The sky had turned a dull grey and Nalini was trying her best to get home before the rain started pouring. She shouldn't have gone off track with her assignment but her competitive side had overrided her common sense once again.
She had texted Hanna that she would be finishing late but she didn't expect the time to pass by like the wind and now here she was, walking on the sidewalk of a lonely street, next to a derelict house that gave her the creeps.
A drop fell on her shoulder and she quickened her pace. Why was she so stupid to turn down a ride from Damien and then Hanna and Edward?
She texted her friends just to keep herself company under the swaying wind and cloudy sky but only Hanna replied, Lola had gone to Tyler's house to work on their assignment.
It seemed today was a day of bad decisions for her friend as well but Lola had texted everyone too late. The girl was alone in Tyler's house, the guy who may or may not be involved in this whole thing with Julian.
Nalini texted Lola for an update but nothing came back. It made her uneasy as she remembered the photo they found of Tyler, Eva and Fiona.
Nalini had never seen Eva speak to Tyler openly at school. Never seen them so much as look at each other but there they were, happy as could be with Tyler's hand on Eva's.
She thought about how Eva had been acting weirdly the entire day. Everyone had been busy celebrating Julian's arrival but she looked like the world was going to end. Eva wasn't her usual self today, that was for sure.
Nalini nearly jumped out of her skin when a dark red convertible stopped next to her and honked loudly. Her heart thumped in her chest and she stared at the tinted window that rolled down slowly.
"It's going to rain. Let me give u a ride."
Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear in a white tank top and jeans. Eva leaned towards the passenger's side and pushed open the door despite Nalini's objections.
"It's fine. My house is just around the corner," Nalini protested with her hands outstretched.
"No, it isn't," Eva argued and then she froze, just as Nalini did.
How did she know where Nalini lived?
Eva shook her head nonchalantly, her golden brown hair whipped across her tanned shoulders while she stuttered. "I took the school bus once with the girls, it was years ago but I have a photographic memory. You of all people should know that."
Nalini scoffed. Eva was smart but she wasn't that gifted. Another drop landed on her shoulder and then another.
"Come on. Your phone's going to get wet and so is your calculator."
The mention of Nalini's platinum, studded calculator -which had been a gift from her parents when she won second place in the science fair- made Nalini hesitate. That thing was precious and there was no way she was going to let that get wet.
"Thanks," She mumbled and then she got inside reluctantly.
The seats were so soft, she sunk into them and Nalini's long legs stretched out nicely. This was the kind of car she used to see in the Fast and Furious movies but she'd never imagined ever sitting in one. She turned to Eva, who looked like the kind of girl who would be casted in a Fast and Furious movie.
Long limbs, slim, shimmery tanned skin and thick golden hair. She was exotically beautiful, the kind of girl who walked into a room and you just had to stare.
Nalini had never liked the insanely competitive girl, but there was no denying how attractive she was.
"You cold?" Eva turned on the heater and Nalini shifted around. The atmosphere was worse than awkward, they were supposed to be enemies, arch rivals who hated each other.
But Eva had been nice to her since their Chemistry class this morning and she couldn't understand why.
"I'm fine. What were you doing on this road?"
Eva laughed. "Am I not allowed to drive on this particular street?"
"No," Nalini bit her lip, feeling nervous for some reason. Her friends weren't around and she was a sitting duck in this girls car.
What if she was the murderer? Nalini shook her head, her overthinking was starting to become chronic.
"I take this way to town sometimes. Was going to get some ice cream. It's that kind of day, you know?"
Of course she knew, ice cream was a blessing, a necessity sent from heaven to cool you down and wipe away every gloomy thought with each bite. Ice cream was Nalini's go to food as well but this was Eva and Nalini had never agreed with her before.
"I guess so. I'm more of a nacho's girl." She caught Eva smiling to herself. She really was being weird.
Silence ensued but it wasn't as awkward as Nalini expected it to be. She leaned back in her seat feeling relaxed and she noticed Eva looked just as calm. Although the misery still lurked in her expression, Nalini could tell something was off with her.
"Are you down with a fever or something? Or have you been taken over by a nicer, more mellow clone? Will the real Eva come out now." Nalini joked and pretended to look around the car which made Eva laugh again.
"Shut up. I'm always nice and mellow." Both Eva and Nalini laughed at the audacity of her statement.
Seeing Eva cheer up a little made Nalini smile in triumph.
"You looked kind of upset today." Nalini stated making Eva sigh. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Nalini cringed internally. Why was she bothering with this girl who had been a nightmare since middle school? She wanted to tape her mouth shut but Eva turned to her and her dark eyes were swirling with mystery and secrets.
It made Nalini want to know more for some reason. But what if Eva didn't want to talk to her? They weren't friends, and they'd never had a conversation that wasn't pure bickering until now. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself.
Nalini cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed. "I mean if you don't want to. I completely understand- "
"I feel lost. Like I'm supposed to do something but I'm not sure what. If I don't do anything, someone gets hurt. If I do something, someone gets hurt. I thought it was all over but it isn't and I don't think it ever will be."
Eva's confession filled the car, sucking up the air till it became momentarily hard to breathe. Nalini had no idea what she was talking about but the girl had gone pale, she looked like a ghost against the sheet of rain outside the car windows.
Nalini noticed that they had stopped moving and they were already outside her house. The time had flown by, it had felt like seconds.
Eva slumped against her seat and stared at Nalini. "You know I don't really hate you, right? Sometimes I feel like it's autopilot, like I actually look forward to the fights."
"So you do enjoy my company," Nalini teased. She couldn't believe how easy it felt talking to Eva, it was even easier than arguing.
Eva blushed and then she straightened up. "Just forget what I said just now. I haven't been feeling like myself for awhile."
Nalini nodded. "Already forgotten. Don't worry, everyone needs to let it out once in awhile."
"Thank you." Eva smiled and it was a very different smile, full of gratitude and happiness. She'd never seen Eva smile like that at school.
Nalini swallowed, wondering what the world was coming to, Julian had broken into Lola's house, played with her heart then ignored her like the asshole he was. Edward the computer genius had admitted to his long time crush on Hanna.
Damien had flirted with Nalini and tried his luck but failed. And now here she was, sitting in Eva's car.
Were Oakwood High's biggest rivals slowly becoming friends?
Nalini placed her hand on the door handle, getting ready to run into her house. "Thanks for the ride. You saved Mr. Benny."
"You named your calculator?" Eva's dark eyebrows were raised, her expression teasing.
"Of course. Mr. Benny's special, okay."
"You're such a weirdo."
"So are you, Eva," Nalini paused before getting out, she could leave this car and pretend to forget what Eva had said or she could at least try to make her feel better.
"About what you said." Nalini turned to her again. "I know it's not my place but my mum always told me to trust my gut. That my intuition will always tell me what is right. Whether someone gets hurt or not is not in your control. All you can do is trust yourself and your judgement and let the chips fall as they may."
Eva's lip trembled and she clutched her steering wheel tightly. She looked away, her gaze now distant. "I'll keep that in mind."
Even her voice could have been a galaxy away.
Nalini wondered if she had something offensive. "Sorry if I said something wrong. And once again, thanks for the ride."
Eva barely nodded so Nalini took it as her cue to leave. She jumped out into the pouring rain and ran to her front door. She watched Eva's dark convertible disappear down the street and a shiver ran down her spine.
Eva had switched personalities within seconds. Nalini wasn't sure why but whatever that girl was hiding, it didn't seem good. She only hoped it had nothing to do with Fiona and Jason.