Rain✔️ (Wattpad version)

Making things right

Rain

I did my routine, grabbed my bag, and went to have breakfast. I didn't want to talk to anyone. As I ate, I held my bag. No one was touching my purse or my ponies again.

My parents took me to school, and I went to my room with my puzzle. I sat down and started working.

As I worked on the puzzle, someone sat down next to me.

"Sorry, I wasn't here yesterday," Antonio said.

I didn't respond. I worked on my puzzle.

"Rainbow, I know you expected me, but I needed to take care of something," Antonio tried to explain. Silence. "Okay, I see you're mad," he said. There is more silence. "Maybe this will help," he said as he lifted a bag. I looked at him as he started pulling out My Little Ponies. "I couldn't decide which one you would like the best, so I got you all of them."

Once he finishes, he set the bag down.

I looked at the ponies. Antonio got all of them, including other ponies. I picked up one My Little Pony as I held it in my hands. "They aren't hurt."

"What?" He had a look of confusion.

I set it down and opened my bag, taking out my ponies, which had glue on them. One by one, I set them on the table, and Antonio's brows furrowed.

"Yesterday, Ella and Darcy took my ponies and hurt them. I had to fix them. They're my friends. They hurt them," I said as I petted their mane. "You never came to my room yesterday. Adrian, Wade, and you didn't come to lunch. You aren't my friends. My friends were hurt. So I fixed them. I didn't let them fall. I didn't break a promise," I said as I took each one and placed it back in my bag.

Once they were secure, I went back to my puzzle. The ponies are safe. They are my friends.

Antonio

After our time was up, Rainbow got up and left my gift behind. She said nothing after that. At that moment, I understood more about her. I'm pissed at Ella and Darcy.

I bagged up the ponies and took them to my locker; then, I went to look for those two stupid bitches. It didn't take long before I found them. I walked up and swiftly grabbed Ella by the hair.

"Ow! Antonio!" Ella yelled.

I slammed her against the locker. "Don't. Don't even think about it. What you did yesterday was cruel."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she shrugged.

This attitude pissed me off even more.

"Don't play dumb with me, you stupid bitch. Rainbow told me," I snapped.

She glared, but I didn't care. Glare all you want.

"Go near her again, and I won't hesitate to put you down like the dog you are." I looked at Darcy and added, "You too, sheep." With that, I walked away. That was a warning because I have an Italian temper. Have you met my parents?

At lunch, Adrian, Wade, and I found Rainbow eating alone in her quiet space. We sat down and tried to have a conversation with her, but she just ate. This silence bothered me. She wasn't like this two days ago.

We tried throughout lunch, but once lunch was over, she packed up her things and stood up. As she walked to the door, she stopped, then said, "People don't think I have feelings. They think they can ignore me, and that's okay. It's okay; I'm used to it." With that, she left.

We stood there as we watched her leave.

After school, I went somewhere. I arrived at my destination and came to a room I knew. I stood in the doorway and watched as my old teacher was cleaning up. I knocked, and he stopped.

He turned to me. "Antonio?"

"Hey, Mr. Hardwick," I smiled slightly.

"Long time no sees," he smiled back.

I walked in and looked around. Everything was the same. That's what I liked about Mr. Hardwick. He kept things how they were. I walked over to a desk and looked at it. I smiled.

"How's everything going?" Mr. Hardwick asked me.

"It's okay," I shrugged. I walked towards the board of pictures. "It's funny. You were my favorite teacher. You were kind, funny, and made me love school. You taught me to read," I said as I turned to him. "Then someone introduced me to this girl who I knew through school. They gave her to me to help finish my college applications. But it wasn't until you showed up the other day that I realized who she was," I said to him as he leaned against his desk and placed his hand on top of it to support himself. "Why?" I asked him. "Why of all people was your daughter chosen for me to help?"

"Because sometimes life doesn't come in a book," he said to me. "Antonio, when they put you in my class, your parents told me that you were this shy kid who didn't know how to read. They said your previous teacher belittled you and made you feel dumb. I used to watch you. You were so adamant about learning how to read; you would sit at your desk at recess trying to learn. That's not a life for a child to endure."

I stood there and listened to him.

"When you learned, that's all you wanted to do. I suggested to your parents to enroll you in sports to help you socialize. They told me they followed what I suggested and you blossomed like I knew you would. I saw a lot of potential in you. Then I found out they wanted to pair someone with Rain. I suggested you to school. I knew you knew how it felt to have people misunderstand you like they misunderstand Rain," he explained.

"She's different, but interesting. Although, I think she hates me," I sighed.

"She doesn't hate you. Rain isn't like that. But she has feelings like everyone else. She doesn't know how to express herself or relate to others. People say she lives in her world. She lives in a world; we all should live in," he told me.

"I bought her My Little Ponies yesterday," I said, handing him the bag. "I skip school to find any pony I could so she didn't have the same one. I didn't realize how popular My Little Pony is."

He took the bag and opened it, "That's a lot of ponies."

"Mr. Hardwick, I'm trying, but it's difficult," I told him.

"Antonio, life isn't easy, but you keep trying. I have a suggestion for you that will help you with Rain if you're up for it," he said to me.

"I'll try anything," I sighed.

A smile curled upon his lips as he gave me a suggestion. It was unique and different, but doable. I mean, what do I have to lose.

As they say, sometimes, to understand someone, we have to step out of our world and into theirs. I had a feeling my world was about to change immensely. Sometimes you have to endure a little rain to see the Rainbow.