Saving Rain

by Kelsey Kingsley

“You'd tell me if things weren't okay, wouldn't you?” No. “Yeah, sure.” She didn't look like she believed me, but she relented with a nod anyway. “Okay. I'll see you tomorrow.” I hurried to the door, relieved to be released, but she wasn't finished. “Oh, and, Soldier?” Come. On. I noisily huffed out my agitation before glancing over my shoulder. “Huh?” “If you ever need a break, if you can't handle the work and you just need to focus on yourself and how you're feeling, let me know, and we'll figure something out. Okay? Just … just let me know.” An overwhelming rush to tell her everything whooshed through me like the trains that passed across the street from our crappy apartment. My eyes met hers as a painful ache pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe, and I thought maybe she could see every truth I tried to hide behind my lies. I hoped she could. I hoped she’d help and rescue me in any way she knew how. But she didn’t. She just offered a sad smile and wished me a good night, and I turned away and hurried down the hallway while I thought about how not okay I was.