Jane had a crush on Maura throughout their entire sophomore year, but it wasn't until the last day of school that she worked up the nerve to talk to her. Jane always walked home from school as did Maura, but the weather had started to turn and the thought of Maura walking home alone in the rain without an umbrella saddened Jane.
"Thank you for walking me home," Maura said as she and Jane were huddled underneath the umbrella. "My dad usually drives me, but his schedule is different this week because he's administering final exams."
"It's my pleasure," Jane smiled.
They awkwardly made small talk about the weather for a couple of minutes while Jane mentally went over possible conversation topics. If she didn't count the celebrities she had fangirled over, Maura Isles was her first crush. She had spent hours fantasizing about what it'd be like to spend time with her, but now that Maura was underneath an umbrella with her, Jane was at a loss for something meaningful or even entertaining to say. She looks so beautiful. Just say something to her.
"Do you have your license yet?" Jane asked. She was glad she broke the silence until she realized how that question might have sounded seeing as Maura was walking home from school in the rain. "That was stupid. I'm sorry."
"Don't berate yourself," Maura responded. "I'm still fifteen. I turn sixteen in August, but I don't even have my learner's permit yet. I'd like to get it this summer. Do you have your learner's permit?"
Driving was a touchy subject for Jane. She had her learner's permit and both her parents and her driving instructor considered her an excellent driver, but as soon as she was behind the wheel of a car during the test, Jane's nerves got the best of her and she had already failed twice. If I had passed that test, I could be driving her home from school instead of walking her home.
"I have my learner's permit," Jane began. "But I failed the test twice, so I don't know when I'm going to get my license."
"Most of our classmates have failed at least once or twice," Maura said in hopes of making Jane feel better. "It's the test setting. You're being graded on even the smallest details and some people who administer the test aren't as lenient as others, so that also factors into it."
She's beautiful and she understands. Do I ask her out? But what if she thinks the only reason I walked her home is to ask her out? Jane set aside her dilemma when she noticed the streets were becoming slightly flooded. Maura was walking on the side closest to the street and Jane realized, if a car drove by, Maura would be splashed for sure, so she decided to be chivalrous and switch sides with her.
Seconds after switching sides with her, a car drove by and completely drenched Jane. Her curls were sticking to her face and Jane would have been embarrassed had Maura not started smiling. Maura's smile always made Jane melt and, for months, she daydreamed about being the one to make Maura smile. She wished it had been under different circumstances, but Maura was smiling at her and she couldn't help smiling in return.
"You did that for me?"
"I didn't want you to get soaked," Jane blushed.
Instead of verbalizing her gratitude, Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's waist and pressed her lips to hers. It was the first time Jane had been kissed and she reveled in the feeling of not only being kissed by a girl for the first time, but being kissed by Maura, the girl she daydreamed about for hours on end and her lips were just as soft as Jane had imagined.
"You have the best way of saying thank you."
Regardless of how drenched Jane's clothes were, Maura wasn't ready to let go of Jane. "That kiss wasn't just to thank you," Maura admitted. "I've wanted to kiss you all year."
"You have?" Jane asked, her eyes growing wide. "I mean, I've been wanting to kiss you, too, but I knew I'd have to talk to you first and I couldn't even do that."
"Neither could I," Maura laughed. "Everyday, I'd walk into our classroom with the intent of talking to you."
"Maybe we could do something someday," Jane suggested. When she heard a car approaching, she lead Maura further from the sidewalk so neither of them would get splashed again.
"Do you want to do something today?" Maura asked hopefully. "Your clothes are drenched and I don't want you walking home. You can change into something of mine and we can order pizza and watch a movie."
Pizza and a movie with Maura. It was like a dream come true for Jane and she knew she'd enjoy every moment...even if she would be wearing Maura's clothes.