Watercolor | Jeremike (Oneshot)

raindrops

Have you ever noticed the way that raindrops fall down the windows when it rains? It can be aggressive and messy, hitting the windows with rage and hiding what's ahead, or it can be gentle and calming, slowly racing down, fusing with other droplets, enthusiastically making paths.

It's one of those little things that Jeremy paid attention to. He liked to think it was because he was artistic, in a way. He liked small details like this, anyone with a passion for photography knows that it's the little details that make a picture.

Or at least he thinks so.

Right now he was in the car with his family, looking out the window. They had come back from watching Back to the Future at the cinema, indulging in casual conversation as all families do. Jeremy smiled as he half listened to the discussion.

His father mentioned something about his sister and card games, which in turn caused said sister to respond in mock offense, putting a hand on her chest and speaking dramatically.

Jeremy wasn't quite paying attention to his family's antics, but giggled nonetheless over the silliness being displayed. The warm feeling in his chest is hard to ignore, even if his mind and eyes are elsewhere.

The rain obscured the town's scenery as his mother drove home. A nice view in Jeremy's eyes. Gloomy and dark and cold, perhaps, but also so beautiful in its own way, how the world became like watercolors naturally, how despite everything, he could sense the life in the town.

Ever since he could remember, he felt attracted to this type of sight, he always felt something deep within him when he would look at photographs and paintings, which is why he tried to replicate the beauty he saw since he was very little. He tried drawing at first, and while Jeremy was very dedicated, trying to copy the landscapes and shapes as best he could, it simply didn't feel like the right path for him. He could try, but it just didn't seem like it fit him.

So, naturally, he shifted his focus to the next best thing: Photography. It fits me better, he thinks. He's not as good at it as he'll like, but he'll try and be patient. Being completely fair, it's hard to practice and get better when you don't really own a camera, the one he used was borrowed from his grandma whenever he saw her, and while it isn't a rare occurrence, it's also not a constant. He’ll get his hands on a camera one of these days.

As he immersed himself more and more with his thoughts, slowly listening to the rain hit his windows, he noticed a lanky figure walking up ahead, using their hoodie to try – and fail – to shield themselves from the water.

"There's people walking outside in this weather?" Asked his mom, squinting through the glass to observe the person. Not really that surprised that they noticed, seems a little hard to miss a person walking down desolate streets, in his opinion.

"Should we help them? It doesn't seem like the rain is letting up anytime soon" His father added, looking out the window with slight apprehension.

The car slowed just enough for the people inside to try and take a look at the person walking at a leisurely pace, as if the rain didn't bother them (Though, judging by their shivering, it was safe to assume it did).

At the sound of the car driving right next to them, the person turned around in surprise.

The family was greeted with the freckled face of Michael Afton.

Now, Jeremy didn't really know much about Michael. He was new at school and most of his time was spent on getting assignments done, or socializing. The most he knew about Michael was that he was always alone, and the many rumors around him, which he would hear by either hanging out with people or when in the hallways. At least he believed they were rumors, some of them seemed ridiculous, though they do manage to freak him out from time to time.