This is my favorite short story I've ever written and I hope you enjoy it too.

The rain poured and the thunder roared as the girl ran blindly through the rain. Her ebony hair whipped behind her as she ran. Tears hidden by the downpour streamed down her cheeks from her dark blue eyes. She continued to run until her sobs and her exertion left her gasping for air. She collapsed where she stood, too tired to get back up and continue on. She sat against the wall of the building she was near and pulled her knees up to her chest. She hugged them while she hung her head and continued to cry. She shook from the cold that had seeped in through her soaked clothes and from the sobs that still wracked her body.

"Why!" she cried out in anguish to the stormy night, her eyes lifted to the heavens. The only answer she received was another clap of thunder and then a bolt of lightning that lit up the sky.

"Why do I have to always be alone!" she screamed. Tears still streamed down her face, as if they were as endless as the rain that fell from the sky. She did not know how long she sat there, but her tears eventually ceased as the rain continued.

All of the sudden she heard a sound that was barely audible, but she knew she had heard it. She whipped her head up quickly and gasped at what she saw. Her breath caught in her throat.

There he was. Walking through the rain like an ethereal ghost. His tall, muscular frame seeming to float across the sidewalk. His black hair fell over a set of piercing icy blue eyes, that gazed at her now with some hidden emotion that she could not place.

She could not tear her eyes from his intense gaze and she feared that she would give away too much of what she was feeling in her eyes. If she was she knew he would catch it and that was not something she wanted.

"Why did you runaway?" he questioned her in his deep voice. He was confused, though he didn't let it show. He had noticed when she had run from the house, while nobody else at the party had noticed or had not even cared. He had followed after her quickly once he had disentangled himself from the platinum blond, Victoria. He had searched for an hour though trying to find her through the downpour, which even now prevailed. And now here he was standing in front of the soaked form of his best friend since childhood, Samantha Taylor.

He searched her eyes for some clues as to what she was thinking, but he could not discern the many emotions that flashed through her eyes before she tore her dark blue eyes from his.

"Please, Sam, why?" he pleaded with her softly.

"Just go away Jason," she replied before resting her head on her knees once again. She tried as hard as she could to suppress the tears that had started to well up again at the very sight of Jason Connors, the only true friend she had ever had.

"Come on Sam. You know you can tell me anything. Please just clue me in, on what's going on. I've never seen you like this," Jason said with concern evident in his voice.

It was true that she could tell him anything and that she had always told him everything. Except for the one thing that was tearing her apart right now. She couldn't tell him, his reaction if she told him would only shred her heart up that much more and that she couldn't endure.

She kept her head down and sobbed, "Please Jason, I'm begging you. Just go away and leave me alone." The very thought of being alone brought more sobs from her body, but she should get used to it because she would always be alone.

Jason recoiled from the words that she had just spoken, for they viciously tore at his heart. If Sam had looked up at that moment and into his eyes she would have seen the agony in them. He would not leave her though, not until he had gotten some answers. He fell to his knees in front of her and grasped her shaking form to his chest and than began rocking her back and forth soothingly.

Sam just continued to wallow in her own misery without even bothering to look up to see if Jason had left after her cutting words. She was startled out of her brooding when two strong arms grabbed her around her waist and pulled her up against a hard, muscled chest, which soon began to rock her back and forth soothingly.

A silky voice whispered softly in her ear, "Shh, it's okay Sam. What ever it is we'll make it better. I won't let whatever or whoever is hurting you do it anymore I promise. And I won't leave you alone. No matter how much you want me too."

Sam was comforted and deeply hurt by the words because she knew he could not keep his promise. Especially since he was the one that was hurting her, even though it was unintentionally.

"You won't be able to keep that promise," she whispered sadly back, her sobs having subsided for now.

He looked down at her now a confused expression adorning his handsome face.

"Why not?" he questioned curiously.

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Just because," she argued back a little more forcefully.

"Damn it Sam! Why won't you just tell me what's the matter! We've always told each other if something was wrong and what it was! Why are you keeping something that is hurting you this bad from me now!" he demanded frustratingly.

"Don't you know!? Hasn't that slut Victoria or the rest of the people in the senior class told you!" she sneered back. They were both up on their feet now having quickly separated after Jason got frustrated with her. They stood glaring at each other, both frustrated beyond belief.

"What the hell are you talking about Sam? You're making absolutely no sense!" he shouted back.

"You mean you haven't heard about 'poor, pitiful, ugly Samantha Taylor who is destined to be alone because she loves someone way out of her league.' You haven't heard that!" Sam screamed back.

"No! Who the hell would say that and who the hell are you in love with!"

"You honestly don't know?"

"No! How would I know? The whole you're in love with someone is all new to me! You never thought to tell me this information! Why didn't you tell me? Why have you been keeping secrets from me?"

"Because Jason, I'm in love with you damn it! Do you understand now why I didn't tell you? Do you know now why I ran away from the party? Why I have been keeping secrets from you?" Sam screamed in anguish at him. Jason stood as still as a statue, eyes opened wide in shock.

She loves me? He thought. He couldn't believe his ears. But why didn't she tell me? When Sam spoke again he could barely hear her over the pouring rain.

"I ran away because I couldn't stand seeing you with Victoria. It hurt too much, especially because she's pretty and perfect and popular and I'm none of those things," Sam murmured softly and sadly. She gave a defeated sigh and whispered to herself out loud, "They were all right. Why would you want me when you could have her?" She never once looked up at him. She didn't want to see the expression on his face.

Jason just stood there staring at her, taken aback by her words and wondering, Why would she think that?

"Please Jason before anything else is said, will you just answer me these few questions?" she inquired timidly.

"Yeah," he responded.

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

"No."

She cringed at his reply, but continued on, just like the rain continued on.

"Do you want to be with me forever?"

"No."

"Would you cry if I went away?"

"No."

After his last three answers she already knew what his answer to her last question would be and she was slowly dying inside, just at the thought. Her voice cracked as she whispered her final question.

"Do you like me?"

"No."

She had gotten her answers and her heart ripped from her chest all at the same time. She had believed herself incapable of more tears, but she was wrong as they once again began to trickle down her cheeks.

She uttered a final quiet goodbye, never once looking up at his face. As she turned to walk away from him forever, his hand shot out and grabbed her by the elbow. He slowly turned her around to face him and with his free hand he gently raised her chin until they were looking in each others eyes. Icy blue staring into dark blue. Then he uttered some things to her that she would never and could never forget for the rest of her life.

Jason searched the depths of her dark blue orbs before revealing to her what had been yearning to tell her for so long, but he had never had the courage till now.

"Your not pretty Sam, your gorgeous. I don't want to be with you forever, I have to be with you forever. I wouldn't cry if you went away, I would die if you went away."

Sam just stood there speechless and happier than she had ever been. There was only one more thing that he could say that would make this the best moment of her life.

"Oh and Sam. I don't like you. I love you," he confessed before bringing his lips down to meet hers in a sweet kiss, which would only be the first of many more to come. And just like their love would, the rain continued on.

I hope you enjoyed my story and I would appreciate if you would review.