I've been saving my love for a rainy day
And it's really coming down today
✝ Chapter Five | Summer Rain. ✝
There was a time when I thought love was overrated.
After Dad left us, Mom was heartbroken. I was less so because I saw it coming. They got into fights more often than not and stopped having sex because of it.
It took a toll on Mom because she cried for weeks on end. In the back of her mind, I knew she knew it was inevitable, but she loved him so much.
He, obviously, did not reciprocate the love. If he did, it wouldn’t have been so easy to break her heart. He told her with such ease and casual-ness. I’d like to believe he cried when he left, but there’s no way to know for sure.
It was because of my parents’ divorce that I started to hate couples and everything romantic.
And I thought Mom was right there when me, but then I saw the way she looked in that red dress. Honestly, she looked like a true beauty.
She did an elaborate twirl and flung her short dark hair over her shoulder. “So, what do you think?”
I chewed on my bottom lip thoughtfully as I looked her over. A cherry-colored dress hugged her waist and ended just above her knees. (I made a note of that, just in case she came back home with a relatively shorter dress.)
Her hair remained the same—a single deep part down the middle. She never liked to change her hairstyle, so I guess I wasn’t expecting much in that aspect. But the short bob always looked great on her. It framed her round face, and brought more attention to her rosy cheeks.
Her lips were painted red, and I knew she used the dollar store lipstick I bought her. Of course, I didn’t tell her the actual price.
“You look like someone else’s mom,” I finally said. “Who are you and what did you do to my mother?”
She giggled softly and did another twirl. “Don’t I look totes amaze-balls?”
I couldn’t stop my eyes from going wide. “What?”
“Oh!” Mom laughed as she moved towards me. “It’s like totally, amazing and balls in one wo-”
“I know-” I closed my eyes and repressed a sigh, “-what it is. Just don’t ever do it again.”
She pouted for a moment, but her cheery expression was back on her face as soon as the doorbell rang. She almost jumped out of her stunning black pumps at the echoing sound. “He’s here!” she squealed.
I rolled my eyes and laid back on the sofa, allowing my body to sink into the leather—which was sure to leave an imprint later. “It could just be the pizza guy. Unless, of course, you’re dating him too.”
She sent me a glare as she snatched her purse from the coffee table. “Do your homework,” she spat bitterly, and sauntered over to the front door. She threw open the door and a big grin came to her face. “Hello Gregory!”
“Hi Eliza,” he greeted her.
I sat up straight. From where I sat, I could see he was holding a bouquet of flowers. How lame. “Hello Gregory!” I called out.
He swallowed as his gaze met mine. “Um, hello…Ms. Lennon.”
I huffed and swung my legs off the couch, making my way over to the couple. “Oh please, you’re screwing my mom. Just call me Lexi.”
Mom shot me another glare.
Finally deciding it was time to quit the jokes, I reached over the threshold and placed a hand on Gregory’s shoulder. “Have her home by eleven,” I ordered. “You kids have fun.” I whipped around and walked back into the house.
“I’ll see you, Lexi,” she told me as she stepped out of the house and closed the door behind her.
I dug my hand into my back pocket and pulled out the business card Jack gave me.
I guess it wouldn’t be a total waste of time.
✝ ✝ ✝ ✝
The evening sky was covered with gray clouds, casting an eerie darkness on the streets.
I could almost smell the condensation in the air, and the cool gust of wind didn’t do anything to help my case either. But I was too far out to walk back home. If I walked a little faster, I would get there just as the rain began to fall.
I knew the small town of Rayleton like the back of my hand. Considering I didn’t have a car of my own, walking was the way to go. Over the course of a couple years, I’ve pretty much familiarized myself with the town. I knew every street, every intersection, and every stoplight.
The motor shop was right next to the movie theater. Now that I think about it, the movie theater wasn’t known for its movies. It was a typical hang out place for everyone at East River. No one bothered to watch a movie. Most people just wandered around or played arcade games with coins they found on the floor of the photo booth.
Just as I turned onto the sidewalk, the rain began to get heavy. People with umbrellas passed me by and those without umbrellas, like me, dashed for cover.
I passed a frozen yogurt shop and an orthodontist place before I finally reached the motor shop. I tugged on the door handle, but the door didn’t budge. Taking a closer look, I could see the windows were tinted black and the lights inside of the store were turned off.
My eyes moved the business hours sign on the door and saw the closing time was seven.
“No, that’s impossible.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and watched the screen roar to life.
7:08.
“Dammit,” I muttered silently to myself as I brought my fists down on the handle forcefully.
“Are you ok?”
My body whipped around quickly at the sound of the voice towering above me. A familiar blond-haired boy stood next to me, his eyebrows furrowed together. In one hand, he held an umbrella and keys dangled from the other hand.
“Jack.”
He nodded as a small smile swept over his face. “Yeah, that’s me.” He motioned towards the door. “Do you need something from there? I can open it up for you, if you like.”
