When It Rains. (Chapter 18)

A closer look into Seth's mind and his views on Jamie.

The next day after Jamie and Lauren's 'talk', Jamie debated whether or not she should go to Seth and warn him about Lauren, knowing well that her friend would most likely bury Seth with questions, invites, and just having Lauren talk to him had her worried.

'What if she said something to Seth? Something that would lead him to think I Said something about him?' Jamie thought to herself as she glanced at her alarm clock when she was finished getting ready for school.

Sighing, she knew she had to think of something fast. Jamie walked over to the huge window in her room and looked out at the dark clouds and blowing trees. A storm was coming and if she didn't leave now, she'd be caught in it.

She took a moment and weighed in her options. If she went to Seth's tree house, she could casually give him a ride to school, and warn him about Lauren, but by doing that, she'd be late for school and she wasn't completely sure he was even there right now.

The other option was to just hang back, go to school and go on with her usual schedule as always, letting Lauren get to Seth, scare him off forever, and never speak to him again...

Third, she could always just change her name, move to some underground city and never be seen or talked about again..

Tempted to go with choice number three, she knew she had to go with her gut feeling..

'Number two it is.' She thought. If Lauren does or says anything, I'll simply deny, deny, deny...

She turned once more and looked at the sky again, it seemed as though it had grown darker than before. 'What if he is walking? He'd get soaked for sure.. and cold...' Jamie rolled her eyes, mad at herself for caring so much for him.

Taking a deep breath in, she grabbed her keys and bag then headed downstairs to the front door, praying that this wouldn't be a mistake.


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(Seth's P.O.V.)

*[I]beep, beep, beep[I]*

Mmm.. Not the alarm..

*[I]beep, beep, beep[I]*

Ugh, I'm too tired to get up right now..

But I sat up anyway, my eyes adjusting to the morning sun. I looked over to my watch and saw the time.

8:07 A.M.

S**t! I'm late for school!

I quickly got up from the bed and rushed over to the little blue laundry basket, grabbing a random shirt as I tried to grab my bag at the same time. Why did I sleep in so late? I cursed at myself as I stumbled around the tree house and searched for my shoes.

"Damn it," I muttered and shoved my tooth brush into my mouth, squirted some tooth paste in there, and gave my teeth a super fast brush. I rinsed my mouth out with some water from a water bottle, hand-combed my hair over to the side, and noticed my shoes sticking out from under my blanket.

I quickly glanced outside and couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Just my luck, it was f*****g raining. Raining. With this, I knew I couldn't get to school without getting a slip for detention, or worse even. I've been late too many times, and Mrs.Hill has already let me slide a couple times as well.

"Goddam-" My head hung low, I started to curse when I heard a vehicle driving down the rocky and dusty road. I turned my aggravated gaze towards the car and realized it was Jamie's. My scowl immediately washed away as I watched her carefully park the car directly underneath the tree where it was least muddy. She shut the car off and honked the horn.

I stood there for a moment, just staring down at her from the window before I moved away from it, rolling down the blanket to cover everything from the rain, and made my way down to her car.

The rain was freezing, and the wind did nothing to help, but it was the shortest walk to her car, so it wasn't all that bad. When I got there, she opened the passenger door so I could get in quickly.

"Raining pretty hard, huh?" she asked. Most of my hair was patted down to my skull, and my clothes were just a little wet, but enough to make me a bit cold.

I nodded and swallowed, still unsure why she was here. I glanced at her and saw her watching me. She quickly looked down and away from me, as if she was embarrassed to be caught.

And to see her embarrassed, made me the same. I looked down to where my book bag laid, and then out of the corner of my eye, saw her reaching in the backseat for something. Her hand came back with a white and black towel which she handed to me.

I gladly took it and wiped my face down a bit.

"So, um... What are you doing here?" I asked her a bit awkwardly. I realized then, that I wasn't so much of a person to do the whole 'Hi, how are you? What's up?' thing. I always got down to the point, I wasn't sure why I was like that though..

"Oh, I um.." She took a moment to .... glance at the roof?.. And tried to find the right words to say.. or really she looked like she wasn't sure if she should tell me something or not. I knew that look. All too well, mostly from people who wanted to ask me where I got the bruises from, or whatever...

