Chapter 1.
There was a growl that rolled across the sky and then a flash that slashed through the black, stormy clouds releasing a violent torrent of rain. The droplets fell almost endlessly in a steady sheet of rain.
Splash!
She grimaced as the muddy water seeped through her shoes, making them squelch as they made contact with the tarmac. Rolling her eyes and muttering curses under her breath, she continued trekking along the road. She was blinded by the headlights of the occasional commuter as they sped by, their impaired vision making it near impossible to see her hunched form.
All of a sudden, what looked like a mini convertible roared past her, splashing slimy mud all over her already soaked clothes. She shrieked out of pure vexation. Just wonderful. She’d gotten this far without doing much more than caught out in the elements and now, on top of probably looking like a drowned rat, she was now a filthy drowned rat. Without thinking, she yanked off one of her sopping, muddy shoes, pulled back her arm and flung it as hard as she could at the inconsiderate convertible.
It thwacked against the rear window.
The car screeched to a halt, the tires taking a moment to grip the slick road.
Her eyes widened as the driver put on his hazard lights and slowly began to reverse. She combed the wet tendrils of hair out of her vision and looked around frantically for somewhere to run or hide. But the downpour made it difficult to see in the already dark landscape. She chewed her chapped lips nervously as the car came closer, wary of the most likely disgruntled driver. But a flicker of anger filled her with courage as she set her foot unhappily in the mucky ground, hating how the mixture squished between her toes unpleasantly.
The car came to a halt beside her. She shifted uneasily as the passenger’s window rolled down. After a strange shuffling sound, a red head popped out the window, its hair almost immediately plastered to their skull.
“Erm… Hey? Did you happen to throw something at my car?” he asked awkwardly.
She raised her eyebrow, although she was pretty sure he couldn’t see the look she was giving him. Feeling miffed, she scoffed. “Did you happen to get me covered in filth by not minding the puddles?” She squinted my eyes in an attempt to make out his features better.
He ran a hand through his sopping hair. “Sh*t, sorry about that! Here, at least get your head out of the rain,” he said, leaning back after opening the door for her. She ducked her head down uncertainly and perched on the edge of the seat, allowing half of herself to stay just partially out of the harsh weather.
Then she realised who the driver was, causing her to almost topple out of the car in surprise. Quickly, she scrambled up, got out, shut the door and took a step back. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do, so, uncertainly, she continued walking in the direction she’d been heading in. She bit her lip before glancing back and seeing that the car hadn’t moved from its spot. She stood there, uncomfortable, wondering whether she was meant to keep going, or go back and talk to him.
Her question was answered when the car roared to life, causing her to jump, and cruised up beside her.
“You want a ride?” he called from inside. After a moment’s hesitation, she figured: why not? He kind of owed it to her and she wasn’t getting anywhere fast this way. She climbed in and resolutely stared straight ahead of her. She’d never been the type to go all fan-girl over anybody, but she was that close to breaking it. She shifted her bag down from her shoulder and shoved it into the foot well.
