The Stranger

Chapter Twenty-Two

Does anybody watch Graceland? If you don't go watch it. (Code for I've already started writing about it oops)

+ Morgan +

"How've you been?" I ask Rachel while she unlaces her navy blue Bean Boots, what a snob, just kidding.

"Good, though ever since my legs got better, I've been pretty much going a mile a minute," she laughs. "How's tour life as Katherine?" She asks while hanging up her jacket then sitting in a nearby beanbag chair.

"It's good," I shrug. "Tour's weird without you."

"I'm sure you're the only one who really cares," she laughs.

"Sky cares," I say and her face drops to a frown.

"Sky can go to Hell," she plainly says.

"Have you talked to him at all?"

"Nope, and I do not intend too," she says.

"What if he just wants to apologize?"

"I shouldn't be the one he's apologizing too," she shrugs. "It should be Abby and Tyler."

"Abby?" I question. "What are you tight with her now?" I laugh, but she just sits there in silence. "No," I say while standing up. "You're lying!"

"She's actually really nice," Rachel shrugs. "I can't believe Sky would just leave her like that, what  jerk."

"A jerk that you're still in love with," I say, trying to get a confession out of her.

"I'm not in love with Sky," she says in a serious tone. "I was and I was stupid, never again."

"You're lying," I say. "I know you and I know you still love him whether you want to admit it or not."

"I've been talking to Abby about him, what he was like before tour," she crosses her arms. "People don't make that drastic of a change so quickly."

"He couldn't have been that bad," I say.

"Well, he was," she says while standing up. "And why are you defending him? Is he back to his manwhore ways and sleeping with you now?" She raises an eyebrow. "I'm done with him, you need to accept that or get out."

"You'll kick me out for defending a boy who just wants to talk to you? Just one last time because he's in love with you?" I ask, dumbfounded.

"Since he's your buddy all of a sudden," she says, sharply. "Tell him if he really loves me he'll leave me alone."

----

I finished getting ready for bed at the hotel I was staying in, near campus. I laid down on my bed and read through my text messages from today.

Jordan: Hey, Momo, just wanted to make sure you got to Michigan safely! Tell Rachel I said hi, have fun! Call me when you can. I love you!

I hit the call button and wait for him to pick up.

"Hey Momo," he answers on the third ring. "How's the trip?"

"Awful," I shake my head.

"How so?" He asks, sounding worried.

"Rachel's not... Rachel," I shrug. "She's different."

"How different?"

"Completely," I sigh. "She doesn't have the same cheeriness in her voice, the light in her eyes, I'm pretty sure she smiled once," I say.

"Rachel?" He questions. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure."

"There's never a moment when she's not smiling," he says. "She's always smiling, what's wrong with her?"