Hey guys! I know this isn't the sequel to Nudge's BS or any of the others I have promised, but I've been in a writing block for a while and I'm trying to work my way out so I can start the sequel and... some of the other stories. So hang tight. This story sort of branched from a different story I'm working on, and I find it has helped me get back in the writing habit a little bit so... yeah. :) Enjoy.

RAINDROP DISCUSSIONS

Ages:

Max - 23

Fang - 23

Iggy - 23

Ella - 22

Nudge - 20

Gasman - 17

Angel - 15

I sat in the back of Max's black mustang, beside Angel and behind Ella, barely listening to the girls' mindless chattering about Ella's recent engagement to Iggy.

Yes.

Iggy.

And "recent engagement" as in yesterday.

I was distraught

The world seemed to feel as I did because outside, angry black clouds hung low in the sky, crying millions of raindrops onto the parched earth.

I stared at all the raindrops splattering onto the window, and watching one of the raindrops eat all the other tears, making its way down to the bottom of the window.

All I wanted to do was let the tears that were held at bay flow out, and cry and cry and cry.

Because here is the inside scoop, guys: I love Iggy.

I love Iggy.

I love Iggy.

But I'm pretty sure that's all over now. My chances of ever being with Iggy are smashed.

It killed me inside, but I was happy for Ella and Iggy.

They were genuinely happy together.

Or so that's how it seemed.

I fidgeted with the hem of my pink scrubs top.

I was a daycare worker. I worked with cute three and two year olds at a church I didn't attend. I loved working with kids; they took my mind off of my horrid life, and filled me to the brim with joy. Even though some of the parents could be total douche bags, their kids were very sweet, and they liked me.

I remember a couple months ago, one of the parents had chewed me out for 15 minutes straight for a mistake that wasn't mine. One of the daycare workers, Sheila, had dropped the woman's little boy, and he hit his head. He wasn't majorly injured, but he had complained his head had hurt. I swear Sheila had done it on purpose.

Long before that happened, Sheila and the other workers had adopted an immediate hatred for me. It hurt because so often, I would be blamed for things that weren't my fault, and given crap that could destroy a person's integrity, and their soul.

Iggy had been the one who helped me the most. And it was through this that I had fallen in love with him.

We had gotten much closer.

It was bound to happen.

Just like it was bound to happen that Max and Fang would fall in love.

But they were meant for each other.

I suppose Iggy and I were not.

"Nudge? Hello? Nudge? Are you there?"

I was suddenly aware that Angel was tugging on a lock of my dark brown hair, slamming me back onto earth.

"Ow!" I shrieked.

"What? What?" I gasped, massaging my scalp tenderly, staring in disbelief at Angel's angelic face.

How ironic.

Angel was far from angelic. Far, far from it.

"What's wrong with you?" Max asked, staring at me from the review mirror.

"Huh…?" Was all I could muster. I was confused.

"Are you okay? You're looking out that window with an increasingly sorrowful look on your face."

I loved how Max elaborated so much when she was worried.

Increasingly sad… sorrowful

I almost wanted to laugh.

Almost.

That's when I realized that Ella was turned in her seat looking at me and Angel staring at me with the same worried look that Max wore. For me.

I opened my mouth, attempting to speak, but I couldn't find much to say.

But after a couple moments of awkward silence I finally decided that silence was incriminating and found something to say.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine…" I trailed off, turning to the window again and staring out into the distance, through the clouds of pouring rain to the mountains beyond. My heart beat painfully when I realized that Angel was staring intently at me, reading my scrambled and depressing thoughts.

Unfortunately, I realized this too late, and by the time I threw up my mental brick wall, Angel already knew what tormented me.

She gasped loudly, immediately drawing the attentions of the then quiet Max and Ella.

Max swerved in the road in surprise.

"What, Angel, what is it! I told you not to…" Max stopped talking when she saw Angel's bewildered stare.

Pointed at me.

Crap.

I sent frantic thoughts to Angel to not tell as well as "don't say anything" looks.

Apparently she didn't catch either of them since she nearly shouted "Nudge loves Iggy! That's why she's so upset!"

