monsoon days

the first drop of rain

          It's on a rainy day when he first meets her. He doesn't even like the rain. It makes the sky darker, the clouds grey, and the bright sun vanishes from sight. Everyone else always seems to like it, but not Harry. The rain was always so gloomy, and it reminded him of the weird boy Kevin who sat at the corner of the class and didn't talk to anyone.

However, the day he first sees her, the sky is crying. It doesn't even bother him that much, because she struts in wearing that cute polka dot dress with a matching headband, clutching her Hello Kitty backpack but having a sweet smile on her lips. She sits with Cora Stevenson and Johanna Waters, and Harry finds himself watching her from time to time.

At the end of the school day, he decides he finds the new girl kind of cute.

          It's on a rainy day when she first talks to him. Harry doesn't even expect it as he sits on his desk during recess, finishing up the homework for English class. He looks longingly outside the window to see all his friends playing by the swing, and he only wishes he could do the same.

It's at that moment when she enters the empty classroom, and Harry looks up at her, his heart beating so fast it may just rip out of his chest. She smiles at him, and little Harry doesn't know why he has butterflies in his stomach, or why he feels like he could watch her smile all day.

She comes forward and hands him a small candy, the smile still on her lips as she quietly states, "It's my birthday today."

Harry admires the candy on his palm for a while and then looks up at her, smiling himself. Maybe he just might like this new girl, Jemma.

          It's on a rainy day when they start to become friends. It might just be one of the best days of his life, despite the rough year he had. The past couple of years had been very hard for Harry, and the sweet little child with the sparkle in his eyes had long gone, turning into a grumpy teenage boy who loved frowns more than anything else. It grew harder and harder for Harry to make more friends, and he only wished he could go back to kindergarten when things were much simpler and life didn't frustrate him so much.

It's during lunchtime when he sits alone at his usual table, and she suddenly comes over. She sits down in front of him, that smile still on her lips, while he looks startled and bewildered.

"Hi, I'm Jemma," she introduces herself in that soft voice of hers, and those butterflies are at it again.

"I know," Harry nervously responds, and immediately feels like slapping himself senseless. That was such a stupid thing to say.

Luckily, she doesn't seem to think so. Instead, her smile widens as she says, "That's good." Harry returns her smile this time, and it may just be the first time he's smiled in the past week, because he is truly happy. He somehow always seems to be happy around her.

          It's on a rainy day when he first visits her house. He had been dropping her home for the past few months, and as they ran under her porch to avoid getting wet in the rain, she invites him inside for the first time to sit it out and maybe play some video games. Somehow, Harry can't find it in himself to refuse.

He doesn't know what he expects when he steps inside, but somehow he feels disappointed. The house is eerily empty, and it makes him feel a bit sad. It's not like his house, where the moment you enter, you are blasted with the loud noises made by Harry's four other siblings, and the aroma of Mum's warm, baked bread. Instead, it seems quite distant and perhaps lonely, and Harry wonders where her parents are.