I remember the first time I met her. She made my heart race like never before. 

 

 

 

It was the beginning of May and it was raining. I didn't normally forget things I would need, like an umbrella. The weather guy with a bad combover said there was a higher chance for rain that day, I had the umbrella right by the front door to make sure not to forget it. Unfortunately, I didn't plan on my sister actually waking up when I woke her up rather rudely. I escaped her wrath by rushing out the back door of our house, completely forgetting my umbrella. 

 

I walked to school praying that it wouldn't pour buckets on me, and thankfully it didn't. I went through the whole school day worrying over the weather. I really didn't want it to rain on me on my way home. My friends suggested we go hang out at a cafe after school, I was in. I could take the bus home and stay out of the rain's way. 

 

 

I hung out with my friends and had a great time. I forgot that I hadn't been spending much time with them, college applications were soon due and I had actually worked on them on time. I stayed for an extra cup of coffee after my friends had left, it hasn't rained much the entire time we were at the cafe, and I figured it wouldn't anytime soon. When I was ready to go, as if Mother Nature was being a , it started to rain again. Pouring actually, but if you had an umbrella, you could make it. I looked out of the window and saw the bus stop across the street. Even if I had made a run for it, I would've been soaked to the bone. I voted with myself to stay in the cafe and not risk it. 

 

 

I sat back down at my table quickly, when she walked in. The cafe was becoming more filled because of people taking shelter from the Rain. I could tell she went to a different school because her uniform was different. She had long chestnut hair hanging down her back, slightly damp from Mother Nature. She looked around the cafe for a place to sit and her eyes landed on the chair my backpack was on, her eyes moved to mine and I shook my head. She walked over and asked me politely if she could sit in the empty chair. I played with my phone ignoring her. For a reason I know now, I couldn't talk to her. She kept asking and kept receiving no answer from me. I think she had enough of it and moved my backpack from the chair and sat down. I finally looked at her, she had this victorious grin as I moved my backpack to the floor next to my foot. She was beautiful. Doll-like. 

 

 

"I'm Sulli, thanks for the seat," she smiled at me. 

 

"I didn't give you the seat, you took it." I thought I said it coldly, but she kept smiling. Someone was dropped as a baby.

 

"Semantics," she waved a dismissive hand. "Either way, I got a seat!" 

 

She was as weird as she was beautiful. "Whatever. Stop bothering me."

 

She flagged down a waitress and ordered a coffee. Apparently, she really didn't  get what I meant. Sulli spoke again, "Can you believe this weather?"

 

I kept playing with my phone, ignoring her. 

 

"I really thought I could make it home from school without getting caught in it."

 

It was way past school hours and she was just now heading home? That's weird. 

 

"I was working on a group project. I needed the library and computer," she explained. 

 

Could this weird girl read my mind?

 

Her coffee arrived and she took a sip and let out a satisfying breath. She looked so cute. "I ended up doing it all by myself though, so it took longer than I anticipated. But it's all okay, I guess. Now I have to wait for the rain to stop, like you." Sulli smiled at me again, I was peeking at her through my hair and she caught me. I looked down at my phone again. "Awww don't be shy! Just talk to me. I know you're waiting for the rain to pass as well. If we talk, time will go by faster."

 

Weird Sulli had a point. I looked up from my phone with a blank look, "I guess so."

 

She smiled and excitedly drank more of her coffee. "So what's your name?"

 

"Krystal."

 

She nodded her head and hummed, "Krystal, Krystal, Krystal, Krystal clear!"

 

I raised my eyebrow and she saw the questioning look. 

 

"Oh... Sorry if that was weird. I was just trying to remember your name."

 

"Okay."

 

"How old are you? I'm 18."

 

"18."

 

"Oh yay! We're the same age. We can use informal speech!"

 

"Just because we're the same age, doesn't mean you can speak to me informally. We're still strangers."

 

She pouted, "But we've introduced ourselves. We're friends now."

 

"You make friends that easily?"

 

"Isn't that how it goes?"

 

"Normally takes a while or people to become friends."

 

She frowned and shook her head. "Not true. My group mates and I became friends quickly, that's how we became in a project group together."

