Come in With the Rain

I woke up to the sound of my alarm with the sun in my eyes. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, sitting up tangled in my sheets and blankets.

“Summer! You need to get up! Don’t want to be late for the first day of school!” I sighed at the sound of my mom yelling up the stairs and got out of my bed.

“Okay, Mom!” I yelled down the stairs. “I’ll be down soon!”

“Okay!”

I rolled my eyes, and looked around my room. I looked at all the clothes scattered around my room and sighed. I walked into my walk-in bathroom and started up my shower, bringing my clothes for the school day with me. I stepped into the shower and relaxed instantly as the warm water hit my skin. I sighed into the hot mist of the water and leaned against the wall of the shower, water pounding down on my body like I was getting a massage.

I closed my eyes and images of the summer that just ended flashed behind my closed eyelids, bringing up memories that I wanted to forget. I could go back to every laugh, every touch, every smile, every knowing glance, just everything that happened over the summer between him and me, but I won’t. I remembered how I knew, still know, every step up to his door, but I cut off my thoughts, not wanting to go there anymore. I quickly opened my eyes and continued on with my shower, quickly finishing and stepping out. I dried off quickly and changed into my clothes, willing myself to not think about him as I did my hair and makeup, getting ready for the first day of school.

Unfortunately, my thoughts did run back to him as I drove to school, thinking about the precious moments that we had shared over the summer. I was parked in a spot at school, twenty minutes later and earlier than I planned, when the memory of our second meeting came to my mind….

I laughed as James told me a joke. The party on the beach had been much more bearable with him keeping me company. I was comfortable just sitting and talking and joking with him at the party, and I felt comfortable and at ease. I felt like I could be myself around him. And now, as he walked me back to my house to make sure I was safe, I still felt at ease in his presence. Not to mention the fact the he gave me butterflies.

“Well, this is it,” I told James turning to him as we reached my house. “Thanks for walking me back.”

“No problem,” he said with a smile that made me weak in the knees. I smiled back and turned away, afraid that he might see my blush, even if we only had the moonlight for lighting. James whistled and my head snapped back to him and he said, “That’s a lot of windows on your house.”

I giggled and nodded my head. “Yeah, my mom loves windows.”

“Let me see if I can guess which window is yours,” James said with a mischievous grin. I rolled my eyes but I humored him. “Is it the one on the second floor next to the big tree?”

I looked at him shocked. He guessed it on the first try. “How-how did you guess?” I asked him shunned.

James grinned and shrugged. “I just thought that all girls like having a room that looks out to see a big tree.” I cocked an eyebrow and he chuckled. “Plus, I thought you were the type of girl who would climb that tree to sneak out.”

“I am not!” I huffed out, slapping his arm playfully, letting a giggle pass through my lips. I kept slapping him playfully, and finally James caught my wrist in his hand and pulled me closer to him.

“Well,” he started, his face inches away from mine, “I’m the type of guy who sneaks into a girl’s bedroom if a tree is by her window.” I giggled and looked up into his eyes, and before I knew it, his lips were on mine.

The kiss was soft and sweet, and made me weak in the knees like his smile that he gave me earlier did. It didn’t last very long, but it felt like it would go on forever. When we finally did pull away, James rested his head on mine, and we breathed in synchronization.

“I don’t think I’d let any boy come into my window,” I teased him lightly, as he held my hand and caressed the back of my hand with his thumb.

James chuckled and kissed my forehead. “How about this? If you ever get lonely, but you’re too tired to call my name, leave your window open.”

“I’ll think about it,” I whispered with a smile. “I’ll see you later?” James nodded his head and I waved goodbye as I walked up the driveway and into my house.

That night changed the rest of my summer. I ended up leaving my window open every night, and when it rained, I always hoped that he would come in with the rain.

I snapped out of my reverie and looked around me when I heard the sound of voices. More people were arriving at school, so I got out of my car whilst grabbing my bag, and I locked my car and headed into the school building. I walked to the main office to grab my schedule since I wasn’t here when they were first available, saying hi to friends I hadn’t seen over the course of the summer.

“Hi, who do I ask for my schedule?” I asked Mrs. Holmes, the school receptionist, as I leaned over the ledge.

“Oh, I can get it for you, Summer!” she replied brightly. “How was your summer?” she giggled like she always does when she asks me how my summer was.

“It was fun,” I replied with a smile.

“Well, here you are, honey,” Mrs. Holmes said a few seconds later. “Have a great day!”
I thanked her and turned around reading my schedule, not paying any attention to where I was going, which caused me to bump into somebody.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” I said as I looked up. I gasped as I met his eyes, and my eyes widened in shock, wondering if he was truly standing in front of me.

“Summer?” James’ smooth voice asked. I snapped my head back to him and smiled unsurely.

“What are you doing here?” I finally breathed. “I thought you went back home after the summer?”

James smiled and said, “My mom decided to move back up here because she loved it so much.”

“Cool,” I said with enthusiasm, but not too much enthusiasm. “So, um, have you gotten your schedule yet?”

“Yeah, I was just heading off to find my first class…” he trailed off.

“Here, let me see, I can show you the way,” I offered, taking his schedule. “Oh, cool, we have music together.” I smiled at him giving his schedule back. “Do you want me to show you to first class?”

“Sure,” James smiled.

