Chance Of Rain by Laurel Veil

the room. “Please feel free to comment at will.”
    Angel spoke up first. “Well, I for one am all about interracial dating.” He cut his eyes at Lacey, and the class responded as he’d hoped they would.
    “Settle down,” said Ms. Elliott calmly. She looked around the room and observed that Trent was the only one not laughing or making comments.
    “Trent, you’re awfully quiet. What do you have to say?”
    He looked at her for a moment. “What exactly are you asking me?”
    Ms. Elliot did something funny with her mouth while considering how to restate her question. “Do you think you could be kept away from the one you loved?”
    This ought to be good
—I hoped
.
    He was thoughtful for a moment then responded with a simple “No.”
    Great
, I thought.
That was very insightful
. It was as if I’d just gotten a glimpse into his soul. And his thoughts had been so well articulated too.
    She waited a moment for him to elaborate. “
Well
, Mr. Novak, you are a man of few words.”
    The bell blared. “Read ‘The Raven’ and ‘Lenore’ this weekend, class!”
    Everyone, including Bri and Ms. Elliot, dispersed in a matter of seconds. Trent came up to me and held out his hands. I took them, and he pulled me up.
    “I’m leaving early today,” he said.
    The disappointment I felt was such an overreaction. But I was careful not to let it show.
    “Why?” I asked hoping that I wasn’t going to annoy him.
    “I’m going to hang out with my cousin before I have to go to work this evening.”
    I nodded. “Speaking of work
—where
do you work anyway?”
    “With my uncle. He does AC stuff. I get to come in pretty much whenever I want or when he needs me.”
    “No wonder your hours are so good.”
    “Anyway, be careful while you’re out driving around in your
new
car.” He smiled sweetly down at me.
    “You’re starting to sound like my mother.”
    He didn’t laugh. He seemed genuinely concerned.
    “OK. I will. I promise.”

    As I sat in art class, mindlessly doodling, I wondered how it was even possible that I could miss someone so much—someone I’d known for such a short amount of time.
    The dismissal bell was about to sound, and I couldn’t wait to see Bri. As I was gathering my things, I got a text from her.
    Got a ride with my honey!
    No Trent and now no Bri. That was OK, though. I knew exactly what I was going to do—head to my dad’s place. And this time I hoped he wasn’t there. I wanted to do a little snooping.

XII
    70 %
    I drove by the police station first, but my dad’s truck wasn’t there.
This could be a problem
, I thought. I decided to go to his house anyway.
    I did a drive-by first and didn’t see any vehicles. Things just got better! I parked a few houses down and walked the rest of the way.
    My heart sped up the closer I got. I went around to the back of his house and gently tried the knob. The door was locked, but the blinds were open, and I was able to peer in.
    I saw a kitchen table and a couch. Only the bare necessities. Hopefully this meant he didn’t plan on staying long. I was also happy to see there weren’t any photos of people I didn’t know hanging on the walls.
    I walked to the next window and had to duck quickly. My dad was in the room! His truck must have been inside the garage. I waited to see if he had spotted me. How could he not hear my heart pounding?
    When I realized he hadn’t seen me, I very slowly inched my eye just past the window’s edge. He was now in a tight embrace with a woman in a tacky blue blouse with pink tiger stripes. His hands were tangled in her hair.
    I ducked back down. I wanted to poke my eyes out.
    I ran to my car as quietly and quickly as I could.
    I panicked when I realized I couldn’t get in. I had locked the door. I fumbled in my pockets for my keys. They were gone! They must have fallen out.
    A car drove by. I looked down, willing myself not to be noticed.
    When it was clear, I ran back toward the house, where I saw something shiny