That One Rainy Night on Cloverdale Street

The Fisherman

The rain pitter-pattered on the fogged windows as thunder rumbled. The air was crisp and cold, mixing with the welcoming warmth of the heaters.
"You've got to be kidding me," Jaiden said as she sat down with her friends, Cole and Angus, "how'd you even manage to rip that, Cole?"
"Well, it's not my fault!" Cole started, "Angus was the one that pushed me!" he gestured to Angus, who was lounging on the beanbag in the corner of Jaiden's room.
"Really, Angus? That was my only copy!" Jaiden told Angus as she took the comic from Cole.
"Kids, it's 9:30! Stop reading those books and start getting ready to go home!" Jaiden's mom told them from down the hall.
Jaiden opened her door and yelled back, "Mom, can't we have 10 more minutes?"
"Honey, it's a school night!" Her mom responded. Jaiden groaned as she shut her bedroom door.
Cole stood up and grabbed his jacket, "I should probably go home anyway" He said, "My mom will flip if I don't get home before 10"
"Come on, dude" Jaiden whined, "Angus, you won't ditch me too, right?"
Angus didn't look up from the comic he was reading "Nah, my parents couldn't give a damn about me"
"Must be nice" Cole scoffed, "Remember when I tripped on an uneven sidewalk, and my mom made me wear knee-pads for a week?"
Angus chuckled at Cole and finally looked up from the comic "Hey Jay, does your mom mind if I stay over? My sister is having her gross boyfriend over and I really don't want to be home for that"
Cole mockingly made kissy noises at Angus and ducked when Angus threw a pillow at him. They bickered and scuffled, having Cole nearly knock Angus' glasses off. Jaiden ignored them and hollered down the hall.
"Hey, mom? Can Angus sleepover tonight?"
Her mom yelled back with an equally rowdy tone "Do his parents know?"
Jaiden looked over at Angus with a questioning face as he and Cole suddenly stopped fighting, and Angus shrugged.
"Uhm, yeah!" Jaiden lied "Yeah, his parents know!" Jaiden held her breath. After a moment of silence, her mom responded reluctantly, "Okay, alright, he can stay. But make sure you give him a pillow and a blanket!"
"I will!" Jaiden said as Angus silently celebrated, pushing Cole off him in the process. Cole got up off the floor, wiped off his shirt and checked his watch.
"Crap! I'm almost late!" Cole said has he panicked and grabbed all his things. Cole struggled to get his jacket on and rushed to the door. He tripped on his own foot while tugging on his sneakers and almost smacked his face into the wall. Cole quickly shouted, "Bye! See you guys tomorrow!" as he slammed the door fast enough that he couldn't hear his friends reply.
Cole sprinted through the dark rain as he put his hood up, in a failed attempt to cover his dull red hair. He slowed down to catch his breath. Cole stopped and stood in the rain, letting the cold raindrops hit his face and soak his shoes. It was calming the way the heavy rain mixed with the light breeze. It had made his hair, which was quite dark from the rain, slowly flutter above his forehead. Cole took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. He stood there in that calming state for what felt like an eternity. He opened his eyes and was startled to see a tall figure in a yellow raincoat only about ten feet from him. Cole slowly began to walk again. A dark void from under the figure's hood closely followed Cole as he walked. He could feel his heart-beat racing as his walk turned into a run, and that run into a sprint. Cole raced down the street as raindrops smacked his face and got in his eyes, blurring his vision. He ran until he got to his house. He quickly swung the door open and slammed it behind him. He stood still for a moment before he hit his back to the door and slid down, choking on his own breath.