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Cliches

Chapter 2

Sam looked up into Danny's eyes. She cracked a smile as she tucked away a lock of his matted hair behind his ear. "Lovely weather we're having, huh?" she voiced dryly. The rain around them fell in such dense silver sheets that it was hard to see more than three feet away. They were both soaked to the bone, and shivering from lack of dry clothes. Beads of water trailed down their faces, and their hair dripped from the constant onslaught.

Danny pulled Sam into another hug, slyly trying to steal her body heat. "Well, I don't know; it's not so bad," he replied good-naturedly. "After all, it did bring you to me…"

Sam swatted his shoulder. "Oh, come on! It hasn't been that long since I've seen you…" Has it?

A hint of sadness spiraled into the man's blue eyes. "Six months is way too long for me, Sam." He set his forehead on hers. "I was kinda beginning to wonder if you were ever coming back…"

Sam stared into his eyes, her own pair reflecting nothing but truth. "I'll always come back for you, Danny…You know that, right?" she asked him honestly. "You're my best friend; I could never leave you." A small, sly little smile lit her face. "And in plus, we all know you couldn't even separate your laundry without my help."

At that, they broke apart, and Danny's expression grew indignant. "Hey, I'm still learning, okay?" he pouted childishly. "Just 'cause I'm a little colorblind doesn't mean anything…"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "But you're not colorblind."

"So?" Danny stuck his nose up in the air. "Still doesn't mean anything," he said defensively.

Sam rolled her eyes at him, and replied with a, "Yeah, right…" She looked up at him with a smug grin. "You're just helpless without me, admit it!"

"I am not helpless!" Danny protested indignantly, face faulting. "I had to scale a cliff the other day in training; how is that helpless?"

In return, the woman tapped a finger on her chin and furrowed her eyebrows. "Or maybe hopeless was the word," she mumbled under her breath, but was just loud enough for Danny to hear.

"Sa-am!" Danny whined. "Stop teasing me…" He stuck out his lower lip and pouted, crossing his arms.

She bit her lip to keep from giggling, and then held her hands up as if to say, 'I surrender.' "Okay, okay!" she relented with a slightly chuckle. "I guess I just haven't had anyone to make fun of for a while…Will you forgive me?"

Danny looked at her, as if weighing the pros and cons. And then, he sighed dramatically. "Well, I suppose so…"

He winked at her to say 'no hard feelings.'

And after that, their witty banter and remarks died down. As they casually walked through the pouring rain, they talked of their jobs, how their family was, and other things like that. Six months really was a long time, and the amount of stuff they had to talk about was never-ending.

Still, due to the fact that they were in the equivalent of a monsoon, they kept an eye out for an open store, or any place where they could escape the rain.

It continued to pour on the currently flooding Amity Park, and the water levels began rising. They began jogging through the streets, trying to find a refuge.

Sam distantly wondered how much insurance would cover for flood damage.

Of course, considering the gross amount of money she pulled in a year, she figured it wouldn't matter.

Nevertheless, someplace dry sounded too heavenly to be true.

And then…salvation.

Just up ahead, a small café stood on a hill. A nice, still-not-flooded, hill. And an "open" sign was flashing in the window.

It was one of those du ex machina things.

Sam turned to face Danny, and Danny turned to face Sam, the same idea popping into their heads. One glance said all, and they both nodded. Like little kids pretending to be secret agents, a mischievous smile lit their faces. "I'll race ya," Danny whispered in her ear.

"And I'll beat you," Sam childishly retaliated.

Then, without the aid of an air gun, they both shot off at the same time.

It was actually quite comical, had anyone been watching them. There they were, twenty-and something year olds, acting like they were five again.

Danny, being in astronaut boot camp, finally stood a chance against Sam.

And Sam, who was wearing stilettos, was considerably slowed down. She hopped on one foot, trying to slip out of them. Yet by some miracle, she managed to do so, and she instantly picked up her pace. The umbrella she carried swung haphazardly in her grip, flinging water drops into the rain's path.

Danny wasn't too far ahead, and Sam tried to match his speed. Water splashed every which-way, and it sent large waves rippling through the street.

A few of the cats and dogs that were falling from the sky had to avert their path to avoid them.

