Rain

•2•

Pete's head throbbed. He turned the light on once he got into the house, not caring if his parents would punish him for going in the rain. He pulled his hand away from the back of his head. Blood mixed with the water in his hair.

"Fuck." He mutters, walking into the bathroom.

"Peter?" His father walked down the stairs.

"Uh...shit." He mutters. "Yeah?

"What are you doing awake? It's early."

His dad noticed Pete's hands, some light red on the tips of his fingers.

"What's that? Are you bleeding?"

Pete adverts his eyes. "Yeah." His hands go to the back of his head again.

"Let me see, son." His dad carefully removes Pete's hands and moves around Pete's wet hair.

"Oh you've got a little gash. What happened?" He steps away and his eyes trail down Pete. "Why are you wet?"

"I..." He trails off.

"You....?"

"I was in the rain. Running around. My shoe slid and I fell backward." Pete keeps the banging out of the story.

"You fell on your elbows too." His dad points to two scrapes on the back of Pete's elbows.

"Yeah..."

"You dumbass." Pete's dad laughs.

"That's me." Pete laughs.

"Does your head hurt?"

Pete nods.

"I'll take you to the doctor tomorrow, I want to make sure you don't have a concussion."

Pete nods. His head goes ahead and begins cleaning Pete's wounds. He tosses some bandages on them before sending Pete upstairs to bed.

Pete opens his window and turns on his light. He peels off his wet clothing and grabs some boxers and a T-shirt. His tugs the boxers on and puts the shirt on his bed. Pete spends 20 minutes in the bathroom. Mostly dancing in the mirror. He comes back out and head towards his window, tugging his shirt on. He notices the window across the street. A blue light is quickly covered by a shade. Pete cocks his head.

Is that where the banging was coming from?

It couldn't be.

The Stumps lived there.

More specifically Patrick Stump.

Patrick went to school with Pete most of his years. Pete knew him as the kid who couldn't touch water. People didn't understand it. His friends would mess with Patrick, tease him, bully him. Right after finals in sophomore year, they splashed water on him, dousing his left arm and some of his torso. He didn't come back for Junior year. Pete hasn't seen him since. He wonders what Patrick looks like now.

Maybe he should visit Patrick?

Wait...would that be weird?

Pete's phone starts to ring just as he falls into bed. He groans and picks it up.

"Hello?"

"What's up Wentz?" His friend, Jason, is on the other line.

"Trying to sleep." Pete exaggerates his voice to sound like he's been sleeping.

"Want to go out tomorrow?"

"Where to?" He sighs.

"I don't fucking know dude. Maybe the mall? Maybe the skate park?"