Forced Royal

Let It Rain

Chapter 17- Let it Rain

I wake up and the first thing that is on my mind is the pain of yesterday. The pain of losing Jasper, and the pain of barely seeing Miles. The pain of this new life that I don't want. I lay in my bed as if I am dead to the world. I lay there still and as stiff as a piece of sturdy wood.

My room is dark and gloomy. I look over at a fancy digital clock and the time is 4:00:03 p.m. I must've slept a while because, after the whole situation with the queen, I took a nap. Hey, you can always nap your problems away, and I slept throughout the rest of yesterday and most of today. I'm surprised nobody woke me up to demand for me to attend breakfast or dinner.

I look at one of the windows with the drapes pulled back, and I see water trickling down the clear glass. It's raining. A series of clouds-that are different shades of gray-cover the sky. The pitter-patter of the raindrops colliding with the castle's surface soothes me. My room is chilly and my covers are warm. My eyes threaten to close, and threaten to let the tiredness take over my body.

I force myself to get up and be an active human being. Even though every aching muscle, including my heart, desires for me to go back to being motionless. I rub my eyes and for the first time in forever [or as it seems], I get myself ready. My warm bath water comforts me and makes all the goosebumps on my skin disappear.

When I get out of the bath tub, I dry my hair but I leave it down. My hair hangs by my shoulders. I don't put on makeup. I don't want that stupid paint all over my face at this time. I look throughout my wardrobe and find something that makes my pain increase but at the same time, soothes me: the yellow dress that I wore on my birthday. I wear it because I feel like it brings me just a tiny bit closer to Miles, Dylan, and Jasper. I know, it sounds stupid. Plus, it also helps me sulk more. It makes me remember everything which is painful, but it also is a small connection to what I used to have. I find the flats I wore, too. I go to the jewelry box beside my bed and take out the necklace Jasper gave me.

"I miss you," I mumble as I put it around my neck.

Once I am done, I sneak my way down to the sitting room. It's easier to get down there, now. Just go past the library then to the right. After that, go down the stairs and to the left is the sitting room. I go out the white door and outside to the garden.

The flowers are still fully bloomed but the rain pours down. I walk out into the middle of the garden. Raindrops fall onto my skin and they cover my clothes and wet my hair. I hear a slight crack of lightning in the distance, and the rumble comes a few seconds afterward. The thunder creates a vibration beneath my feet, and window blows the rain fiercely. It is storming like how my life is at his moment. I'm going through a dark fierce storm in my heart. The lightning is when my heart feels a huge hurtful tug, and the thunder is when I break down and I feel like my hope is fading.

I look upward, towards the dreading sky. I close my eyes and let the first tear of the day slip away from my eye as the raindrops join it. I've barely been out here and I'm already soaked. My hair is already stringy and my clothes are soggy. My hands rest on top of the necklace.

I feel more vibrations from thunder and the rain has made my goosebumps return. I shiver, but I don't mind anymore. I didn't notice that my legs were trembling, but I realized they were when they gave out. My body collapses against the brick sidewalk, and I stay there while everything is going on around me.

Suddenly, I feel a warm hand gently touch my shoulder. I open my eyes to find Charlie looking down at me with pity. He has a baby blue button-up shirt on with khaki pants. His hair is already soaked like mine. I just stare up at him. I don't want to move. I don't want to do anything. Charlie lifts me up gently into his arms, and I cling to him, unable to control myself from my grief. I carries me across the garden and underneath a white gazebo. He sets me down on a bench that is underneath it, and he sits beside me but doesn't speak a word. I know why, it was because of how I treated him, and I feel guilty. I shouldn't have treated him that way when all he was trying to do was comfort me and help me.

"I'm sorry..." I croak.

He takes a while, but he looks over at me, "It's alright..." He says as he balances his elbows against his knees.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Dealing with all this." I say as I motion to myself.

He puts a forced smile on his face and chuckles lightly, "It's okay..."

I wipe my eyes, "And I am still really sorry... You were just trying to be nice to me, and I was being a jerk..."

He sighs, "Like I said, it's alright."

"But there is something that is still bothering you."

He avoids looking at me and he lets out another deep sigh. "Fine. What keeps bugging me was that you acted as if... as if this isn't hard on me. Ari, it is. This situation is... is something I wish would never happen! I have the same wishes as you! I want a choice just like you..." he continues, "I want to be with Emerald just as much as you want to be with Jasper... haven't you thought about me at all? About my pain? Everyday I see Emerald! Everyday! That's like waving a treat above a dog's head just where the dog cannot reach it. The dog wants it so badly, but it can never get it. That's me with Emerald! Imagine, seeing Jasper everyday but know you cannot have him whatsoever. That pain is always going to stay fresh. It is like rubbing salt into a wound, Ari! She will always be around! Do you have any idea how painful that is? Do you have any idea how much that makes my heart ache? I knew you were hurting, but you got to think about my situation, too. Right now, we only have each other and I'm pretty sure for the rest of our lives, we will only have each other. We have to help support each other, otherwise, we will both collapse..."

I stay silent. He is right, and I am wrong. I was being selfish, and all I could think was about my pain. That would be terrible having to always see the person that you want, but you can never have.

"It hurts, Ari! Yet, you act as if this is my will, but it isn't!"

"I'm sorry I-"

He interrupts and for the first time, I see his mother in him, "You already said that!"

"...fine... then why'd you come out here?" I ask, a hint annoyed.

"I saw you out the window... I thought I would come and try to be a friend to you when I know at this moment, you feel like you don't have one."

Thunder rumbles and rain pours down more. The wind becoming fiercer.

"Thank you..."

"For what?" He growls.

"Being by my side at this time, even though it's hard. For being the first person to actually make me feel welcome. To be the person that I desperately need right now..."

The water that slides from the roof of the gazebo pounds down to the ground, and it reminds me of the waterfall when I jumped off. Man, who knew that in less than twenty-four hours I would feel completely different. I felt undefeated, free, and unstoppable. Now, I feel worn, cramped, trapped, and hopeless. It's funny how just one thing can change your mood so instantly!

He hugs me, and I hug back tight. We both need to get out of this, so we can be happy again. "I promise we will get out of this..." I mumble.

"I promise, too, but until then, let it rain..."

"What do you mean?" I ask, baffled.

"I mean," he says as he looks like a beaten puppy, "We are going to have to get through a whole lot of rain to get to the sunshine."

So true.

We are going to have to get through a whole lot of rain to get to the sunshine.

So, let it rain.

A/N: Thank you so much to all the fans of this book! I am truly in awe of how well this has done! Keep it up, please! You have no idea how grateful I am for very single one of my fans! Please keep voting, commenting, and fanning! Now, I do want to ask you all a very important question...

Team Jasper? Or Team Charlie?