Hey I was just looking through my files on my laptop and I came across this, I wrote it the week after this incident took place. I completely forgot I had wrote this. Its basically just an experience I had with my teacher who was one of my closest friends. Its short but it just gives in an insight into what our world was like. Hope you like it! And if you're going to review on this particular story, I would ask you to be nice and bear in mind this actually happened and the feeling and emotion is still very raw for me…

-Sailor

My friends and I sat eating lunch in the warm, comfortable canteen watching the rain belt against the large glass doors leading out into the diamond shaped courtyard. The wind whistled through the little gaps in the doors, creating excess noise on top of the loud conversation that was happening in the canteen. I sat picking at my bread, not that bothered about eating it. My stomach rumbled at the sight of the roll I held but I couldn't eat it. My friends laughed and joked together, but I didn't feel like laughing or joking, but this didn't seem to phase them. I just felt ill, and I knew exactly why. I lifted my head and gazed out at the rain. I could hear the harsh droplets bouncing against the roof of my school, and watching it and the dark clouds hover over just made my stomach more sick. Flash backs of the first class this morning came rushing back as I watched the rain slither down the door. I waited behind after class as usual, as Mr. Sutton cleared up his desk. He had been acting strange all through class, not answering my questions and ignoring my comments. He was never like this with me. I asked him quietly what was wrong as I swung my legs under the desk. He didn't even look at me, just continued slamming his books together. He gave me a frosty, fleeting look and stormed out telling me to fuck off and mind my own business. This just wasn't the way he treated me. We got on so well, and he created an environment for me where I could go and talk to him about anything that was bothering me. He would listen and share advice. On some occasions, he would tell me some of the situations that happened in his life because I always felt he had no one to talk too, so I would listen with a patient ear. But now he was acting so odd. My friends questioned what was wrong at the start of lunch when I didn't say anything but I knew I couldn't tell them so I just kept quiet. They didn't mind that much, they had other things to talk about anyway. The rain was so hypnotic…constant. But then, something came into my vision. It was a dark blur. I blinked to try and focus my vision to see through the rain and haze. I froze seeing it was Mr. Sutton…wearing a black jacket and his jeans, just standing there in the rain. He leant against the wall and continued staring out to space. My eyes were fixed on his vulnerable form. I couldn't comprehend why he was standing out in the wind and rain. The rain seemed to get heavier and I felt my heart throb watching him. I went numb and didn't feel myself dropping my bread. Then I felt my friend shake my arm. I tore my eyes away, and turned to her. She gave me a bewildered look and I saw her lips move but I couldn't hear what she was saying. I turned away and strained my neck to look out the glass doors once more. He had taken out his phone and was gazing at, occasionally wiping it on his sleeve. This was beginning to worry me. I felt my stomach begin to tie up in knots. The rain was getting heavier by the minute. And he continued to stand there getting drenched. Wait, why did I care? He was being an asshole to me. But of course I cared, I cared for him so much, too much. I shook my head and concentrated on the button on my blazer since I had lost my bread. But the image of him standing there was etched into my brain. He looked so fragile, like he was about to shatter into a million pieces if anything touched him even so lightly. My friends called me again and this time they had my attention. They asked what was up again, however the long sigh after made me think they really didn't want to know. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. They all sighed angrily in unison, rolling their eyes. That just lit my fuse, I stood up and glared at each one of them. I was about to start shouting at them, but then that sad figure outside caught my attention again. I realised that there was more important things to deal with. I took one last look, and ran to the doors leading into my corridor and my lockers. I keyed in the code quickly and pulled the lock open frantically. I pulled everything that blocked my way, I was only searching for one thing. I threw all my papers onto the ground, constantly reminding myself that I needed to be quick. I eventually found it and ran, leaving everything from my locker strewn on the ground and the door wide open, back through the empty corridor to the canteen. I burst through the door, but only a few people could tear themselves away from their self centred conversations to care about where I was rushing off too. I didn't care at all, they could stare all they want. I stopped when I got to the main doors leading into the courtyard and scanned around seeing he was still there. My poor puppy, neglected and left out in the rain. I pushed the heavy door open while my friends called after me wondering where I was going and commenting that my hair was going to get ruined. But I didn't care, I walked out into the rain, walking towards him. The rain spit past my ears creating a harsh hiss in my eardrum. I stood a few feet away from him, feeling the rain soak through thin material that was my school uniform. My blazer began to get heavier absorbing every drop that fell. He looked away from his phone to me, then back again. He said nothing, just stood, so I did the same. Standing there looking at him…Realising I wasn't going to move at least until he spoke to me, he enquired as to what I was doing here. I simply responded by asking him the exact same question, which did not go down well. He just looked away, so I edged closer. I could see the spots of rain on his glasses, occasionally falling off to the ground. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and sniffled. He asked me if he could help me and I simply responded by repeating his question back to him. As we stood there in rain, all I could hear in my head was 'Set The Fire To The Third Bar' by Snow Patrol. The distance between us felt like millions of miles. I edged closer to him and he met my eyes once more. It was a look that was unreadable. He looked away to what was in my hand. I could feel my hair beginning to mat and tangle with the rain. I could feel my make up running down my face, soaking into my shirt. His fragile fringe spikes began to fall over his forehead, hiding his heart shaped hair line, that I loved so much. I raised my hand and unzipped my umbrella that I had ripped from my locker. I opened it and raised it over myself. I walked closer to him, now covering the two of us. I bent my head so I was meeting his gaze. We both stood there under the umbrella, still dripping from the rain, gazing into each others eyes. His face looked so perfect, even surrounded by the gloom and darkness of this Winter day. Then, very slowly he outstretched his arms, resting his hands on my waist. I leaned closer, resting my one free hand on his broad shoulder. He shifted his gaze and pulled my body closer to his, in a very intimate hug. I felt him rest his chin on my shoulder, whispering very quietly in my ear. My eye lids drooped over feeling the vibration of his mummers against my ear drum. I couldn't tell you what he said…I was just happy to be with him and protecting him. The rain got heavier, the wind becoming stronger. He hugged me closer to him this time as if I was holding him together so he wouldn't shatter. Then everything fit in, his moods everything. It was all rooted out of this. He didn't even need to go into details, I knew…I looked over to the canteen doors and saw some students starting to peer out but I didn't care. We didn't need any one of them, they didn't care about us, we didn't care about them. We were both happy to have someone we could confide in, someone we could trust, someone who would hold us when we were at our lowest. Sometimes we didn't feel like talking but that was ok, the option was at least there. He had told me a long time ago that yes he was my teacher, but we had something else, outside school. He was a friend to me and even though he didn't want to admit it, I was a good friend for him too. He could lean on me, and he did, and I would help him and he knew that. We stood out in the rain for the remainder of lunch, holding each other, with an umbrella, I had brought to protect him from the rain. But that's what we do, we help and protect each other… He puts on this fake tough guy exterior but only when you really get to know him like I have that you realise he is an extremely sensitive guy with a lot of emotional issues, for a 27 year old anyway. He has had to endure so much in his young life but I think it made him a stronger and better person, and which also made him willing to help me. I always felt he saw a bit of him in me and that's why we got on so well and also why he was willing to let me in. And standing there in that rain, that faithful lunch time, proved this.