When Rain Falls

Chapter 1 | When I Met You Again (Part 1)

Chapter 1 - When I met You Again (Part 1)

     Little Miss cranky pants was at it again. The little girl who lived on the second floor of my apartment building started ranting about how she loathed going to school. It was just the usual morning at the bus stop. Mrs. Andrea March and her ten-year-old daughter, Diane, sat beside me at the bench while we waited for the bus. While Mrs. March brushed her daughter's hair, Diane started talking about this boy in her class who always picked on her since school started.

     The guy who lives across the street overheard the conversation. He looked up from his newspaper with a grin. "He probably likes you, that's all."

     "I don't care," Diane replied, scrunching up her nose. "It shouldn't be a pass for them to bully girls. Bullying is wrong and should have consequences."

     Smart kid. I smiled, giving her a thumb's up. "You're right about that."

     "I apologize," the mom flashed an awkward smile at the guy. "My daughter's pretty vocal about her feelings. Nothing really holds her back."

     "I understand." The guy nodded and went back to read his newspaper. You could tell from his face that he regretted butting in.

     "But it's the truth, mom," Diane groaned. "Kenneth deserves detention. He gets away with everything just because he's the teacher's pet. If it were up to me, he deserves a month's detention."

     "Stop it, Diane," her mother warned. "It's embarrassing. We better hurry up with your hair."

     "Hey, kid. What do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked as I rummage through my bag for a mirror.

     "A prosecutor." She smiled widely, revealing a few missing baby teeth on top.

     "Wow, really?" I acted surprised, even though I already saw it coming. "A prosecutor. I could have never guessed. That's a tough one. So, you love watching law shows, huh?"

     "I can't wait to start college and graduate and have my own office..."

     "My sister's a prosecutor," Diane's mother explained to me while she finished braiding the left part of her daughter's hair. "She never shuts up about how she wants to become like her aunt. I'm happy with her choice of profession, but at the same time I'm a little scared for her, you know."

     "Your daughter has a bright future, Mrs. March," I reminded her. "She's a smart kid. Just continue to support her with whatever she wants to do in life. I promise you, she'll thank you later."

     She smiled back. "Thank you. Oh, the bus is here. Hurry up and grab your bag, Sweetie. Let's go."

     "Have a great day at school, Diane." I waved at the little girl before they boarded the bus.

     I was left all alone at the bus stop. My friend, Louie, promised to pick me up today so we could go job hunting. I left my apartment building a little early so I ended up waiting another thirty minutes. Another older guy sat down on the bench next to me.

     "Motion detected at the front yard." Said the voice coming from the guy's phone. He swiped his phone and scoffed. He glanced at me, shaking his head. "Porch pirates. I swear, this is why we can't have nice things. They'll be swipin' up every decoration you got on your porch."

     "Yeah. My mom's going through the same thing right now. She doesn't display anything out on the porch anymore."

     Louie arrived in his second-hand red beetle. I said goodbye to the old man and stepped inside the car. It was my first time riding in Louie's car and the first thing I noticed how the dashboard was filled with all kinds of stickers.

     "Love your sticker collection."

     "Don't mention it," he laughed. "I hope the car doesn't smell like cigarette smoke anymore."

     I sniffed. "Yeah, I could tell you probably used half a bottle of lemon air freshener to mask the smell."

     "I know, and I'm sorry. I got this baby at a really good price. The cigarette smell came free with it."

     Louie dropped by at the newly opened boba shop downtown. It was empty when we entered. A tall, lanky blonde boy stood in front of the register while another boy was wiping down the tables. Louie reminded me of what he wanted to order and excused himself to use the restroom. Blonde boy greeted me with a raspy voice as I approached the counter.

     "One large Avocado with boba and a small Taro without boba, please."

     "Would you like a side of me with that?" He snickered.

     I ignored his side order joke and reached for my debit card inside my purse. "That would be all."

     "God, you can't even take a joke." He said, sliding my card roughly through his machine. "I was only kidding. Don't get your panties in a twist."

     The door chimed. I glanced over my shoulder. A few girls entered the shop along with an older lady with them. I grinned, returning my gaze to the boy on the register.

     "Do you have duct tape?" I asked a little louder so people around me could hear it.

     "Yes, we do. Why?" He gave me a perplexed look.

     "Because you'll look great with tape on your mouth. Before you spew nonsense out of that pie hole of yours, learn how to take people's orders and shut the hell up. I'll be contacting your manager soon, so be ready." I snatched my card back and sat down on one of the tables. My phone buzzed. It was mom.

     "Hey, Mom. What's up?"

     "Hi, honey. I received your text last night. Are you sure you'll be leaving next week for New York? You don't want to wait for me so we can go together?"

     "Yes, I'll be staying there for two weeks. I already contacted my friend from high school. Remember Deidra? She used to come by our house every weekend."

     "Oh, yes. Deidra Miller. I remember her. I'm glad you guys are still in touch. Is she okay with you staying over at her place?"

     "Trust me, she's okay with it."

     "How about you? Will you be okay?"

     My smile disappeared. I closed my eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. My throat started to close, and for a second, it seemed like I couldn't breathe. I haven't seen my dad in a long time. I miss him so much. Dad.

     "Rainy? Honey? Are you okay?"

     I swiped the tears from my eyes and forced out a smile. "I'll be fine, mom. Don't worry about me," I saw Louie walking towards the table holding the boba shakes. It was my cue to end the conversation. Talking to my mom made my heart break a little more. I also didn't like talking about dad over the phone. "Hey, mom. I'll call you later, 'kay? You take care. Love you."

     "Love you, too, hon—" I pressed the end call button and dropped the phone inside my purse.

     "You looked pissed," Louie took the paper cover off his straw as we stepped out of the shop. "Everything okay?"

     "Yeah, I just finished talking to my mom."

     "Anyway, that cashier back there was really cute," Louie jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "I wish we could've stayed longer."

     "No, he wasn't. He's an asshole. He made a stupid joke earlier while taking my order, and that just didn't sit right with me. So unprofessional."

     "That fuckin' prick. Let me go back and teach him a lesson." Louie turned around and started marching toward the boba shop's door.

     I laughed, pulling his collar. "Dude, it's okay. I'm fine."

❤️ - You guys will meet Rain Sterling again in the next part. Please don't forget to leave some love. I appreciate all the votes and comments. You guys are awesome! Thank you for waiting patiently with my stories. I'll resume biweekly updates this month. Take care, guys!