A Kiss in the Rain

Chapter 7

  The principal's usual intimidating voice was replaced by a soft spoken one. He repeated what everyone already knew, the news about the Huffingtons, but it still felt like a shock even the second time around. Fiona Jones was still sobbing uncontrollably while her friends tried to soothe her. The track team hung their heads, taking glaces at one another from time to time. Kali wondered what each of them were thinking as she watched their private conversation. Were they sad because they lost a friend? Or were they mourning the loss of a valuable player? Jason had been one of their better assets, usually taking first or second place in his competitions. Having lost him would hurt their chances at getting back into the finals next season and some of their silent expressions echoed that thought. Fiona was saying goodbye to someone she had been emotionally attached to, the team was saying goodbye to a future trophy.

  The principal's speech continued on as he put the short life of Jason and Anne in review, both in and outside the classroom. Kali had completely forgotten that their father was a lead volunteer at a nearby homeless shelter, where Jason and Anne usually spent their time working at the soup kitchen on the weekends. Little Anne was also in the Regal Dance class on Railroad Drive. Kali remembered her coming into the high school one afternoon to tell Jason their mother was waiting out in the car and they needed to hurry or she'd be late for her class. She had been decked out in a blue and purple spandex outfit with a black tutu around it, which Kali had absolutely adored. She would have joined the class herself, just for the uniform, if she thought she had any kind of coordination. No amount of black tutu was worth falling flat on her face.

  Kali imagined Anne dancing in circles around the principal and officer on the stage with that care free smile she carried in her school photo. She watched as the girl's figure twisted in abnormal ways, standing up on one tip toe to spin like a top. The thought cast a smile across Kali's lips and she wondered if the Huffingtons' were listening to their farewell assembly. She was one of those people who believed in the after life - where your soul goes to a destined place when you die. The practice of God and Jesus were taught to her by her mother when she was old enough to understand it. She was taught to believe in a heaven and a hell - that they held significant purpose to those on Earth. They never went to church, though. Kali couldn't even remember seeing an actual Bible in the house either. Her mother seemed to have memorized the scriptures and would tell Kali about them as a bedtime story. It never struck her as odd until now - where did her mother learn the testaments? Were Kali's grandparents religious? She never got to meet them, since they died in a car accident before Kali was ever born, and since her father took off, she didn't know anything about her other grandparents either. Her mother was an only child so Kali didn't have aunts or uncles or cousins or any of that. When it came down to it, it was just the two of them. She guessed that was why she panicked about every little thing when it came to her mother. She was all Kali had. The thought of ever losing her was.. unbearable.

 Kali shifted uneasily in her seat feeling a new kind of sadness rise in her. Nova must have noticed, because he was watching her from the corner of his eye.

Stop staring at me, she wanted to say. But if she let on she knew he was watching her, she'd be admitting she was watching him. Instead, she placed her elbow on the arm rest away from him, letting the side of her face rest in her hand. Kali didn't want to look bored among the crowd of mourning students but she didn't want to look upset in front of Nova either. He seemed completely unfazed by the topic at hand, but it wasn't like he knew any of the Huffingtons personally. He had no reason to mourn somebody he didn't know - as shallow as that sounded.

"Here to speak with us this morning is Officer Wilkes from the state police department." The principal gestured to the policeman who was still patiently waiting to speak at his side. "He has a few things to talk to us about today and I expect you all to be respectful and listen to everything he has to say without interrupting. He will be taking questions near the end of the assembly. Remember that the grief counselors are stationed outside the doors for those of you who need them."