To See You Again Read Free Page B

still
reeling from the news that we have to pretend to be buddy-buddy for the rest of
the night. The feeling is mutual, jackass.
     
    Raven
     
    The phone rings, and I call out to Tabby that I'll
get it.
    "Hello?" I say, pinning the phone between my chin
and my shoulder as I continue to battle my hair. I move toward the large mirror
that hangs just outside our shared bathroom and scrutinize my reflection.
    "It's me." I hear the already tipsy voice of my
best friend, Vanessa.
    "What's up? You're still meeting us out tonight,
right?" I ask sternly. She'd better not be ditching.
    "No need to get your panties in a bunch, Raven.
I'm coming. I was just wondering if I left that silver cardigan at your place?"
    I look back down the hall toward my bedroom. My
desk is visible through the doorway and I'm able to see her sweater, which is folded
neatly over the back of my chair. "Yep, you did. I was planning on bringing it
tonight."
    "Thank God! I really thought I lost it." She lets
out an exaggerated sigh.
    "No problem, my dear. When are you guys getting
there?" I clip my hair up, and pronounce it good enough.
    "Um, we should be able to meet you in, like,
twenty minutes, or so. Is Spencer there yet?"
    "Yeah, he got here like ten minutes ago. I haven't
broken it to him yet that Collin's coming out with us tonight." I laugh
nervously.
    "Oh geez, Raven," she scolds. "You're making those
two boys nuts!"
    I tiptoe into my room, shut the door and lower my
voice. "I am not! I've been friends with Collin for years. He's my closest
friend apart from you. Spencer has to accept that. And Collin knows Spence is
my boyfriend. That's that. They need to deal." I trace my finger along the
narrow space between the door and its' frame watching the light from the hall
cancel out as I go.
    "Yeah, well, maybe they do, but Spencer isn't
blind. He knows Collin is sooo in looove with you," she coos. I feel my stomach
drop and I sit down on the bed. Vanessa used to make little jokes along these
lines about Collin years ago, but this is the first time in a long while,
certainly the first time since I got together with Spencer.
    "Hellooooo? Earth to Raven? Are you still there?"
She maintains the same sticky sweet tone.
    "Why are you talking like that?"
    "Like what, Raven? Truthfully?" She snickers and
I'm compelled to roll my eyes.
    "Vanessa, you need to take it down a notch. It
isn't like that at all." I flop backward on the bed and cover my eyes with my
arm.
    "Pfft…you're so blind. What's Collin doing after
we graduate, anyway? You know, other than finding an excuse to follow you to
Michigan." Her last few words are muffled, and I picture her clenching her
brush in her teeth as she pulls her hair up, as I've seen her do so many times
before.
    I sigh into the phone. "We haven't really talked
about it. Knowing Collin I'm sure he hasn't even thought about it yet. If he
has, he certainly hasn't mentioned it to me. You can give him the third degree
tonight, if you want," I add sarcastically.
    "Maybe I will," she giggles. "Don't be mad, girl.
I'm just teasing you…mostly."
    "I know. I just wish Spencer and Collin could get
along. It would make my life so much easier." I bite my lip as I picture the
two of them waiting in our living room right now, undoubtedly sneering at each
other.
    "Add that to your pipe dreams." Vanessa laughs
again and I don't really respond. "OK. I'm done. Let's have a fun night,
alright? I'll see ya' in a few." I can tell she's already become distracted by
something else where she is…probably her boyfriend.
    "OK," I mumble as the call disconnects.
    I roll over toward my window and think about what
Vanessa just said. I curl my legs toward my stomach, like I did as a kid when I
was worried or afraid. I'm not trying to make anyone nuts. I definitely don't
want to hurt Spencer. I look over at the picture of us that I have sitting on
my desk and think back to last year, when we first began dating. We'd had a few
of the same classes, but didn't