This Can't Be Love

Chapter 4

Monday morning rolled around and Rain found herself  waiting in front of her house for Aaron who had promised to walk with her to school. She didn't want him to have to wait for her, so she had made sure to get ready early so she could be outside first. It wasn't long before she heard the distant sound of running footsteps. She looked over the the right to see Aaron running towards her house.

He stopped by her side and leaned down to place his hands on his knees while he caught his breath. "Sorry I'm late." He said, panting.

"No no no, you're not late! I just got out here early so you wouldn't have to wait for me if I wasn't ready on time." Rain replied quickly.

Aaron stood up and smiled. "Still, it's more gentlemanly to wait for the lady. Even more so when the lady is a beautiful princess." 

He adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and offered his hand. Rain blushed and let slip a small smile before accepting his hand. They set off to school hand in hand. The school prince, and his princess. The silence between them was comfortable and neither of them wanted to break it. The sun was warming their backs as they walked and stretched out their shadows in front of them; joined where their hands grasped each other's. The school came into view up ahead and Rain tried to free her hand.

"What are you doing?" Aaron asked, holding it tighter.

"Won't it be bad for you if you're seen with someone like me?" Rain commented.

"I don't really care what they think. So just walk next to me with your head held high." He replied.

Rain did just that and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Kids' mouths were gaping open and their faces were utterly shocked when they saw the pair stroll though the front doors together. There was no doubt they'd be the highlight of conversations for a while. 

"Aaron!" A girl's voice called out. 

Rain looked over and saw an extremely attractive girl strutting towards them. Her long blonde hair swayed back and forth and her face almost looked like a dolls with how perfect her make-up was. She looked like a lead cheerleader from some cliché high school movie.

"Good morning, Stacy." Aaron said. Geez, her name even sounds cliché. Rain thought to herself.

"Good morning to you, too." She glanced at Rain. "What in the world are you doing hanging out with someone like her?" she sneered. 

"You mean Rain?" Aaron wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Why wouldn't I be with her? Last time I checked, it isn't unusual for a boyfriend to be together with his girlfriend." He said innocently. 

"What?!" Stacy exclaimed. "She's your girlfriend? You must have fallen pretty low to be with someone like her." Stacy turned on her heel, her hair whipping around and hitting Rain's face. She stalked away and sulked.

"Are you sure you want to be with me? Rumors will start and your reputation will most likely go down." Rain said.

"Are you suggesting my reputation is more important than you are? Don't you go thinking up such stupid ideas. Maintaining a reputation is not a top priority." Aaron lightly scolded.

Rain smiled and a light blush spread across her cheeks. "Thank you."

"No problem. Come on, I'll walk you to class." Aaron took her hand and they started off, ignoring people's stares.

He dropped her off at her English class but before she could walk away he pulled her back and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. Rain's face turned a flaming shade of red and Aaron just laughed lightly. "Wait for me here and I'll come walk you to your next class." He winked and left to got to whatever he had for his first class.

As days rolled by, the hate-filled glares she usually received started to fade away. Aaron's fangirls had finally started to accept that Rain was Aaron's girlfriend now. At least, she hoped they were. Then again, if it played out like the books and movies, they were really plotting some sort of trap, or try to trick her somehow. Days turned into weeks and before she knew it, her and Aaron had been going out for almost a month. They had hung out, went on dates, and done everything normal couples would do. He almost always greeted her with a quick kiss on the forehead and said goodbye the same way. They hadn't actually kissed like they did on the first date. She figured that had been a kind of spur of the moment action. They were taking it slow and she was fine with that.

Samantha frequently asked how their relationship was going and offered "helpful" pointers. Rain would listen to them and file them away in the back of her mind, but she never actually used them. Every time they had a date, Samantha insisted on helping Rain get ready. She always ended up looking nothing like her usual self but it never failed to take Aaron's breath away. He introduced her to all of his friends and she was slowly accepted into their group. Rain had never felt so happy at school. She had a group of friends that she could talk and laugh with. She always thought friends would be a pointless burden, but they were exactly the opposite. She tried talking to Marco more, but ever since she had started dating Aaron, he had started talking to her less and less until he finally flat out ignored her.

Rain accepted the treatment and didn't really blame him. For the longest time she had given him the same treatment. She just gave him his space and hoped he would be her friend again soon. Rain had been worried that her grades would drop now that there were distractions in her life, but since her and Aaron studied after school three or four days a week, she was able to keep up. She also found free time on the weekends when she could do school work. Her life was going pretty good. Her grades were stable, she had a boyfriend, and her social life had taken a turn for the better. Yes, she was happy with everything. She was happy with Aaron.

Could this be love? Yes, it was.