Here Comes The Rain Again (Old Title "If I Fall")

Prologue

June 8, 2001 started out as one of the happiest days of my life, but would end as being the worst, and one I was sure to never forget.

The bright sun shining through the bedroom window woke me before my alarm clock even had a chance to go off. I rolled out of bed and entered the adjoining bathroom to take a shower. Once out and dressed, the smell of pancakes led me downstairs to the kitchen where I found my mother finishing a patch while my father set at the table reading the paper.

"Morning Josh, excited about today?" my father asked.

"Yeah," I replied as my mother came over to give me my morning hug as she sat the plate on the table.

"That doesn't sound very excited to me? Josh, you're graduating high school today. Soon you will be leaving for college on a baseball scholarship you worked hard for and starting the rest of your life. I'd say that's something to be excited about," she added as the three of them began to eat.

"Don't get me wrong mom, I am excited. But leaving home, you and dad, plus my friends, is a little scary."

"I know it is honey, but you will have Ryan with you."

Ryan Maguire has been my best friends since kindergarten, and now we are going off to college together, except he is going on a football scholarship. Though we will be attending the same school and rooming together, between practice and class schedules, we will be lucky to see one another except to go to bed. But then again, I have to admit it was better than going it totally alone.

After breakfast Josh helped his mom with the dishes before heading upstairs to finishing his hair and putting on his dress clothes. They were meeting the Maguire family in front of school for pictures before Ryan and Josh had to report to their homerooms for graduation ceremony. Leaving his tie loose around his neck, Josh grabbed the graduation gown and cap before heading out to the car.

As they pulled into the school parking lot Josh immediately noticed the clear blue sky starting to turn dark and cloudy. 'Looks like the forecaster got it wrong again'. A storm was definitely moving in but would hopefully hold off until after the ceremony.

Exiting the car Josh was attacked from behind by someone small jumping on his back and covered his eyes saying, "Guess who?"

Grabbing a pair of familiar ankles so she would not fall off, Josh answered, "Hello Em."

"Emily Frances Maguire, get off of Josh's back. For goodness sakes you are in a dress young lady!" Josh heard Mrs. Maguire reprimand her sixteen year old daughter as three sets of footsteps walked to join them.

Josh only loosened his grip slightly so Emily could easily slide off without fear of falling on the ground. As he turned to face Ryan and his family he could not help but to take a double take at the girl before him. 'Girl? It was like Emily became a young woman overnight'. Her long wavy brown hair was hanging loose around her small petite face that only drew you to her large hazel eyes. And that was before you noticed the white dress she was wearing. Though it was not revealing in anyway, it did hug her in all the right places to show that she did indeed have a womanly figure.

"Sorry Josh." Emily's words pulled Josh from his thoughts just as Ryan punched his lightly in the stomach.

"Hey man. Let's hurry up and get these pictures done so we can catch up with the rest of the guys," Ryan suggested as he played with his gown.

Josh quickly pulled his on but did not zipper it closed. The two boys stood together, then each with their families and finally one with just Ryan, Emily and Josh. Just as they finished a loud rumbling thunder with a large strike of lightening went off.

"Looks like graduation will be moving indoors instead of out on the football field," Josh's mother stated while all seven looked at the now black sky.

"Well if that is the case we better get inside to get good seats," Mrs. Maguire added.

"Okay boys, we will meet the two of you in the school front lobby afterwards," Josh's father stated.

Everyone gave hugs before heading towards the school building. Just they parted ways Josh realized his tie was still undone. He started to fiddle with it while looking in one of the glass school trophy cases.

"Hey Josh." He turned to see Emily waving his down as she was running down the hall. As she reached his she handed something to him. "You forgot your cap." They smiled at one another for a moment before she looked down to see what he was trying to do. "Here, let me do that." Her hands brushed Josh's away as she took over the task. "My mom says a good wife should know how to tie her husband's ties, so she taught me how to do it. There, not to tight is it?" Josh could not find words so he simply shook my head. "Oh your cap is crooked too." Without another word she was up on her tippy toes straightening it on his head.

Josh could not stop his eyes from wandering from her lean neck to the top of her dress where he breast where pulling tightly against its material. They were not large, definitely no more than a handful, but that was just the way he liked them. 'Whoa! I did not just say that about my best friend's little sister that was practically a sister to me as well.'

"Okay I thing you are all straight now." Emily's voice entered his ears as her face returned to his own. "Josh, are you alright?"

He had to make himself blink a few times to return his attention to the present. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Em."

"Well I better be getting back before I lost my seat." Then Emily did something Josh never expected, she raised herself up onto her toes again and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to leave.

Josh found himself frozen as he watched her walk down the hallway. Her hair was swaying from side to side in sync with her hips. 'God what it would be like run my figures through that hair while having my other hand on her...'

"Can we please have the senior class to start lining up in alphabetical order?" one of the teachers announced from the opposite end of the hall breaking Josh from his not so brotherly thoughts.

The ceremony went off without any incidents or practical jokes like some of the guys were planning to do. They had to give them up once the ceremony was moved indoors. After Ryan and Josh where dismissed, they went directly to the school lobby to meet their parents as planned.

"So who's hungry?" Mr. Maguire asked as everyone stood together and answered all at once.

"Josh, why don't you go straight to the restaurant with the Maguire's and we will meet you there?" His father suggested.

Within five minutes they were all running for the parking lot as the rain poured down heavy. Emily, Ryan and Josh jumped into the backseat of the Maguire family car and soon were following Josh's parent's car out onto the main road.

"So Ryan, did you give Rachel a big graduation kiss?" Emily asked teasingly.

Emily had found the boys first in the lobby just as Ryan was making out with his ex-girlfriend in the hall. The two of them dated all through junior and senior year but decided to end things so they could enjoy their last summer home. Come Fall they would be one two different sides of the country for college and knew that a long distance relationship was just not going to work.

"Be quiet squirt," Ryan replied as he pulled his sister into a head lock.

"NOT THE HAIR!" Emily yelled while laughing as her brother now started to tickle her. "Josh help me!"

Josh started laughing as they both turned against Ryan and tickled him.

"I don't think I have seen it rain this hard in years," Mr. Maguire stated as he turned his wipers on high to try and remove the water pounding the car as quickly was it landed.

"If we just take it slow we will be alright," Mrs. Maguire assured her husband.

Just then the sound of a horn followed by metal crunching replaced the loud of laugher in the car. Josh turned just in time to see an eighteen wheeler drag his parent's car across the intersection as Mr. Maguire started to turn the wheel of his own car. But Josh saw there was no way they were going to avoid beginning a part of the accident. He quickly turned back and grabbed Emily and Ryan to try and pull them under him as they made impact with the side of the truck.