A rainy day

          A raindrop silently fell on the grey pavement. And then an other one, and another, followed by million more, and by the time the bell announced the end of the last lesson, there was a terrible downpour outside.

          She sighed as she stepped in the cold hall. Everyone else was in hurry to be at home as soon as possible, but this wasn't Laura's case. She hoped the rain would stop soon, but the weather didn't seem to fulfill wishes today. How is she supposed to go home now? She gazed through the hall door's glass and wondered if this day could get any worse. It could. The silence was suddenly cut by an unfriendly voice.

"You can't stay here young lady. The school is closing now. "

Laura looked at the cleaner unsure what to do. Maybe if she asked her to let her wait a little longer... But... She really wasn't in a mood for an argument. She picked up her bag, and opened the heavy door.

"There is a bus stop near..." Laura thought as she started to run. " Maybe i can wait there."

         The bus stop wasn't far, but she was never good at running, nor any sports, so even this short distance required all her effort. There was no way she can keep running. For the thousandth time that day, she wished to travel back in time and return for the phone she forgot on the kitchen table. She collapsed on the bus stop's bench and closed her eyes.

"My mom must be worried about me," she thought. "I never come home late... We were planning to have a movie night, but i promissed to help her with the dinner first. And to help my little brother with his math homework too... But this rain can't last forever, right?"

          Suddenly, an arriving bus brought her back to reality. She observed, as a chubby boy just around her age got of, and hid under the bus stop's roof while he struggled with his umbrella. 

"Damn it!" he mumbled, as he tried to make the stuck mechanism work again.

"Can i try it?" Laura asked quietly

"Oh!" The boy turned around in shock. He was so busy with his umbrella that he haven't even noticed that he is not alone. "I.... Sure, here u go..." he said as he handed her the reason of his struggle. She took a quick look at it and smiled. It had the exact same problem as her father's. Opening it was a piece of cake for her. She handed it back to it's owner.

"Here."

"Thank you," the boy smiled. "You know, it is not mine, it's my sisters. She made me take it in the morning, saying it will be rainy today. I didn't want it at first, but i'm glad she made me take it anyway."

Laura replied with a polite smile. She didn't know what to say. And besides, he can go home now, or wherever he was heading to. He was just about to step out in the rain, when another bus arrived. He watched it releasing a few of it's passengers, and then speeding away. He waited till he wasn't in the risk of getting splashed anymore, and wanted to walk away, but his eyes fell on the bus stop board, where only two bus lines were displayed. He came with one, and the other just left, so that means...

"You are not waiting for a bus, are you?" he asked.

" No, i'm not."

"It's the rain, right?"

"Yes"

"Can' t you call someone to pick you up?"

"No. I forgot my phone at home"

"Why didn't you go home with a friend then?"

She haven't said anything this time. She wanted to tell him, how her classmates are making it clear for her that she is different. How they spread rumours about her, or if looking at the clock and counting how much time is still left till the end of the lesson would be a sport, she would be a champion. But why? She doesn't need anyone's pity. A tear run down her face. She looked away and hoped he haven't seen that. But he did and understood the unspoken truth.

"Which direction do you need to go?" he asked quietly. "I am not living far from here, maybe we can share my umbrella if you would like to."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you," she said.

"By the way, i'm Nick," the boy introduced himself.

"My name is Laura," she said, as he held up the umbrella.

          They left the bus stop. And the rain kept falling down, but she didn't mind it anymore.