It's Raining Somewhere Else

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Located at the base of Lookout Mountain, which lies on the state border, the park has an open play area with swings and playground equipment, an off-leash dog park, and walking and hiking trails which lead up the mountain. The park is located conveniently near campsites and is a short drive from other Lookout Mountain attractions, though camping within the park itself is prohibited.
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Jilly
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It's Raining Somewhere Else

#1

Post by Jilly »

((Abel Zelenovic continued from Miss Bell's Home for Spiders))

What started out as a brisk walk became a desperate sprint as Abel barely made it back to the enclosed picnic area before the true downpour started. He sat down and collapsed on one of the picnic tables, trying his best to catch his breath and mentally regroup.

He was a dumbass. He should have checked the weather report this morning. He should have brought a jacket, or a poncho, or perhaps an umbrella. But he didn't.

He didn't really pay attention to how the sky looked when he drove to the park, or when he parked his truck, or when he make the trek just to get to the walking trail. All he knew was that he was only about a quarter of the way up the trail when rain started coming down, and it wasn't stopping.

He had made the decision to double back; if he was quick, maybe he could make it back to his vehicle before it got too bad. But no, he just barely made it to this shelter before the storm really started.

Dumbass.

Maybe it was a byproduct of his own demons, but Abel couldn't stand storms. Thunder and lightning were fine, but it was the rain itself that always bothered him. He hated getting wet. He hated the sound it made as it pounded everything. He hated the odor it caused. He hated the feel of each rain drop gunning him down like a machine gun. Rain was awful; he never got why people claim to love it.

You can't see shit in it, you can't hear shit in it, people suddenly don't know how the fuck to drive in it. Just... fuck rain.

Abel groaned and attempted to pull himself together, sitting back upright. He pulled out his phone and checked the weather report; these spring rainstorms usually didn't last too long, but Abel just needed that 10 minute window of a break to make his retreat. His head hung low as he scrolled through his phone, not really paying attention to the other people that gathered to seek shelter from the rain.

His leg was twitching something fierce.
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Polybius
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#2

Post by Polybius »

((Yuko Hayashibara: Pregame Start))

Yuko stood at the edge of the pavilion, looking out to the downpour over the park. She could have planned this better. Yuko knew that it was going to rain sometime today, but when she arrived at the park for her jog and looked at the sky, she figured that it wouldn't start until after she left. She was usually pretty good at telling these things. Clearly messed up this time. She was so sure of herself that she didn't bring a raincoat or anything.

Yuko let out a heavy sigh. She didn't like being stuck, she wanted to just take off. A little rain wouldn't bother her. But if she tried to leave her clothes would get soaked, and then the inside of her father's car would get soaked. It was better to wait, at least until he rain got lighter. It couldn't be too long, yeah?

She was already getting antsy just standing there, so she turned back and took a few paces around the edge. She glanced over to the picnic tables and, to her surprise, she saw one of her classmates. Abel Zele... Zelenovic. A fellow athlete. He looked like he was feeling as impatient as she did. She went over to greet him.

"'Ey, Abel, what's up? Didn't bring a coat either, huh?" Yuko put her hands on the table and leaned forward. she caught a glimpse of his phone and saw that he was looking up the weather. "Any good news?"
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Jilly
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#3

Post by Jilly »

Hmm? Abel heard his name called. He resurfaced, suddenly seeing Yuko there at the table. "Oh, hey Yuko," he said while casually waving at her with his free hand.

Yuko was one of those sisters where he could never remember their last name... Hibachi? It was something Japanese and with an H, for sure. She wasn't the cutest sister, but she sure could kick a ball... or kick anyone's ass, honestly. And real talk, what else could a guy possibly want? But seriously, she was cool. Even though Abel was fairly social, some days he'd just rather be alone while running; but for a day like today, he wouldn't turn down a chat with Yuko.

"Yeah, it says there'll be a break in the next thirty minutes. I'm checking the radar thing, too," Abel said. He flashed his phone screen at Yuko and reeled it back to himself after giving her time to glance it over. It looked like there'd be a pause coming up soon, so Abel could make his great escape then before the storm started back up.

