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I want to say that after I ran out of that diner, Trent and I made up and we were best friends again. But of course, this is reality, and feelings were definitely hurt that night.
While soaked down to my broken heart, I made my way home. My head was down, avoiding the sympathetic looks from dry strangers under their umbrellas. Thunder caused me to jump, but I kept walking because I was silently hoping Trent would run after me. It was selfish, especially since it was myself who crossed that line.
You have a lot of thoughts when you walk through the rain. It was hard not to think about the cold water falling on me, mostly because it reminded me of a certain school morning. But as I walked down the cracked sidewalk, I remember what my dad once told me.
"There's nothing to worry about, sweet girl. The rain is beautiful."
Tears were still silently running down my face when my dad had opened that door and sat on my bed next to me. I was a quivering mess as he comforted me, telling me in a hushed voice that it was going to be okay. Time passed quickly and soon he said I needed to go back to sleep. "Face the storm before you go to sleep," he said. "You need a brave mind to have the best dreams possible."
My little five year old legs carried me to the window and I hovered by my butterfly curtains, scared to look outside. My dad got up from my bed and kneeled beside me, coaxing my hands away from my eyes. He opened the curtains all the way and showed me the storm outside.
"Even angels cry, Paige. Not even beings as beautiful as them are immune to pain." Then he took my tiny hands in his and looked me in the eyes with a genuine expression, understanding being shown without mocking my seemingly pathetic fear. "You are my angel, sweet girl. My strong, beautiful angel. Don't be scared of tears. They hurt at first but then they water the flowers... The good things."
I stared at him and nodded confidently before sticking my thumb in my mouth. My dad laughed, loud and clear, before picking me up and tucking me back into bed. "That's my girl."
My dad slept beside me that night because of the storm. But from then on, I was no longer afraid of thunder or lightening, because it reminded me of the dad who was best friend, no matter what happened to our relationship. No matter how terrible it got, I remembered my father's words. The rain comes pouring fast, but after it comes the flowers and beautiful things.
With Atticus gone and Trent slipping away, I knew I was in the middle of a hurricane. But I also knew that, no matter how strong the winds, a flower would bloom.
And I held tightly onto that hope.
--- A/N The wonderful comments inspired me to update for the second time this weekend :) Thank you!
