| Rain pounded the Baker's two story Victorian house. It streamed against the windows and collected in little pools on the ground. Lynn Baker, tightly wrapped in her sheets, sat up and tried to untangle herself. She hopped to the floor and gazed out the windows at the muddy ground stretching to the horizon. "Why did it have to rain today?" she moaned. "I was going to go watch Brandon's soccer game. Then I was hoping we would go out for pizza or something. Oh well." She quickly threw on a white t-shirt and blue jeans, shoving her white sneakers on as she rushed downstairs. "Mom?" she called. When she didn't hear an answer, she shrugged and walked to the fridge, where a note was stuck. It read: Lynn-I had to go to the office. Dad is out messing with cars again, so don't expect him back. Breakfast is in the fridge. Mrs. Rollins is expecting you to babysit George and Megan at eleven, so do your chores before you leave. Mom Lynn shook her head. She thought, 'Why does mom always get called to the office? Can't they ask someone else?' She sighed, and took the plate of bacon and eggs out of the fridge. She ate them hastily, and looked at her watch. If she did her chores quickly there would still be time to call her friend Cecile. Lynn rushed through her chores, and flopped belly-down on her bed, reaching for the phone, and idaling Cecile's number. "Hello?" came the voice on the other end. "Hey Cecile, it's Lynn." "Hey Lynn. What's up?" "I have to babysit the rotten Rollins twins today. Do you want to go shopping afterwards?" "Sure. I'll bring Tommy with me, if he'll come..." Lynn frowned. "I wish Brandon was even half that. He absolutely hates going shopping. Speaking of, I was going to go to his soccer game, but with the rain..." she made an idle gesture at the window. "Oh, come on. I know how much you like him. All you do is stare at him in math." "I do not!" "Oh yes you do! Look, I know how bad you want him to ask you out. It's no secret. Everyone knows. He's just waiting for the right time." Lynn frowned again. "So we have a thing for each other. We click. Is there a problem with that?" Her eyes gleamed dangerously. "No, no, of course not. I'm just saying that if he had the guts, he would have asked you a long time ago. I think you should go anyway, even with the rain. Then he'll know how much you care for him." Lynn chewed her lip. "I suppose so. I guess I'll have a romantic time at a rained-out soccer game, then. You go have fun with Tommy at the mall." "Good for you. See ya." "Yeah, bye." Lynn sat with her hand on the phone for a few minutes, then glanced at her watch, and decided it was time to go. She packed a few things in a bag, and walked across the street, huddling in a jacket from the rain. She stopped in front of an old brick house with slate roof tiles. She was about to knock, when a woman came bustling out, letting her in as she did so. She sat down on the couch, and watched the kids with one eye as she thought about things to herself. The time went by quickly. Before Lynn knew it, she was being paid and ushered out of the house. She huddled in her raincoat again, and went back to her house, where she got on her back and rode to the community soccer field. She tied the bike up, and went to sit miserably in the stands. She strained her eyes against the rain, trying to pick Brandon out of the blurred colors she saw. Wiping rainwater out of her eyes, she stared at the field until the rain subsided to drizzle. Then she cheered along with the rest as there were only a few minutes left. A boy with thick, curly, dirty-blond hair looked up at her and smiled lopsidedly. She blushed, and he mouthed the words "I'll talk to you later." She nodded, her dark brown wavess shaking as she did so. She thought, 'Oh Bran, you can be so cute at times.' After the game, Lynn climbed eagerly down from the stands, looking for the curly-haired boy. She spotted him and took off after him. She called, "Bran!" He looked up, water dripping from his face. When he saw it was her, he smiled lopsidedly again, his teal eyes twinkling. He wiped his eyes on the back of his hand, clearing them of the lifting mist, and he walked the rest of the way to Lynn. Now she smiled, looking up at him, her brown eyes twinkling as his were. "I think you're a great player, young man," she said, as if meeting him for the first time. "Yound lady, once I become half-decent, would you join me at the movie theater?" Lynn smiled her answer. "What will we see?" she asked. "I don't know. Any ideas?" "How about that movie about...oh what was it? An angel?" |