Before You Say Goodbye

42

Rain unsettled me.

Every time it rained, I'm somehow always blessed with the unwelcome flu. It usually lasts a couple of days and leaves with all the energy my body could muster up.

Having had a great sleep last night, I woke up early today, feeling energetic. I had a feeling today was going to be different. And when I pushed my windows open, I understood why I had that feeling in the first place.

It was raining.

Sighing, I pulled my leg up, swinging it over the ledge so that one of my legs was outside my room while the other was still inside. Taking in a deep breath, I let my head fall back and rest behind me. I closed my eyes, counting in reverse from a hundred, my breathing deepening – it was a new trick I had learned to keep my mind off things I didn't want to think about. Even though the rain unsettled me, I was always the biggest fan of the smell it carried. Petrichor.

It was Wednesday and the school administration had declared a holiday for us today since there had been an underground water leak in school. Yesterday when school let out, we had noticed there had been a lot of water bubbling up from the girls' bathroom floor, and the mail last night from the administration said the school representatives are taking proactive health and safety measures on campus – whatever that meant.

"Addie."

Scoffing, I ignored her, not opening my eyes. I was having an almost pleasant morning, I didn't want to deal with the devil today. Maybe as Alison DiLaurentis said, if I ignore it, it'll go away. I didn't have time for this today, I had other things to worry about, I'd had plans with my friends; there's an arcade being held in our town and we had plans to go there today. That plan seems to stand cancelled, for now, all thanks to the rain. What else can we all do that didn't involve going out in the rain and still having fun?

"Did you not hear me?"

"I did. I just didn't want to talk to you," Exhaling, I sat up straight, turning to look at her, "So, go away, Piper."

Piper stood on the balcony of her room, looking at me with those sad eyes. It had been more than a week since I last talked to her in my backyard. But since I was trying to erase that day from my memory, I'd like to consider the last day we spoke to each other was the day Sophia died. Or maybe I just liked to somehow connect everything in my life to that day.

That day. I cannot believe it's been three months since then; I cannot believe she's been gone three months. I lost two of my friends that day – one to death and one to God knows what.

"Please, Addie," she said her voice wavering a little, "I just want to talk."

I sighed, "I don't care about you or what you did, anymore, Piper. I don't care that you broke my trust. I just don't care about anything anymore, okay?" I said, exhausted with this topic, "My dad's gone for good and my parents are getting a divorce – his opinions on me don't matter anymore. Even if you went to him and told him I'm a prostitute, I wouldn't care."

That was the exact moment my wonderful boyfriend, decided to walk inside my room, unannounced. He smiled at me as he entered my room, removed his coat, and hung it by the hook behind my door. Closing the door, he ran a hand through his wet hair not even blinking an eye when he saw me talking to Piper.

"Who's the prostitute?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Me." I pointed to myself and he grinned.

"Ah!" he nodded as if that made total sense to him "My perfect girlfriend."

He walked closer to me, droplets of water falling off him. Pulling me into a hug, he buried his face into my neck. It reminded me again, the rain that was still pouring outside. The only reason my leg outside the window wasn't wet yet was because of the ledge above my room.