 

"You mean the group mates that left you to do the project together? Yeah, you guys are best friends."

 

"But they all had their after school clubs and I didn't. Our schedules clashed."

 

"Why didn't you just split it up so you had equal parts in it?"

 

"Like I said, schedule clashes."

 

"You're too naive. They could do their parts at home." This girl was weird and gullible. 

 

 

Time really had passed like a clock out the window. The rain lightened up and I had gathered my stuff to leave. She did too. We paid for our coffees and I walked across the street to the bus stop. She waited with me until my bus came. As it pulled away, I saw her take out an umbrella and walk away. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next time I met with her, I was in the mall with my friends. They ended up ditching me and I was walking aimlessly.I just had to be friends with two couples that I spent all of my time with. 

 

 

I as I was meandering about the food court, I saw her with some girly looking boy. They were talking and laughing and having just a grand ol' time. It made me upset. I saw that bot lean in to kiss her. I felt my chest tighten, but it was relieved when she turned away and apologized to him. 

 

 

I didn't know why, but when she saw me and started her way, I froze. She smiled her eye smile that just furthered my turn to stone. If she was Medusa, I'd never look away from her eyes if she smiled at me like that all the time. Damn that was just a beautiful smile for a beautiful girl.

 

"Krystal!" she called me happily as she stood in front of me. 

 

I dumbly stood there. I couldn't couldn't form words. I opened my mouth to speak, but nada. Nada damn thing. I hoped she thought I was just being my normal standoffish self instead of me being awestruck. 

 

"Fancy meeting you here! Are you alone?"

 

That question seemed to have brought out of my stunned state. "I got ditched. You seem to be with someone. I'll let you get back to him." I went to step off, but he held my arm and made me face her. 

 

"I'm not with anyone." Back then, I didn't know that there was more than one meaning to that sentence. 

 

 

I spent the rest of that time in the mall with Sulli dragging me around with one of her arms draped over my shoulders. She's weird. That mall time seemed to have gone by even more quickly than the time in the cafe. When we parted, we ended up exchanging numbers. I like to think of that as one of the best decisions of my life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third time I met her, I was in my first class as a college student. I had gotten there super early because I didn't want to make the mistake of waking up late and leaving a bad impression of myself on my professor. I waited, impatiently, for class to start and the time couldn't have passed slower. When class actually started, it felt even worse. Halfway through class, a girl ran into and breathed out apologies for being late. Something about waking up late and missing her regular bus. The teacher excused her because it was the first day and told the girl to take a seat. 

 

 

When the late girl stood up, her smiling eyes immediately found me. I looked forward at the professor and ignored her. She dropped herself into the seat next to me. "Hi Krystal! Imagine us having the same classes!" she whispered.

 

I ignored her still and listened as our professor droned on about the syllabus and how the class was going to work. I mean, I tried to ignore her, but I couldn't help myself from stealing glances at this beautiful doll of a girl. 

 

I think I thoroughly enjoyed my freshman year with her chipper self next to me at the beginning of the day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've seen her practically everyday since my freshman year. I'm sitting here next to her outside at lunch. She said that today was the perfect day to eat outside. It was hot and muggy, weird girl. 

 

 

Sulli rested her head in my lap as I ate and fed her too. Her eye smile still has me paralyzed. I smiled down at her dumbly. She's been the only one to make me be dumb. She's just so damn beautiful. 

 

"Sul," I called. 

 

"Hmm?"

 

"That day we met, even though you had an umbrella, you still bugged me for a seat at my table."

 

Her small eyes swirled into crescents as she smiled at me. "How'd you know I had an umbrella?"

 

"I saw you take it out and walk with it as the bus pulled away." I twirled her hair in my fingers. 

 

She blushed and turned her face and nuzzled my stomach. She said something, but it was muffled. 

 

"I can't hear you Sul."

 

She wrapped her arms around my waist and she kissed my stomach. Sulli sat up and kissed my nose. She kept her smile as I blushed. "I said, how could I deny myself the company of someone so beautiful."

 

Damn, she was so cheesy. I kissed her so she couldn't see me blush anymore. When we pulled away, she spoke again. "You know, I love when it rains now. I'll never bring an umbrella ever again."