Believe Me, I'm Lying

Rain was always a harbinger of tragedy.

Something bad didn't happen every time it rained, no, but everything bad that happened to me in my life had happened on a day when it was pouring. A light sprinkle never phased me, it was only when the rain seemed relentless.

It started when I was seven. A car hit my cat that had been with me since I was born because the driver couldn't see through the torrential rainfall. But that was only the first thing.

When I was ten, I found out my grandpa had cancer. It was raining that day. Then, almost a year after, it was raining on the day he died. He had been the only family I had besides my mother, father, and my uncle. My little brother hadn't been born at the time.

It had been raining the day I broke my leg in gym class when I was thirteen.

Rained pelted the ground the day my house burned down when I was fourteen, forcing my family to move across town, away from my friends and school.

And it had been raining the day my parents died.

                                                               *~*

Rain pelted against the windowpanes, almost drowning out the sound of the teacher ranting about sine, cosine and tangent.

"Sohcahtoa," Ms. Clemm said to the class, writing the word on the board. "Sine is opposite over hypotenuse, cosine is adjacent over hypotenuse, and tangent is opposite over adjacent. Make sure you write that down, because I promise you that it will help you greatly when the chapter test comes."

I picked up my pencil and scribbled down the foreign word, repeating it over and over again in my head. Geometry wasn't my best subject. In fact, it was my worst.

Suddenly the door burst open and the principal, Mr. Venn, walked in looking stricken.

At the time, the thought never occurred to me that something was horribly wrong, but looking back now, I should have realized something was wrong. The rain told it all.

Mr. Venn conversed with Ms. Clemm quietly for a moment and an expression of shock mingled with alarm crossed her face. By now, I was curious. Apparently the class was too, because everyone had gone deathly silent.

"Harley," Ms. Clemm started, gesturing me to the front of the room with her hand.

A weight dropped into my gut as I stood slowly, under the impression that I was in some serious trouble. My thoughts raced as I frantically thought of what I could have one to get me in trouble with the principal.

"Bring your stuff," Mr. Venn ordered.

I swallowed as I nodded, flipping the binder on my desk shut, not bothering to take out the pencil or calculator. Unzipping my backpack, I quickly stuffed my binder into it, zipping it back up as I made my way to the front of the classroom.

Mr. Venn immediately began walking out of the classroom and I followed behind him, my hands shaking.

What had I done? I couldn't remember doing anything bad! Well earlier in the day I had stolen a lollipop from the secretary's office while turning in the attendance form, but I didn't think I'd be in this much trouble!

Shock passed my face when we walked straight past the principal's office. I glanced up at Mr. Venn, a confused expression written all over my face.

"Where are we going?"

"To the school entrance," he responded simply, not turning to look at me. "Your uncle is here. You're leaving early."

"My uncle?" I responded, raising an eyebrow.

Mr. Venn didn't reply, so I stayed quiet, miffed. Why would my uncle come take me out of school early? Wasn't he busy with his job? After all, he was the principal of the town's delinquent school. Surely he needed to be there.

We reached the entrance to the school and I saw my uncle pacing by the doors. I rushed up to him, giving him a hug.

"Uncle Rob! How are you?"

"Harley," my uncle breathed, pulling me away from the embrace. "Listen, your parents got in an accident and they're at the hospital in critical condition."

My smile dropped, and a frown took its place. "I know you like to joke, uncle Rob, but that's a little..."

"I'm not joking!" he told me, looking at me for the first time.

My blood ran cold when I saw his expression. I couldn't begin to describe it, but I knew at once he really wasn't joking.