The Rain

Josh was angry with his friends. He was mostly angry with his best friend, Dan. He promised him that he would invite him over to his birthday party, but he got an invite. Josh apologized profusely over what happened with the accident. He didn't mean to crash into Dan's sister, he had lost control of the handlebars, and he crashed into his sister's bike.

She cried like a baby, blood gushing from her nose. Dan looked taken aback by Josh, and he told him to fuck off after that incident. Josh didn't mean to laugh at the way that Kate had reacted from the nosebleed, but it did look a bit hilarious, watching her blood spill like a fountain.

The one thing that Josh never admitted, was that he did do it on purpose. Josh wanted to ask Kate's best friend, Tasha out on a date, but he was afraid. He thought he had seen Kate watching him and Tasha far away, a sneer on her face. He was worried that she would eventually do something to Tasha, and the worst did happen.

Tasha had found a dead rat in her locker, and it scared her so bad. She had screamed like crazy, and Josh tried to comfort her. Josh knew Kate had something to do with it, when she was telling Dan about the whole thing, trying to keep from laughing. That pissed him off, and he honestly felt sorry for Dan. He was not aware that his sister was a total bitch.

Josh suspected that she had a thing for him, but he would rather date a rotten banana than an asshole like that. Josh watched the rain through his bedroom window, listening to his parents argue. They had been going at it constantly, ever since they had purchased the house. They should have known better than to take away Josh from his hometown, they always said, but Josh was happy to in this new town now.

Even though he was possibly on the brink of losing all of his friends, he loved it here.

Josh grabbed his raincoat, and tip toed out of the house, but he could have made as much noise as he wanted, and his parents never would have stopped him. They were always easily distracted whenever they argued. Josh pulled the hoodie over his head as he began to feel the first raindrops land on his head. It felt nice, letting the downpour fall over him.

Josh extended his hands out in front of him, liking how the water touched his hands. He started to skip merrily down the street, happy that he got to have the road all to himself. People knew better than to drive in the pouring rain, unless you had a death wish.

Josh walked down the road, wishing that it would suddenly flood. How cool would it be to have a boat in horrible times like that, being able to experience what it's like to row a boat in the sea. Josh whistled a tune he had heard from an old cartoon the other day on television, and he stopped when he saw he was coming across his best friend's house.

His birthday would be tomorrow. Josh wanted to wish the rain would continue and ruin his birthday, but he didn't want to be an asshole like that. That was meant for Kate. He thought he saw Kate's curtain open, and he could barely see a silhouette watching him through the window. He began to walk faster, and he thought he heard the front door open to the house. He did not stop walking, and he let out a groan when he heard the familiar voice of Kate.

He turned back, and she was wearing her own raincoat, a dopey grin on her face. A band aid was on her nose, and while many other girls look so cute with injuries, Kate made it look almost threatening. Josh always had a horrible feeling whenever he was around her. She wasn't a good person, and Josh does not regret knocking her into the ground with his bike.

"What are you doing out in the rain, Jo?"

Josh bit his tongue to keep an insult from coming out of his lips. He didn't get why Dan never corrected his sister from calling him that. He would have been cute from any other person other than Kate.

"I'm just here."

"Cool. Me too!"

Kate kicked at a puddle. She looked at the ground, and then looked up at him, hope in her eyes.

"I'm sorry about my brother other day. It was an accident. You didn't mean to do it. I lost count how many times I fell off my bike. My best friend, Tasha, always falls off her bike too. She is such a klutz!," Kate giggled.

"How is Tasha? I really like how nice she is. She made me a cupcake about two weeks ago for friendship day at school," Josh said with a smile.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Tasha is such a bitch, Josh. Trust me, you don't want to go out with someone like her."

"Then why do you hang out with her?"

"Cause I feel sorry for her. Duh."

Kate stuck out her tongue, but Josh knew she was extremely jealous of Tasha. She was a really good person, and she treated everyone with kindness. Tasha once stuck up for a chubby girl in school, when she was getting bullied by a group of mean kids. Kate was one of them, but Tasha didn't notice that Kate was there too.

Kate changed up her attitude right away, when she had spotted Josh down the hallway. He had run over to see what was going on, and he offered to take the girl to the office, with Tasha. Not because he had a thing for her, but he genuinely wanted to help the girl. He knew what he was like to get bullied in school. It was one of the biggest reasons why he was happy to move away from his hometown.

He remembered seeing Kate's face after that. She looked so mad, like she wanted to go after Tasha and rip out her hair with her bare hands. Several days later, Kate had spilled something all over her shirt, and was bawling her eyes out, claiming that a kid had thrown his drink at her. Little did she know that Josh had witnessed the whole thing, but he only helped her, because Tasha was there.

She had a triumphant smile on her face, but it quickly faded when Tasha gave Josh a hug, telling him he was a good person. That was after the rat incident, and Josh was wondering if Kate would seriously do something to Tasha later. He figured knocking her over with his bike would hopefully do the trick, but Kate was a bit stubborn. And now Dan was pissed at him.