I groaned at the same time that Ella turned in her seat once again and Max stared at the rearview mirror.

I felt all eyes turn to me and my face suddenly grew hot.

"What!" Max exclaimed.

I was quickly learning that today was full of surprise…and raised voices.

"I heard it in her thoughts!" Angel confirmed.

"Oh, my gosh!" Ella shrieked.

After that, all their words and disbelieving voices mixed together into one barely tangible jumble of confusing lingo.

"I can't believe it!" – Angel

"I had no idea!" – Ella

"How could I not know already!" – Angel

"I'm so sorry, I never even realized!" – Ella

"Ugh, how could you?" – Max (Directed at me, not Ella)

"He's like your brother! – Angel

That's when my anger boiled over and I blew my top.

"Okay!" I shouted. "That's it! Everybody better shut their mouths now and I mean now!"

I was fuming and fighting the urge to hit something… or someone. My wrath coming mostly from Max's hypocrisy

"Max, pull the car over!" I demanded.

"What? Why?" She asked me, keeping her eyes on not the road, but me.

"Because if you don't, we're all going to die in a fiery car crash!" I exclaimed irately.

Max immediately pulled over and turned in her seat.

"Nudge…" Max said quietly. She seemed at a loss for words. As did Ella and Angel. So I took my chance.

I unlocked my door and pulled the handle, opening my way out.

I ducked out while Max shouted my name.

I was soaked to the bone the second I was fully out of the mustang. Rain pelted my small body as I crossed my arms and started walking away,

And, as I had expected, Max was following behind me shortly after.

"Nudge? Where do you think you're going?"

I said nothing and continued walking on.

Max grabbed my shoulder and I spun around.

"Go away!" I yelled above the rumbling thunder, wrenching out of her grasp. "I just want to be alone!"

When Max gripped my shoulder a second time I twisted out.

"Nudge, come on! You can be alone when we get home." Max stated, struggling to be heard over the pounding of the rain and the complaining thunder.

"That's not good enough! When we get home I won't be alone! You all will be there! I want to be alone right now!" I screamed louder than ever,

Lightning struck about a mile away, and because it was night time, out surroundings lit up. I could see Max's body and the silhouette of Max's mustang with Ella and Angel watching us through the windows.

"No Nudge. You're coming with us, now!" Max demanded.

I rolled my eyes.

"Max, I'm 20 now. Not 10. I'm an adult. You can't boss me around anymore!" I retorted bluntly.

Max stared at me, hurt. I walked over to her and then stopped no more than an inch away.

"I don't need you as much as I used to anymore, Max. I'm sorry."

And I was, though I kept my hurtful defiant look on my face.

Max looked very badly wounded. I knew she loved and got her jollies off of knowing that I needed her a lot… when I was little. But I didn't need her as much anymore.

Max didn't cry, Max never cried, and for that I'm thankful.

Instead she turned her back to me and then twisted her neck slightly to get a glimpse of me.

"See you later, right?" She asked warily.

"Yeah, definitely." I responded, it's not like I had anywhere else to go for the night.

Max said nothing more and ran back to her car. She fell in her vehicle and drove off.

That's when the tears came.

I had driven away Max.

I fought the urge to fall to the muddy ground as I sobbed loudly, grateful no one was around.

Lightning cracked loudly in the not too distant distance and I jumped several inches into the air. When I came down, I lost my footing a slipped and fell to the ground. I threw my hands in front of me, my hands catching my fall.

Yuck!

I swallowed and fought to catch my breath,

I stood up slowly, with some difficulty because of the slippery mud, and then within a second I was in the air, flapping my tawny wings hard.

I was heading home.

When I arrive at our (awesome) Victorian style house I knew Max, Angel, and Ella had already arrived home.

Part of the reason I knew was because, in a car, from the point of where they left me to our house, it was about ten minutes. But because I was flying with rain pelting my wings and body (making it difficult for me to stay airborne) and obstructing my vision while trying to avoid getting killed by lightning… I arrived in about twenty minutes, rather than ten.

But mostly, I knew they were home because Max's mustang was parked in the garage adjacent to the house.

