Rainy Day

A grey value scale had been painted across the frigid sky. The lightening crashed, thunder snapped, and rain drops poured from the sky like salty tears. It was normal, but morbid. The dark sky was taunting and somehow mocking. Then there was Sree. Sree was joyful, optimistic, and inspirational. It was unfair that this was her constant scenery, when she deserved nothing but blue skies and sunshine. She had always been perfect, and had a perfect life. She was the perfect student, daughter, and, until now, the perfect girlfriend.

She sat hopelessly in her car; her head on the steering wheel and her knees pulled to her chest. Her brown eyes turned crystal from her tears. She had pulled her, usually long and flowing, black locks into a high, messy bun. Fresh tear tracks ran down her milk chocolate cheeks with purity and grace. Sree wasn't Sree. She had become a complete different person.

"Why don't you love me anymore," Sree whispered. She looked into Travis' eyes, but he quickly adverted them. "Just tell me why," she said with a weak smile.

Travis and Sree had been going out for so long that she didn't know what it meant to be single. Travis had always been in her life, and now he was telling her that he couldn't do it anymore. She knew she wouldn't like the answer, but she couldn't move on without knowing. She could feel her heart breaking in a million different pieces in that one second.

"I've never stopped loving you, Sree. I'm just not looking for the same things you are anymore. We're only in high school, and I don't think I want a serious relationship anymore. Sree, I'm doing this because I love you. I didn't want you to get hurt." Travis contented to look out of the car window, avoiding eye contact.

"You didn't want me to get hurt? I appreciate your attempt at honesty, but you never loved me. If you did, you would have broken up with me the day you came to the realization you weren't into our, so called, relationship." Sree spoke with a calm voice, even though she wanted to scream on the top of her lungs; and she held back her tears because she didn't want to seem broken.

"Sree," Travis said, finally looking at her.

"Get out," she said without a second thought.

"Excuse me," he questioned, shocked.

"You heard me. Get out of my car, now." She placed a hand to her temple, feeling a headache beginning to pound through her skull.

"Fine," Travis said without putting up a fight. He pushed the door open and stood out in the pouring rain. "So, I guess I'll see you around," he questioned.

"Don't hold your breath," and with that Sree pulled off in a hasty rage.

So, here she sat in the middle of no where, and she had no way of getting home. To be honest, she didn't have much of a desire to go home. If she could have, she would have stayed in that car forever. Her car had ran out of gas, and she left her phone at home. Her only option was to walk to the nearest service station, but she had also forgotten an umbrella. Sree finally pushed herself out of her car, and began to walk down the deserted street with an empty gasoline jug.

Then there was Niall. Niall was dangerous, quiet, and mysterterious. Niall wasn't perfect, and he didn't try to be. He wasn't the greatest student, son, and he never really was a boyfriend; but he had a good soul. Also, though it had been long forgotten, Sree and Niall actually used to be good friends. Most people flenched away from him because of the rumors, but none of them were true. Sree knew that, but she had somehow become brainwashed, and had ditched him too. Niall didn't care what the majority of people thought of him, but he did care when Sree abandoned him. Then he figured he didn't need her, or anyone else. He was better alone, and that was the way her preferred it.

He walked down the quiet street, until he spotted an unsuspected car. He had seen the car several times before; and he knew exactly who it belonged to, but he kept walking. Then, he saw her. He saw Sree walking down the same old road as he was.

Niall had no intentions of running into anyone he knew on the back roads, or even stopping to talk to them, but he did. For some odd reason, Niall couldn't bring himself to walk past her without concern. He shouldn't have cared, but he did. He saw her walking hopelessly, without anything to protect her from the freezing rain, and he felt something. He didn't know what he felt, but it was so strong that it made him stop.

Niall lightly coughed in Sree's directon, startling her a little, and gave his best attempt at a smile. Sree quickly looked up at the boy suddenly beside her with a confused stare. She hesitated, for she was unsure what to do. She wasn't scared, but she couldn't say she was comfortable with the blue eyed mystery either. Sree wasn't one to give in to rumors, but the ones people told about Niall seemed to be so vidid. She figured at least some of them could be true.

"Are you alright, Sree?" Niall's quiet voice shook the inside of Sree's head, making her forget where she was for a second. She wasn't sure why she was so shocked, but something about his voice was startling. It took Sree a while to answer before she noticed she had been staring.

"Uh, yeah, Niall," she said coming back from her thoughts. Niall looked at her questionably, noticing her tear tracks.

"Are you sure?" Niall was now walking in step with her, holding his umbrella over the both of them, and lookig her straight in the eyes. "I know you don't know me very well, and you have no reason to trust me, but you don't have to lie to me. Trust me, I wouldn't care, but you looked a little stranded."

Sree fidgeted a little before she began to shake her head from side to side.

"I'm not alright," she said truthfully. "I'm actually the farthest thing from alright." She let out a nervous laugh as she reflected on the days events. Niall looked at her with an unsettling look. "Don't worry, I'll save you the gory details. It has just been a bad day, and that's why I'm even out here. My car ran out of gas, and I was looking for a service station that was near by." Her lips turned into a half smile.

"There's one straight down this road and then you make a right up there," Niall said pointing in the direction they were walking.

"Really?" Sree said a little shocked. She was shocked that he even bothered to stop and talk to her, and even more shocked that he was willing to help her.

