Saving Rain

by Kelsey Kingsley

you mind me asking why today is so bad?” I was quickly finding that Ray shared that same no-filters-allowed quality with her son, and I liked it. It was a breath of fresh air when everyone else around me seemed to walk on eggshells. Nobody ever knew how to act or what to say while Ray and Noah simply didn’t care. They just said whatever was on their minds, and, man, it was nice. I chewed at my lip, wondering if I even wanted to say it aloud when tonight had already been so nice. Would I ruin it all by allowing that persistent black cloud to hang over us? But Ray was so insistent with those soft, big green eyes, watching my every move, and I felt I couldn’t run away from this. I felt I didn’t want to. “My best friend died today,” I admitted. “The same night I was arrested. Ten years ago.” She held my gaze for a moment, not at all surprised by the admission, before letting her head hang as she nodded in a way that said she had already known and had somehow forgotten. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “That must suck, having to share your birthday with such a horrible memory.” “Honestly”—I laughed, beside myself—“it’s not the first. But it’s definitely the worst, and yeah, it does suck.” Her hands clenched at her sides before she blurted out, “Did you actually kill him?” She shook her head immediately after and spun quickly on her heel, facing the sink again. “You know what? No, never mind. Don’t answer that.” I swallowed, allowing a war to begin in my head. I had only known Ray...