As I walked alongside Max's shiny car (wetter and dirtier than ever seeing as how when I landed on the front yard I slid in the grass and into a huge mud puddle) I avoided touching the frame and prayed that no one was in kitchen.

Except Iggy, I needed to talk to him really bad; more than I had needed to in a long time.

I suppose God was on my side tonight because when I walked into the kitchen, guess who was in there finishing up dinner?

Iggy.

When I closed the door behind me, Iggy looked up and turned around and smiled his beautiful, heavenly smile.

His straight white teeth shown in the dim light of the kitchen, making his grin even more heavenly and angelic.

"H-hey… Iggy…" I whispered hesitantly, stunned by his beauty, even though I have seen him over and over for the last twenty years of my life.

I expected Iggy either turn back to dinner (Taco salad! Yum!) or tell me that Max or Ella or Angel told him about my… blow up, or even worse, my secret.

I was half right; Iggy's brow furrowed and he stared at me with scary accuracy and concern.

"The girls arrived about ten minutes ago… I asked where you were and they said you were upset and made them drive home without you."

I held my breath, waiting for him to say he knew I loved him, or something of that nature, but it never came; instead he said "They wouldn't tell me what was wrong with you. Max said to ask you… So here I am. What's wrong, Nudge?"

I exhaled silently and slowly, thinking about how I was going to break the news to Iggy.

"Oh she did, did she?" I asked rhetorically. Iggy knew this, and did nothing more than cross his arms expectantly, pity written on his glorious face.

I looked around the kitchen while I was carefully choosing my words inside my head.

That's when I spied the silver ring around Iggy's left ring finger.

His engagement band.

I didn't like it; it wasn't flamboyant, just a simple silver band, but it was an engagement band nonetheless. (I found it odd to find him wearing an engagement band seeing as how he had always said that he would never wear one as he found it too emasculating. I had to agree, I wasn't fond of the engagement bands for men either.)

I stared at the band for a long while, trying to make myself wake up. The attempt was futile, for I wasn't asleep.

Unfortunately.

So I looked away, hoping to erase the image of the engagement band that burned inside my mind; but when I turned to look at him again, my eyes instantly locked onto the ring and I almost lost it…again, only differently this time.

Tears rushed to my eyes and I choked on my sobs. I held back the tears until I couldn't see and my eyes burned.

I then let myself go.

My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. Tears streamed down my face silently while I bawled… like a wuss.

"Nudge?" Iggy yelped, stepping towards me; he sounded panicked.

"Nudge, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Iggy wrapped his hands gently around my upper arms and helped me up. I gasped like a fish out of water as my body shook violently with my sobs. Iggy wrapped his strong arms around me, holding me tightly while I cried, protecting me from the cruel hurtful world.

Then something occurred to me. I was crying so loudly I was ninety-nine percent positive everyone could hear me and were bound to come looking for me. I just hoped they didn't.

No one did.

After a long while of crying, I attempted to take a deep breath. It came out more as several gasps than a deep breath; and so I tried again.

It took several minutes until I could take multiple deep breaths and even longer to stop anymore tears from flowing out.

Finally, and much to my contempt, I pulled away from Iggy's warm, welcoming, perfect body.

"Iggy?"

"Yeah, Nudge?" He asked me, looking down at my face.

"I love you." I whispered, suddenly interested in the aglet on my shoelace. My heart beat erratically in my chest as Iggy processed what I said.

"I love you too." Iggy said simply, obviously misunderstanding what I had confessed.

"No, Iggy," I elaborated, "I mean that I…" I had to take a breath before continuing, "I'm in love with you." I whispered, my face reddening. I didn't want to have to tell him like this.

I really didn't, but at this point, I would die if I didn't. It would eat me up inside, so much so I would have done something much worse than just driving away Max, or yelling at her.

I probably would've ruined their wedding. Majorly.

Iggy's eyes widened and he stepped back some.

And there it was.

I had driven away Max; and now I had driven away the person I loved, my best friend.

"Oh… Oh, Nudge…" Iggy started quietly. He never finished; but he didn't need to, I already knew what he would say. So I went out on a whim, abandoning all caution and dignity, throwing them to the wind.

