The rain fell harder, blurring the school building behind us as if the universe was erasing everything except this moment.
I stood between two choices:
Kaelor beside me, holding the umbrella over my head…
And Devin in front of me, umbrella trembling slightly in his hand, soaked from running.
He looked nervous.
Really nervous.
"Arista," Devin said, voice breaking a little.
"I need to talk to you. Please."
Kaelor didn't say a word.
But I felt the shift.
His grip tightened on the umbrella handle.
His jaw flexed.
He didn't look at Devin—
he looked straight forward, rain sliding down the edge of the umbrella.
Like he was bracing for something he didn't want to hear.
I swallowed.
"Okay," I finally said.
"I'll walk with him."
Kaelor didn't look at me.
Just stepped back half a step, enough for Devin to take my side.
The umbrella's shadow moved away with him.
And suddenly, I wasn't covered anymore.
Before I could react, Devin moved closer.
"Here—take mine," he said quickly.
He tilted it so I stayed dry, while half his shoulder and arm got wet instead.
"Devin, you're getting soaked," I muttered.
He laughed lightly.
"I'm used to losing half the umbrella to someone."
He didn't mean it jokingly.
Not fully.
We walked into the rain.
---
Kaelor's Silent POV Window (Unheard by Arista)
The raindrops hitting Kaelor's umbrella were loud.
Too loud.
He watched them walk away—
watched the umbrella tilt protectively over her—
watched Devin lean close to say something she couldn't hear.
And something unfamiliar tugged inside his chest.
Jealousy?
Fear?
Possibly both.
He hated the feeling.
He hated the distance.
He hated that someone else was walking her home in the rain.
He turned away, his own umbrella trembling slightly from his grip.
"Don't get involved," he whispered to himself.
But the storm inside him was louder than the one outside.
---
We walked slowly through the rain-soaked pavement.
The streets shimmered with puddles.
Devin kept adjusting the umbrella toward me without saying anything.
He was cold. I could tell.
His hands were shaking slightly.
But he kept going.
Finally, he spoke.
"Arista… I don't know how to say this without sounding dramatic."
"Then don't sound dramatic," I said softly.
He laughed nervously.
"Okay… I'll try."
He exhaled.
"We were such close friends once. Before everything got messy. Before I switched sections. Before people got in my head."
He looked down at our reflections in a puddle.
"I thought you hated me."
"I never hated you," I said immediately.
He looked up, eyes widening like he wasn't expecting that.
"Really?"
"Yes."
He swallowed hard, nodding.
"The truth is… I've been wanting to talk to you for months. But every time I tried, something stopped me."
He didn't say the name.
But we both knew.
Derek.
"And today…" He hesitated.
"I didn't want someone else to talk to you before I did."
The rain hit harder.
Thunder rolled in the distance.
"What do you want to tell me, Devin?" I asked.
He opened his mouth—
But something behind us interrupted.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Echoing.
Purposeful.
We turned.
Derek stood under the school archway, hands in pockets, rain falling around him.
Watching us.
Expression blank.
Too blank.
Devin stiffened.
I felt my heart jump.
Derek didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Just stared.
Like the rain wasn't even touching him.
Like he had been waiting.
---
Devin moved slightly between me and him,
barely noticeable, but I saw it.
Protective.
Not aggressive, just… alert.
"Arista," he whispered, "don't look back at him. Let's keep going."
"Is he following us?" I whispered.
"No. But he's… observing."
That didn't make me feel better.
We walked again, this time quicker.
I held the umbrella tighter.
Devin's hands trembled again.
But not from cold.
From something else.
Nerves? Fear?
I didn't know.
But I knew this:
Whatever Devin wanted to tell me
was not going to be something small.
---
We reached the junction where our paths split.
Rain still pouring.
Streetlights flickering.
Devin took a deep breath.
"Arista… I'm trying to fix what I ruined. I don't want things between us to stay broken."
"Devin, they were never broken," I said gently.
"They were… paused."
He stared at me, stunned.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"You have no idea how much that means."
He inhaled again, gathering courage.
"I want to start over. With you. As friends. And maybe…"
He hesitated.
"…maybe something more someday."
My breath caught.
"Devin—"
"You don't have to say anything," he rushed.
"Just… don't push me away again. Please."
The rain softened a little, almost like it was listening.
I opened my mouth to respond—
But behind us, a loud thud echoed.
We spun around.
A book lay on the wet ground.
And Derek stood perfectly still, half-shadowed under the streetlight.
Watching.
Waiting.
Expression unreadable.
But his eyes—
His eyes were wrong.
Storms didn't scare me.
People with storms inside them did.
And Derek…
Derek was a hurricane disguised as a student.