
“I bet you do,” Cat said.
They stood awkwardly under the umbrella, neither one moving.
“I should go,” Delaney said. “If you talk to Zach—”
“Do you want me to tell him something?”
She shook her head. “No. That’s okay.”
“Zach’s cute. Kind of a big bear.”
“Yeah.” A little nostalgia shined in the girl’s eyes.
Cat made a snap decision. “Listen, I’m hungry, and I haven’t eaten. You want to order a pizza or something?”
“I can’t.” After an awkward pause, she added, “Not tonight.”
“Okay.”
She offered up the tiniest smile. “Maybe another time, though?”
“Okay.”
“You’re right,” Delaney went on. “I’m not really a bitch.”
“Yeah, I can tell.”
It was a strange moment, when it was obvious to both of them that they actually liked each other.
“Look, I appreciate you reaching out to me,” the other girl said. “You didn’t have to do that. Particularly when you know I’m going to kick your ass on the next test.”
Cat grinned. “You think so, huh?”
Delaney’s smile got wider, and she had a face that was born to smile. It was so dazzling that it made Cat a little jealous.
“Listen, for what it’s worth, I’ve been in some bad places and done some bad things,” Cat told her. “The only reason I’m on the other side of all that is because of two people, and one of them is Serena. You don’t have to talk to her, but if you ever want to, you can trust her. She’ll protect you. I promise.”
“That’s good to know,” Delaney replied.
“She’s been through shit, too. Like us.”
“I know. She told me some of it.”
“There’s a lot more.”
“Okay.”
“Anyway,” Cat said. “That’s all I wanted to say.”
“Thanks.” Delaney gestured at one of the houses across the street. “That’s me. My apartment is over there. Gotta crack the books.”
“Sure. Me too.”
“I feel bad leaving you without the umbrella.”
“I’m fine,” Cat said.
Delaney smiled again, that high-wattage smile. She turned away and walked out into the street, her umbrella the one splash of color on a dark night. Cat felt the cold rain again and grimaced. She kept her eyes on Delaney as the other girl reached the middle of College Street.
That was when, half a block away, headlights burned to life.
Cat heard the screech of tires on wet asphalt. A car that had been parked at the far curb accelerated like a rocket, shooting through the rain directly at Delaney. Cat screamed, but the other girl didn’t hear her. Delaney seemed lost in thought, not noticing the car as it bore down on her, gathering speed. Cat sprinted into the street, shouting Delaney’s name. The other girl had reached the opposite curb, but Cat saw the car bump off the street and tear through the green grass.
The headlights loomed like two monster’s eyes. Their brightness finally jolted Delaney out of her trance. She realized what was happening, but the shock of it froze her in place, and she stood on the grass, not moving as the car roared toward her with a new burst of speed. It wasn’t slowing down or turning away; it wasn’t out of control. The driver knew exactly what he was doing. Cat raced onto the grass and threw herself at Delaney’s back, hitting her so hard that the two of them flew into the air.