The Walls Caved In

I had figured that whole day was going to be a mess.

My day had started yesterday, when I had to drive to a party across town that I would have rather not gone to. My sister, Allison, had called around midnight and she called, mumbling through her tears to come pick her up.

She was upset, she couldn't find the people who she had carpooled with, and she needed me.

Twenty minutes later I was packing her into the passenger seat of my car.

It was horrible, she sobbed.

What? I asked.

It wasn't like I thought it would be, she said again, before crying even harder than before. I let her cry, smoothing her hair while she sobbed into the fabric of her seat.

We drove home, with no noise coming from us or the radio. Her sobs had turned from gaspy and body shaking, to sniffles, and now she was dozing off as I pulled my car into the driveway. I quietly pulled her into the house and upstairs, tucking her into her bed. She was asleep in a second, her blanket wrapped around her and her hair sticking to her still damp face. I left her to rest, she'd have a lot of explaining to do later, and shut the door to my room before crawling into bed.

Six hours later, and I was still awake. I hadn't slept a wink, but it didn't bother me. I was used to it by now. I had grown accustomed to not sleeping much, despite how tired I felt at times. I pulled off my clothes, before changing into a pair of denim skinny jeans and a pale blue t-shirt. I grabbed my shoes, phone, and keys, and padded my way to Allison's room. She was still asleep, so I left her a note, telling her to call me if she needed me. Then, I left the house and drove.

I was always all too happy that our library was open early and went to sleep late. With my odd sleeping patterns, this was a nice place to come and just relax without the stress of trying to sleep. It was a comforting place to me, despite that it was tinier than most town libraries. It had two stories, and most of the top half was framed by windows.

I left my car, and walked to the door. There was a little overhang there, and it only sheltered you for about a tenth of a second before you stepped out into the parking lot. I went straight inside, and upstairs. I searched the shelves, finally finding a book for my liking, and then I settled into one of the many over sized chairs around the window.

I opened the book, finding the first chapter, and started to read. It wasn't long after that that the rain started. It didn't start off easy and slowly become hard. It slammed onto the pavement from the beginning, making lots of noise against the windows. It was the kind of rain you didn't see coming, and that you couldn't hide from.

It was a surprise, and it convinced me even further that this day was going to be what I expected. A mess.