Pain Killer

28 ~ Vibranium-Coated Confidence

The rain pours on us as we walk down the street from the Lennon residence. I take periodic glances at Uri's solemn face, hoping to get a reading on how the talk went.

He quietly stares at the wet sidewalk as it passes beneath us. His grassy eyes are turned away from mine, then he looks up ahead of us. "Zac gave me his number. He wants to keep in touch with me."

I nod, relieved that Uri, forgiven or not, can now move on with his life. "That's good. It's so brave of you to do this."

He smiles slightly, finally letting me see his face. It falls a little as his eyes go still on me. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Your eyes are all squinty when you smile like that and-and it makes me uncomfortable." His ears are red as he maintains eye contact with me like a trooper.

I can't help but smile harder.

"Stop, Elie. I'm serious." He loses to his blush, turning away from me.

"Why?" I giggle as I sidle up to him.

"You enjoy getting to me, don't you?" he grumbles.

"Well, nothing else really works on your vibranium-coated confidence."

I wait for his comeback, but the pitter-patter of the rain gives an answer of its own.

Looking up through the drizzle, I stop in my tracks to see a tall figure slouched into the bench facing the river.

His dark hair soaked, Jay turns to see us as we stare at him. He smirks at our faces before looking back over the water. "No greeting, today?"

"What's up, Jay...?" I ask, wondering if I'll be doing all the talking again.

He sighs to himself, his gaze pointing at nothing in particular. "I guess I'm a little late to the party, huh?"

I look up at Uri in question.

He glances at me and blinks the rian from his eyelashes. "I texted Jay and told him to come with me to Zac's," he explains, looking down at his hands in his pockets.

"You already went, I see." Jay spreads his arms over the back of the bench, not seeming to notice that he's practically soaked to the bone. "I guess I missed the train."

"That's not an excuse," Uri says. "Zac would like to see you, I bet."

"Ha," Jay weakly scoffs. "Me? You mean the guy that led the whole thing? You really think he wants to see me?"

Uri and I avert our gazes to the bridge up ahead of us.

The quiet lasts for a solid minute before Jay speaks again, his tone softer. "I don't get why rain is associated with a bad day." He chews on his cheek as he stares ahead. "The sound is really peaceful."

His words prompt me to listen to the drumming pelts of water as they hit the ground. It's consistent, predictable, and soothing. I close my eyes as Jay sighs again.

"I'm sorry, Uri."

Uri doesn't reply.

"I know that I treated you like crap after Zac's accident, but I didn't know how else to avoid the guilt. Shitty excuse, right?"

Again, no reply is offered. I keep my eyes closed, wishing the rain could just wash everything clean and life would start anew, as if no one had done anything wrong in the first place.

Jay continues. "You know, being the head or leader, or whatever the heck I was, it really put me in a spot where I could swing around my power and I used it to cover my own butt. And I stabbed you in the back with it. I'm sorry, Uri, for pushing all the crap your way... and I wish I was smarter and less of a wimp. Maybe then, we could've stayed friends."