The walk his first class was silent, but it wasn’t as awkward as I thought it’d be. When we reached the classroom, I turned to him and smiled.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll see each other around?” I questioned giving James a small smile in the entrance of the classroom. James nodded and smiled back, and butterflies erupted in my stomach.

“If you’re window’s still open…” James trailed off, “Maybe we will see each other around.” He winked at me and walked into the classroom, and I blushed as I walked to my first class.

As I drove home that day, I couldn’t help but not being able to hold in my excitement. All throughout my music class James and I had flirted, and I couldn’t wait to get home so that I could open my window. I finally got home five minutes later, and I rushed into the house, dropping my keys in a bowl on a stand next the door and rushed upstairs with my purse and schoolbag.

My mom wasn’t home yet, so I decided that I would clean my room before I started my homework. I dropped my bags on my bed and went to my window. I opened it up all the way, and opened the blinds so that I could see through them and let sunlight in. I then went over to my desk a few paces away from the window, and hit play on my iHome, letting my music on my iPod flow throughout my room. Skillet’s song Lucy was playing on my iPod, and I quietly started singing along as I began to clean my room.

Two hours later, music still playing but turned down, a soft breeze coming in through my window, I was seated at my desk, working on homework. The first day of school and already teachers are making the piles of homework high. I had gotten out of the shower moments before, and my hair was up in a bun, still wet. I was trying to focus on my homework, but I kept glancing at my open window, waiting for something to happen. I did this periodically throughout the night while finishing my homework, but he never came. By the time it was ten o’clock, I called it a night and finally went to sleep.

Weeks passed and I began getting more and more frustrated. Every night, every single night I left my window open, waiting, just waiting for James to come through it like he had done so many times before. I thought that was what he had implied that he had wanted me to do when we exchanged words on the first day of school, but I guess I was wrong.

And the worst part was, James openly flirted with me whenever we were in music class or even saw each other. He didn’t even act like he hadn’t asked me to leave my window open for him. Also, there were so many rumors about how James was a player, but I just ignored it, remembering our summer together, and always leaving my window open each night. I never admitted it to myself, but I was starting to lose hope as they days and nights wore on.

Each day was filled with flirtatious comments in music class, yet he never made a move! It wasn’t until I stumbled upon him kissing a girl in the hallway that I finally realized that the rumors were true. And I came to realize that the summer love I thought I had with James, wasn’t a summer love to him-it was just a fling. It broke my heart, but who hasn’t had their heart broken?

A few more weeks passed, and we got an assignment to write and perform a song for someone that we know in music class. I decided that I could write a song for James, but I asked the teacher if I could not perform it. She agreed, and I luckily didn’t have to go that far. I had given up on James now, but I wasn’t going to let him know that.

I still left my window open, waiting for him to come in with the rain as seasons passed, hoping that he will come in with the rain that came through my open window. I watched him for so long any time I caught a glimpse of in him the hallways, during lunchtime; I silently screamed his name out, begging him to just look at me, and give me that smile, the smile that he gave me that night when he told me I should leave my window open for him. But it never came. And I still left my window open.

Finally, I had had enough. I gave up on him for good. After months of pining for James, I just gave up. I moved on with my life. And now, five months into the school year, I’ve moved on with my life.

“Summer? Are you okay?”

I looked at my friend Julia who had asked if I was okay, and I gave her a warm smile. “I’m a lot better than I have been.” She gave me a questioning look and I told her I’d tell her later.

I breezed by through the rest of the day, happier than I had been for months. I didn’t even cast a glance towards James in music. I knew he was confused, but I just ignored him. The bell finally rang for the day and I smiled, glad that the school day was over.

I was packing up my schoolbag when I heard my name being called. The hallways were mostly empty, but I took longer than most people to pack up my things.

“Summer!” I looked around me and saw James jogging towards me when I heard my name being called. Even though he practically broke my heart and he didn’t know it, I wasn’t going to be uncivil towards him.

“Hey, you didn’t speak to me in music today,” James said leaning against the locker next to mine. “What’s up with that?” he asked with a playful grin.

I sighed and smiled back, debating if I should just tell him I had been pining for him all these months. “Do you really want to know?” I asked him raising my eyebrow.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I thought we were friends.”

“We can be if you want to be,” I told him shrugging. “But I just don’t want to be messed with anymore, James. Ever since the summer ended, all I’ve been thinking about is you. And when I saw you back at school here, I thought we might reconnect. And then that comment about my window still being open? Yeah, it’s been open every single night since that day. And you have never come. You led me on, James, and quite frankly, I’ve given up.” I finished my rant and closed my locker, pulling my schoolbag over my shoulder.

“I thought you knew we were over,” James said with a roll of his eyes.

“I did too, but then you led me on,” I told him. “If you flirt with a girl constantly, almost every single day, they’re going to think you like them, James. Good-bye.” And with that, I walked out of school and made my way home in my car.

I got home rather quickly, noticing my mom’s car in the driveway, and I slammed the door behind me once I was inside. I quickly ran up the stairs and to my room, to see the window that I had left open every single day and night. I walked over and slammed it down as hard as I could, and laid down on my bed.

“Honey? Are you alright?” My mom called up the stairs. “I heard a slam…”

“I’m great, Mom,” I yelled back. “Couldn’t be more happier!”

“Okay…” she said back unsurely.

I leaned back into my pillow and sighed, closing my eyes. Tears started forming as I saw James face, completely devoid of any emotions as he looked back at me, not caring that I had liked him for so long. I won’t admit that I’d wish he’d come back.