“Oh, no.” I shook my head. I really wasn’t here for any motorcycle parts. “I was just stopping by.”
He nodded once more, eyeing me skeptically.
There was a long moment of silence as we stared at each other. The only sound came from the rain sheeting against the pavement and the wind that made a harsh swooshing sound as it passed us.
“I think I’m just going to go home, now,” I said, breaking the silence. It was stupid of me to walk all the way here in the first place. I turned to leave but Jack wrapped his long calloused fingers around my wrist.
“Wait.”
Reluctantly, I faced him. “What is it?”
“It’s raining and you don’t have an umbrella…again.” I saw his lips twitched into a half-smile. “You should really invest in one of those. They’re quite helpful during times like these.”
“Yeah…well, I didn’t know.”
His smile only grew wider. He jiggled the keys in his hands and pushed past me, sticking the key into the lock. “I’m not letting you walk in the rain.” He glanced over his shoulder just as he pushed the door open. “We can chill in here until it stops.”
“You’re being awfully nice,” I commented as I followed behind him.
He flicked on a light, and soon the shop was glowing in yellow light. The place was like an auto shop for motorcycles. Customized seat coverings lined the walls, and a picture of a really sexy guy hung on the very back wall of the store. “Is it a crime to be nice?” By now, he was already taking off his jacket and placing the umbrella on the counter.
“Not exactly, but from what I hear…you fall under that bad boy category. You’re a smoker, a drinker, and quite the charmer when it comes to girls, am I right? What do you do? Offer rides to hopeless girls who walk in the rain?”
His brow creased in confusion, but his provocative lips were telling a different story. “You think you know me, huh?”
Humming softly, I nodded.
“What’s my favorite color?” he questioned suddenly, crossing his arms over his toned chest.
“Black, because it reflects your dark soul.”
“Favorite band?”
“You seem like a grunge-type, so I’m going with Nirvana. I bet you even tried to grow out your hair once.”
He shrugged helplessly. “Favorite movie?”
“Hmm…” I glanced up at the ceiling as I pondered the thought. “Die Hard, because you love the action and you’re a huge Bruce Willis fan.”
Jack gazed back at me, curiosity flickering over his light eyes. His face softened but his smile remained, though it seemed forced. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
It took everything I had in me to stop myself from laughing. He couldn’t be serious. “Ha ha, very funny.”
He was quiet for a few seconds, staring at me with a blank expression. Letting out a sigh, his arms dropped to his sides and he turned away from me.
“Hey, wait,” I called out, “you’re serious?”
He began to examine one of the motor parts, avoiding eye contact. When he didn’t respond, I knew it wasn’t a joke.
I tried to keep my heart calm because, somehow, it went into a frenzy. It wasn’t that I was swooning over the fact that his favorite movie is a chick flick. In fact, I wasn’t swooning at all. I was appalled that his favorite movie was a 1961 chick flick. Most people my age never heard of that movie, and if they did, it was because their parents made them watch it.
“What? Isn’t what you expected?”
“No, not at all.”
He pulled his lips into a sly smirk. “So, you don’t know me after all.”
I shook my head in objection. “That doesn’t count because it didn’t fit your stereotype.”
Jack laughed at that and moved closer until we were only inches apart. He gazed down at my through his light lashes and pressed his lips together. He continued to stare into my eyes, almost as if he was searching for something.
Reaching over, he twirled a wisp of damp blonde hair around his finger and pushed it behind my ear. “You have such pretty hair.”
I had a response. I always had a response. But for some reason, I could feel my words slipping away from me and in that moment, I had nothing to say.
We stood like that, frozen, for several moments before my senses finally came to me. “I have to go.”
“Really?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with disappointment and a frown playing at his lips. “Let me give you a ride.”
“No!” I blurted out. “No, that’s not necessary.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said quickly.
“Okay, well-” He turned to the counter and grabbed his umbrella. He tossed it to me and grinned, “-at least take that with you.”
I tipped my head to show my gratitude. “Okay.” Almost instantly, I bolted for the door, not wanting to waste any more time.
“And Lexi?”
I looked over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“I wouldn’t believe everything you hear.”
I didn’t respond, I couldn’t. I rushed out of the shop hastily and stalked down the street. A trash can came into view, and I tossed the umbrella into it. He was being too kind, and I wasn't going to fall for some shit like that because love is overrated.
Maybe my mom found it, but I definitely wasn't looking.
Bowing my head, I continued down the sidewalk. I didn’t even care that the rain was pelting on my skin, because right now, I had bigger problems.
I was actually swooning.
✝
A/N: Hola peoples. Thank you for reading, it truly means a lot. And if you want to make me happy, vote and comment. I had writer's block on this chapter. I knew what I was going to write...I just didn't know how to write it. But it's here! At the end of this week, I will be offically done with school (for the summer...anyway). And I will be updating a lot more frequently so stay tuned.
Question of the chapter: what was your favorite part of this chapter?
~ lara <3