Synopsis: When catching her crush kissing someone, she can’t help but run - run straight into the rain.

~~~

The rain gently hit our heads as we stared at each other, speechless. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, making sure not to let me go. I couldn’t help but stare at the man in front of me, wondering…why. Tears still fell from my face, masked from the water drenching us both. I just wished that he would leave me alone. Leave me to live my life, one without these feelings. But I knew it was too good to be true.

~

My alarm annoyingly beeped me awake, disrupting my sleep. I groaned and tried to stifle the sound with my pillow but it wasn’t going to give up that easily. Whining, I bolted up and smashed my hand against the off button. Great, Monday. My favorite day of the week.

Debating whether or not to leave my warm, inviting bed, the sounds of my mother yelling my name made me decide not to dawdle any longer. I hurriedly climbed out of my covers and went downstairs, eating the breakfast my mother made for me. I mumbled a thanks as I shoved the food in my mouth, leaving no room to breathe. She sighed.

“Can’t you be a little more ladylike as you eat?” She asked, giving me ‘the look’. I stopped to glance up at her.

“Shhhhhhh, I’m ehating,” I said, mouthful of food - the exact opposite of what my mother just asked of me. She rolled her eyes and stopped her attempts. I couldn’t help but smile a little at the victory. After about 5 minutes, I quickly ran back upstairs and got ready for school. I hopped in the shower and let the water run over my body. I loved the feeling. The hot pellets hitting my head, gently massaging my scalp as it ran down over my face. I sighed in bliss, not wanting to get out but I knew if I stayed any longer that I would be late.

So, regretfully, I got out, put on some mascara, and my school uniform, too lazy to blow-dry my long hair. I slid my backpack over my shoulder and skipped down the stairs yelling a good-bye to my mother as I went out the door. I looked up to notice that there were no clouds to be seen. It was going to be a sunny day.

I walked over to my bike and after tightening the strap on my helmet around my chin, I climbed onto the seat and start pedaling. The school wasn’t that far from my house but riding my bike was one of my favorite parts of the day. So, when the wind hit my hair, letting it fly behind me, my day felt a little better than before. However, as soon as I got to school, my heart started to race. I slowed down as I neared the entrance, not wanting to run anyone over, but most importantly to catch a glimpse of him. My eyes flitted between each side, looking for the distinguished pointy hair, and the short stature of my crush.

And when I saw him, my heart skipped a beat as I neared him. He was shorter compared to a lot of the other boys in my school but that didn’t matter to me. He was a complete dork and himself whenever he was with others. It is one of the things that made me like him as much as I do. So as my feet slowed down and I whizzed past him, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was watching me as I did him. I knew it was wishful thinking, but I didn’t care. I slowly came to a halt as I went up against the bike rack. I climbed off the back, and tightly locked it into place, making sure it wouldn’t but stolen. I then raced to my classroom, not wanting to be late.

I ran in as soon as the bell rang, a sigh of relief escaping my lips. But what I didn’t expect however, was that he was there beside me - barely making it as well. Flustered, I quickly headed to my desk, avoiding the gazes of my teachers and other students. I sat down in embarrassment and quickly got my things out for first period. I wonder why he was late? Curious, my head moved naturally in his direction looking at the ever familiar window seat diagonally in front of mine. I quickly glanced over to be surprised when he was looking at me as well. Startled, I looked away to focus on the board. I peeked once more, overcome with curiosity to see him still staring straight at me, his gaze unwavering.

My cheeks started to burn, red with embarrassment. He smiled at me and then pointed forwards, mouthing 'Pay attention’. I nodded, and turned away only to feel his gaze still there. I tried to ignore it but eventually when he was scolded by the teacher by not paying attention was I able to rest easy. My eyes started to wander and then they landed on his back. I have had a crush on him for as long as I can remember. But no one notices me. No one wants to talk to me because of how weird I look. I even had a name, one that everyone knows me by.

The girl with the scar.

What I failed to mention was that I had an unnaturally large scar across my right cheek, running from my ear to the bridge of my nose. It brought a lot of unwanted attention and I couldn’t help but notice people’s changing expressions when talking to me. They were probably wondering where it came from and why I failed to hide it. But I couldn’t - hide it I mean. No amount of make-up could mask this monstrosity of a mark, making me live with it forever.

So that is when I started to distance myself from people. I didn’t want that attention - the wondering eyes wanting to ask about it but refrained. So I made it easy for people and just avoided them. Therefore, I was alone. Until him.

He was the first one to not notice my scar right away. The first words he ever said to me are still seared into my brain, forever leaving an impression.

“Ah, your eyes are really pretty. They are such a light blue - like the color of the rain.”

It was the first time someone had spoken to me about something other than the scar. It startled me and it was then my eyes started to always follow him, becoming interested. And then it was like reality hit me and I had fallen for him. But no one can like a girl with a scar across her face. I was hideous. Ugly. Most people cringed in disgust when seeing it. It was all too familiar but not him. He was different.

The bell rang, making me snap out of the daze I was in, and scramble to race to the next class. I was about to get up from my seat when he came and stopped me.

“Hey,” He said, flashing his heart-stopping smile. I froze, not rendering what to say.

“H-Hi Dino,” I mumbled, wanting to run away and hide somewhere. His gaze on me was too intense.

