"Don't you ever feel like you ever wanted anything more
Than everybody, anybody else?
Seventeen and bad, was the best you never had and you
won't, sins you never said for yourself"

“Why do you stand out here in the rain?”

“Well, why don’t you?”

///

Rainy days were depressing in Momo’s opinion.

Well, rainy days in general were pretty depressing and Momo’s pretty sure most people don’t like rainy days. She’s not really talking about light spring showers or the short drizzles that appear here and there. Those kinds of rain were alright and bearable.

What was depressing was the kind of rain that poured through the skies like an avalanche and despite having an umbrella, she’d still get drenched. She wasn’t a fan of that. So, indoors she stayed and like a kid, she would watch the miserable weather and mutter; “rain, rain, go away…” hoping that maybe it would.

Momo has to admit though, she isn’t exactly an outdoors person anyway but she also didn’t like being cooped up inside for too long either. She’s sure that she’s read somewhere that humans need interaction and living in one’s head for too long can be hazardous to one’s health… or something weird like that. However, the fact that the skies been raining cats and dogs for the whole week; she had really little say in the matter and had no choice but to stay inside.

She knitted her brows together, her face turning into a frown. She wanted to go out, stretch her legs and hang out with Jeongyeon while stuffing her face with whatever food she and Jeongyeon could get there hands on. They had a bet going on, who could have the most food in their mouth without choking. Momo's in the lead currently by 4:3.

Momo sighed heavily, her eyes narrowing into a glare as she aimed it at the grey skies that poured rain continuously as if it were taunting her. “This …” She muttered, she really hated the rainy seasons.

Momo blinked slowly, tearing her gaze away from the skies to the streets below and after a moment’s pause, she snorted, “Oh, she’s out there again.”

///

There was a girl in Momo’s apartment that liked standing outside when it rained.

Momo never saw the girl stand out there when it’s a light drizzle but only when it really poured out there. She thought the girl was strange, weird even (and that’s saying something coming out of Momo) because really, who in their right minds actually likes standing out in the cold while it was pouring rain?

Apparently this girl did and Momo had already written her off as a complete looney when she first saw the girl just standing there outside her window without an umbrella.

Well, it was either the girl was a complete whack-job or some idiot seeking for attention... Which that girl often did get from passer-byers and even people from their own apartment complex –it was so stupid. They always stopped in front of her and ask with a worried look if she was alright and she’d always smile and say something back.

Momo wasn’t sure what that girl told them but whatever it was, Momo was sure it was weird because then those concerned passer-byers always seem befuddled and walk away looking like how they felt; stupid.

Either way, rain-girl is weird for standing out there in the rain because she’s sure rain-girl is going to catch pneumonia one of these days. Momo snorted and shook her head, muttering; “idiot” before sipping on a warm mug of hot chocolate and turning her attention to her tv.

///

Momo grunted as she plotted some dirt and patted it down into a smooth surface on top of a small seed. After rounding off the excess dirt, she smiled in satisfaction of her own handy-work and petted the plotted pot before shelving it off into a nice section of her balcony with some pretty decent sunshine.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out but Momo decided she was going to start a small garden on her balcony. She can only imagine the obnoxious laughter coming out of her friends: “You? You gardening? HAH!”

It’s not that her friends are mean that’s far from it. It was just Jeongyeon, Nayeon, and the others knew her… and they knew she was one of the least likely people in their group to have a green thumb. Maybe, they’re right but she’s not about to admit that to them. She, at least wanted to try to prove those idiots wrong.

So, she planted some seeds given to her by this teenager who looked like she was far too young to be working in the first place. Maybe because the kid wasn't really that young, she was working there and Korea has laws about child-labor don't they?

All Momo knew was that by the time she was ready to make her purchase; she was a little tempted to pinch the kid's cheeks, it looked soft like tofu.

Momo didn’t know what kind of plants were going to grow from the seeds but all she knew was that it was going to be a fruit plant.

“Be sure to give it lots of love, so, the fruits will taste sweet!”

She’s not sure if giving the plants any kind of affection would make its fruit sweeter but that teenager seemed adamant about it.

