𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚡𝙱)

Track 21 | 𝗜𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗮

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Climbing down the ladder on the back of Ari's house has never been harder. 

The rain just kept pouring down, making the steel bars slippery and cold. Luckily, Ari was holding an umbrella over his head, above me on the ladder, conveniently shielding the two of us from the rain. I didn't know how he could climb down that ladder one-handedly, since the umbrella occupied the other, but Ari was always a man of many talents.

Once my feet had reached the lid of the dumpster in Ari's backyard, I stared up at Arizona as he continued to make his way down. I didn't move from my position below him, not wanting to be exposed to the heavy weather showering around me. My shoes and pants were already soaked and my head was starting to catch a few drops.

Ari finally reached my level, and since I was still holding onto the ladder, not wanting to leave the cover of the umbrella, he had landed right in the middle of my arms. Turning around to face me, he scoffed and pushed me back a little.

"Ever heard of personal space?" He teased, giving me a sarcastically judgmental look as he hopped off of the dumpster, taking the umbrella with him.

Feeling the rain begin to splatter down on my once-dry clothes, I scampered after him, leaping off of the dumpster and desperately joining him under the umbrella. I almost slipped on the puddles of the concrete patio. Jokingly, I clasped my arms around Ari's torso, pressing my face up against his back.

"Jesus—get the fuck off!" He groaned, shoving me away and fighting me back while still, carefully, remaining under the shade of the umbrella. I refused to remove myself from him. "God, you're like a cat."

"Uh—that is the most offensive thing you've ever said to me," I gasped, pretending to be deeply insulted. Ari just chuckled and shook his head. The two of us made our way to the side of the house and ventured down the alleyway towards the steel gate.

Ari handed me the stem of the umbrella as he fit his paws through the holes of the fence, unlocking the padlock that kept the gate shut on the other side. With a click, he removed the lock and pushed the gate open, smirking as he gestured for me to head through. I bowed my head mockingly and fit myself and the umbrella through the gate, Ari following close behind. 

Once on the other side, Ari shut the gate and fit the padlock back through the latch, locking it tight. He then turned around and reached for the umbrella again. Unaware, I gave it to him.

Once the umbrella had made its way into Ari's palms, he gave me a sly, mischievous look.

"...What?" I chuckled awkwardly, staring into his devilish eyes.

That was when Ari suddenly closed the umbrella and—like the professional slam-dunkers at the basketball game today—chucked it over the gate, exposing us to the turbulent weather. The umbrella landed on the opposite side of the locked fence, splashing into a puddle in the alleyway.

"Ari, what the fuck—?!" I yelped, the hailstorm of rain plummeting down on the heads of both Ari and me.

Arizona faced me, rainwater sprinkling down his newly damp fur, wearing an energetic smile. He grabbed my hand and immediately raced off into the street, dragging me along with him. 

"ARI—!" 

I almost tripped and fell over from the sudden tug of force, but soon, Ari and I were running alongside one another, hand in hand, through the rain.

The Australian Shephard just kept laughing his ass off right next to me as we raced through the familiar streets of our hometown, frantically trying to escape the downfall of rain as if we could get any wetter. Rian's house was only a few blocks from here, but the sudden track activity was making the run feel like a one-hundred-mile-long stretch.