He'd just stepped out of the studio doors with the rest of the dancers when the sky opened up and began to pour down rain. He cursed loudly, not caring who heard him, and ran for his car. Rain was streaming down his face; and the mixture of it and the hairspray coating his head, stung his eyes and blurred his vision. He reached the leather flap that safely concealed his custom soft top and yanked at the snaps, popping open the first two with ease, but struggling slightly with the third as the feeling of cold and wet started to numb his fingers.

"Shit!" he declared loudly to what he assumed was an audience that only consisted of his quickly flooding car.

"How do you undo this thing?" a familiar voice asked and his eyes shot up to lock with Tracy's across the back of his car.

"It just unsnaps… what are you doing here? It's pouring down rain!" He stumbled over his words, happily surprised to see her, but concerned for her as well. It was cold, she could get sick.

"You looked like you needed help!" She hollered, both of them needing to raise their voices to be heard over the sound of the rain as it pelted against the car between them. He watched as she yanked two snaps loose, biting her lip in concentration as she made a small noise of exertion. He wrenched his eyes away from her and went after the snaps on his side with renewed gusto. His car was going to be a swimming pool if he didn't hurry.

Moment's later he was pulling the top from its compartment and she helped him guide it up and forward until it reached his windshield. He carefully latched it into place on his side, and then came around to do the other, his hand brushing against Tracy's as he pressed the latch down. She looked at him for a moment, blinking in the rain, and he noted her hair had gone completely flat. It was much longer than it looked when in its usual style.

"We need to roll up the windows, right?" she asked suddenly and he blinked, startled as she pulled him from his thoughts. He ran back around to the driver's side and opened the door, a small rush of water emptying out onto his feet. Biting back on another curse, he reached inside and turned the lever. Tracy did likewise and as he looked up, she smiled at him across the expanse of interior between them.

"Do you need a ride?"

"What?"

"I said, do you need a ride?"

"Oh, no; my parents will be here soon to pick me up."

"Do you want to get in and keep dry while you wait?"

He followed her gaze as she looked around the partially flooded interior and down at her already soaked clothing. "It doesn't look so dry!"

He laughed and ran around to the trunk of his car; his shirt collar flipped up in an attempt to hinder the flow of rain running down his back. He grabbed a handful of towels and tossed them on the front seat. "I like to be prepared," he said when she looked at him bemused.

"Well, Mr. Prepared, maybe next time you should just put the top up before practice so we can avoid these incidents in the future?"

"Yeah, thanks, that's really helpful," he returned and she giggled. He grinned widely and knew he looked stupid doing it but didn't care. "So, are you gonna get in?"

"No. Thank you though. I don't think my ma would like it."

Disappointment settled quickly in his stomach and he pushed it away. "Alright then, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Bye," she said; then nodded and gave him a little wave before she closed the door. He watched her walk back to the studio doors where several other kids were waiting just inside out of the rain. When she was safely in the company of Miss Sarah, one of the stage managers, he started his car. Pausing briefly to listen to the comforting purr of the engine, he thought about her running through the rain to help him. He thought about her ruined hair, drenched by the rain; and how she had said "next time," as if maybe she wanted to hang out with him again in the future… He smiled slowly and pulled out of the lot, carefully making his way home through the heavy downpour.