"Well, I kinda had to warn you.. about my uh, friend.. And also, you know it's supposed to be thunder storming, and I wasn't sure if you were walking, or if you had a ride or anything, so I thought I'd come and... you know.." Her voice died down as she noticed she was blabbering a bit, and I had to smile at that. It was funny , like she had something to tell me, but tried to pass it by..

"So.. you were worried?" I asked her. I knew the answer would be no, but I felt like I should ask. I tried to laugh at my question as I stared at her, and she stared back, not joining in.

My laughter died, as I realized that the answer was actually yes, although she didn't say it. The way she looked at me, then to the floor was a clear answer.

The feeling that rushed through my mind and chest was something I've never felt. I started getting nervous, unsure why though. Why do I always have to get nervous around her? So she wanted to make sure I wasn't struck by lightning! Why should I care so much?

When, we she started getting quiet, I looked over at her. She was looking out at the pouring rain, seeming as if she were drowning in her own thoughts.

Her light brown hair was up in a messy ponytail today, and she looked like she wore little make up... She looked very.... Natural.. Beautiful actually.

As if she could read my mind, she turned and glanced at me, catching me staring at her. I wasn't sure what exactly to do or say, so I continued looking at her.

Her once prideful raised chin slowly started lowering as her gaze broke away from mine and she looked to the floor.

"So, do you need a ride to school?" She asked me. With the rain hitting the windows and windshield, it was hard to hear her already whispering voice.

I was still staring, for no reason really, as I thought of what to say to her. A ride would be nice actually.. But I'm more than sure I'm faster on my feet.

"Uh, thanks but no thanks. I think I'll run today." I said to her and then she gave me one of those looks that simply said: 'For real now.'.

"Its raining outside, Seth. It's cool, I can give you a ride," She said, a hint of laughter was hiding in her voice and I wondered what she was thinking about right now..

I glanced outside and saw that it was getting even darker if possible, and also raining even more. By now, we were both about twenty minutes late for school. What's the point in driving to get a warning and a risk in rain?

"What do yo say to.. Maybe skipping? With me...today?" I asked her. I didn't want her to think I do this all the time, saying that I don't actually..

She took a moment and thought it over, and she appeared to be fixing to say no. I felt a little disappointment rise in me, but I knew the chances of her saying yes were slim to begin with. I mean, doesn't she have a reputation to stand up for?

"You know what, never mind. It's cool," I said, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable or anything. I sure as hell didn't want to put her on the spot either..

"What? No! I'll um.. I'll ditch," She said, and when I looked away from the rain and over to her, she seemed a little uneasy, nervous even. She kept glancing from me to the time that displayed on her radio, to the dark grey skies outside. I wondered if she was nervous to be alone with me, but it's not much different than the other times so that couldn't be it.

Maybe she just didn't really want to skip, but felt like she had to say yes for some reason. "You know, Jamie, you don't have to. I just thought maybe we should since we're already a bit late, and also the storm seems to be getting worse by the second. It's okay if you don't want to, I understand." I told her, although I didn't understand really.

Ha! I'm probably just a really boring person and she doesn't want to waste time here.. I laughed at myself out loud, and even to me it sounded cold. I noticed Jamie look over to me quickly when I did so, and the question as to why I was laughing was clear on her face.

I didn't want to freak her out anymore than I already did, so I didn't say anything or give any kind of explanation.

I watched silently as she brushed some loose hair strands behind her ear and place her hands on the steering wheel. Jamie laughed hesitantly, and it sounded a bit forced.

"No, really I will... It's just... Well, um, I've never skipped before.." She confessed. I was a little surprised at first. Never skipped school before? Wow.. I looked up at her and she glanced at me, looking embarrassed and she really laughed this time. The sound of her laughter filled the quiet car inside. I relaxed a bit, feeling content now... Something about her laugh was very... Energetic? Happy? I don't know.. But it gave off a good vibe.

"You've never, in your whole life, skipped one day of school?" I asked, and I smiled at this because I honestly never would have guessed this.

"Nope, never.. Well, I did one day when I was sick in middle school, but I only skipped half of it because I forced myself to go when I felt better later." She smiled and blushed a bit.

"Wow." I simply said, and I began to think about what it would be like if I never skipped a day of school.. With all that's happen in my life, it seems impossible to do so. I'd skip about two to three days almost every two weeks of my freshmen year because of the beatings my father gave me. I used those two or more days to heal up a bit, try and get ahead on homework, and do my best to get at least some energy back..

