The next three days of school went pretty uneventfully.

Solar did manage to talk to Moonbyul a few more times over these past couple days, but most cases were asking about the homework, or what time lunch started (Solar still couldn’t seem to remember this new schedule, even after a week), and when Moonbyul did answer, it was always just a few words, but Solar didn’t mind too much, at least she was answering her now. When the short conversations with Moonbyul would end, Solar always just went back to her usual activity, staring out the window.

Today though, Solar noticed it wasn’t bright and sunny out like it was most days; instead the sky looked kind of shadowy, threatening even.

She glanced at the clock at the front of the class and squinted so she could make out the hands. Two fifty-seven. Just three minutes before class would be let out, and Solar watched those hands go all the way around, three complete circles, when she finally heard the bell ring.

As Solar slung her bag onto her shoulders and made her way to the door she overheard conversations about her classmate’s plans for the weekend. She felt a sudden feeling of loneliness as she envisioned herself sitting at home alone.

Being new at this school for only a week she had no friends here yet, unless you could call Moonbyul a friend, but she was pretty sure Moonbyul wouldn’t even say that.

Solar pushed these thoughts out of her mind as she walked slowly to her house, not particularly eager to get home to a house with nothing but the sound of her air conditioning to keep her company.

As she kept walking she could hear someone steadily approaching her from behind. She wasn’t scared though; she knew exactly who this was. Hearing how the other person walked every day for the past week she could tell who this person was without even looking. Moonbyul.

Sure enough, at Solar’s slow pace, Moonbyul soon passed her as she side-stepped her quickly so she could return to the curb just in front of Solar. Solar watched the other girl curiously. Curious as to why she walked so fast. Curious to if she had someone waiting for her at home. Curious to if she had plans she had to make time for. Solar was pretty sure that the blonde didn’t have any more friends than she herself did, seeing as she never talked to anybody in school, save for Solar those few times.

Just then, something interrupted Solar’s inquiring thoughts, causing her to look at her arm. A raindrop. As she was looking at her arm two, five, seven more little droplets joined her arm and within a matter of seconds her whole arm was pretty much covered in them. Solar had never seen it start raining so suddenly, and so hard at that.

The rain had soon covered the streets, making puddles in the potholes, and mixing up mud in the passing lawns, she thought she would melt from the rain pouring down on her back before she could even reach her neighborhood.

When she looked back up she could barely see Moonbyul anymore through the sheet of rain that was falling in front of her, all she could make out was her vague figure running far off in the distance. So, following Moonbyul’s indirect lead, Solar started walking faster, not wanting to be caught in the rain any more than she had to, figuring Moonbyul had the right idea. She ran quickly but carefully as she could barely see ten feet in front of her anymore, but then something to her left caught her eye.

She saw Moonbyul emerging from her house, down her driveway, carrying an umbrella. With Solar solely focused on getting home, her half-minded brain figured the blonde was just going out somewhere, but her mind was jolted back when she felt a sharp tug on her wrist. She turned around to see she was being pulled back down Moonbyul’s driveway, surprisingly by Moonbyul herself.

Moonbyul had not said anything to her yet when she quickly opened her house door and lead the smaller girl inside by her waist. It was dark inside the house so Solar just awkwardly allowed herself to be lead, not seeing a better option.

They stopped walking and the hands soon left her waist, but now she could hear those familiar footsteps once again, this time echoing away from her. Solar stood in the dark for a few more seconds, wondering nervously what she was supposed to do, when she heard Moonbyul’s footsteps quietly come back.

“Sorry. I had to get something” Solar heard a hushed voice say as a hand grabbed hers and started to lead her again. She felt thin, cold hands push her down by her shoulders and she took that as a sign to sit. She found a couch beneath her. Solar felt the couch dip a few inches away from her, turning to see Moonbyul’s figure sitting next to her in the dark room.

“I think the storm made the power cut out. But I uh, got some candles.” Moonbyul spoke again as she dumped six colored candles along with a lighter onto the coffee table in front of them. She picked the lighter back up and clicked it a few times in attempt to light the candles, but none of them took.

“H-here,” Solar spoke for the first time since she was taken inside Moonbyul’s house, “can I try?” She felt around for the lighter and eventually found it when the other girl grabbed her hand that was reaching through air and placed the lighter in it.

Moonbyul slid one of the candles towards her and held it steady for the other to light. The lighter clicked, the flame caught, and suddenly the house was flooded with a faint orange light. Solar expertly lit the rest of the candles and sensibly placed them around the room so there was a decent amount of light for the two girls to see.

Moonbyul had watched Solar walk all around the room and it wasn’t until she was done placing the candles that she noticed the girl was still soaking wet from outside. She walked to Solar and pulled her heavy backpack off of her shoulders. The shorter girl turned around questioningly and watched as Moonbyul, who without a word, still holding her bag, walked out of the room and down into the hallway.

Solar could not figure this girl out.

*    *    *

Solar didn’t want to sit on the couch again, as the last time she did she basically left a puddle laying there, soaking into the couch, and seeing how she hasn’t gotten any dryer, she decided to just stay standing.

Moonbyul came back a few minutes later and instead of carrying her backpack that she had taken when she left, in her arms were a pile of dry clothes and a towel.

“Sorry, you could have sat down Solar. I wouldn’t have minded.” Moonbyul said, looking almost sheepish as she handed Solar the warm clothes. “You can uh, change down there.” She pointed down the hall, the same place where she brought the clothes from.

“Oh, uh, thank you Moonbyul, but I-I think I should go home. I don’t want to be a, um, bother to you.” Solar stuttered as she shifted the clothes in her hands awkwardly. Honestly, she felt it was kind of weird for her to be in this girl’s house when they barely ever talked. She didn’t really even know why or how she got here in the first place. But Moonbyul just laughed.

“You’re really not a bother. I wouldn’t have brought you inside if I didn’t want you here.” She responded earnestly.

“Now please change Solar, I don’t want you to get sick from those wet clothes.” Moonbyul said as she walked behind Solar and pushed her by her waist. She figured if Solar followed her like that before, she would follow again.

*    *    *

Once Solar had changed and come back into the orange-lit room she found Moonbyul sitting on the couch again, holding a remote pointed at the TV. She watched at the other girl repeatedly clicked buttons on the little black rectangle, in an attempt to turn on the TV. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched the other girl, persistent in getting it on.

“Hey, I don’t think the TV with turn on if the electricity still isn’t working.” Solar finally spoke up before she could have her laugh slip out of her.

“Oh. Right. The electricity is…out” Moonbyul drifted off.

“It’ll probably come back soon though.” The other girl reassured the blonde, who was clearly disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to watch the TV.

“Mhmm.” The blonde responded as she shifted over to make room for the other girl on the couch. Once Solar joined her they sat in silence, each thinking to themselves and listening to the rain falling in heavy pellets onto the roof.