Rain for the Unfortunate (unedited)

O N E

/O N E/

IT WAS APRIL 4TH when a got a new soul on my side.

I ran upstairs as fast as I could, trying not to trip over my two left feet. I had to get away from that monster and find my kid brother, Vinny. I managed get to his bedroom door and saw a vulnerable child hiding under a bed, tears streaming down his face and his hands covering his ears.

My heart broke into two pieces and I wanted to run and comfort him, but I was violently tugged back by a yank of my hair.

"You dumb little bitch!" Mr. Walters slurred, his hot alcoholic breath blowing in my face. He threw me away from the doorway and made his way into the room. "I'm here for the little fuck."

I ran to him as fast as I could, tugging hard onto his arms. "Leave him alone!" He elbowed me in my stomach and I cried out in pain. He then started beating on me and I was relieved it was on me instead if Vinny.

He slapped me hard across my face, slurring out crude names and pushing me to the floor. He eventually left me on the floor in pain to go to the store and buy himself another set of beer.

I stayed on the floor for another ten minutes, hearing Vinny's muffled sniffles. I didn't know what to tell him so I just slowly got up from that spot and took his hands, guiding him from underneath the bed.

I gave him a hug that felt as if it lasted for hours and took his bag pack from underneath the bed. I put his bag on his back and went to fetch mine.

"Ronnie?" Vinny's voice was quiet and he was standing at my doorway.

"Leave it, Vinny," I said grabbing my messenger bag and scattered papers I recognized as unfinished homework that was due today. I then walked with him slowly downstairs and into the living room, looking out for "dad."

We got dressed in our raincoats and waited three seconds before walking out the door like we always did. It was pouring heavily outside and I gotten the umbrella out of my bag, it was the only umbrella we had in the house. I kept Vinny close to me as we both stood under the black portable circular cover, and walked to school.

It was a regular day in the life of the Walter kids.

The Walter kids were two of the many freaks of Seaside Heights high school. Everyone knew we had an abusive dad and felt as if it was funny or made us freaky. It was pure bullshit at this school but we had to take the heat.

"Go onto your side, kid," I mumbled to Vinny putting him on the head, and gave him the umbrella. There were different entrances for each section of the school. Sixth to eighth went though the side entrance and the higher grades went through the front doors which lead to the main halls.

I put my hood over my head and held tightly onto my bag as I received ugly stares from all kinds of people. I learned how to become numb to them, ignoring them was easy but when they tired to come up in your face was a different story. As bad as I wanted to just hurt anyone or cry to the guidance counselor, I just walk about with balled fists.

Someone felt that it was the good choice to say something smart which made other people laugh. Then the whispering started and verbal teasing began. I drowned their voices out and listened to the rain. Each pitter patter for when the rain fell onto the cement ground, made up for each of their words.

I made it to the front doors without anyone actually coming up to me, and I headed straight for my first class; Psychology.

I was always the first person to get to class because it avoided conflict, or at least made it less worse. My seat was farther from the door, the teacher and reality. No one would pay attention to me when I'm sitting down in that seat, and I loved it. Mr. Bruno wasn't in today, so I put my hood up over my head and put my head on the desk.

I kept thinking about Vinny. He was only in the seventh grade, he didn't deserve to go through this. Why would someone want anyone to go through this? I never understood the reason why people would go as far to put hands on someone, especially their family.

I felt myself almost tear up at the thought of our "dad" putting his hands on him. It made me want to vomit a little too.

Class soon started and the classroom was being filled with people. I didn't look up to look at anyone, they shouldn't see me and I shouldn't give them anything to look at. I felt a gust of wind in front of me, which was weird. The seat in front of me, which was had been vacant for four months into sophomore year, was now taken by someone. It was someone that I've never seen in school before and I knew he was new because he looked at with a smile.

No one at this school has ever given me a smile before.

He wore a letterman jacket so he was on the football team. Something as dangerous as smiling at me should be hard-driven in his mind. I kept a poker face and put my head back down on the table, facing the window and watching the water drops on the window.

"Hey, I'm Shaun."

I picked my head up from the desk to see the same boy looking at me with the same smile on his face. I didn't say anything and put my head back down.

"So uh," I heard the unsteadiness in his voice and it made me more irritated, "no teacher, so free period, right?"

"Aren't you afraid of someone seeing you talk to me?" I blurted out annoyed. I gave him a glare and he shrunk a little in his seat.

"Why would I be?" He asked, completely clueless to who I was and his social status.

"Aren't you in the football team? Is this some sort of sick joke?" I spat, "it wasn't funny last year and it's not funny now." He looked at me taken aback and almost for a second I believed him.

"No, I swear," he held his hands up in defense looking me dead straight in the eye, "I'm new here, sorry if I don't know what's going on around here. I'm not on the football team, it's just a jacket."

I rolled my eyes and put my head in my hands. I didn't bother saying anything to him because I accused him of something for something he didn't know about. It was also because I knew he'd ask me question and I'd have to explain why no one likes me. "Why wrong? Why would you get joked on?"

"It's nothing," I brushed it off and took out a copy of the 'Perks of Being A Wallflower," "just if you want friends here, don't talk to me."

The boy looked at me with narrow eyes and pouted like he was trying to figure something out. I gave him pointed look, wondering if he was going to say anything. Then he said something that I wished I'd heard in the toughest times.

"What if I want to be your friend?"