Wallflower

1

Chapter 1: Un Peu de Soleil et Beaucoup de Pluie

    Avery cursed inwardly as she trudged through the rain. She narrowly avoided being splashed by an oncoming car as she pulled on her hoodie strings, and consequently felt her hair stick to her face.

She had carpooled with Carson this morning instead of going on her own as she usually did and now that he had football practice, she was left to walk home alone. Luckily, her home wasn't too far away, but it was raining cats and dogs and her distaste for dirty water prevented her from just running to her house. She contemplated it for quite some time but then decided that getting out of the rain quickly was not worth the yucky and itching feeling she would endure in the process.  

The air was cold and the wind against her wet clothes made her shiver. Her home wasn't much far left to go. If she squinted, she was able to decipher the outline of her average-sized house.

"I swear if I end up getting a cold," she sighed to herself, "I'll rip Carson to shreds."

Avery's immune system wasn't the greatest and she knew this. She probably spent about 50-60% of her eighteen years being sick. If you were wondering why she didn't at least have an umbrella: she did, but when she had looked for it she only realised it was in her car.

The car she didn't take.

Because Carson offered to take her.

Okay, maybe Avery wasn't the best at planning things out and being organised. She could be a bit scatter-brained at times and easily flustered as a result. But she was just human like the rest of us.

A couple of minutes had passed and Avery had finally reached her driveway, much to her relief. A grateful sigh escaped her lips but it was then that the rain had decided to ease to a slight drizzle. She rolled her eyes as she removed the hood and fixed her fuzzed-up hair. The weather just couldn't have better timing, could it?

Avery liked rainy weather, but not when she was caught in it. She preferred it when she could curl up in her reading nook and stare out the window, accompanied by a cup of tea and a great novel. It made her feel as if she was the main character in an indie film. 

She used her keys to unlock the door, opened it and walked inside. Greeted by the scent of freshly baked cookies, she took a deep breath and allowed the smell to calm her annoyance at the previous weather.

"Maman, papa! Je suis ici !" she announced her presence at the doorway, removing her sneakers and placing them on the mat. "I smell cookies!" {Mom, dad! I'm here!}

"Bonjour, Doux-Doux. The cookies are for after dinner," her mother stuck her head out from the kitchen, her expression donning her usual cheery smile. "Oh my goodness! Avery Toussaint, you are drenched!"

Her mother rushed over to her, a concerned look etched on her face. Her apron was spotted with flour as she attempted to help Avery remove her hoodie. "You know you'll get sick! Go run upstairs and take a warm bath. I'll tell your papa to pick up some medicine on his way home."

"Alright, alright," Avery muttered as she was being shooed by her doting maman.

Mrs Toussaint watched her daughter hurry up the stairs, curls bouncing wildly. She put a hand to her head and sighed.

"What am I going to do with her?" she asked herself.

****

Around the table, the small family ate their dinner in comfortable silence. Avery sniffled, quickly drawing her parents' attention to her.