Black Velvet

"I don't like that lady." Rainy told me after we got her registered. I laughed.

"Yeah, I didn't like her much either. She decided that it would be funny to correct me on my english, she got shown up." I told her and smiled, she just laughed.

"So here is your locker, right next to mine."'

"Sweet."

We opened our lockers and put our stuff inside. I closed mine before she did so I leaned against it, looking at Rainy. She was still scratched up and stuff but they were starting to scab over.

*Scratch scratch*

"Hey," I said. "Rainy stop scratching your going to re-open them." I grabbed her arm.

"And your going to give me another bruise." she said looking at my hand on her arm.

"Sorry," I said and let go. "please just stop scratching, please? For me?"

She caved. "Fine."

"Thank you babe. Now, time for class."

"But the bell hasn--" She was interrupted by the bell. I looked at her and smiled.

"See, class time." I said and we both laughed as we headed to class. The day surprisingly went by a lot faster than it did yesterday. I kept on having to get after Rainy for scratching. I know that they had to be itching because they were healing.

It was just like old times. Hanging out at school, talking about boys and life. Before we knew it the day had come and gone. We sat in the back of every class, Rainy had dozed off most of the day trying to get some sleep. When I noticed that the last bell was going to ring and Rainy was still asleep I softly laughed. I pulled out my phone and put it on camera. I hit the record button and pointed it toward Rainy from under my desk. When the bell rang it scared Rainy half to death and she jumped. I laughed as I got it all on my phone and hit the save button. I grabbed my stuff and headed out to the hall.

"You know your not ever going to pass by sleeping." I said.

"It's not my fault I cant sleep at night though." She pointed out.

"True, very true."

"Just make sure you take good notes while I'm asleep and I'll do the same for you. Okay?"

I smiled and showed her my notebook I had out last class. It was partly covered with drawings and words the rest was blank, non of which was about the class.

"Like these notes?" I said with a smile.

"Not exactly but at least you are making progress by making contact with the pen and paper." She said with attitude, I just glared.

We got out to my car and headed home.

"Beautiful weather to day huh?" I said.

"Very beautiful." She said as she watched the beach and ocean.

We finally got home and and went inside. I went up stairs to change while Rainy stayed downstairs. I threw on some old baggy basketball shorts and a tank top and headed back down stairs. "Hey Rainy, are you hungry? I'm going to make a fruit bowl." I said as I got into the fridge. I pulled out some fruit and asked again. "Rainy?" I said as I put the grapes on the counter, kicked the fridge door shut and looked around. I didn't see her anywhere.

"Rainy, babe?" I walked into the living room, to the stairs, to the dining room but I didn't see her anywhere. My mind started jumping to conclusions. What if me going to get her alerted the thing that wants me? What if I let it in on where I live? What if it has Rainy? I took a deep breath and looked out on the patio hoping to thing of somewhere she might be. "Hmm I wonder if Rainy would know where Rainy is." I thought to my self. "Wait. Rainy?" I said when I realized that I was looking right at her I smile came across my face. I slid open the glass door and walked outside.

"Hey girly." I said as I made my way over to her side.

"Hey." She mumbled.

I looked at her and saw that her makeup was all messed up and all over her face, she had been crying.

"Whoa babe, whats wrong? Why are you crying?" I asked putting my hand on her back. She wiped her face and looked at me."

"Nothings wrong I just its my family. Wondering if they lived past that crazy guy, wondering if they are all okay, bothers me." She said as another tear fell.

"Oh babe." I said and pulled her into my arms. I'm sure he prob killed them. It took him how long to do this to her? No telling what he could have done with a whole night.

"Here, I'll call my friend and have him check upon them, okay? Would that help?" I asked.

She nodded. "Who is he?"

"He is a police officer." I said as I pulled out my phone and dialed Officer Jennings hoping he would pick up.

"Hello this is Officer Jennings, I am unable to get to the phone right now, I am probably to busy with my teenage daughter or out fighting crime to protect you. Please leave me your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as I can take a dough nut and coffee break. Thanks"

*Beep*

"Hey Officer Jennings, this is Ashlynn. I was hoping you would pick up cause I need you right now. Call me back okay? Thanks."

*Click* I hung up and turned to Rainy.

"No answer but I know he will call back when he gets the message, I know he will. But hey are you hungry? I was going to make some fruit."

She nodded. "Okay."