I reached up on my tiptoes, placing my right hand on Iggy's cheek, and quickly met his lips with mine.

For a second he didn't respond, it was like kissing a pale stone warmed by the sun.

Then, suddenly, he started kissing me back.

It felt right; our lips moved together perfectly for a couple-very brief-seconds, and even though I didn't want to stop, I pulled away.

"Wow…" Iggy whispered, at a loss for words.

My heart leaped for a second with a hopeful expectation… but then I saw the look in Iggy's eyes.

It wasn't anger.

Or confusion.

Nor was it love.

It was pity, the kind of pity that let me know instantly he had already chosen Ella, and nothing was going to change that.

Nothing.

Still, I had to ask the question that bothered my mind.

"You're still going to marry her, aren't you?"

The look in Iggy's eyes remained the same…

Devastating.

"Nudge… I'm so, so sorry…" Iggy whispered so quietly I almost didn't hear him.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I shook my head. How could I expect him to change his mind? It was incredibly selfish.

Iggy reached out for me but I stepped out of his range.

"Nudge-"

"No, Iggy. It's fine. I'm fine… I shouldn't have been stupid enough to expect you to give up what you have with Ella for me. I hope you two stay happy together. I do, I really do."

And I did.

Iggy's face was twisted in sorrow and openly apologetic.

"Nudge…"

There was a prolonged silence and then I ran out of the kitchen, and as I did I thought I heard Iggy murmur "I love you too…" But how could that be real? It was probably my mind playing tricks on me.

I flew up the staircase and into my moderately sized bedroom. I closed my door behind me, and stood there, planted to the ground like a flower… or a weed.

Then, I found my strength and slowly walked over to my queen bed; I hit the end of it and fell onto the cushiony 100% latex mattress. The second my head hit my feather pillows (I was a…little…pampered) my eyes slid closed and sleep overtook my weary body.

When I opened my eyes, I shut them immediately; they burned from all the tears I had shed. My brow knit together and I opened my eyes again slowly.

After I had adjusted a bit, I reached over to my clock and turned it to check to the time.

In big red numbers the time 9:50 blazed out at me.

I've been asleep for like three hours…

I rolled over onto my back and sat up slowly; I pushed my hair away from my face, fighting the urge to fall back down on my pillow and sleep forever.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes futilely and spied the heads of Max and Angel, poking out behind my door. When they saw me looking at them they walked over to me.

"Are you okay?" Angel asked me.

"What do you think?" I hissed.

Angel drew back as if I struck her and guilt overwhelmed me.

I shook my head and looked away in shame.

"I'm sorry."

Max turned on the light and both she and Angel gasped simultaneously.

"What?" I asked in what I could only assume was an uninterested tone. I was still sleepy.

"You look terrible, Nudge!"

Angel grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my bed and into my blue and brown bathroom.

At the far end of the bathroom there was a porcelain toilet with a brown seat cover and a brown with blue polka dot toilet rug. Across from it was a linen closet full of my blue towels, hand towels, rags and such. Beside the toilet there were about three wooden counters with marble counter tops and a sink right in the middle. Across from the counters there was a large Jacuzzi tub and beside that- near the door-was a big square shower. To the left of the shower there was a small dresser that held my panties, bras, and pajamas and to the right a couple of feet away was the door. The wallpaper was blue with brown polka dots. So I had blue and brown obsession… And okay, so I was very pampered.

What could I say? We received inordinate amounts of money from our publicity, so we used it to our advantage.

We deserved something nice!

I stumbled behind Angel as she dragged me over to the large mirror hanging over the counters.

I almost died.

Inside the mirror-staring right at me-was a person I didn't recognize.

The girl in the mirror was covered in mud. Her hair was caked and matted with dried dirt; her entire body was splotched with nasty brown spots. I could only assume her back was even grosser. On the girl's left there was a heavenly looking girl with golden curls and baby blue eyes and a beautiful brunette with green-brown eyes on her right.

The worst part, though, was that the dirty disgusting girl in the middle between the two beautiful ones was me.

I looked much worse than usual.

As Angel began to speak in my mind, I turned to look at her. In the mirror, the girl turned to the angelic girl.

