What Are We

Chapter Two: Rain, Rain, and More Freaking Rain.

Jordan POV

It's been raining for a week now. Nonstop, pouring, thunder-and-lightning-flood-inducing rain.

Carla, Faith and I slosh to school all decked out in boots, raincoats and hoods, and umbrellas, which the wind is about to blow away.

"Look, I like rain and all, but there's a such thing as too much of a good thing!" Faith yells so we can hear her over the wind.

"I know! First a drought last summer, now flooding! Make up your mind, weather!" Carla replies. The street is a river, the gutter white water rapids, and the clogged drain by the park an ocean. The sky is a sheet of gray, so it's really dark out.

"Shit!" Faith yelps as her umbrella is ripped out of her hands and thrown into the air. She runs after it, jumping up to catch it. She lands in a puddle, her umbrella still blowing around. She starts to go after it, but then it snaps back, breaking, and blows into a tree.

Faith stops back to us, her boots even more soaked, scowling. Carla is snickering.

"It's not funny. Now I'm going to get even wetter. Which is hardly possible, now!" I know she's not really that mad, just frustrated at loosing her last umbrella. She's been in a bad mood lately. "I'm going to have to buy the whole family umbrellas now!"

"No, you wont. Here, I'll share," I say, and she sighs, joining me under mine. I hope she agrees.

"Thanks," she mutters.

"Welcome." I'm happy to walk close to her, even though I know liking her is weird, and really, really pointless.

We reach the school and Faith runs inside. When we join her, she's waiting for us with her coat off, wringing water out of her hair and sleeves.

"I've got water in my boots, the hems of my jeans and sleeves are soaked, and I'm tired!" Faith grumbles.

"You're always tired, Fay," Carla points out. She rolls her eyes.

"Whatever. Let's get to math. Ugh." Faith stomps off ahead of us.

. . .

The loudspeaker crackles and the whole class looks up. It's the middle of fourth period, which is government for Faith and me. It's the principal.

"Due to the immense rainfall, we are having some flooding in the building. Will all classes please exit to the indoor commons and await further instruction. Please do not enter rooms in the A wing. Thank you."

The class lines up to leave, and Faith tugs my sleeve.

"We get to walk right by the A wing! We'll look, kay?"

"Um…"

"Come on Jordan, please? We're going home anyway!" Faith flashes her bambi eyes, and I sigh.

"Fine."

"Yay!" We fall behind the rest of the class and slip into the bathrooms. Faith whips out her phone, and within minuets Carla is with us. Part of me wishes she hadn't come, but that's not fair. Carla is my friend too, and it's stupid to like a girl who thinks relationships are a waste of time.

We look in the windows of the classrooms, careful to be unseen. The A wing is right by the doors to the school, so we quickly find flooding. We enter a room, and Faith starts cracking up.

"HA! This is gonna take them forever to clean up!" She's right, because the water is about six inches high in the front half of the classroom, and it's still raining. Carla and Faith howl with laughter, but I don't see how it's that funny.

"Were not gonna have school for two weeks!" Carla agrees, and we head back out towards the indoor commons.

"I don't know how everyone's going to fit into the indoor commons," muse, and the girls shrug. We go back to our class lines just as they're taking roll.

"Just in time!" Faith whispers and I smile. The loudspeaker crackles again.

"You are now excused to go home. The busses will be here in ten minuets, and you can use the office phones to call for a ride. You shall receive a call when school is opened.

We meet up with Carla and walk home. Now Faith is running around with her jacket off through the puddles, laughing.

"There's no school! I get to sleep!" Me and Carla laugh, and we crash at Faith's house. Faith's place is the biggest, so we always go there.

We throw our jackets on the rack and go into the kitchen.

"I'm freezing!" Faith chatters.

"I'll make hot cocoa, you go change!" Carla says, pushing a soaked Faith out of the kitchen. She thumps up the stairs and closes a door.

Carla grabs some milk and I take out the mix and marshmallows. We make three mugs, and by the time Faith is down from her shower in a big fuzzy robe and slippers, they're cool enough to drink.

"Ahh, that's better," Faith says. "Lets go upstairs, my room is warmer." Stepping into her room is a drastic change. It's a blast of warm air. Faith sits on her window seat with a pillow, Carla on her bed, and me on the chair by her desk.

"So, considering we probably have at least a week off, we should find some movies to watch," Faith says, stirring her marshmallows.

"Let's watch Madagascar three. The other ones were good, yeah?" Carla suggests. Faith nods.

"You too can watch that movie, you know I don't have patience for animated movies," I tell them.

"Oh-kayyy," Faith sighs. "If you change your mind, call me."

We chat until Carla's mom calls she leaves. I hang around for a while, until Faith tells me she wants to sleep. I say goodbye and leave.

As I'm walking from her house, I hear a tapping. I look up, and Faith waves from her window, grinning.

I wave in return and smile. She blows me an exaggerated kiss, and I crack up at her ridiculous face. We've been doing that joke for years, ever since we saw a French guy do it on TV in fifth grade. I give the fancy little wave that is our standard response. Faith laughs, and I blush. I turn away before she can see.

The more I spend time with Faith, the more I like her, and the more I think it's a hopeless cause. I'd rather be her friend than not seeing her at all, because even though I love her, she's also my best friend. If she decided she was tired of me that would hurt me in a lot of ways.

I push those thoughts to the back of my mind and go home.