“Why were you late today?” He asked, curious. “I was late because I slept through my alarm. But I saw you on your bike ahead of me. Did it really take that long to get up the stairs?” He teased, clearly making fun of me. My cheeks started to turn red once more. He saw me?

“W-Well…uh…I guess?” I said, unsure of what to say. And he couldn’t help but laugh, leaving me confused.

“Ah, you are so weird Rain,” He said, reaching to mess with my hair. I felt his hand graze my hair, ruffling it into a mess. He then left being whisked away by his friends, leaving me there speechless. I had no idea what just happened, but a smile crept onto my face, my hand reaching to touch the spot where his just was. Was it wrong to be this happy? Rain was his nickname for me every since that day, and I couldn’t help but then feel a connection to the rain ever since then. It became my new favorite thing.

Startled, the warning bell rang, springing me into motion as I raced to the next class. The whole day went in a blur after that. I focused on taking notes the rest of the day, letting time escape me and before I knew it the last bell rang. Ecstatic, I packed up my things and raced to my locker, wanting to get home for the day, when I stopped. I looked outside to see that it was pouring. Usually I would be happy to see the rain, but since I took my bike here today, it was a mixture of feelings.

“Aish, stupid, stupid,” I mumbled to myself, hitting my head with my hand. I sighed wondering what to do. In the spur of the moment, I decided to head back to homeroom, thinking that it could be a good time to get some things done until it dies down a bit. With reluctant steps, I climbed the stairs and neared the door. Not thinking, I pulled the door open and saw something that I wish I could take back.

Dino kissing one of our classmates.

They both broke apart at the sound of the door, startled. The two pairs of eyes met mine and I couldn’t help but feel heart-broken in that moment. It was like my world started to crumble and I could feel tears starting to surface. Not knowing what to do, I ran. I ran back down the stairs I just took up and headed straight out into the rain. Nothing was going to stop me. I was silly to think that he might even, if just a little, liked me the way I did with him. God, was I stupid.

But when a hand wrapped around my wrist, bringing me to an abrupt stop, I turned to see him. He was panting, his chest heaving up and down as he looked me right in the eyes. I was glad then that it was pouring. The sight of him, made the tears start to fall, joining with the rain. I was crying and he would have no idea.

“R-Rain,” He started, wanting to explain himself, but I wasn’t going to have it. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say to me. I didn’t want to listen to how he was with someone. I quickly tried to shake him off, wanting him to let go. But he was a lot stronger than I was, and his hand just gripped me that much harder. Knowing that it was a failed attempt, I stopped trying to fight and instead brought my arm up to my eyes. I rubbed at them unknowingly, feeling like I had to wipe the tears away, to wipe these feelings away. However, he noticed this.

“Are you crying?” He asked, his grip loosening as he stared at my form. Here we were, standing in the pouring rain, and he was asking if I was crying. I took advantage of his shock to shake him off and turn around, wanting to stop from crying out. I sniffled, not caring at this point that I looked like a mess as I rubbed my eyes with my sleeves. I wanted to stop but I couldn’t.

All of a sudden, I felt two arms wrap around my waist, my back hitting something warm. He was hugging me. Startled at the sudden embrace, my cheeks started to turn red. He rested his head against mine, his hair trickling more water onto my shoulders.

“Please don’t cry. Please,” He whispered, his breath hitting my neck. I didn’t understand what was happening at this point. Just what the hell did this mean?

“W-Why can’t I cry?” I asked, suddenly embarrassed of how we must look like. Two idiots hugging in the rain. God, what a cliche.

“Because that wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to kiss me. She confessed to me and then she was the one that kissed me.” He explained. I had stopped crying at this point, too shaken by how he was holding me to have any tears now.

“Why are you telling me this? It’s not like I care,” I whispered harshly. I wanted to distance myself now, before I got in to deep. But he wasn’t having any of it.

“Well if you didn’t care, why were you crying?” He spun the question around. It was true. I couldn’t really come up with anything for that.

“I-I had something in my eye,” I said, trying to sound like it was the truest thing in the world. What I didn’t expect was for him to laugh.

“Wow, if you are at least going to lie, come up with something better than that,” He retorted, his chest vibrating into my back as he continued to laugh. I wanted to get away, I really did, but something was holding me back. His laughter then seized and his hold on my waist disappeared. I then felt two hands on my shoulders and he quickly spun me around, turning to face him. I was startled at the sudden movement and couldn’t meet his eyes.

“You know,” He started, “there is only one person who I want to kiss.” He brought a finger up to my chin and pushed my face up to meet his eyes. His gaze was different than usual, more loving than intense. He then brought his other hand up to my face and started to run his thumb across my scar. I became really self-conscious at that moment. It was the first time someone had even dared to touch it, and so I couldn’t help but be shocked.  

“Do you have any guesses as to who?” He asked, his eyes then meeting mine once more. My face was red at this point and I knew even the rain wouldn’t help cover it up.

“W-Who?” I asked, stumbling over my words. It was too late. Even if I wanted to get these feelings to disappear they weren’t going to. I liked him too much. He then smiled at me, his answer sending my heart rocketing sky-high.

“You.”

His lips then met mine, as he pulled me towards him. It was gentle and sweet, something I would have never expected from anyone with a face like mine. We kissed and it was like the world melted away. I placed my hands against his chest as I returned the kiss, not wanting this moment to end.

And so there we were, kissing the rain, like two idiots in a cliche movie. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t help but love this moment.

I couldn’t help but love the rain.