"My brother is having a birthday at his house tomorrow. Do you want to come?"

Josh pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "I don't think that's a good idea. Dan is still mad at me, and I don't think I want to be a dick like that."

"I'll tell him it was an accident. I'll convince him. Trust me, Jo. Dan is not the type to hold a grudge."

You're definitely right about that. But you certainly are capable of it, Josh thought to himself.

"Cool! Thanks. I should probably get going home now. My parents would be worried about me being out here like this."

"Oh! Yeah. See you tomorrow, Jo!"

Kate gave Josh a big smile before heading off home. Josh flipped her off when she wasn't looking, and started to make his way back home. He started to whistle that tune again from the cartoon on the way back, until he heard someone whistling. He stopped, and looked around. There was no one outside. Just the pouring rain, his same old neighborhood, and him.

Josh started to make his way back home, and the whistling started up again. Josh froze when he realized it was the same tune that he was whistling. He looked around, and gasped when someone was standing behind him. It was a woman. She was wearing a black dress, with a black umbrella. She had long black hair, and her makeup was black. Including her eyes. It was pretty creepy, reminding Josh of those cool monsters he read in several of his comic books.

She was also really pretty despite how creepy she looked, and Josh wondered if she was always hit on by guys. But with eyes like that, he thinks a lot of her suitors hesitated.

"Who was that kid you were talking to?," she asked.

"Um…why do you want to know?"

The woman smiled. That made her eyes somewhat tolerable.

"She seems a bit mean, don't you think? I think she likes you, but you don't like her back, right?"

"N - No. She's uh…kind of a jerk."

"I could tell. She's the kind of person that will never get the message, no matter what you do. It's going to only get worse from here. Once she gets to high school, she will become even prettier. She is going to make a lot of girls fear her. She will date many boys, even with the ones who are dating her friends. She will continue this behavior once she reaches college too. Her parents and her brother will be disappointed in her, but she will never stop. Because she is a selfish person, through and through."

The woman turned to look at Dan's house, as Josh was trying to contemplate how she knew what kind of person Kate was going to be like later. It really creeped him out, and he wanted to go home.

"Um…I should get going. My family will be worried about me."

The woman did not turn away from the house. "Good. You're a good boy, Josh. I could tell. You will continue to be good. Tasha will turn you down when you ask her out on a date, but you won't get upset about it. Instead, the two of you will become good friends. The girl you will date will be Natalie, the chubby girl. But you don't care. She is a good person, and so are you. The two of you will continue dating until you reach college. You will marry her, and Tasha will be there, as one of your bridesmaids. You and Natalie will live long and happy lives with your three children. And none of your children will grow up like Kate."

Josh stared at her for a long time. Then he started to run down the road. He didn't stop until he reached his house. He threw himself at the front door, and he tripped over his own feet when he got inside of the house. He lands on the ground, as his parents are fighting. They comfort him and get mad at him for sneaking out of the house into the rain, and Josh suddenly hugs both of them, not wanting to let go. They hold him, both of them not knowing what to do.

The next day, Kate goes missing.

Dan's birthday party is postponed, and everyone goes in search for her. Josh never tells Dan they will never find her. He knows that the woman with the black eyes had something to do with her disappearance. Josh and Dan fall out of touch after so much time passes. Dan and his parents end up moving away, giving up on the search for Kate.

Josh does eventually ask Tasha out on a date, but she declines. He doesn't get upset over this, and instead, is happy that he gets to be friends with someone as kind as her. Tasha suggests that he should consider asking out Natalie, since they have the same sense of humor. Josh does, and he finds himself really liking Natalie. Time passes, and he starts to wonder how it feel like to marry Natalie, as they dance together at prom.

He does ask her to marry him years later, and she says yes. They get married, and Tasha is there as one of their bridesmaids. She gives Josh a thumbs up, as he watches Natalie in her wedding dress walk over to him, tears in his eyes. They have three children of their own later, and they are all such well-behaved kids.

Natalie and Josh follow their children during one Halloween, the three of them so excited over the candy they are going to consume later, after their parents make sure there is nothing dangerous in the candy of course. Then Josh notices a kid throwing a tantrum at her parents.

She is screaming and crying, complaining that her parents should take her to the fancy neighborhoods, to get more and better candy. Her parents look exhausted as they try to calm her down. Josh stops walking when he spots a woman with a umbrella. She is watching the little girl. She has black eyes, and she makes eye contact with Josh. She smiles at him.

"Babe, are you alright? You look pale."

Josh jumps when Natalie places a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry. I thought I saw -''

The woman in the black dress was gone.

Natalie laughs. "Was there someone wearing a spooky costume or what?"

Josh laughs nervously. "Yeah. I think that is what happened."

Natalie kisses him on the cheek, and they walk away, hand in hand.

Josh thinks of what happened to Kate years ago, and he knows, the same will happen to that girl.

Whatever that woman is, she only comes for the bad kids, who will never change.

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Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn