Rain from clouds, dark as if they were full of a great rage, pounds down onto the streets of Hurricane. Many large puddles marking the street as a few dozen people, clad in heavy jackets and wielding wide umbrellas over their heads as they run about, gunning right for their cars and homes to avoid the torrential rains barreling straight towards to the ground and the rooftops. And as rainwater pours off the roofs, Tommy Davis strides through it, his navy-blue hoodie speckled by the downpour and his blue shoes squelching with each step on the concrete. He trudges through the heavy downpour, and he seems to be heading for a nearby Diner, the quant building's yellowish lights shining brightly through the rainfall. The young man continues trudging through the storm, before he finally pushes open the door and enters the diner.
"Phew... Finally... That was unbearable... Now... Where's Jonah?" He says, breathing a sigh of relief as he pulls off his drenched hoodie and hangs it on a coat rack. He then begins looking around, scanning his surroundings, looking for where Jonah would be within the diner. He takes a few more steps into the heart of the restaurant, looking to his right for his friend, but he doesn't see him. Afterwards, he looks to the left, and at first, he doesn't see much... Until he sees a man with a distinctive short flattop haircut, a grizzled face and a crimson jacket sitting at a table near a window. Yep, that's him. That's Jonah. More than that, two teenagers are sitting on the other side of the table, his friend Charlotte and John, who he seems to be talking with. The young man then walks over to the three.
"And that was how I kicked a bonehead's butt in a wrestling match when I was your age!" Jonah says boisterously, finishing a story he had been telling Charlie and John before he sees Tom marching towards them.
"And look what the cat dragged in!" Jonah exclaims. Charlie turns to see who it is, with John doing the same a couple seconds afterwards.
"Hiya Tommy!" She excitedly greets him, smiling brightly.
"Sup Tom!" John says.
"Sorry about being late, it was a real pain in the butt getting through that storm without a car." Tom says, taking a seat.
"It's all good buckaroo! You did miss the story of how I clocked a full tilt idiot right in the jaw during a wrestling match when I was in High School. And it wasn't some staged event, it was the real deal! But I've got about a thousand other stories to tell before you'd find a single lull in your excitement, telling another one later wouldn't be a bad idea." He then says.
"How's it hanging, Tom? Besides being soaked from the whole thunderstorm outside." John then asks.
"It's been fine, all handy dandy. I lost my team a baseball game, and I'm really considering just not going to college since... I'm not sure if I could even pay for it since I don't have a real job yet, and I'm still living with my mom." He responds before taking a long sigh.
"Aw man… That really sucks…" John replies.
"Yea… I know." He says.
"Don't get so bent out of shape over stuff like that, you'll find a way through it, Tom. I'm sure of it! You've got to just... Wrangle your life back on track and ride it back onto the path you want to go down!" Charlie then says. Tom heaves with another sigh.
"Yeah, all that worrying isn't going to help you in the long run." Jonah chimes in. "I know, I know... I'm just not sure what else I should do..." Tommy speaks.
"I get it, you're real uncertain about how your life's going to go from here, but you've got to get things together real soon, or else you're going to find yourself in in a metaphorical ditch. Look, I'll try talking with you about this in a little bit. Just take your mind off this stuff right now." Jonah says. He then clears his throat.
"I'd want to hear one of the stories you guys have. I've told a lot of my own stories for long enough, and now I'm wanting to be the listener." He then says. Tommy takes a moment to stare away for the group for a moment before turning back to Jonah.
"Actually, I have one me and Charlie went through that you may find interesting." He then says.
"Ooooo. What would that be?" John asks curiously.
"You'll see..." Tom responds.
"Is it what I think it is?" Charlotte then asks.
"Ye."
"This is going to be... Weird."
"I'd love to hear it!" Jonah exclaims.
"Alright, alright..." He replies before taking a deep and clearing his throat.
"It all started on a day kinda like this, seven years ago..."
*
Light clouds cast a light but no shadow over the town, a light rain shower sprinkles onto the roofs of cars and slides down at a glacial pace on the pane of a, admittedly unkempt, bedroom in a rather average house in an ordinary neighborhood near some railway tracks. And, on the bed, an eleven-year-old Tommy Davis sits in a set of blue polka-dotted PJs and a baseball cap, bored out of his mind as he watches raindrops slowly climb their way down his window, a TV sits near the window, off. A clock on the boy's wall ticks down in a droning manner, the time slowly passing. Tick tock, tick tock. The long hand moves further and further down the clock. Tick tock, tick tock. Then, a loud thumping comes from his door. Two loud thuds sound across his room, immediately catching the young boy's attention as he stands up on the floor with a little thump.
"Tom! Come on! Get out of your room! Mike's stopped by!" A deep, though rather charming voice comes from the other side.
"I'm coming, Dad!" The kid responds, gunning right to the door and opening it, being immediately greeted with the slim, though towering, build of his father, Jean, who has a slight smile on his face as he chuckles.
"C'mon. Do you really want to go out in the PJs?" Jean then asks. The kid looks down at his clothes and sighs a little.
"Fine... I'll go change." He groans, heading back into his door and closing the door. Jean crosses his arms as he waits, before Tom busts back out of his room, wearing a pair of navy-blue baggy sweats, a tight sky-blue shirt and a jacket the same color as his pants, along with the same hat as before.
"Thats a lot better. Let's get going now. We can't keep your friend waiting."
"I know, I know." The kid responds, right before booking it through the hall and right to the front door. Jean trails behind him as Tom begins to unlock and open the door, brimming with anticipation. The man arrives behind him shortly afterward.
"Hold your horses there, son. You can't go out there alone."
"Right." Tom mutters before swinging the door and stepping outside, with his father following him out a couple of seconds afterward. The boy then makes his way down the steps, looking onto the yard, which is mainly just shortly cut grass, though a few small statues of garden gnomes and a swing set are dotted across the lawn and cracked pavement in the middle, which goes down from the steps and to the sidewalk. The kid then looks to the sidewalk, where on the side of the road a 2001 Chevrolet Impala with a slightly worn purple paintjob awaits. Tom recognized it immediately. It's Micheal's car. Tommy, heavy with trepidation, makes his way to the car. Jean stands a couple of feet away from him, observing his son as he heads to the car. The window to the car then begins roll down, revealing the face of a man, in his late twenties, about thirty at most, with short, slightly orangish brown hair and eyes, pale skin, a purple jacket and a slightly tired look to his face, but he's smiling, clearly happy to see the kid and his dad. That's Micheal.
"Hey Tom!" Mike then greets the boy. Tom flashes a wide grin at him.
"Heya Mike!" He says before heading to get in the car.
"How long are you going to be out with him for?" Jean asks.
"Probably about two to five hours at most, I'm going to see if Henry will allow Charlotte to come with me as well. I'm just planning on taking them for a little ride around the town, you know." The man explains.
"You're letting Charlie come too!?" Tom asks.
"If Henry's willing to allow it. He's been, uh... A little protective about her for the past couple of years, you know?"
"I know..." The boy responds before sighing.
"I don't want to hold you two up much longer, so I really hope you guys have a lot of fun out there." Jean says, making his way onto the porch of the house before turning back to wave.
"A plus tard, Tom!"
"Cya later, Dad!"
Micheal turns his keys, firing up the ignition as the car lights up and he peels out the driveway. He then pulls onto the main road through the city and flips on his GPS. Afterwards, he enters the address for Henry's home and begins to drive to the coordinates the GPS is pointing him in the direction of.
"So, Mike, where are we going?" Tommy asks enthusiastically.
"I dunno, where would you want to go on a day like this?" The man questions. The boy begins to think a little, rubbing his chin.
"I would say the park, but it's rainy and muddy out there... Hmm... Wait, I know! What about the arcade!?"
"Then we'll head to the arcade after we see if Charlie will come."
"Heck yeah!"
"But that's if Henry's going to allow it. We could probably have good ol' time with just the two of us instead if that ends up being the case."
"I know. It's just... You know, not the same without her, you catch my drift?"
"I can tell."
Mike continues driving along the roads, as the purple car grows closer and closer to their friend's house by the minute. Tom looks onto the streets of a highway he's seen about a million times at this point and the car continues driving. Michael pulls off the highway and onto the road through a neighborhood, mundane houses fill Tom's view from the window as droplets stream down the glass. Within about half a minute, they pass through the neighborhood as the car begins crawling up a nearby hill, passing into a rather small forest, looming trees all around the trail as the man keeps a grip over his wheel and continues driving. Another minute passes, and the trail forks off into a couple different directions, Mike goes right and the car heads down the hill. It then enters a slight clearing in the forest with a house smack dab in the middle. Henry's home. Soon afterwards, Micheal pulls into the driveway, opens the car's door and steps out.
"Alright, stay in the car, Tom. I'll see if Henry's willing to let Charlotte come with us to the arcade, Okay?" Micheal says.
"Sounds a okay to me." Tom replies. Afterwards, the man then turns around, and heads towards the front door, going right to knocking on it.