{this is my inspiration for this story and chapter}
Riley
I walked home from school alone and it was lightly raining. Rain in Australia was always horrible, because it got even more humid than what it already was. Thankfully I had just thrown my hair up in a bun this morning.
My rain boots kicked up rain as I walked and I almost slipped a couple of times. I couldn't wait to get home. Dustie hadn't come to school today and since she's basically my only friend, I was alone all day. I mean I can handle it, before we met I did everything alone, but it's nice to have someone there with you.
I finally arrived home and took my boots off at the door, hung up my raincoat and walked into the kitchen. Mom had made some cookies and I dove right in. They were almost as good as what Dustie's mom made, but not quite.
"How was school today?" Mom asked.
"Horrible. Dustie was sick, so she didn't come."
"Aw I'm sorry about that, sweetie."
"It's fine. I survived."
"That's good. Want some milk with those cookies?"
"Sure, I'm gonna take it up to my room so I can start on homework." I said.
She poured me a glass and I took it, along with a plate of cookies, up to my room. I closed the door behind me and sat my food on my desk. I went to the window and opened it. The rain was still falling lightly and I could hear the boys practicing next door.
I grabbed my homework and food and sat down at my window seat. I started working on it and listening to the boys. They were playing a song called "Long Way Home." They hadn't played this one before, it must have been new.
Even though it was muffled, I still loved how they sounded through the window. It was so soothing and since it was also raining, it was even more so. I felt my eyes getting heavy, and I leaned my head against the window pane and closed my eyes.
I hadn't planned on falling asleep, but I guess I did; because the next thing I knew someone was shaking me and I opened my eyes to see my dad standing over me.
"Riley, wake up." He said.
"I'm awake. What time is it?" I asked.
"7:30."
"In the morning?" I asked.
"No, at night. You fell asleep."
"Did I miss dinner?"
"No, we were just about to eat. Come on down." He said.
"Okay, I'm coming."
I put my books aside and followed him downstairs. I sat down at the table, he prayed and we started eating.
"You feeling alright?" Mom asked.
"Yeah, just a little tired. Rain makes me tired." I said.
"I understand." She said.
We finished eating and then I went back upstairs to finish the homework that I started before I fell asleep. I closed my window and then moved to my desk. Once I was finished with that, I took a shower and got ready for bed. I snuggled down into my pillows and started thinking about tomorrow. I hoped tomorrow would be a little better day. Dustie better be there or I knew it would be horrible all over again. Eventually I stopped thinking and I closed my eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.
--------
I walked home alone from school the next day, because Dustie was still sick. She had texted me earlier that day to tell me that she wouldn't be there the rest of the week, because she had the flu and her mom wanted her to stay home to get well.
I opened the front door and walked inside the house. I went straight up to my room, yelling I was home as I did so. I walked in my room, threw my back pack on the floor and flopped down on my bed.
As I laid there, staring up at the ceiling, I heard muffled noises coming from next door and I knew exactly what that meant. The boys were practicing. I walked over to the window and opened it. It was raining today so I could hear them a little better.
Hearing them play really helped me feel better. I grabbed some of my homework and started working on it. I don't know how long it had been but I heard the music stop and a garage door open. I guessed they were done for the night, but I just left my window open. A few minutes later I heard someone yelling "Hey." I looked out the window and saw that it was Michael.
"Oh hey." I said. What are you up to?"
"Just finished practicing, but I guess you knew that already." He said, smiling.
He had the cutest smile and I smiled too, when I saw it. He was literally the cutest boy I had ever seen, how was I supposed to talk to him?
"So, um, how long you been listening to us?" He asked.
"Uh, well..." I didn't know what to say. Did he know that I listened to them basically everyday? Should I tell him? I didn't wanna sound like a creeper.
"It's cool, I know you listen to us a lot."
"Oh, you do?" I asked.
"Yeah, I do." He said, chuckling.
"And you don't think it's weird?" I asked.
"No, not at all. I think it's cool. I'm glad someone likes our stuff."
"You guys are really good."
"Thanks, we try." He said laughing. "We're playing at the Halloween Bash, will you be there?"
I nodded my head. "Yeah, I will be."
"Good." He said. "Well I'll see ya around, Riley." He gave me a cute smirky smile and then went inside his house. I leaned against the wall and just sighed. How was I ever gonna recover from that?
