Free Rain 01 When It Rains by Lisa de Jong Page B

though. It has certain things that other places can’t offer.”
    My whole body stiffens. He’s moving way too fast; somewhere I’m not ready to go. “It’s so peaceful here. Something about it makes me feel untouchable,” he continues. I let out the air I’ve been holding in my lungs and relax back into just enjoying his company.
    “What do you like to do for fun? I mean before you decided to enjoy the peace of small town life.”
    “Up until last year, my life was all about drinking and having a good time. This past year, I’ve been trying to figure out where my life’s actually going,” he says, looking over at me with one of the saddest expressions I’ve ever seen. I want to tell him he doesn’t have to pretend for me because I certainly won’t be doing it for him.
    “And did you get it all figured out?” I ask.
    He reaches his hand up to rub the back of his neck. “No, sometimes we don’t get to decide our future. Let’s just say I’m taking a little break from it all.”
    I know exactly what he means. One night, one moment, one decision can change the whole path that our future takes. This is one thing I can relate with.
    “Do you want to talk about it?”
    He shakes his head. “No, let’s just have fun today. That’s what we came here for, isn’t it?” he asks, stopping in front of the donut stand.
    “I guess it is,” I say, trying to bite back a smile.
    The line is long, but it’s worth the wait when we finally get to the front and I have the warm bag in my hand. Words can’t even express how amazing these donuts taste. I haven’t had one in two years, so I’m going to savor every bite today.
    We’ve just started eating our donuts when I notice Morgan and her posse moving in our direction. I drop the donut into the bag and watch them in silence. Asher must have sensed my sudden change in mood because he looks from me to the girls approaching us.
    Morgan’s eyes stay on me, while the two girls behind her have theirs set on Asher. “Hey, Kate, who’s your new friend?” I already want to throw-up on her black wedge sandals. She hasn’t paid much attention to me in two years, and now she wants to act like we’re friends so that I’ll introduce her to Asher?
    “If you want to know, why don’t you ask him yourself?” I say, surprised that I’m actually standing up to them.
    “Geez, Kate, you don’t have to be such a bitch,” Jenna says from behind Morgan. I can feel my face reddening. I feel a hand press against my lower back and look up to see Asher standing right next to me.
    “Wait, are you guys on some kind of date?” Morgan asks, her eyes going wide. She’s probably thinking that Asher looks way too good for me.
    “Look, why don’t you girls move along,” Asher says, taking one step forward. His tone scares me, but it doesn’t seem to affect them in the slightest.
    Morgan steps up, standing so that her breasts almost rub against his chest. “When you’re ready to have fun, which you certainly won’t have with Kate here, come find us,” she purrs. I don’t know what happened to her, but she’s sure changed from the girl I used to know.
    “Not likely,” Asher says as he grabs my hand and pulls me away.
    As soon as we are away from the crowd, I pull my hand from his and feel the tears collecting in my eyes. Maybe I’m not meant to have any sense of normalcy around here.
    I turn and start walking to my car. I’ve had enough of today; it’s just a reminder of why I don’t let myself do these kinds of things anymore. The memories always flash back, and the people who knew me before always measure me against the girl I used to be. I’m not her anymore, and I’m not sure if I even liked her when I was. She was naïve and stupid, and her actions are what got me here.
    “Kate,” I hear behind me. I don’t turn around. I don’t slow my pace. I just keep going. “Kate, come on, don’t be like this.”
    He eventually catches up to me but he’s winded,