When the Stars Align

The Water-Forsaken Streets

The rain outside bore down mercilessly upon the heart of the city, pounding on the roof and the slick roads. There was no thunder, and there was no lightning. It was pure rain. The whispering hum of it soothed me as it streamed down the window I gazed out of.

Beyond the window, sheets of precipitation pour into the streets. There is certain laziness about them, as if they cannot be bothered to conform to the will of gravity. It's entrancing. I sit in a chair with a cup of coffee that I sip occasionally. I barely notice the buzz of people talking around me in the small coffee shop. I don't even notice when my three best friends enter the small coffee shop until they are standing in front of me.

"I told you she would be here," Alec muttered to no one in particular.

I sighed and turned to face them as they all pull up chairs around the table I'm sitting at, which is only meant for two. No one says anything for a while.

"I know what you're going through, Nova, and I really am sorry," Jake said. "That's nowhere close to what you probably want to hear, but I want you to know I'll always be here for you."

I just stared into my now empty mug.

"You know the same goes for me," Alec said.

"And of course when these two jackasses suck at being there for you," Sophie said nodding towards the boys. "I'll be there."

I nodded without looking up. Alec leaned over from his chair and hugged me. I hugged him back as a silent tear ran down the side of my face. I closed my eyes as he pulled me closer and more tears ran, making an escape onto the back of his shirt. I pulled away and wiped the tears off my face as quickly as I could. I hated crying in public, yet I loved to see the sky cry. It was the only thing that kept me sane.

My dad had loved the rain, too. Perhaps that was part of the reason I loved it so much, it was like a part of him. He had been murdered earlier this week. No one knew who had killed him, and there had been no evidence left behind. The police had spent very little time on the investigation and gave up quickly. I was still in a tight black dress from his funeral earlier this morning.

"Maybe we should do something to cheer you up," Jake suggested.

"That's really sweet, but I'm not really in the mood," I replied gloomily.

"I know what you're going through, my mom died a few years back. You need to get your mind off of everything, and sitting here staring at the rain is only making it worse," Jake said trying to sound convincing.

"I should probably just go home," I mumbled.

"Shutting yourself out from us isn't going to work. I know you're sad, and we want to help you. Please just let us take you out," Sophie said.

I let out a breath and nodded reluctantly.

"Then let's go, we need to get you dressed up," she said letting out a small smirk.

I slipped on my rain jacket and followed her outside, Alec by my side and Jake behind us. I left my hood down as we stepped into the pouring rain. I lifted my head to the sky and let the water run down my face. My red-brown hair became soaked, the curls becoming heavy with water. The four of us sloshed through the water-forsaken sidewalks. I quickly realized open toed shoes had not been the best choice for today. My feet became heavy and sluggish. Alec realized this and stopped to bend down. I jumped up onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He held my legs and kept walking. He let me down when we approached the front door of Sophie's apartment.

"No worries, my parents aren't home," she said as she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

We all followed and closed the door behind us. I took off my rain jacket and followed Sophie down the hall to her room. The boys turned on her Xbox in the living room. I sat on her bed as she rummaged through her closet. She threw a body-tight dress in my direction. The dress was burgundy, my favorite color. I slipped it on. It was extremely low cut and extremely short.

"I'm not really sure if I should be pulling it up or down," I said looking in the mirror.

Sophie came up behind me.

"You look beautiful. It sets off your hair," she said handing me a pair of heels.

I slipped them on. I was so much taller. Normally, I'm only 5"2', so for a 16 year old, that's pretty short. I was nearly as tall as Sophie until she put on a pair of heels of her own. After a few more touch ups, we went back into the living room. Alec looked me up and down.

"You look gorgeous," he said finally.

"Thanks, you do too," I replied.

I was mostly trying to be nice, but he did look good in a simple button up.

"We should get going so that we can get in by ten," Jake said.

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked.

"You'll see," Sophie said grabbing her keys as we all made a run for the car.

She tossed the keys in midair to Jake who caught them and climbed into the drivers seat. Alec took shotgun as Sophie and I climbed into the backseat. It was only a ten-minute drive, all of which was in silence. We found a parking space and got out. Neon blue letters read Basque.

"You're taking me to a night club?" I asked.

"It'll be fun, I promise," Alec said.