A Connection We Can't Resist. Book 1.

Chapter 11: Realization at its Finest

The next day at school, Rain lost any motivation she had to take control of her life. None of her friends would talk to her, and when they noticed her in the halls, they acted as if she were a stranger. It was embarrassing and she almost allowed herself to cry three times throughout the first half of the day.

Rain didn't expect them to be so harsh, but she guessed that they actually were done with her. It was a hard concept to grasp since technically she hadn't done anything, but in their eyes she had.

She was completely at a loss on what to do because she didn't want to be the first to talk to them; she was always the first to apologize. And even if she did, it probably wouldn't make a difference. This was more than just a typical fight, and Rain had no idea which approach would be best.

Therefore, she just sat around and waited for some sort of sign to tell her what she should do. Being an impatient person, waiting wasn't her strong suit, but it was better than approaching them head on and embarrassing herself when they turn her down. She definitely couldn't handle that.

Sighing, Rain sat down at a vacant lunch table. She wasn't sure how she expected it would be, but it wasn't like this. She was hoping for some sort of sympathy from them, but she guessed that was something only friends give.

Rain noticed as she looked up from the table that the group was gathered at a table note far from her own; the group that she used to be apart of. Every single one of them wanted nothing to do with her. It was unbearable.

Feeling awkward, she scarfed down the rest of her lunch and hurriedly left the lunchroom. Every time she heard them laugh, she felt as if it was directed at her, and she didn't like feeling that way. She didn't want to be the reason behind their humor. After that, any desire to take control of the situation completely faltered; it was obvious that her friends no longer wanted to associate with her.
Putting her head down, Rain walked through the ghost- like halls of the school. Everyone was still in class or at lunch, and she had about 15 minutes to kill. She wasn't that desperate yet to go hide in the bathroom, so walking around the empty halls was the only option.

As she continued to walk, another pair of converse appeared in her view, causing her to look up, but the figure began to briskly walk away from her when he noticed who she was. This was the sign she had been waiting for.

"Jake, wait." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, but she decided to take advantage of Jake being by himself. "Please, we need to talk."

She caught him by the arm and grabbed ahold of his arm, which she tightened her grip on when he attempted to pull away. There was no way Rain was going to let this opportunity fly by; it may never come around again.

"No, we don't need to talk," he spat. "You did all the talking when you let Matt back into your life."

She couldn't believe that they were all this upset with her over it. Jake, technically, she could understand for obvious reasons, but the rest of them should've understood why she almost did what she did.

"I didn't let him back into my life," she defended, which earned Jake's attention. "Yes, he came over, and I was going to give him another chance, but then I realized it wasn't worth it if I lost all my friends." She met his eyes. "I had him leave, Jake."

He didn't look convinced, but he stood his ground nonetheless. He just stared at her, appearing to not know what to say. "What can I do to make you forgive me?' Rain begged, completely desperate for some sort of normality in her life. She waited and waited for an answer she believed would never come, until Jake spoke.

And his words were not what she expected to hear at all.

"Can you love me?" Rain let go of his arm in shock, and recoiled slightly away from him. "Can you?" He moved towards her, so close that his face was about two inches away from hers.