Momo sighed and stared at her potted dirt, feeling dumber by the minute before finally relenting and began talking to the stupid plot of dirt.

“So, you’re a seed?” Momo rolled her eyes, giving up before even really trying. She stood from her crouching position, her eyes still on the pile of dirt before scratching her head, unsure of what to do.

“Might as well water you.”

As she turns to leave, she finds herself looking over outside, over her balcony to stare down the street and finds the girl standing out there again. As if the weird-o was anticipating something, probably the rain and for a moment Momo just stares at her. She doesn't realize that she's already moving forward and leaning against the balcony, watering her fruit plant forgotten for the moment.

It's not like Momo hasn't seen the girl doing this before but she never really got a good look of the weird rain girl. She just saw her soaked from downpours and seeing her for the first time, in semi-decent weather, it was a little strange.

The girl had some decent fashion sense; black skinny jeans, a beige blouse and her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail. It was nothing too fancy or gaudy, it was... nice. She thinks the girl is cute for a second and before Momo could turn away and go about watering her plant, the girl looks up and stares straight at her.

Momo flushes, her cheeks turning red from being caught staring and all the weirdo does is smile and wave at her.

Momo doesn't wave back.

She tripped over her own feet trying to get back into her apartment, trying to hide from the embarassment of getting caught staring and for also tripping over her own feet from hiding just now.

She thinks she hears the girl giggle and it only makes the tip of Momo's ears burn red.

///

It rains about 15 minutes later and Momo has not gone back to her balcony. Not really. She sort of just crawls on the floor trying to peek through the slits of the guard rail of her balcony. She has thrown on a hoodie and pulled the hood on, tying the drawstrings tight in hopes of covering her face. She's not sure why she did it. Rain girl has already seen her face and caught her staring, going incognito seemed pretty moot at this point.

Still, Momo is laying there on her floor, staring through her balcony and sure enough, yeah, the girl is out there in the rain. This time her arms spread out and Momo thinks, why in the world does she keep doing that?

Passerbyers walk around her, occassionally giving her a look before giggling away and Oh, that blouse is see-through. Momo blushes, for rain-girl isn't really wearing anything underneath her blouse other than her very visible black bra.

///

Momo had an umbrella over rain girl's head and shoved a light weight coat into her hand.

Simply said, “I can see through your shirt, you should cover up.” before she rushed back into her apartment complex. Momo paused for a second before yelling over her shoulder,

“And stop standing out in the rain like a weirdo! You'll catch your death!”

///

Momo was laying on her couch, her head lolling over the edge as she flipped through the channels, nothing really catching her interest. She was stuffing her face with a bag of chips when her doorbell rang and she struggled sitting up, confusion marring her face. She hardly has guests over and last she checked Jeongyeon was still bitter over her loss as Momo won stuffing her face by 5:3 now (Momo is very proud over that fact).

She gets up and stumbles over to her doorway, opening up only to find the weird-o standing there with a soft smile and her umbrella and jacket in hand. Momo blinks because this is genuinely the first time, she ever really got a good look of the girl close up. The other times were a little hard to tell, with the rain and the fact that Momo only really saw her from her balcony.

She was a lot prettier than Momo imagined. Long black hair and a slightly chubby cheeked face combined by a deceivingly petite frame. She was dressed casually with shorts and a hoodie (which, Momo found strange, considering it was the summer months and the air rank with humidity).

“Sorry, if I'm interrupting you – I just wanted to bring these back.”

Momo blinks and stares at the coat and umbrella being in front of her. She takes a moment for her brain to catch up to the situation as she looks back up at the weird-o and her lips slowly, barely noticing how the other girl's eyes follows that movement.

“You should keep it – you know for a rainy day.”

The weird girl snorts – honest to god snorts and Momo thinks it's quite adorable in that it leads to her laughing this slightly high pitch laugh that normally would be annoying, if it weren't so cute. The laugh tapers off into a giggle and her hands drop with the umbrella's end clacking lightly against the linoleum floor.

“I don't actually need these though.”

