You pushed your way passed the wet bodies of your friends, and enemies you realized as you got to the front of the bus, and opened the automatic doors.

“Tut tut it looks like rain!” Katie called out cheerfully, standing sans umbrella in the sheets of almost solid water.

“You’re nuts,” you yelled out to be heard over the rain as you laughed at your friend.

“Get your ass out here!” Katie yelled back, motioning for you to come out as she stood in what had to be at least an inch of water.

“What?” you yelled back, thinking her crazy.

“Come on, you’re already wet. Where’s the harm?” Katie yelled back as she jumped in her forming puddle and splashed everywhere.

You shook your head at your crazy friend and watched as she spun in a circle in the inclement weather.

“Come on you party pooper!” Katie called out with a laugh in her voice.

You couldn’t help, she had so damn contagious that day. Grinning like a fool you ran off the bus screaming into the rain. You jumped off the last step and landed with a giant splash into a large puddle by her, dosing her in more water. Katie simply laughed at you and went about jumping from one place to the next, like puddle jumping though the entire ground was one giant puddle. You joined in her laughter and went about jumping in your own puddles, mud and mulch splashing up and sticking to your legs but you didn’t care. There was something so innocent and child like about playing out in the rain, something so care free.

Katie ran up and pushed your shoulder, causing you to lose your balance in the water and fall on your ass in a giant puddle. You looked up stunned at her shit eating grin and laughed out loud. She stuck a hand down to help you up but instead of taking it you splashed her as hard as you could, getting her right in the face. As she sputtered and spit out a piece of mulch you jumped up on your own, not caring for the state your clothes were in. Clothes, and bodies, washed just fine why worry about it? Right?

Once Katie recovered you grabbed a hold of her hands with your own, crossed at the wrists, and spun with her in a circle. It was like back in elementary school, spinning across the recess yard. You laughed out loud as you spun and rain soaked you even more, water getting your mouth as you tilted your head back and opened it, eyes closed. Finally the spinning stopped and you regained your balance and met Katie’s grinning face with a matching one. You both broke apart hands and spun wild off balance circles, not caring if you fell or not. Your feet slipped around inside your flip-flops as you spun with abandon, arms held wide as if trying to take it all in. Mother nature really was amazing sometimes.

“Let’s get the guys,” Katie called out to you over the loud noise of the weather.

You nodded your head in response and the both of you went running towards the bus that you had long since moved away from. As you neared the door you saw all the guys watching you from the windows and shaking their heads at you, grins of their own plastering their faces.

“Get your asses out here!” the both of you shouted, miming for them to get out of the bus.

The guys all feverently shook their heads no and put their hands up as if to ward you off. You sighed in frustration and went to bang loudly on the bus doors till it opened and you saw Johnny standing at the top of the stairs.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” you teased as you shouted at him, motioning flicking him with water even though it wouldn’t reach him up that far.

“I like being dry,” Johnny called back down at you with a laugh.

“But you’re not. You’re already wet so what’s the big deal?” you called up.

Johnny opened his mouth to respond but then closed it as there really wasn’t any response to that as he really was still in his wet clothes. Even his soggy shoes were still on. Johnny placed his fists on hips and looked like he was trying to think of an answer when you decided to switch tactics. You figured if you got one of them out they would all come. Sometimes they were so much like lemmings it scared you.

“Matt! Katie’s shirt is see through!” you shouted, knowing your voice would carry to him on the bus despite the loud outside.

That got the reaction you had planned, Katie punched your arm before crossing her arms over her chest even though her shirt was not see through. And Matt magically appeared at the top of the stairs, knocking Johnny aside so he could see out.

“But you can’t tell unless you come outside damn it!” you yelled joyously as you waved him out.

You heard Jimmy laugh from somewhere nearby on the bus and you grinned like a fool. Mission accomplished. Johnny and Matt both came running out of the bus into the rain. Johnny tackled you, arms wrapped around your body and taking the both you down into a puddle. You laughed as the now over an inch of collected water on the ground splashed around you and soaked the two of you. Johnny got off you and helped you up and you saw Matt and Katie jumping up and down in puddles, splashing everything around them liberally, hand in hand. You took Johnny’s hand and followed suite, Johnny laughed as he almost lost his footing and ate ground once again.

You heard a loud yell as Jimmy joined you outside, leaping out of the bus, and watched as Syn was his normal self and just sauntered out, like he was walking the red carpet or something. Only Syn could do that and pull it off. Jimmy tore off and went to tackle Matt to the ground, the two of them fighting to see which of them could get the other down into the muck and collecting water first. Your laughter was cut off by Syn’s arms picking you up and spinning you around in the rain. But it once again began as the world in your vision spun in a mass of gray and water, his spinning not slowing. Finally the circling stopped and you grinned up at Syn, patting his large bicep, making little droplets of water fly off his clothes. Then you jumped and covered him in muck and laughed at his expression. You ran screaming from him as he chased you for revenge, trying to find Katie to use her as a human shield.

You caught sight of her blue tips a couple of feet away, spinning with Johnny as the two of you had done before. Changing tactics you ran for Matt and jumped onto his back, startling him and causing him to almost lose his balance in the treacherous water. He laughed out loud and wrapped his arms around your soaking wet legs, flip-slops still on and now sticking out around his large muscled sides, looking like little kids feet compared to his size. He turned and the two of you faced Syn and you laughed as Matt kicked a massive amount of water at him, dosing him in more water and mulch chips and muck like you had. Syn merely grinned and dove in at you, stealing your flip-flops from your feet.

“Hey fowl play,” you yelled joyously from Matt’s back, feet free of their shoes.

Syn grinned evilly and waved your shoes at you, taunting you. You pouted an over the top pout and wiggled your toes pitifully at him, silently asking for your shoes back. You watched Syn sigh and stick your flip-flops back on your feet and you grinned at him as he slipped the last one on. You punched Matt’s arm to signal him to drop you once your feet were covered and he did so, highly unceremoniously and you landed on your butt in a puddle. Laughing.

Picking yourself up you went and stole Katie from Johnny and started splashing and jumping in puddles, laughing so hard that you didn’t realize that Zacky had long since joined the fun. You stopped a bit when you heard his laughter break out, unfettered and looked that direction. It was a sound you hadn’t heard in a long time. You saw him sitting on his ass in a puddle and a grinning Syn and Matt standing above him looking triumphantly down at him. You felt yourself grinning. The rain had seemed to wash away all hatred and animosity, even for a little while. There was something about being out in the rain, dancing and spinning without a care about how it must look to outsiders that made things all right for a little bit.

You gasped and broke out of your mindful ministrations when you felt what could only be a cup full of water hitting your face. You swiveled your head to the side and saw Katie and Jimmy grinning sheepishly.

“Oops?” Katie said loud enough to be heard.

You glowered at her and made to go after her, she turned heel and ran screaming but instead of chasing her you made a mad dash for Johnny who was standing all alone and jumping puddles. It looked like too much fun. Once at Johnny’s side you moved your head around to see where Katie had gone and found her. Nudging Johnny on the shoulder with your own you pointed to where you had found her. She was huddled against Matt’s chest as his arms cradled around her protectively as she looked about wildly, like a chased wild animal. You grinned at her and winked to which she stuck her tongue out at you, but didn’t leave his embrace. Job done you went back to jumping in mud puddles, laughing out loud and screeching like a little kid. You saw Jimmy and Zacky in a wrestling match, one trying to shove the other down first into the puddles, laughing. You grinned and went back to enjoying yourself. That is until you got knocked onto your ass. Again.

Notes

Tut tut it looks like torrential downpour!!!