I took her hand and we went inside. She sat at the counter while I cut up the fruit.

"Ya know, I have never been to the beach." Rainy said while looking out the back door.

I stopped cutting up the water melon and looked at her. "You what?" I said, she nodded.

"Yup, I have never been to an actual beach."

"You have got to be joking right?"

"Nope, total seriousness."

"But I thought you lived on the beach before."

"I did."

"And you didn't go to the beach once?"

"Nope. My parents thought that I would die cause the sun was so hot and I was so white."

I laughed as I finished up the fruit bowl. She was staring out the back door, looking at the beach.

"Alright, that's it!" is said. "Get your shit we are going to the beach!"

She looked at me. "We are what?"

"Going to the beach."

"What?"

I looked at her. "We are going to the beach." I said slowly.

"Well I know that, but why?"

"Cause you have never been and you are going to be all mopey and said if you don't go so we are going." I said as I grabbed the fruit bowl, two towels, and her hand. She followed me out the back door and onto the patio then stopped. I turned and looked at her.

"Hold on let me go get my shoes."

"No no no, you go bare foot. Gosh Rainy, you have a lot to learn about the beach life." I grabbed her hand and headed to ward the beach.

"But don't the sand burn your feet?"

"Sometimes, but that is the whole reason to go barefoot. So you can run across the hot sand and act like a dork." I looked over my shoulder. "We can pull that off well." I finished and smiled.

"Wow." Rainy said. "It's so, so..."

"Beautiful, breath taking, peaceful, relaxing?" I finished her sentence.

"So...fishy smelling. Why?" She asked, I laughed.

"It smells like fish because the tide just went out."

"Tide?"

"The tide is when the water come in on the beach because of the moons pull on the earth or something like that. Then it goes out when it don't have much pull. I'm not a scientist but I'm pretty sure that is how to explain it."

"Okay?"

"Basically, certain times of the day the water comes up really close to the grass back there." I pointed behind us. "That is when the tide is in. When the tide is out, the water is out farther to where there is more sand on the beach."

"Oh, so that is why the sand is all wet."

"Yup." I said. we had laid the towels out on the beach sand and was eating fruit. It was so nice to have girl time like we used to. It was so much more fun now that it was just us.

Rainy laughed. "Wow that looked like it hurt." She said. When I saw what she was talking about I laughed softly.

"Actually, Not really. When you hit the sand and its wet, it feels like your bed. All soft but then you get the shock of the freezing water."

"What is he doing anyways?"

"What, shallow surfing?"

"Yeah, that."

"Yeah, it's pretty fun, my dad taught me a while back. It's hard at first but once you get the hand of it it is a blast. I don't really know the real name of it but that is what me and my dad called it."

"It sounds fun."

"It is fun."

We sat there on the Beach and watched all the kids and teens play in the water. Rainy kept looking at the water like she wanted to go in but then didn't at the same time. I looked at her and held my hand out towards her. she looked at me then my hand with uneasiness in her eyes.

"Your sitting on the beach and your not going to get in the water? Come on, your feet aren't injured"

She was still uneasy about the idea, I could tell.

"Please? I don't want to go alone."

She looked at the water and all the people playing in it. She looked at me and thought about what her options were. She finally took my hand and all the uneasiness in her eyes turned into confidence. We smiled at each other and got up. Step by step we headed to the shore. We stood inches away from the water and wiggled our toes in the sand. I took a step forward and pulled at her hand and smiled. She smiled back and took a step closer. When the water hit her feet she took in a deep breath.

"Holy shit! That's cold!" She said. I laughed.

"Yes silly, its going to be cold, its not a pool where the water is warmed up prior to you getting in."

We both stood there letting the water run over our feet. Soon she took a step further out and I looked at her.

"You sure?" I asked she nodded and I smiled.

"I mean unless your scared, we can stay here if you want." She said jokingly and looked the other way.

I laughed. "Not a chance babe." And I took off into the water still holding her hand. She came after me splashing in the ice cold water. She screamed when i nailed her with a huge splash of cold water and I laughed. She dug down and got a clump of sand and threw it, nailed me in the chest.

"Oh so you want to play dirty huh babe?" I said.

I threw a hand full back, hit her leg. We kept it up, splashing, throwing sand, everything. Laughing, screaming, and giggling, filled the air. We had so much fun, acting like teens should. No drama, no fights, just plain fun, something neither of us had in a while.