"Yes really. Trust me, I wouldn't lie about where a service station is." His sarcastic tone made Sree giggle lightly.

"No, that isn't it. I was just--," she started.

"You know what, I've actually have got to go. But here, take the umbrella," Niall said, cutting her off. He could feel himself turning cold. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was that feeling he got earlier that told him to stop, but now it told him to go. It told him to run. "Hope you find the station alright," Niall said as he began to run back in the same direction he came.

Sree stood confused, watching the suddenly frantic boy run away from her. For the second time today, a boy ran from her and shut her out, and she wasn't sure why. She knew they had a rocky past, but how quickly he had come and gone worried her.

"Wait," Sree finally called out to Niall. "You forgot your umbrella," but Niall was too far to hear her. Sree let out a long drawn out sigh and began walking again. She figured she might as well go get the gasoline, so she could get home.

After about ten minutes she had found the gas station, paid for the gas, and walked back to her car. She put what she bought into her gas tank, and let out a joyful sigh as her car started. She had tried pushed the thought of Travis and Niall to the back of her head, and was almost happy to be heading back home.

The rain hadn't let up yet, and the roads were slick. The blurry windshield wasn't much help either. Sree tried to concentrate on the road, but her mind soon got very distracted. Her thoughts were else where, and without notice she had ran a red light. A thin, dark silhouette ran across the road, causing Sree to harshly stomp on her breaks.

Her heart began to race, her body began to shake, and her eyes were closed tightly. She shook her head in protest, fearful she had hit whatever had crossed in front of her. But to her surprise, she saw Niall looking straight at her.

"What the hell are you doing," Niall shouted, brining Sree from her thoughts.

"Sorry," Sree said. A knot began to form in her stomach. She soon began to remember how terrible the day had really been. Not only had her boyfriend broken up with her, and had she had gotten stranded, but she almost killed someone she used to call friend. She put her palm to her forehead and sighed. She slid out of her, wanting to apologize.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Weren't you paying attention? Don't you know how to drive? Just because you think you're so superior to the rest of us, it doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want. You aren't supposed to run red lights for a reason." Niall's bitterness and the fact that he had been frightened had taken control over his mouth. He shouted at her, remembering how their, once good, friendship had ended. He didn't want to admit it earlier, but Sree had hurt him.

"Sorry. I am so sorry. You're right, I should have been paying better attention. I was just so distracted, and today just wasn't a good day. Niall, you have every right to be shout at me; I understand." Sree spoke frantically and slurred some of her words together. "I was a terrible friend to you."

"Sree, just drop it. It was a long time ago. I'm over it," Niall said, shaking his head. "I'm over it." Niall repeated himself, and began walking in the opposite direction.

"Wait," Sree called after him. She paused, unsure how to say what she really wanted. "You forgot your umbrella," she said disappointedly.

"Keep it," Niall shouted back to her.

"Niall, I get you aren't a fan of me, but at least let me give you a ride home," Sree shouted back.

"I don't really need your sympathy right now," Niall said, continuing to walk. Sree rolled her eyes and quickly got back into her car. She caught up to him, rolling down the window, and began speaking to him again.

"Niall, get in the car," Sree demanded, but he only protested. "Niall, I'm not going to leave you alone until you get in the damn car," Sree shouted.

"Fine," Niall said. He ran a hand through his hair and let out an uneasy breath.

"Good." Sree smiled at the sad soul, and unlocked the door. Niall quickly slid into the passenger seat.

The two sat in silence for several minutes, neither sure on what to say to the other. They both coexisted, just like they had for the past couple of years. The music softly playing in the background was the only thing that kept the car from being completely silent. They only said small things, avoiding a true conversation.

"So," Sree said as they approached the street they both lived on. "Where am I heading," Sree looked at him for the first time since he got into her car.

"We're neighbors," Niall said awkwardly.

"I know," she said with a smile. "I wasn't sure if there was anywhere else you'd rather go."

"Trust me, I'd rather be anywhere, but home. That's why I'm always walking. I never know where I'm going, but at least I'm out of that damn house." Niall's eyes began to glaze over and then they seemed to turn hard. As he continued to speak about his home life, Sree could feel the pain in his voice.

"You know what? The weather looks like it is clearing up," Sree said, pulling in front of her house. "Do you remember that old tree house that we used to hang out in?"

"How could I? We honestly thought it was the coolest place ever, even though it was just a wooden box in a tree," Niall laughed at how juvenile they used to be. "Why?"

"Well, my parents actually renovated it a bit. It's not the same, so it's not authentic, but I was thinking maybe you'd like to come check it out. You know, if you wanted to," Sree bit her lip a little, hoping he would say yes. Sree, even though she wasn't quite sure how, wanted to make things better with him. She wanted him to be happy, have friends, and even have a better life at home. Most importantly, she wanted to repair their friendship. Then suddenly, without any warning, Sree leaned in and let their lips collide. Sree kissed him passionately before pulling away, and feeling a wave of embarrassment rush through her.

"I'm sorry," Sree said nervously. Niall looked at her with a confused look, unsure of what to say.

"I'd love to," he said in response to her question. "And you have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," Niall said, biting his lip. They both leaned in and gave each other another heated kiss, and that is what began it all again. Their friendship, and their wonderful love story. Niall and Sree, were meant to be together. It only took a bad friendship, a break up, a couple of years, and a rainy day for them to notice.