Yeah, it did seem impossible to not skip a day or two of school. I needed those days.

"Mhm.. I guess I just never wanted to miss anything.. I've always been a worry-bug. I had it in my mind that if I missed a day of school, my future would burn tithe grounds of hell," she said, then laughed at herself.

When she looked up at me, shyly grinning, I smiled back and asked her, "So you're not worried now?" I slightly teased.

She stared at me for a moment before answering. "No. I'm not. I mean, there's a first for everything isn't there?" Again, she looked down to the steering wheel and avoided my gaze. Why does she do that so much?

I was beginning to get frustrated. I can't figure her out, no matter how much I tried. She's shy, she's bold, honest, and .. And completely different than what I had expected. I always thought the Luthor's were private and very.. Classy.. I remember meeting her mother about three years ago, when my dad had worked for her father. She seemed very uptight and acted like she cared for no one, but at the same time, cared about her families status to other people.

I felt a little nudge on my left arm and was pulled out of my thoughts. I looked to Jamie and she was biting the corner if her bottom lip, eyebrow raised.

"What? I'm sorry, I was kind of zoned out there for a minute."

She chuckled and said, "It's okay. I just asked if you were comfortable. I know my car is a bit.. Small.." her voice drifted away as she glanced at my sitting form. My head was nearly touching the roof of the car, and my knees were scrunched up against the dashboard, arms crossed as I couldn't really put them anywhere else.

Funny how I didn't notice how uncomfortable I'm sitting right now...

"Oh, uh.. Well in honesty I didn't notice." I said.

Damn. Now that she mentioned it, I really was uncomfortable. I glanced outside and measured the distance between the car and the tree house. If we ran quickly, we probably wouldn't get wet,too badly..

"Are we running?" she guessed. I glanced at her and asked why. "No reason, just want to make sure I beat you." Jamie smiled at me, but behind that too-innocent-too-shy smile laid a real challenge.

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get inside." I said, smiling at her.

We got out of the car as fast as we could and ran over to the tree house. I let her go up first, then me. The rain was harshly cold and we ended getting more wet than I had guessed. I shivered a bit as a gush of wind hit me on the way up, but I was more than glad to finally be inside now. I noticed Jamie shivering as well, and I quickly grabbed a jacket of mine from a little table behind her.

"Here," I said, offering it to her and she took it. I watched as she slipped it on and zipped it off, smiling a little when I saw how big it was on her. "Sorry, I think that's the smallest thing I have."

"It's okay. It's actually warmer." She looked around for a moment before going and sitting down on my bed and leaned against the wall.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go and sit next to her or away from her.. Would she be comfortable that way?

Deciding on one, I went and sat down with her, but made sure there was a good space between us.

Maybe I was just an anti-social person that had no clue how to deal with other people, or maybe I'm more concerned on what Jamie wanted. I'm finding out that I'm always adjusting myself to make sure she's most comfortable and set, rather than just 'going with the flow' and acting natural. But even if either one of these problems were actually my problem, why was I still nervous around her?

I don't think I like her... I can't like her... She's everything I'm not, a complete opposite...

I glanced over at her to see her looking at me. Again, she had a kind of look that no one has ever given me. She was looking into me rather than at me. I wondered what she saw, what she thought. Was she expecting something from me? Possibly wanting something from me? If so, what?

I looked into her just the same as she was doing to me. She seemed lost, confused even. The emotion in her eyes was again, something I couldn't make out.

I tried to see myself as she was seeing me. A plain boy who is lost in the world, trying to find his place to fit in. Maybe she has her own story too.. I'm the kid with a broken family, but what is she? I went back to her gaze to she that she was now looking at the floor.

The quietness was the same as always when I was with her, calm. Peaceful.

It was okay when it was quiet, only with her though. When it was quiet everywhere else, it simply reminded me of how alone I really am. But with Jamie, the silence let me know she was there, if that made any kind of sense.

I wasn't alone when she was around.. I had someone.

I had Jamie... and I liked her.


(End of Seth's P.O.V.)
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Author's Note

Dd you guys enjoy it? I hope so, please let me know! ;)
Thank you all for reviewing and reading, you honestly don't know how much it means to me..
Thanks soo much :)
-Mickey