The two friends laughed and carried on, splashing each other as they stomped through the streets. Clumsy limbs wove through the small flood. And, in a matter of seconds, Danny tripped rather haphazardly through the water, and ended up sprawled out on his butt, arms flailing in a failed attempt to stay upright.

At any rate, it was easily a comical sight. The Marx brothers would have been proud.

Sam playfully laughed and stuck out her tongue, easily catching up her friend. "Catch me if you can!" she cried out against the rain.

Lightning struck the sky at the exact moment that Danny performed the most amazing feat of his entire athletic career. In one swift move, he twisted around and caught Sam by the ankle, jerking her leg backwards.

In consequence, Sam fell back with a shriek beside him, and Danny turned away his head to avoid getting splashed. The CEO landed, like Danny had done, on her butt and smacked down on her palms. She was stunned at first, but the feeling quickly wore off.

With that, Danny had signed his death warrant. "Danny!" she yelped. "You cheater!" She peeled her hands off the cement and splashed Danny with all her might. "You're not supposed to drown your competition!" Unknown to Sam, her poor, neglected umbrella drifted downstream, never to be seen again.

It was crying at the current moment.

Danny proceeded to splash her back, and retorted with the notoriously mock-worthy, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" Sam mocked back. She cupped her hands together and scooped up a handful of water, throwing it in Danny's face.

Utter silence followed for a second as Danny wiped the water from his eyes (which didn't help very much considering it was raining.) But then, an evil little smirk replaced his shock, and his eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's on."

And thus, it began.

Without warning, Danny soaked Sam with a big splash, and Sam instantly returned the favor. There stood at least nine or ten inches of rain on that street, and it provided just enough ammo for a water fight.

Which was exactly what broke out.

Of course, it didn't exactly help that Amity sat within a deep valley. The town was getting the worst of the brunt while the surrounding cities enjoyed minimal flooding. The inhabitants of Amity called it unfair; the others blamed it on bad luck.

Whatever the reason was for the flooding, both Sam and Danny were inwardly thankful for it.

The sky poured apocalyptic amounts of rain, and there they were, soaking themselves even more than they were before. Uh, if that was even possible, that is…

Never mind the fact that they were in the middle of a street, and would have been road kill by now under normal circumstances.

However, as it is written, all good things must come to an end (which, personally, the author believes is just a way for all the Higher-ups to mooch the fun.) And after a moment of their childish impulse for a water fight, Sam began to shiver a bit, and Danny caught it with his perceptive vision.

Their splashes died down, and they both relaxed their arms from their valiant battle. By that time, and considering the tilt of the street, they were a little more than up to their belly buttons in water. Sitting down on the street, anyway.

Sam glanced ruefully at the cobblestone street she was sitting on, and then at her pant-legs, which were completely submerged. "This was such an expensive suit," she lamented sadly. "If I had known I'd meet you here, I would've just worn my old jeans…"

And at that, Danny looked up at her with one eyebrow raised. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked curiously.

Sam sighed, looking up to feel the rain on her face, "Every time I meet up with you, my clothes always get ruined somehow. Whether its from grass stains, spilled chocolate syrup, or grape juice, it always happens when you're around." Sam sighed once more, only more dramatically. "I swear, your subconscious conspires against me…"

"It conspires against me, actually," Danny returned thoughtfully. "I think that's where all my bad luck comes from."

The woman's lips curled up into a smile, "Your guess is as good as mine." She lifted her hand out of the water and held it out. "Now help me get up so we can go to that café and dry off."

She tried to hide a shiver, but failed miserably.

Danny slowly stood up, and buckets of water rolled off his red sleeves and jeans. He grasped Sam's small hand with a firm grip, and gently helped her up. "Your wish is my command, Milady," he said gallantly, playing the part of the knight in shining armor.

Unfortunately, Danny couldn't stay serious for long.

And, just as Sam got her footing, he let go of her hand and began running, leaving Sam

"What are you doing?" she yelled incredulously over the rain.

"We're racing, remember?" Danny called over his shoulder.

And then…

Sam's eyes widened. "Oh, dangit!" And she tore after him like the devil was on her heels.

