Lost Children

Jane

I taste the rain before it falls. At first it came down as a slight mist; cool and welcoming as the droplets stuck to my skin. Though I'd barely finished a lap around the track field when the mist turned into the usual rain. A steady stream of droplets that soaked into my clothes, causing them to stick to me like a second layer of skin. Uncomfortable, but easily ignored; and never enough for Mr. Adituck to cancel practice. Especially not so close to a meet.

"My shoes!" Mallory complains beside me as she gives me a look that appeared more amused than annoyed. I smile back at her, but I don't voice a reply.

The rain continues on relentlessly throughout the remainder of practice, though luckily Mr. Adituck has found it in his heart to let us out a bit earlier than usual.

"Looks like it might storm, I want all of you to head straight home, you hear me. Also avoid the roads near the lake! Just to be safe." Mr. Adituck has to yell to be heard over the rain, and I'm just watching the mini streams of water run down his bald scalp like it were a car window.

With practice over the girls all race towards the changing rooms. I'm pulled along by Mallory and Lauren, who both laugh as they lead me towards the showers.

"You should shower before you go." Lauren says as she begins to peel her top away from her torso. Exposing her freckled skin and cute plum colored sports bra beneath. I look around and notice the rest of the girls following suit. Each in varying states of undress, and a slight blush tinges my cheeks.

"I want to get home before the rain gets worse." I reply as I look down at my hands. My eyes follow the creases of each line as though they were apart of a map and I was searching for something.

"Alright then, see you tomorrow." Mallory shrugs, giving me a quick hug before running off towards the showers. Lauren hesitates a moment longer before following suit.

"Text me when you get home." She smiles before leaving me on my own.

"Bye, Janey!" The rest of the girls call out to me as I grab my things from my locker and head towards the door. I don't bother sifting through my things for a jacket, since I'm already soaked, and with a final wave to the rest of the girls I head back out into the rain.

In the short time inside the locker room it seemed that the rain had gotten worse, and I hope that the others hurry up and get home before it gets too bad to drive. I run towards the student parking lot and hide beneath the canopy of the gymnasium. A small bit of the roof that extended farther than the building. A slight reprieve from the worsening storm.

I fish for my phone inside my bag and hit the first number in my contacts. The phone rings... and nothing. I call three more times before I finally get an answer.

"Hello?" She's breathless. I don't dare ask why.

"Mom, practice ended early, I need you to pick me up." As I talk I stick my foot out towards the rain. Going just far enough to see the droplets graze the tip of my shoe before pulling my leg back, and starting over again.

"Oh, I thought Vanessa was bringing you home today?"

"No, she's got that debutante thing today remember?" I bite back the sigh, but can't help but to roll my eyes.

"I can't come, I'm in Highland with Daryl. You remember Daryl? It would take me hours to get there through this rain. I know you have lots of friends, ask one of them for a lift." At first she sounds guilty, like a child who knows that they've done something wrong. Though whatever guilt she feels doesn't last long, and within seconds she is back to her usual perky cadence. "I have to go now, call me when you get home. Love you!" She hangs up before I can even get in a word else wise, and all those unsaid complaints shoot back around at me in the form of anger.

"Fuck." I growl to myself, followed by the sudden clap of thunder. I look out at the worsening storm and just watch as the lightning flashes in the distance. The thudding of the rain has become so loud that I can barely hear the beating of my own heart, and even the little dry spot beneath the canopy was no longer safe from the changing currents of the wind. I wonder for a moment if I made the storm angry by teasing it earlier, then I smile at my own thoughts.

If worse comes to worse, I'll just sleep in the library tonight. Our library isn't so bad.

"Hey, are you waiting for someone?"

A voice calls out to me, and I look over to find myself staring into an unfamiliar face. He is taller than me by a head, with thick, wet black hair and eyes the same caramel brown as his skin. The first thing to draw my attention are the piercings that decorate his ears, followed by the black ink that peaks through the collar of his shirt.

He doesn't join me beneath the canopy but continues to stand right beneath the downpour of the rain. Allowing the water to wash over him as though he were being baptized.

Instinctively I smile.