Academy One Shots

Loss

       Rain pelted the ground, coating it in a heavy layer of water and masking the tears trailing over the crests of my cheeks as I stood out in the downpour.

       All I could do was watch as Kota dug the pit harder with every plow of his shovel. Erika sat under the back porch with Jessica held firmly in her arms, the both of them trying to find comfort in the other's embrace. There wasn't anything I could do to make this situation better, so I kept to myself and allowed their small family to grieve their loss.

       Kota's green shirt was soaked through and plastered to every inch of his skin. The strain of his muscles shifted beneath his shirt as he held the wooden handle of the shovel in his white-knuckled grip.

       The moment he collapsed to his knees was when I knew that I couldn't keep to myself any longer. I crossed the lawn, coming up behind his hunched body and I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He was cold to the touch, even to me, and I knelt beside him on the wet ground before wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders.

       "Kota," I whispered beside the fall of rain. The smell of damp earth and Kota's spicy cologne hung heavy in the wet air. "What can I do?" I pleaded into the nape of his neck.

       The shovel dropped from his fingers and he reached up to grasp onto my hands above his chest. He gave my hands a weak squeeze and brought my left hand up to his cool lips. "Just hold me a little bit longer, please?" he murmured against my skin, his voice barely audible above the storm going on around us.

       I nodded. I would stay as long as he needed me to.

       I moved my body so that I could shield him the best that I could from the onslaught of rain. It wasn't easy, considering how much bigger he was, but I still tried.

       It couldn't have been more than a few minutes before the rain stopped pelting our backs. My head lifted and I caught Nathan's dull gaze. His arm was outstretched over Kota and myself and a red umbrella was held in the palm of his hand.

       North stomped across the backyard, muddy puddles splashing with each heavy footstep. He snatched the discarded shovel from the ground without a glance at any of us. The sounds of rocks and earth scraping against the metal of the shovel could be heard over the rain as North picked up digging where Kota had left off.

       None of us looked in the direction of the lumpy, black tarp off to the side of the pit. It was easier to pretend that it wasn't there.

       Something crinkly was draped across the back of my shoulders and I peered up into two warm, cocoa irises.

       Luke's worried face filled my vision and I noted the pale blue raincoat he must have placed on me. His long, blonde hair wasn't tied back today and it fell on either side of his face. Behind him and Nathan, stood most of the others.

       Owen and Sean stood side by side with a black umbrella held between the two of them. Sean's normally cheerful gaze was dimmed as he watched the events unfold before him. The curls of his blonde hair were relaxed because of the rain and they stuck to his forehead in loosened spirals.

       Owen's lips were pressed into a harsh line and even from the distance between us, I could read the pain in his gray eyes. A stray lock of hair fell onto his forehead, but he made no move to smooth it back in place. The muddy ground seeped over his once polished shoes and the hems of his gray suit pants were darkened from the water.

       Silas came over once North was finished digging and he picked up the black tarp. Dense droplets of water rolled off its surface as Silas carefully carried it over to the handmade grave.