The Boy in the Rain//Klance

10. Keith

I just can't seem to fall back asleep.

I'm lying in bed, staring at my ceiling thinking about my dream I just woke up from. I run my hand through my hair.

The boy in the rain....looks like Lance.

They both have the same sad, dark blue eyes. They have brown hair and skin. Both are taller than me which is infuriating.

When it hits me I smack my forehead. How could I be so dumb and oblivious.

Lance is the boy in the rain.

I jump out of bed and scramble to put on sneakers. I need to see Lance. I need to talk to him.

"Don't forget, the key is under the mat."

I know where he lives. I saw him in that poorer neighborhood on Monday. If the key is under the mat maybe I can open the door and try to wake Lance up?

It probably won't work but I'll still try.

I open my bedroom window and lift my left leg out first. Then my right leg. Then I completely leave the window. I'm on the roof but luckily it's not too high up.

Tuck and roll. Tuck and roll.

I jump. Tuck. And roll.

Good, I'm fine. I've practiced that for years now, I've had years of sneaking out of this hell hole. I cross the grassy yard and I look in the garage. I can't have a car but I need something just as fast.

I look around and there I see my black and red motorcycle standing against the wall. That'll do. I get on and start up the engine. I hold tight on the handlebars and I drive to the gate.

The gate automatically senses a person inside and opens for me. I drive out quickly.

Tonight is a perfect night for a motorcycle ride but I can't focus on that. I need to see Lance.

What do I even want to say to him? "Hey I saw you when we were about ten. Let's be best friends."

No. Definitely not.

It would be nice though. I know Lance doesn't have any friends and my only friends are Pidge and Hunk. They're good friends but them two are besties, I'm just an add on.

I drive fast. It's dark outside so all I see is the street lights.

I realize I'm in Lance's neighborhood. I slow down and pass each house carefully trying to remember what house was his. Until I see up ahead a door open and a figure run out.

Lance?

I drive quicker to meet up with the figure and I see it is Lance. I see him run out his door with tears streaming down his face. I see someone who looks just like Lance but older and has scruff screaming for him. An older brother?

"LANCE!" I scream. Lance immediately stops. He turns around and his crying face turns to pure shock. "Keith? What are you doing here?" I shake my head. "Just get on, I have a helmet for you." Lance looks back at his house and then back to me. He nods. "Okay." He climbs on behind me and puts on the helmet I hand him.

He wraps his arms around my waist and I immediately blush. Now is not the time Keith. He hugs my back and his whole chest leans against my back. His legs are spread around behind me.

Oh shit now is definitely not the time Keith. Stop thinking that way.

I start up the engine which probably wakes the whole neighborhood but I don't care. I need to go somewhere where I can talk to Lance. In private.

I drive fast because I want to talk to Lance now. I want to know why he's crying, I want to know if he remembers me. Wind blows against my jacket and it sways in the wind.

I see the park and I drive us to the parking lot. I stop slowly in a spot and I steady the bike to let Lance off.

I take off my helmet and I see Lance, with his helmet off too. Tears still on his cheeks but he has the biggest grin I've ever seen.

"Keith you have to take me on more rides later sometime." I laugh. That's what he has to say? I put our helmets on the bike and we walk into the park.

I see two swings next to each other and I sit on one. Lance sits on the one next to me.

"So...do you wanna talk first?" Lance says to me, breaking the silence. "Yeah sure."

Where to begin? I didn't know how hard it would be to talk with him. He's looking at me anxiously as if I might say something bad.

"When you were about ten do you remember being out in the rain and a boy bringing an umbrella to you and walking you home?" I just say it. No going back now.

Lance's mouth gapes. "How- how did you know that?" I mentally facepalm, "Because that was me and that was you. We've met before." Lance is still in shock.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?" I nod a yes. "Well this is kind of awesome..what a coincidence that we meet again." Lance smiles at me. I agree, it must mean something that we are together now.

"Will you tell me why you were crying?" I ask tentatively. I don't want him to shy away so I try to be gentle. Lance looks away with pain in his eyes and I feel I've made the wrong choice.

He twists his hands together. It's a long silence but he finally says something.

"I couldn't stay in my house because my own mind was telling me things that I shouldn't have to listen to. I was hoping to be distracted. If I left the house maybe I could be distracted and I wouldn't hear the voice or-" his voice cracks, "Feel the pain." He points towards his stomach and it clicks. He didn't want me to buy him anything at the cafe, he only had half of his muffin, and he didn't eat lunch ever at school.

"You don't eat." I say plainly. He nods, "I mean if I didn't eat completely I'd die but-" he sighs, "I'll eat every day but it's something small and I just end up throwing it up anyway...." My one stomach twists. Why does he do this to himself?

I stand up from my swing and stand in front of Lance. He lifts his eyes to me and looks up with the most pitiful expression I've ever seen.

I get down on my knees so I'm level with him on the swing. I keep staring at him and he keeps staring at me with confusion. I reach forward and I pull him into my chest in a tight embrace.

At first he doesn't hug back but I don't care. As long as he knows I care for him I don't care if he doesn't feel the same way for me. We sit there for a couple minutes, me hugging him, him being awestruck. Until he hugs me back.

He gets off of the swing and joins me on the ground and wraps his arms around me. His face tucks into my neck and I can feel his raspy breathing on my neck. It tingles and I almost jump.

We hold each other as I hear Lance cry. Why is he crying? His sniffles are right next to my ear and it hurts me to know how much pain he's in and I can do anything to stop it.

"Keith...Keith tell me why." I'm confused and I start rubbing his back. "What?" His breathing hiccups and he cries hard, "Tell me why even now. I'm with you and you're hugging me and I'm hugging you and this is all I wanted. But-" He stops for a minute and I pull him away from me and hold his shoulders. He has tears all over his face, his eyes are red and puffy I see a bit of snot on the edge of his nose.

"But what?" I shake him. He stares at me with the most emotionless look I've ever seen. "But why is the voice still haunting me?"