There was something extremely appealing about the late summer rain. The way it would make you do crazy things, almost like as the warm water seeped through your clothes and soaked you to the bone, it washed away all your inhibitions with it. Your heart would lose all regularity, and fall in sync with the steady pitter-patter, loud in your ears, invading all your thoughts.
Maybe that was why I did it, because it was raining that special rain. Still, when I found myself outside Fare’s house, climbing the tree beside her window to wake her up, I couldn’t believe myself. I never did things like this.
“Do you have a death wish?” She growled before throwing on a sweater and climbing out the window.
“I’m not sure yet.” I yelled behind me.
The streets were illuminated by street lights, the roads wet under our flip flops as we ran. We laughed instantly every time puddles splattered us with even more water. It was like one of those movies, where time stops and all that’s left is the feeling. You no longer notice what’s happening, just the intense adrenaline that makes your heart beat faster.
It was mid-August, right around the time when every day of summer was another day closer to school. Time felt measured, and suddenly, everyone was busy doing the things they promised they would do before summer started, wondering how so much time had passed. This summer though, it hit me a lot harder than other years; soon, it would be my last year of high school. I didn’t know if I should be upset or relieved.
It was that eerie feeling of being watched that brought me back to my surroundings. I tugged on Fare’s arm, making us both fall to the ground, panting. “Do you feel it?” I asked. She looked at me with that strange Fare look.
“The ground? Yes, unfortunately, I do.”
“Ugh. You’re horrible,” I said as I squeezed puddles of water out of my clothes and hair. The rain had become something of a ghost. Now, only light occasional drops would fall from the sky, too small to even notice. I was helping Fare up when I saw a pair of green eyes reflected in the puddle at my feet.
“You’re wet.” He said, his eyes now staring straight at me. He looked about my age, with short, dark hair, and that intense stance that made you want to fix your posture.
“Oh, really? I didn’t notice.” I said, staring straight back. I heard Fare snicker behind me, obviously holding back laughter. Then, we both watched as he turned around and started walking away, tense.
Normally, I would have watched him go, wondering why he walked the way he did, talked the way he did, but instead, I found myself catching up to him, and standing in his way. “Phoenix,” I said, holding out my hand. He paused for a minute and peered at me, tilting his head as if asking why I was still standing there.
I smiled, trying to ignore the feeling that I wasn’t supposed to be doing this. Everything about my actions screamed unusual, like the strong need I had to know more about him. He finally eased up, letting his shoulders sag just a bit, and, “Cade,” he told me.
I realized my hand was still outstretched and tucked it into my pocket feeling ridiculous. I should be at home, in bed, maybe watching reruns of old shows in the basement, not introducing myself to a stranger, soaking wet and on a street I’ve never been on before. Suddenly noticing how strange this situation was, I became fully aware of everything I was doing. My foot stopped twitching and my fingers stopped playing with my nails.
Desperate to end the moment, I nodded as if saying goodbye and walked away, hoping Fare would follow me. Then, everything went back to normal, my legs regained my usually balance and my fingers found their place in each other. Never again was I ever acting upon my impulse.
