Living with the Swaylers

Shorts: A Rainy Autumn Evening

The raindrops gently hit my face soaking me from head to toe as I ran up one street, down the next, turning onto a pathway surrounded by colorful leaves both on the pavement and some on the tree branches hanging above it. If someone asked me one reason I love fall, this would be it. The colors, the smell, the cooler weather, it all was so refreshing and relaxing. Well, it would be considered relaxing if I wasn't running. But to me today was a perfect day for a run in the rain since schoolwork had been tough recently with more tests and projects, and running was one of my favorite stress-relievers. 

The uneven pavement caused puddles, some bigger than others which caught me by surprise sometimes when I stepped in them and it caused a hug splash. It was fun to me though, so after a while I purposefully jumped in the biggest puddles I could and soon enough my shoes and socks were soaked completely. The water was cold on my skin, especially against the chilly breeze, but I didn't mind one bit. In fact it made me more excited to warm up later. 

After a few miles that I took at a decent pace, Holly and I arrived back at the Swayler mansion. Sometimes I forget just how big it is, but it really is a beautiful place. I walked in the front door and immediately took my shoes off before any extra water got on the floor. Thankfully Holly shook off most of the water that got on her fur while we were still outside, so I wiped her paws off with the old towel sitting by the door and then released her from her leash. She happily trotted over towards the living room, and was greeted by Max who was on his way towards the staircase to my left. 

"Well hey there Holly, ooh- you're wet. Did you enjoy your walk?" he reached over and petted Holly before looking up and seeing me standing there in my white sweatshirt that was now dark grey from the rain, and legs covered in mud from the puddles. "Oh my gosh," he laughed. "What'd you do? A whole triathlon?" 

I smiled. "Just a few miles, but the rain got pretty heavy on the last one."

"I'll say, it's really coming down out there. I'll go get you a towel so you can go upstairs without dripping or anything," he said heading of to the closet down the hall. 

"Thanks," I said now looking down at myself. I can only imagine what my hair looks like this soaked from rain and not just simply a shower. I heard more footsteps and saw Jordan turn the corner from the stairs coming from the basement. He looked at me and his reaction was priceless.

"What the world!" He immediately took out his phone to take a picture of me. "Blake, Josh, come see Annabelle!" he called down the stairs from where he came. I had a surprised, annoyed expression on my face. 

"Seriously?" I laughed. "All I did was go for a run in the rain."

Blake and Josh came up the stairs, followed by Max holding a towel behind them. They had almost the same reaction Jordan did. 

"Dude, that's sick! You know mud is a good color on you," Blake teased. Or at least I think he was teasing. I rolled my eyes and smiled. Max stepped out from behind them and handed me the dry towel so I could move from the front door mat to my room. 

"Thank you for doing the appropriate thing to do in this situation," I said reaching out for the towel and starting to grab it from Max. 

"Wait," Jordan reached out and snatched it away from us. "Hang on, Annabelle usually isn't this photogenic." He continued to take pictures of me like a paparazzi or something. Josh and Blake followed in his ways in taking pictures of me. 

"Hey! Rude! I'm just trying to go upstairs without making a mess," I explained trying to get my towel back without taking more than a few steps off the mat. "Ugh, fine, be that way," I said now posing for them with dramatic model poses showing off my soaked hair and muddy legs. "Ok now give me the towel!"