Downpour

I let out a loud laugh and shoved Isaac lightly. It was the next day and we were sitting on my back porch in the sun. Rain was inside on the phone with someone. She’d been on the phone or texting someone a lot lately. I never asked who it was though.

Isaac had showed up early this morning, we’d basically spent the entire time last night watching Disney movies together, mostly because that was what most of the movies on me and Rain’s DVD case were.

We’d laughed and told stories about random things to each other until I was basically falling asleep, then he told me a simple goodnight, kissed me lightly and left. I know what Rain and Tayden thought. They thought I was getting lucky, but I’d never do that while they were awake, or in the house.

And I especially wouldn’t do it with them here now that I’d done it with Tayden. God, I thought rubbing my temple, my stomach had felt uneasy for a while now. Some stomach flu. I drank a sip of my water and laid back, fixing the sunglasses on the tip of my nose, hoping the sun would give me a beautiful tan. I watched Isaac run across the beach, then I saw why.

There was an elderly man running after a puppy. A puppy who had a leash around his neck, it just being dragged in the sand behind the dog. Isaac started calling the dog towards him, the man offering him a name, “Toaster.”

I laughed at the name and sat up, walking over to where Isaac had Toaster in his arms, licking his face all over. The man had stopped running and proceeded to walk slowly towards us, obviously out of breath.

I glanced down at Toaster, he looked like a Labrador Retriever, a chocolate one at that. And his tongue and head were flying all over as he tried to get away from Isaac’s tight embrace.

“Hey Toaster.” I cooed, rubbing him behind the ear, he turned and suddenly his puppy breath was in my face. I could have fainted at the sight.

“Thank you guys so much. My granddaughter would have been so upset if I would have come back from Toaster’s walk without him. His leash just slipped out of my hands, and then he was off.” I smiled and noticed how red faced he was.

“Would you like a bottle of water for your way back? You look like you could use it.” He nodded at my request and as I walked back towards the house I felt a nipping at my feet. I looked down and Isaac still had the leash around his wrist, talking to the man with a bright smile on his face. “Would you like some water too?” he licked my leg and I took that as a yes. “Why don’t you two come in for a bit?”

The man nodded, figuring we were friendly enough if we’d stopped to catch the runaway pup, and then offer him water after his treacherous run. I walked inside, the man taking the leash from Isaac and following us. He stopped just shy of the door. “I think I’ll stay out here with him.”

“Oh, it’s fine. He can come in, I promise.” I smiled and he looked weary of believing me.

“Are you sure your parents won’t mind, dear?” I smiled and shook my head.

“I don’t live with my parents. It’s just me and my best friend, and she’s even more of an animal person than I am.” He nodded allowing the puppy to lead him inside our humble home.

“Hey Baylin? Lunch is almost ready.” Rain appeared around the corner into the kitchen where our jambalaya was cooking slowly. “Oh my God, you are adorable!” she walked up to Toaster and pet him vigorously until he was laying on his back kicking his leg like a maniac as she rubbed that special spot on his tummy.

I laughed at the sight and turned to the man, “See, told you.” He smiled and I gestured for him to take a seat next to the already sitting down Isaac.

Tayden appeared around the corner shirtless. He’d been hiding in the guest bedroom ever since I awoke this morning. And from the looks of his eyes, it looked as if he just woke up. His hair was ruffled every which way and there were crease marks on his cheek. He glanced at me quickly before looking down.

I followed his gaze and realized he was looking at Toaster, who was still currently on his back and being adored by Rain. I walked through his line of vision to get to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water to hand to the old man still having polite chit chat with Isaac.

“Tayden! Isn’t he just so cute? Yes you are, yes you are. You are just the cutest thing on this planet. Uh huh, oh yes you are.” I smiled at my best friend's baby talk, and watched her pick up the puppy and bring him to Tayden’s face. Tayden smiled and pet the puppy, not showing nearly as much affection towards it as Rain had.

I handed the bottle of water to the old man, and he thanked me politely just before downing the entire bottle. And sooner rather than later, the old man and Toaster were gone.

Isaac had left, going to work. And I sat down on the couch next to Rain. I flung my legs over her lap, nearly missing Tayden’s crotch. I wished I wouldn’t have though, I never thought Tayden would be the nail-and-bail type of guy. And just knowing that about him made me want to scream. Of course I never thought even the second time would bring a full blown relationship on. But the fact that he hadn’t even waited to talk to me about it after, besides his whole ‘I’m a jackass’ speech, made me just believe his speech even more.

He shot me a look that Rain had missed, or at least I hoped she missed. We’d been sending each other rude looks for two days now, and by the looks of things that wasn’t going to let up soon.

I smiled at my best friend and curled into her shoulder. I was happy she was okay. The doctor had told her it was a seizure due to the flashing lights of the camera, and to just stay away from crazy lights and flashes.

Pulling her closer to me I suddenly felt warm. Her arm was resting on my back and I closed my eyes. I didn’t have a clue what I would do if something terrible happened to her. We’d known each other since birth, almost every home video that I was in, she was by my side.

For my birthday parties when I was little, I’d even let her help me blow out the candles. I’d share all my toys with her. Playing Barbie’s we’d construct this massive house, filled with multiple furniture given to us for our birthdays, over the length of my living room. And sit there and play them for hours on end, mostly only stopping when either of our parents asked us to clean up and go to bed.

I smiled up at her laughing, and hugged her tighter closing my eyes again. I fell asleep to the thought that, I had seriously no idea what I would do without my best friend.



I groaned at the sight in front of me. I’d left to go jogging on the beach, trying to keep up with my “beach bod” as Rain called it. But when I came home the sight on the couch made me gag. Obviously Tayden wasn’t here, because if he was there was no way Rain would be laying on top of Patrick on our couch, sucking his face.

“Please tell me kissing is all that you did on that couch, or I’m calling some firemen to burn it.” Rain let out of a howl of laughter and soon Patrick joined in.

“Bay…the firemen don’t start the fire. They put it out.” I squished up my face, realizing what I’d said and how I’d said it before deciding that with my dirty blonde hair, I could now refer to myself as a ‘dumb blonde’.

“Shut up, you know what I mean.” I walked past the living room, trying to shut out the sound of them two still laughing at me, then returning to kissing each other and went in my room.

There on my bed I found a note, We need to talk.

With no signature.

I walked back into the living room, inwardly groaning as I knew already what I’d see. I cleared my throat and they broke apart again.

“Did someone come to drop something off to me earlier Rain?” she looked around thinking hard and then shook her head.

Suddenly her face lit up and she was right in front of me. “Baylin. Baylin. Baylin. Baylin. Baylin.” She drug the last one out.

“Yes, Rain?”

“I think we should get a puppy.”