Nudge, you are beautiful… when not covered in dried mud.

I nodded.

"Just take a shower, or bath, and scrub yourself squeaky clean!" Angel managed aloud with a sad smile that penetrated my soul.

Max nodded silently in agreement.

I turned to look at myself in the mirror and I noticed my eyes were puffy and red.

"Why does it look like I've been crying? I went to bed three hours ago!" I exclaimed quietly, confused.

Angel suddenly looked very awkward. I could tell she had been hoping I wouldn't ask that question.

"You… well… You've been crying in your sleep." Angel muttered, staring at the tiled floor, showing a sudden interest in her pink socks.

"Wha- what?" I asked, surprised. I had never been told I cried in my sleep before.

Angel said nothing more and instead started making her way with Max towards my door.

Something occurred to me.

"Max, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Max turned and nodded, Angel hung back in the doorway. This did not perturb me.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. I do need you a lot still. I'm going to need you a lot until this wedding is done and I get over Iggy." I managed a half smile. "Plus, I'm only just barely an adult." I whispered sincerely, searching Max's face for any sign that she forgave me.

Max laughed a little and smiled at me.

"Nudge, its okay. Don't worry about it. You were right to say what you did. I shouldn't be bossing you around, but you will always need me… right?"

"Of course!" I replied excitedly. "I'll hug you when I'm clean." I grinned.

Angel spoke up from behind.

"Can you talk to her for me? I could do for some freedom!"

Max rolled her eyes and turned to Angel.

"You, my friend, are still a teenager, therefore, you are still under my…dictatorship" Max shook her head and turned to me with a slight smile.

Angel giggled, "Oh, and by the way Nudge, we will get you some food warmed up and on your desk, okay. Also, when you get dressed and your done eating, Iggy wants to talk to you."

Immediately my excitement went out and I felt totally empty of any emotion other than an odd sense of dread and lots of confusion.

Me?

I couldn't fathom why Iggy would want to see me, and then I remembered.

Not only had I confessed my feelings for him but I had kissed him.

I kissed him.

That could be potentially very bad for me.

Awh! Nudge! So, so, stupid!

I smacked my forehead once Angel and Max were gone, thinking only the word stupid.

I stood in solitude for several minutes before I began to peel my muddy clothes off.

I adjusted the temperature in my shower and hopped in.

For a long while, I stood in the water, just standing, and watching brown water and clumps of dirt either sink through the holes of the drain or surround it.

I raised my eyebrows and shrugged; I didn't linger on the thought of what would happen were the plumbing to get clogged from the mud.

I stood a while longer, this time staring at the fogged glass door of the shower. Finally, I took a deep breath and started combing through my hair with my raisin fingers. I had been in longer than I thought.

I winced more than once as I ran my fingers into strands of tangled hair.

Stupid mud, and stupid wind, and just stupid nature in general, it made me mad sometimes.

Once I finally got my hair at least halfway decent and about three-fourths untangled, I squeezed some shampoo/conditioner into my palm.

The sweet scent of strawberries floated up to my nose. I closed my eyes and breathed it in deeply, grinning.

I rubbed my hands together gently and then ran them over on my hair. I scrubbed my hair for a good ten minutes, being sure to kill any of the mud that remained with the sweet odor of strawberries.

I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair, still breathing in the amazing strawberry scent. After I was sure I had rinsed my hair thoroughly, I grabbed my loofah, squeezed on some botanical fruit smelling body wash, and went to work on my skin.

Amazingly, there were still some icky clumps of mud struggling to hang onto my skin like lumpy brown leeches. I swiped them off, spreading the body wash all over my body.

I did this for about five minutes before I rinsed off the body wash and cleansed the loofah.

My brain swirled still with the wonderful scents of my soap and shampoo.

What could I say?

I loved sweet smelling things.

I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a blue towel from my towel rack, wrapping it around my thin frame as I padded over to my small dresser that held my pajamas.

I opened the drawer and pulled out some underwear, a yellow tank top, and gray shorts.

Carrying my clothes over to the counter I laid them down and rubbed my hand on the mirror, clearing away the fog in a circle big enough where I could see my head.

