"Umbrella" 
by Victoria Richardson '21

I saw you walking to school in the rain without an umbrella. I got myself ready for the day by getting dressed and my bag packed. I ate breakfast quickly and grabbed my umbrella. The rain was pouring forcefully and the sky was colorless. I looked across the street, then I saw you. The trees shook in the rain, the grass became almost like a slush, and the concrete had many puddles, but you could care less. You still walked in a straight line and practically didn’t even try to avoid the puddles. I never noticed you until I saw you walking in the rain.

I saw you walking to school in the rain without an umbrella. Your white shoes, now brown with mud, walked into the classroom. Your hood was always up, your sleeves always down, and your face was never shown. I sit in the front of the class, while you seclude yourself in the back. You wrote in a tattered notebook, basically ready to fall apart. I never noticed you until I saw you walking in the rain.

I saw you walking to school in the rain without an umbrella . The lunch room was hustling with busy bodies. I sat with my friends and we laughed so hard our stomachs’ hurt, but you...you sat alone at a lonely table. Your lunch was so tiny. I could eat it all in one bite. The table leg was taped up to keep it stable, but in reality it was ready to break at any moment. I looked away from you for just a second to look at my friends across the table, but when I looked back, you were not there. I never noticed you until I saw you walking in the rain.

I saw you walking to school in the rain without an umbrella. The day ended and we all rushed outside to our cars or to the nearest bus, but you, me and others I didn’t know walked home. You stayed on the opposite side of the sidewalk in the pouring rain. I took a risk and crossed the street for the first time. You lifted your head when I caught up to you and I saw a beautiful face with a black eye. We stopped walking and silence filled the air. Time stopped as we stared at each other. I didn’t know what to say for a while, but neither did you. I finally grabbed your hand and uttered “Everything is ok.” You smiled and a tear came to your eye. I never noticed you until I saw you walking to school in the rain without an umbrella, but now everyone saw us walking away from the school in the rain with an umbrella.

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