U is for Umbrella

Ever since Andre was a kid, he liked weather. He loved sunshine-y days during the summer when he and all of his friends would go to the beach and spend hours together basking in the light and flitting around in the water. As he got older, he began to appreciate these carefree summer days more. Because at the end of summer's glow loomed school.

He liked windy days where he could look outside the windows of Hollywood Arts High in the middle of a test and see the world gray and spinning, leaves and grass flying in the wind, and trees swaying to the point of breaking.

He loved when it would get cold enough in Los Angeles to wear a jacket and go grab a coffee before school. He'd always pick one up for Jade, of course, because it was the right thing to do. And because if he didn't get her own she'd just steal his.

It was always fun to fly up to Canada with Beck and see the snow on the ground, fresh and white like a dusting of powdered sugar over the world during the winter months. Sometimes they'd find girls to sit with in the lounge, warm and snuggly as they sat by the fire together with warm coco. Snow was great.

He enjoyed it when there was a little hint of humidity in the air, but it was hot. The stickiness may have gotten annoying after a while, but it made Andre think of a paradise, somewhere tucked away in a jungle somewhere.

But most of all, Andre loved the rain. Rain could symbolize so many things. If he was inside and looking out at the rain, he found it so much easier to write love songs. If he was walking outside in the rain with it washing down his face, it gave him the sensation of being cleaned and renewed. When he was walking with an umbrella, however, not letting the rain touch him, it was different. It was when he didn't want to be cleansed, when he didn't want to be free. It was a time for sadness, and being allowed to be sad without judgment.

It was on one of these days when Andre was walking home from Hollywood Arts. He hadn't had a good day. His friends were all in moods; Beck and Jade were fighting, Cat hat a new boyfriend and didn't see how wrong he was for her, Robbie was depressed because his grandmother was sick, and Trina had a new pair of Vocal Training Headphones, so she'd been singing all day.

Andre shuffled home under his umbrella, letting himself be sad and letting his regrets out into the world. His heart was on his sleeve, and rain on his cheeks.

Andre continued to walk, feeling very sorry for himself indeed. Everything in his life was awful; he didn't have a girlfriend, his grandmother was crazy and he had to take care of her all by himself, he didn't have a girlfriend, his friends were all burdens, he didn't have a girlfriend, his car wasn't cool, he didn't have a girlfriend, and most importantly he'd been in LA for years and hadn't even gotten close to what he wanted: Star status. Everything was just awful.

Andre's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he dug it out. The caller ID showed a beautiful girl with brown hair and eyes. Andre felt himself smile, even though it was nearly a ghost of a smile, as he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi Andre!"

"Hey, Tor. What's up?"

"Nothing much," he could almost see her shrugging her tan shoulders. "You just seemed kind of bummed in school today so I wanted to call and see what was up."

"Nothing," he lied.

"Oh…" Tori was quiet for a moment. "Well, okay. So I was thinking maybe you could come over tonight if you had time? I'm writing as new song, and I need a little help with it. There'll be coco!"

Andre smiled, and this time it was a true smile.

"As long as there's coco, okay," he teased her.

"Cool," Tori giggled. "See you in a little bit then!"

"Okay."

Andre hung up, and then slid his phone back in his pocket. Glancing up at the umbrella, he realized his life really wasn't that bad. He had a great friend, a good life. Andre closed the umbrella with another grin, and started walking a little faster to get home quicker.

Today wasn't a day for umbrellas, after all.

Note: I hope you liked it! 143!