Momo frowns, squints hard at the girl and the weird-o squirms just a little under Momo's gaze. Momo likes to think she's a decent person, a little selfish at times and a bit of a jackass to her friends but she thinks she's a good person. Good enough to pull her door wider, just to stand up a bit straighter and it's then she realizes that she's only taller by an inch or so.

“What's your name?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“It's better than calling you weird-o in my head.”

The girl flinches and Momo thinks that yeah, maybe she should have been less blunt about that but she's already said it. The deed is done and she raises a brow, waiting for the weird-o to tell her, her name... That is, if she is going to. For all Momo knows, the girl could start whacking Momo with her own umbrella and throw some insults before storming off but;

“Sana. My name is Sana.”

“Well, Sana, I'm Momo and I think you should keep the umbrella and jacket. Wouldn't want you to get sick.”

///

It's a week later before Momo saw Sana again.

As per usual, the strange girl was standing outside, pacing and kicking rocks, waiting for the rain to fall as the sky darkened and Momo can't help but roll her eyes as she stared from the balcony. She was watering her plant (singular – she hasn't gotten around to getting another plant yet) and as if Sana had a sensor of when she was being stared at, she looked up. Her eyes boring straight into Momo's – it was a little unnerving, how long Sana was staring at her before she broke out into a small smile and waved.

Momo waved back, unsure if she should go back in but then Sana waved her over (albeit hesitantly) and Momo would have ignored her, she doesn't really want to get caught up in the rain. She has a pile of laundry to do anyway but the way Sana had timidly waved her over...

Momo goes back inside to grab her coat and an umbrella.

///

“Hey.”

Sana smiles shyly as Momo approaches with her umbrella already opened, hanging loosely on her shoulder. Sana's wearing a hoodie again and it's stupid and Momo wants to tug the offending cloth off of her because it's stupid warm outside, the only reprieve being the occasional breeze that blows by. It's a sign that it's going to rain soon.

“I...wanted some company today.”

Momo nods as she twirls her umbrella, kicking imaginary dust and she is very aware of how awkward this conversation is going to be. She knows Sana lives just a floor below hers and that Sana rarely is ever home. She wonders what the girl does for a living. Their apartment's not at all the most luxurious but it's not exactly cheap, at least, not for Momo. For all she knows Sana could be loaded or works in some fancy office space, considering the clothes that Momo sees her wearing are a little bit on the nicer end.

“Did you want someone to share in your misery?”

Momo had meant it as a joke but Sana's shy smile falters and she sort of closes in on herself.

“I – I didn't mean... Sorry, I don't really think before I speak, I'm...”

“It's okay.”

The smile is back and Momo thinks it's cute but there's an underlying look of maturity to it that sends Momo's heart thumping just a little faster. So, sue her – she's a little bit of a er for cute girls that have a hidden layer of iness to them.

The pellet of rain begins to hit Momo's umbrella and within moments, there's a downpour and people are running to get indoors or somewhere that could provide them some semblance of cover. Momo barely had time to straighten out her umbrella, her pants are ruined, soaked from the calf down and she clicks her tongue in annoyance.

Sana giggles and stretches out her arms though and Momo watches, just watches and it's the first time she realizes how free Sana looks. Her clothes are already bogging down with the weight of excess water, soaked into the material as they cling onto Sana's small frame, her hair a tangled mess and Momo thinks it's the first time she sees Sana as really beautiful.

Momo clears , covering for the blush that's making it's way to her face and she steps forward bringing Sana under the cover of her umbrella. It's not exactly a big umbrella and Momo's back is starting to get soaked but she doesn't really focuses on that. Sana stares and seemingly holds her breath and Momo wants to wonder why but she supposes it's because she invaded Sana's space – stupid.

“I think we should cut this one short.”

Sana exhales heavily through her nose and pouts – honest to god pouts and Momo is such a ing sap. She reaches for Sana's wrist but the girl is quick to retreat it away from Momo,

“C'mon, don't be such a kid – let's go inside.”

Sana sighs and Momo takes this opportunity to reach over and hold her hands, notices how cold it is but that's