I pulled a drawer out from one of my counters and removed a silver brush. I brushed through my hair, flinching as it went through tangles. I used a small comb to part my hair correctly—on the right—and then proceeded to dry off.

Once I had on my undergarments, pulled on my shorts, and slipped my tank top on, I sprawled my towel onto the towel rack to dry, and crossed over to my counter once again to pull my hair up in a ponytail rather than leave it down.

I stepped out of my bathroom into my room and stood there for a moment. I spied the plate of hot food on my desk along with a glass of what I assumed was peach tea. I loved peach tea. I strutted over slowly, veering to the right and opening my other dresser to find some footie socks.

I slipped a clean pure white pair onto my feet. I closed my drawer and looked at my feet. The white contrasted brightly against my dark skin.

I smiled, and turned. My eyes trained on my bed and I knew immediately that I would have to bunk on the couch tonight. The white comforter had a body shaped brown spot from the mud that had been on my clothes. I frowned and sat down on my chair in front of my desk and gazed at the food in front of me.

I stared at my food to the point of zoning out and was suddenly jolted back to reality when thunder rumbled in the distance and a loud crack sounded close by.

I squeezed my eyes shut for half a second and then opened them wide, mouthing the word "please" over and over again.

At first, nothing happened, and then the lights flickered. On, off, on. When nothing else happened I nearly sighed out of relief and then suddenly, it went pitch black dark.

I groaned, and realized I wasn't hungry anymore.

I groped blindly around for my tea and was grateful when I didn't knock it over. I took a long sip and sighed. I set it down and stood up.

I moved around my room purely by the light of the moon which filtered in through my windows. Thank God the clouds hadn't completely covered the full moon. I reached up onto my dresser and grabbed my cinnamon scented candle and a box of matches; I set the candle down on the top of my desk and struck a match. I lowered the flaming match onto the candle wick. It lit up and I shook the match, knocking out the flame. I wrapped my slender fingers around the glass cup that held the candle snugly inside and headed outside my room.

I guess I should talk to Iggy now.

I paced slowly down the hallway so as not to accidently bump into someone and light the house on fire. I turned a corner and came upon Iggy's bedroom door. Before I had a chance to open the door the knob turned and out came Max.

She gasped when she nearly bumped into me, stopping just short of my candle.

"Can I get my hug now?" She asked me quietly, smiling.

I nodded and she hugged me tightly for a couple of seconds holding her candle away from me as I did mine. She pulled away and she gave me a look which said "Go" and walked past me.

I rapped my fingers on the door jamb a couple of times and Iggy sat up on his bed.

I cleared my throat. "You wanted to talk to me?" I asked him worriedly. I could barely see him in the darkness of his room. He was the only one who didn't have to light candles when the power was out since he knew where to go anyway seeing as how he memorized the layout of the house within a couple of weeks.

"Yeah." Iggy replied shortly, leaning his back against his bed's headboard, his legs were crossed Indian style, or my favorite, crisscross-applesauce.

My heart beat painfully, erratically, against my ribcage; my sense of anxiousness and fear heightened by the pounding of the rain on our tin roof.

"Come in. Shut the door behind you." He said coolly, twiddling his engagement band between his fingers. I took a couple steps into his room and shut the door like he ordered. I stood in utter silence, feeling the blazing heat from the candle warming my cold face and hands.

"Well…" Iggy said bluntly, sounding slightly irritated.

I knew that as my cue to come closer. I slipped over to him and set my candle down on the table beside Iggy's king bed, lighting up Iggy's perfect features with a soft glow.

"I'm here." I whispered, looking hesitantly at Iggy's face.

At first he looked almost angry, but at the sound of my terrified voice his face softened.

I was gripped with relief.

I had faced many horrifying things in my past, but nothing was as scary as Iggy when he was mad. I wasn't sure why I was so scared though, I guess I was expecting him to be mad about what I had done today.

I gulped when Iggy opened his mouth and I swear I saw the edges of his lips twitch, hiding an amused smirk.

My eyes fell upon Iggy's engagement band, still moving around between Iggy's fingers.

"Nudge… I need to tell you something important…"

Review please! (: