Disclaimer: I don't own the series Heroes or any of the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.
A/N: Like I said, Heroes is my new drug of choice for the moment. There's just something about the relationship between Claire and Zach. This story is nothing special, but maybe that's its appeal. I hope you'll enjoy reading this. :)
Upon A Rainy Night
''When you look at me, you see an extraordinary girl, trying to make it through this ordinary world.
Claire continued to stare at the window, following the raindrops as they slid their way down, although she could never keep her eyes on all of them: there were too many and blurred her view of what was behind them. It had started raining early in the afternoon and hadn't stopped yet. Everything had been tinted gray, leaving her mood as dark and heavy as the sky, and she knew that, in this case, wearing bright colors wouldn't help, so she had settled for a pair of baggy gray sweatpants and a black sweater—it actually being her favorite thing to wear because of how the sleeves were too long. It felt snug and comfortable, different than the clothes she normally wore.
She pulled off the hood that had been covering her hair and face, running her hands through her tousled locks and separating her curls from one another with her fingers. She sighed while swinging both of her legs to one side of the bed, having decided to get off of her bed; otherwise, she knew that she wouldn't get up at all and spend the rest of the evening in front of her TV.
Her bare feet sunk into the retro carpet she just had to have a couple of years ago, and she paused shortly to examine the silver polish on her toes before getting up. Her hands disappeared into the side pockets of her sweater as she left her room, and she dragged her feet all the way down the stairs and into the kitchen, dreading having to make dinner for herself. She wasn't really the best cook, or any cook at that. Her mom was the one who could whip up everything and anything in a heartbeat and who enjoyed doing so.
She would order a pizza or something, but her parents hadn't left behind any money (they had gone away for the weekend, wanting to spend some more time together), her allowance had already been spent, and she couldn't ask her brother to loan her anything because he was at some sleepover thing.
Claire opened the fridge, but didn't like anything she saw and closed it again, though she already had another plan in mind. She reached into her pockets a little deeper and pulled out her cell phone. She hit one of the buttons and a number was automatically dialed. She couldn't help but smile when Zach answered after only the second ring. ''Hey, it's me.''
''Hey back.''
''Could you come over?''
''Yeah, sure. Why? Is there a problem?''
''No, it's just… My parents went away for the weekend and my brother's staying with some friends tonight, so I'm all by myself. And I'm supposed to cook, and I don't cook. Not because I don't want to, but because I really can't.''
Zach laughed at the other end of the line. ''So? Just order something.''
Claire sighed wistfully. ''I would, but I have no more money left, and my parents didn't leave any.''
Zach laughed again. ''Maybe that'll teach you not to spend everything at the mall.''
''Ha, ha,'' she replied sarcastically and moved her phone from one hand to the other. ''So, are you coming over or what?''
''I'm not going to cook for you.''
''I didn't ask you to,'' Claire said, though somewhat disappointed at his statement.
She heard the smile in his voice as he gave in to her request. ''Fine, I'll be right there.''
''Thanks, Zach,'' she told him, both of her hands on her phone in an almost intimate way.
She though about changing, but, in the end, didn't bother. She knew that Zach was the last person she needed to dress up for. He liked her the way she was (little did she know that he always thought she looked stunning), and it felt liberating to her.
She paced around the house, listening to the rain as she waited for him, getting more antsy as the rain got worse and was accompanied by the occasional thunder and lightning. She immediately opened the door when the doorbell rang, not wanting to leave him out there to get wet, though she didn't stand a chance against the rain. Zach was soaked through and through by the time she opened the door, his t-shirt sticking to him like a second skin, his pants hanging even lower on his hips than usual, and his hair was dripping.
She brightly smiled at him, having to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing out loud. He shook his head at her, though couldn't cover up the small smile he carried as he entered the house. She closed the door and turned, bringing up both of her hands to shield herself as Zach ran his hand through his wet locks and flicked his fingers at her. He laughed at the girly squeal she let out.
''Way to be mature, Zach.''
''I'm sorry, weren't you the one who called me over because you didn't know how to cook, at all?''
Claire stuck out her tongue and passed him, their shoulder touching as she momentarily stopped to look up at him. ''Come on, you can borrow some of my dad's clothes, unless you think this look is working for you?''
Zach playfully rolled his eyes at her and kept a smile on his face as he followed her upstairs and into her parents' bedroom. She opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of sweats, almost identical to the ones she was wearing, and a dark green long-sleeved shirt. ''Is this okay?'' she asked while holding the two items up to him.
He nodded and she threw the clothes on the bed. She turned to close the drawer, letting out a gasp when she turned back. ''Wow, Zach, this isn't the boys' locker-room,'' she remarked as she found him shirtless.
His cheeks darkened at her remark and he quickly snatched up the shirt from the bed, turning his back to her as he tugged it on.
Realizing she had hit a nerve, she took a step towards him. ''Listen, Zach, I didn't mean it like that.''
''You mean in the way the rest of the school always means it?'' he asked while turning back to face her. He shrugged. ''It's okay. I've gotten used to it, and I don't really care about what people say anyway, not anymore. I like who I am.''
He threw her a glance and she smiled at him. ''I like who you are, too. I'm just not used to boys taking their clothes off in front of me.''
''You're not?'' he cheekily inquired with one eyebrow raised.
She gave him a gentle push. ''Hey, that's a misconception… Based on rumors Jackie spread about me,'' Claire softly added the last part.
''What's the deal with you and Jackie? Aren't you two supposed to be best friends or something?''
Claire nodded and touched her fingertips together, after which she began to ball her fists until her knuckles touched one another. ''We were, until I made the cheerleading squad.'' She shook her head. ''After that things changed. It was like we were competing to be the most popular.'' She shrugged. ''I guess saying things about me behind my back made it easier for her.'' She tapped her knuckles together a couple of times before dropping her hands and looking at Zach again, smiling timidly. ''And now I'm not even really popular anymore.'' She rolled her eyes at herself. ''I know how stupid this sounds to you and I know it shouldn't matter, but…'' She sighed. ''It's not even about being popular, it's about fitting in and feeling like I belong, I guess.'' She gave him another smile, one that was just a little sad.
''Sorry if I ruined your reputation,'' Zach apologized.
She shook her head. ''You didn't, and I don't care. You're nicer to me than any of my so called friends have ever been to me.''
''That's true,'' he said with a smile. ''And you haven't been treating me too bad either, considering you're a cheerleader and all.''
She bashfully lowered her eyes at his compliment. ''You better change. I don't want you catching a cold.'' Their eyes shyly ran into one another and he nodded, quickly changing into the pair of sweats once she had left the room.
When he got back downstairs, he found her standing in front of the fridge. She heard him approach and looked at him over her shoulder, a strand of hair twirled between her fingers. ''You know how to cook, right?''
He crossed his arms and leaned against the staircase, amused. ''I do.'' He hid a smile as she kept staring at him, expecting something. ''I'm not cooking for you, Claire.''
''Great,'' she said while closing the fridge. ''Then we starve.''
He chuckled and pulled something from his pocket. ''But I will order a pizza for us.''
Claire grinned and excitedly clapped her hands together. ''I knew I was friends with you for a reason,'' she joked, and he knew it was a joke because of the conversation they had just had upstairs.
''I swear I'll pay you back,'' she promised while reaching for the phone.
Zach nodded and smiled, accepting it, though he didn't really care about the money.
''What do you want on your pizza?'' she asked, already dialing the number.
He shrugged. ''I like everything.''
''Even anchovies?''
He nodded and she wrinkled up her face. ''Gross, Zach.''
But when she ordered the pizza she asked for anchovies on his half of the pizza.
Please review? (: So? I'm dying to know what you thought of this. Well, maybe not dying, but you get the point: I'm curious, so please be so kind to leave behind an opinion. I realize this wasn't as dramatic as my last Clach (With Open Eyes), but that's what I liked about this piece, while writing and reading. :) Thanks. :)