HERSHE - TIAOM

Closure

It was raining all day. Kim was about to go home after her class, disappointed because their school cafeteria had run out of her favorite noodles.

"Ugh, I hate this! My shoes and socks are already soaked!"

Unfortunately, her black umbrella wasn't big enough to shield her shoes from the rain. What's making it worse is her heavy backpack. She hated that fact that being a college freshman means bringing more and bigger books.

"I really need to convince dad to buy me a car soon."

She walked past the school gate and smiled at the friendly female guard. Instead of going directly to the bus station, she went the opposite path. She still has the urge to eat a hot noodle soup because of the cold weather.

"To hell with wet socks and shoes! I'm gonna have my favorite hot noodles!"

The fifteen-minute walk was worth it when she smelled the aroma of the bowl served on her table. It took her just ten minutes to finish it. She left that noodle house with a big satisfied smile on her face.

On her way to the bus station, she noticed a girl, maybe about her age, shedding under a pharmacy store. She looked like she's worried or lost. What had gotten Kim's attention is the uniform the girl is wearing.

"We're from the same school."

She met eyes with the girl for a fraction of a second. Although the girl took her eyes away immediately, Kim had a gut feeling that this girl needs help. The girl is shedding in that store with no umbrella in her hand, not even one in the area. Kim decided to approach her.

"Hi there, schoolmate," said Kim, showing her bright smile.

The girl looked hesitant but Kim's charm seems to have won over her. "Hi."

Kim closed her umbrella to shed too. "I just noticed that you look like you're stuck in here."

"Kinda."

"You forgot to bring your umbrella?"

The girl shook her head as she ran her fingers through her hair. "No. Somebody stole it."

"What? Seriously?" Kim tried her best not to laugh at the idea of umbrellas being stolen. "Where did you leave it?"

"There," said girl, pointing at the wall. "I left my umbrella there while buying medicine. It was already gone when I turned around."

"Oh, that's too bad..."

"Who would steal an old ugly umbrella anyway? Ugh!" the girl yowled in frustration, raising her hands mid-air.

Kim rested both her hands on the top of the umbrella handle and said, "The thing is umbrella's value increases significantly during rainy days."

Although it wasn't her intention to make it sound like a joke, the girl chuckled after hearing that statement. "Are you saying that my ugly umbrella turned into a pretty dazzling one because it rained?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Eeeeeee..." the girl yowled again, "I need to go home by 4:30 because Chi-chi needs to take her medicines on time."

"Chi-chi?" Kim thought of it as a weird name for a person. "Your sister?"

The girl chuckled in response. "No, she's my dog. She's sick."

"Oh. Well, in that case," Kim paused to lift her umbrella, "I can offer you a ride to the bus station if you'd like to."

"Really?" The girl looked like she found light in the middle of the darkness.