When the Rain Comes

     The brisk fall wind licked across my cheeks as I padded down the dampend sidewalk with my keys in hand, ready to flee the confines of this prison they called school. I reached my dads old car sitting in the parking lot, the beautiful charcoal black 1968 Shelby Mustang, fully remodeled by my fathers own hands, was all that I had left of him. I unlocked the door tossing my bag and books into the back seat, i twisted my curly waist length brown hair into a high ponytail before adjusting my leather jacket and waist high skinny jeans. "Kit!" A shrill voice yelled startling me just as I was getting into the car. A sweet heart shaped face appeared before me glaring emerald daggers into me, "You were gonna leave me weren't you?" Arayah demanded. Her long bouncy red hair billowing around her in the wind.      "No!" I lied, "I was gonna' wait for you, I just wanted to sit in the car away from people."       She looked at me skeptically as she walked around and got in on the otherside, "I can't believe you would forget your best friend." She said pulling a blunt out of her old hippie bag, lighting it as we pulled out of the school parking lot.", and to think I got us invited to Blair's Halloween party tomorrow night." She took a couple drags, then passed it to me as she propped her old Converse on the dash. You could drop Leah off with my mom and sister for the night."      "Anything to get out of the house, as long as your moms ok with it though."      "Who do you think suggested it, mom... worries about you guys. After your dad, she hasn't been able to stop. You know how she is," I nodded,  knowing full well how harbouring and erratic she could be. "I want you to come over and get ready with me.      I smiled at her, "Sounds like a plan," I pulled into the middle school pickup line to wait for my little sister, the wind blew up a woodsy sweet smell, reminding me of my dad, sometimes it made me feel like he was right next to me. I missed him, so much changed after he died, my mother most of all, heartbreak had a twisted way of changing people, I just wished she was stronger. Leah yanked open Ray's door, glaring at the both of us as she pushed past her to get into the back seat.       "You two smell like shame and bad decisions," She said in a huff.      Someone's in a bad mood, I thought, wonder what had her twelve year old hormones all in a twist? "We'll grab some burgers and head home." I kept it simple not wanting to deal with any of her tantrums.      After dropping Ray off I pulled into our driveway and shut off the engine, Leah jumped out and ran inside like a blonde blur. With a heavy sigh I grabbed my things and headed inside, the house was messy, my mom had thrown things everywhere and had empty alcohol bottles all over the counter tops and tables. Exhaustion washing over me as i began straightening up the kitchen, throwing everything away and washing all the dishes. Once everything was cleaned, I krept down the hall towards the livingroom, my mothers favorite place to lurk. All the lights were off but the tv was on,  my hopes were that she had fallen asleep when I entered, it was, ofcourse, to much to ask for. Just as I entered, a bottle flew straight at me, hitting me in the temple and shattering to the ground, "Get out!" My mother screeched in a drunken haze, "Get the f**k away from me you whinny little b***h!"      My face was the reason for her sheer loathing of me I looked like my dad and she couldn't handle it, pity and anger were all that I felt for the sad broken woman. She was our mother yet she gave up the moment dad was gone and couldn't be stronge for her own children, what a pathetic cop-out. I felt something warm oozing down the side of my face as I glared at her, " Are you fuckin' crazy?!" I demanded.      "Don't you talk to me like that b***h," She slurred trying to wave me off, "Don't forget you're in my house, if you don't like it then leave." She knew I wouldn't leave Leah here, not with her, thus gaurenting she wouldn't be alone. "Get me my cigarettes,"     I scoffed, peeking down the hall to see them sitting on top of her purse, without a word I went and grabbed them instead of taking them to her, I slipped them in my pocket along with her lighter and a wad of cash from her wallet, she wouldn't remember what happened to anything, she was so trashed she barely remembered our names when she was like that. I quickly ran upstairs stopping at Leah's bedroom door peeking my head in, she laid sprawled out across her bed with her headphones in,  passed out with her wet blonde hair soaking into the pillow. Smiling, I locked the door from the inside and shut it tight so my mother couldn't get in. Running back down,  I slipped out the backdoor in the kitchen and went to sit on the old swing set as I pulled out one of the cigarettes and lit it.     