𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮
in which the cliché of the star basketball player and captain of the cheer squad becomes a reality
𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐜
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𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟒: 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧
𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟒, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬, the playground soaked and mostly empty. The only sounds that echoed around were the steady patter of raindrops and the occasional splashing of puddles as a little girl jumped in them with complete abandon.
Emiliana stood at the edge of the field, her bright yellow raincoat standing out against the gray, gloomy day. The hood was down, and her hair was already wet and sticking to her face, but she didn't seem to care. She was too busy stomping her little rain boots into the largest puddle she could find, sending water splashing everywhere.
Nearby, under the cover of the school building, Nathan Scott, a first-grader with short, messy brown hair, watched her with a mixture of fascination and disbelief. He was clutching an umbrella in his small hand, like every other sensible kid who had decided to avoid the downpour. But not Emiliana. She was standing in the middle of the storm, not just unbothered by the rain—but loving it.
He couldn't take it anymore. Curiosity got the better of him.
With a sigh, Nathan stepped out into the rain, holding his umbrella high above his head as he trudged over to where she stood, her back to him as she jumped into yet another puddle.
"You're gonna get soaked!" Nathan called over the sound of the rain, his small voice carrying just enough for Emiliana to hear. She turned around, looking at him with wide brown eyes, a grin plastered across her face.
"I am soaked," she pointed out with a laugh, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Her coat was drenched, water droplets clinging to her hair, but she looked like she couldn't be happier.
Nathan frowned, confused. "But... why aren't you using an umbrella?"
"Because I like the rain," Emiliana said simply, her voice full of confidence, as if liking the rain was a perfectly reasonable explanation for standing in the middle of a storm. She stomped her boot into another puddle just to prove her point.
Nathan stared at her for a second, blinking. "You're crazy."
Emiliana just shrugged, not even bothering to argue. "Maybe."
There was a pause as Nathan watched her for a moment longer, then he made his decision. With a sigh, he closed his umbrella and let the rain start falling on him too. He stepped up next to her, standing in the puddle she had claimed as her own.
"What are you doing?" Emiliana asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"If you're not gonna use an umbrella, I guess I'll get wet too," Nathan replied, his small face serious, though his eyes betrayed the excitement he felt. He wasn't about to let her have all the fun.
