Chapter Two - Riders On The Storm
The next day, Chad sat in English class aimlessly staring out the window. He wasn't at all interested in the lesson; his mind was on something else. A crumpled piece of paper sat on his lap, flapping loosely in the gentle breeze coming through the open window. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon as Chad looked down at the lyrics he'd written on the paper.
Joey was sitting on the other side of the room, his head resting on the table, eyes closed. It was dark in the classroom. The teacher was droning on about English History. Joey was almost asleep; he was not the most academic person in the world.
"Joey. Man, wake up." Kim whispered, digging her elbow into Joey's side. He opened his eyes and glared at her.
"I am trying to sleep." He said, but he wasn't in the slightest bit annoyed with his friend. And she knew this.
"Well, I am trying to talk to you." She retorted, and Joey sat up.
"Listening." He said, seriously.
"Tonight, you up for hanging out at the shed again? Apparently there's going to be some storm going on, so it'll be awesome."
*
That evening Joey, Kim, Chad and Eric sat in their shed, the corrugated steel door wide open, showing off the sunset. The sky was illuminated with oranges, reds and pinks, a stark contrast against the ominous clouds that were filling the sky.
Even before the sun had set, a great streak of lightening lit up the sky, followed soon after by the low rumble of thunder.
Eric turned the radio up louder. The song was appropriate Riders on the Storm, by the Doors.
"This song is love." Kim said, expressing her die-hard obsession with Jim Morrison. The others just exchanged a look.
"Shut up, I saw that!" Kim added, throwing an empty lemonade can at the nearest person, who happened to be Chad.
As the rain began to hammer down, the last of the sunset faded into heavy black clouds. Cool air came through the open door, but the shed remained warm still.
As the light faded almost entirely, Chad got up and lit the candles. In all the years of hanging out in the shed, the only source of light was candles. The small dots of light flickered in the wind, and the teenagers were silent, listening to the small radio.
Joey soon became bored. He rolled onto his back and tossed a screwed-up piece of paper at Eric who caught it in one hand. This small move ended up with Joey and Eric throwing paper or empty packets at each other.
"Chad?" Kim said after a while. "Where are we going to be in ten years' time?"
"Away from this town, with any luck." Chad replied, smiling at the thought.
"Take me with you, hey?" Kim said, laughing.
"You know I would." Chad said simply, seriously. Without thinking, he reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair away from Kim's face. It was then, in the dim light, that the two teenagers realised their feelings for one another.
*
Joey noticed the change in the way Chad and Kim acted towards each other, and his mood immediately soured. He sat, leaning against the back of the shed, staring out the open door for the majority of the evening. He left to go home without a word to anyone.
"What's up with him?" Eric mused, watching the fourth member of their group stomp off in the direction of the town.
Rest in Results!
Black Opium
"No idea. He was fine earlier." Chad shrugged. Kim said nothing. As Eric left for home as well, Chad and Kim began to lock up the shed. The radio was still playing, this time it was Lou Reed's "Perfect Day".
"I love this song." Kim said, breaking the silence. It seemed such an appropriate song, for her at least.
Chad's self-consciousness seemed to disappear, at least temporarily, as he leaned closer to Kim. As the song ended, so did the teenagers' kiss.
***
Second chapter! See, I'm making up for the past couple of months negligence... =P
Seriously though, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know these are stupidly short chapters compared to the Sirius story, but I specifically wanted five chapters, so have to s p a c e the story out. Hah.
Extra points to anyone who guesses what song this story was inspired by!