With a long drag from the cigarette I reveled in the chilled muggy evening air, pain throbbing in my head where she hit me,  only pissing me off further. I missed my dad on days like this most of all, he was a state construction worker, by the age of 24 he was able to buy a house for them and start a family, my mom and him were like a true love story, they absolutly adored each other. Everything was so perfect there whole lives, until two years ago when he got hit by an eighteen wheeler while doing road work on the highway. His life insurance and all the settlement checks from the state and the trucks company had left us a very decent fortune, which is how we were able to keep our childhood home and pay the bills. I took control of all the finances the day I turned eighteen, giving my mom small alowances to keep her from getting suspicious, she had no idea I forged her signature, nor would she be able to remember even if I hadn't. It was only to make sure we were taken care of, and she didn't drink away what we had. "Long night?" A deep voice interrupted my thoughts, as I looked towards the fence with an aggravated groan, leaning against it was Aiden Harris, my next door neighbor s***h nemesis. His scruffy bread growning just beyond a five o'clock shadow, his sweet hazel eyes starring at me as he bit his bottom lip. "Wait..." he leaned foward squinting at me, "Are you smoking?"      "Leave me alone creep, I'm not in the mood for your s**t today."      "Come on Kit, I'm not always that bad, I was just making sure you were okay."      "Your dads gonna freak out if he see's you talking to me," I warned, "Remember,  I'm a bad influence,"      "I guess my dad doesn't even know his own son, I believe I'm a worse influence then you could ever be." He unlatched the fence holding it open for me, "Plus my parents are gone on vacation with some colleagues of my dad's. Why don't you come hangout? Share a cigarette, I'll share a blunt."      I rolled my eyes but honestly it was better then waiting around for my mom to come find me and demand me to do stuff for her, and the sun was just starting to set, so I had a feeling she'd be up for a while, "Fine," I got up pushing past him into his yard. He chuckled leading me up the stairs into the back door.      Once we were in the kitchen and the light hit my face, his whole expression paled, " What the hell happened to you?" He demanded.      I tried to cover my forehead, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "None of your business Harris, now are we gonna' smoke or what?"     He gave me a dirty look before turning and rummaging through one of the kitchen drawers pulling out a rag, he wet it in the sink and turned to me, "Sit down Davis," he demanded. I scoffed crossing my arms and refusing his demand. Once he relized I wasn't going to comply he rolled his eyes, picking me up by my waist and sitting me on the counter top. "Fight me on this and I'll tell everybody in school about how I was your first kiss in middle school." He threatened. My one weakness, I didnt want anyone to know he was closer then they thought, it was embarrassing, especially after ranting my whole life about hating him. Middle school had been a mistake, I used to get picked on all the time even by him, one day Sarah Chang, one of the meanest girls in our school set her sights on me as her next victim. In the lunch room, she cornered me,  dumping my tray all over me, hitting me, calling me names, anything she could think of to belittle me more, when I  finally made my escape, I hid outside under the stairs waiting for my dad to come and get me while I cried into my food covered hoodie. Aiden was the one who found me, comforting me and showing me a whole different side from the jerk I was used to, just when I thought it couldn't get any weirder, he leaned in and kissed me, before smiling weirdly and running away. We never once talked about it after that until today.       All I could do was stare daggers into him as he whipped the blood from my face, " Why are you trying to help me?" We weren't friends and we never got along so what was up with him all of a sudden?      "Believe it or not Kit, but I'm not that big of a piece of shit." He was so close, his sweet cologne wafting up my nose as he touched the cut, tenderly cleaning it. "Your so reckless," he mumbled deeply sending chills down my spin.     "Aren't you the one who has a thing for reckless?" I raised an eyebrow.      "Is that an invitation?" He put the rag down, hunger replacing the worry in his eyes. It was strange seeing that in him, I didn't even think he believed I was a female the way he used to tease me so mercilessly.       "I-I didn't say that Harri-," his lips crashed into mine shutting me up as his arms wrapped around me, pulling my body into his.