The Falling Rain

Chapter 4

It had been a few days since Rain showed up at Sky's dorm in the middle of the night and his friend still wasn't quite back to normal but he was trying to act like he was for everyone else's sake.

Seeing Rain try to force himself to be normal and seeing that he was the only one who noticed it made him realize how they all held the poor boy at arm's length. Sig still teased him relentlessly even though it was clear to see that he was taking it all to heart, Por kept making comments about how Rain would fail as a student if he didn't focus more, and Ple was outright ignoring him most of the time.

This made Sky come to terms with the fact that he probably wasn't helping since he was always so content to just sit and listen to Rain talk and barely ever responded. He may not really be ignoring him but, to Rain, it must seem like he couldn't care less what was being said.

He hadn't missed the way his friend panicked when he got the call to come pick up his car either. He had offered to go with him, assuming that the senior he had looked up to was the cause of his best friend's sudden change, but Rain had told him he didn't want to make him miss class and left.

Sky wanted to show Rain that he was going to be a better friend to him going forward and was determined to do it as soon as he could.

Later he and Rain were walking to class when they ran into P'Phayu surrounded by their classmates.

"Ah, this is the junior I was searching for!" Phayu had exclaimed, grabbing Rain.

They argued about a payment and then Phayu had let slip that he had touched something and that had paid a portion of it. Sky felt his heart drop into his stomach.

The other two had disappeared before Sky realized what was happening. Sky wanted to chase them down immediately but had to get control of his breathing again.

Rain, after being freed of the prying eyes of his classmates, found himself in a rather stressful predicament. Here he was, locked in a small bathroom stall with a man who had tried to force himself on him.

The man leaned in close and Rain felt so small in front of him.

"Call me P'Phayu." His voice was sweet and stern all at once and it took a lot to deny him.

"Why should I?"

"Say 'P'Phayu, please let Rain go.'"

"No." Rain refused again but it felt weaker this time.

Phayu pulled him in closer by his waist and suddenly Rain's senses were overwhelmed with the other man. He could feel the barest hint of kisses on his neck and the older man's warm breath on his skin was making his brain malfunction. He really needed to get out of here.

He felt hands begin to rub across his chest, stirring that strange electric feeling in him again. He couldn't think straight because of the feeling of lightning bolts that the kisses and caresses kept sending through his body.

Rain decided to just appease the man to try to escape this situation. He needed to get away to sort through his feelings.

"P'Phayu, please let Rain go." He managed to stutter out.

He felt Phayu stop but then the man started up again and Rain felt himself begin to panic. He couldn't get control of his breathing, he hadn't wanted all of this and yet it was happening anyway.

"Rain?" He heard the beautiful voice of his best friend and then a banging on the stall door. "Rain, come out, okay? I'd recognize your chaotic breathing anywhere."

Rain tried to answer but couldn't, his mind still wasn't turning right and his fear was beginning to transform into a full blown panic attack. Sky must have had some inkling of what was happening because his voice turned dark.

"P'Phayu, if you're in there with Rain, you had better open this door now or I swear any good reputation you have left will be burnt to the ground."

Phayu was taken aback, he'd seldom been threatened openly and this freshman seemed like he meant business. It was then that he looked down and saw, really and truly saw, what he was doing to Rain and felt even more shame pool in him.

He should have learned his lesson the other night but he hadn't and had, instead, come and pushed too far on this sweet boy again.

He opened the stall and Sky immediately grabbed Rain and pulled him out. He took his time looking over his friend and helping him calm down. He didn't know all the details but sweet, innocent Rain obviously didn't know how to deal with what he was feeling.

"You." Sky said harshly, jabbing his finger towards Phayu. "We need to talk. Rain, please take some time to continue breathing deeply, I will be just outside the bathroom, okay?" Rain nodded and Sky practically dragged the senior out of the area.

"What have you done to my friend? What on Earth made you think you could take advantage of such a sweet, kind soul?"

"What are you talking about? I haven't taken advantage of anyone!" Phayu knew he was wrong but also couldn't help but immediately go on the defensive.

"Oh really? Then please explain why I just walked in on you sending my friend into a panic attack, or, better yet, explain why he showed up at my house in the middle of the night drenched and barefoot!

"You may not have gotten far but you have certainly left an unwanted mark on my friend and I'll be damned if I let you hurt him anymore. Come near Rain again and you will regret it! Do you understand?" Sky let his gaze strong and directly on their senior until he agreed.

He waited until Phayu had disappeared from the hallway and he couldn't hear his steps anymore before he went back into the bathroom to try to convince his friend to join Sky at his dorm for the day.

"Rain, do you need me to call your mom? I think I'm going to bring you to my dorm, it's closer and calmer than trying to get you home."

Rain slowly shook his head.

"My parents have been gone for a couple days now, they won't answer my calls while they're on a trip together."

Sky was taken aback again, just what was going on in his sweet friend's life that they'd all missed. He could dwell on it now though, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

"I've sent for a cab, I don't think you should drive right now, we can get your car tomorrow when we come to class, okay?"

Rain nodded, having reverted back to that silence that made Sky feel so incredibly uneasy. He didn't like the idea that his friend was falling into a similar darkness as him, he couldn't let that happen.