MisFits

The Eyes of a Perfect Storm

She timidly called him at 5:00, quietly asking if she was bothering him. He told her that she wasn't, and for a moment they were both silent. She broke off the awkward quiet by asking him if he understood the math homework they had gotten.

He admitted that he hadn't touched it, causing her to laugh.

"We should hang out," he ventured. She thought for a moment before responding.

"Do you want to go to the park? The one by that little sandwich shop?" she asked.

"Sure! I can be there in about ten," he said. She giggled a little, agreeing that they would meet there in ten.

The sky was dark with storm clouds, but the boy strutted down the street like it was a sunny day in the middle of march, and not the stormy October evening that it was. The rain had ceased for the time being, but he had a feeling that it would start up again soon. Orange, black, and purple lights twinkled from the windows of houses he passed in honor of Halloween.

The park was a simple one, made mostly of hard, sturdy wood that was dark with moisture on top of a rubber made from recycled tires. The girl sat on one of the swings, despite the dampness of the board beneath her. She rocked gently in the wind, and for a moment he couldn't help but feel his breath catch in his throat.

That was the time when he felt as if he had fallen in love. Seeing her sitting there in the eye of a perfect storm made him want to run to her and sweep her off of her feet. Instead, he calmly walked to her, taking the swing adjacent. It creaked beneath his weight.

She turned to him, a smile present on her face.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She looked up at the stormy skies, her eyes sparkling with wonder and happiness. He chuckled a little, leaning all the way back on the swing as he started to really swing back and forth.

"I've never thought of it that way," he admitted, looking straight up at the sky. She smiled wider, beginning to swing too.

"The colours are pretty, but I like the rain the most." They swung higher and higher, each competing for higher ground. By the end they were both breathless and smiling as a light rain began to fall. She grinned, jumping off of the swing with a flourish before tapping him on the shoulder.

"You're it!" she said, taking off across the wet grass to the wooden play set. He grinded the swing to a halt before getting off and chasing after her. The rain began to fall faster, drenching them through to their skins. Neither seemed to care, however, and they continued to chase each other around polished wooden slides and climbing walls.

He managed to catch her eventually, grasping her shoulder. She winced in pain for a split second before turning around to pursue him. Lighting flared up in the sky, chasing after the thunder that resounded just seconds before it.

The girl stopped chasing him, her short hair falling in strings around her face and her barely too large clothes clung to her small body.

"Should we get home?" she asked. He shrugged, carefully taking her hand and pulling her beneath the slide. He wasn't ready to let her get away just yet. The play set served as a sort of refuge from the persistent rain for the time being. They curled up together on top of the recycled rubber and watched as droplets of rain slipped through the cracks in the wood above them.

He quietly hummed Horror Business, causing her to smile. The rain became heavier, slipping through the cracks between the boards. They landed on her face with soft plops on her upturned face, running down to her neck. He turned his face to her, their noses almost touching.

"You were right, it is beautiful."