"This sucks," he whimpered as he set the phone on the table, folded his arms, and buried his head face down. Thunder boomed in the background as Abel whined on, "I just wanted to go running, ya know? Why can't weatherpeople be right for once?"
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Polybius
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#4

Post by Polybius »

Yuko squinted at Abel's phone. Thirty minutes? C'mon, she didn't want to wait thirty more minutes!

"Ehh, I'll make a sprint for it as soon as it gets down to a drizzle. I'm fine with getting a little wet, I just don't wanna get soaked." Yuko stood up straight and scowled. This really wasn't how she'd wanted to-

Yuko jumped at a loud boom in the background. Jeez, what the hell was that? Oh,it was thunder, of course. Yuko wasn't the type to get scared by thunder, but anyone would get shocked by a loud and sudden boom like that. Yuko quickly composed herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

Er, what did Abel just say, again?

"Yeah. Yeah, it sucks." she replied "I shoulda paid more attention to the weather report. Didn't want to spend my Saturday cooped up in here. Hey, at least we both found good company, right?"
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Jilly
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#5

Post by Jilly »

Abel wavered his hand at Yuko's comment about good company as he vocalized a little "eh".

...Maybe that was a little mean. It wasn't like Yuko was the one who decided that it would storm on and off all day. Or maybe she really did just through sheer force of will; you always hear about how weather affects people, so why couldn't it work the other way around?

Abel raised his head and looked back at the landscape of the anything-but-gently falling rain just outside of the pavilion. Thirty minutes, thirty minutes...

Topics, topics... the weather was already established and obvious, so Abel dug deeper into the reaches of his mind to find something easy to talk to Yuko about.

Oh yeah, wasn't Mikki's party coming up pretty soon? The one advertised on the fliers she assaulted Abel with in the English department? That might work for small talk.

"So uh..." Abel said as he picked at his left arm, "Mikki's party. You gonna go?"
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Polybius
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#6

Post by Polybius »

'Eh?' What did that mean? Did he have some sort of problem with her?

Abel decided to go stare off in space so Yuko let out a dissatisfied grunt and left it at that. There was no point in getting worked up about that, right? Abel wasn't a jerk, he probably didn't mean anything by it. Probably. It was a relief when he moved on to something else.

"I dunno." Yuko said "It's cool that Swift's just inviting everyone and ignoring all the popularity and clique crap, but, uh, parties just aren't my thing. They're more trouble than they're worth. Maybe if my sisters go, I dunno, I'll tag along."

Yuko looked out over the rainfall. She hadn't talked with her sisters about it. Didn't seem like Yuki's thing either, but Yuka could want to go. Yuko would have to follow and watch out for her if she did. Who knew what kind of crap could happen at a big wild party like that?

"I've never talked to Swift much anyway. You going?"
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Jilly
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#7

Post by Jilly »

"Mikki told me to go or die," Abel shrugged. "I don't think I have many options."

Abel looked out at the rainfall again, watching the rain increase in speed as it smashed the ground. He grumbled again; this indeed still sucked.

"I think you should still go though, ya know?" he continued with the spiel. "I think everyone's pretty much gonna be there; Mikki and Forrest throw great parties so it's gonna be a blast. Heck, I bet Yuka would want to go; take her along!"

Truth be told Yuko didn't seem like much of a partier, but Mikki would appreciate Abel spreading the buzz. Maybe. Even if it meant he was coming across as a Jehovah's Witness recruiter, but sometimes a little peer pressure was all you'd need. He just had to think of that one hook, the one phrase that would reel her in like a fish.

...Hmm.

"...Besides, Wyatt might show up and make a fool outta himself like always."
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Jilly
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#8

Post by Jilly »

The rest of the rain waitout went a little awkwardly but pleasantly as Abel chilled with Yuki, trying his best to convince her to go to Mikki and Forrest's party.

When the rain passed the duo parted and went their separate ways. Abel sprinted to his vehicle right as the second wave of rain started. He pulled out his reward Crunch bar and took a nibble as he started the journey home for the rest of today.

#swiftball would be soonish, so maybe it was time to start thinking more about how to prepare for it. Or just roll and see what would happen; in fact, that was probably more likely.

((Abel Zelenovic continued in Take the High Road))
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