The comical thing about it, however, was not the fact that they were running. No, actually, the fact that they couldn't run was comical. The water carried a resistance with its flood, and the calf-deep water was hard to wade through.

Nevertheless, Sam somehow managed to catch up with Danny. And Danny somehow managed to not trip.

By that time, the café was in clear view. It was an old café, one that looked especially family oriented, with a large overhang you could sit under while on the waiting list. The large building looked to be made entirely of wood, and the hill it rested upon was laden with pretty flower pots and stone sidewalks.

All of this was completely disregarded by the main characters, though. They already knew the scenery; it didn't matter anymore.

Actually, considering the fact that they were acting like kids, nothing mattered.

In the meantime, Danny had pulled ahead of Sam courtesy of his long legs. He took long, powerful strides which helped to cover more ground; something that he could finally be thankful for. Being a string bean actually had its advantages!

He jumped off the street and onto the sidewalk, Sam not far behind. With one more stride, Danny's feet connected with the grass, and he began running up the sloped hill.

Unfortunately, the grass was slippery. And whenever something was slippery, it just subconsciously begged Danny to fall.

And, subconsciously, he complied.

His tennis shoes couldn't grip on the wet grass, and Danny could feel himself sliding. And it didn't take long to get out of hand. After only a moment, his feet flew right out from under him, and Danny reeled backwards.

"Ack!" he yelped, his eyes wide. And with that, he landed rather unceremoniously on his butt. Again.

Quite a self-fulfilling prophecy, if I do say so myself.

He backslid a bit on the hill, and it took him a second to get reoriented. Yet by the time he looked up, Sam had shot passed him like a bullet, and was currently looking over her shoulder to check if he was okay.

In the course of seconds, Danny weighed the pros and cons of getting up and chasing after Sam. But all paths ended in defeat. He decided it was hopeless; Sam was too far ahead.

And so with that depressing sentiment, Danny sighed. (which, in all honesty, was hard to do in torrential down pour…)

"Alright, alright!" he called out, defeated. "You win…" He shook his head to fling the hair out of his eyes, and he dejectedly flicked a blob of mud off his cheek. Beautiful, he thought sarcastically. He lifted his other hand from the mud with a slurp, wrestling with the suction of the mud before gaining full possession of his hand. Almost pathetically, he lifted his eyes up to the sky, like a poor puppy begging. Why God, why? He was caked with mud from the waist down, and his fall had splattered globs of it onto his arms and chest.

His physical appearance had definitely seen better days.

"Need some help?"

He looked up to see Sam returning back for him. She walked over a few more steps and then held out her hand. Danny gratefully accepted the help, and he slowly stood up.

"Well," he said with a weak smile, "I guess you weren't kidding when you said I ruin clothes." He looked down at his clothes, noting the mud stains.

"Eh, it's only a bad habit," Sam offered as comfort, shrugging. "You'll grow out of it when you're older…"

Danny shot her an indignant look.

"…or not," the woman added, stifling a giggle. "You know, you shouldn't look mad; it makes you look…" she trailed off, biting her lip in contemplation. She just couldn't think of the right word.

"What?" the male wondered curiously. "Makes me look like what?" His eyes, however, suddenly sparked with a sly glint. "Handsome?" he supplied deviously. "Gorgeous? Sexy?"

Then, the word came to Sam. "…Constipated," she decided finally, tapping her chin.

Danny face-faulted.

"Thanks, Sam…Thanks a lot…"

Sam patted his back comfortingly. "Your welcome."

Danny pulled away from her touch. "You're so mean," he said dramatically. "I don't think I can forgive you for that…" He wheeled around and turned up his nose.

"Well fine, Mr. Superior Pants," Sam bantered back. "I guess this means you don't need me anymore…" She crossed her arms, turning away from him.

But Danny couldn't miss her cold shiver.

Out of the corner of his eye, the boy saw Sam hugging her arms for warmth rather than for conversational emphasis. He could nearly hear her teeth chatter.

Or was that his teeth chattering? Had it gotten cold outside or what?

An awkward silence had fallen over the two, and soon Danny was debating whether or not to break it. A small shiver of his own raced down his spine. And somewhere, deep inside of him, a memory of Sam's warm hugs teased his mind.

He couldn't take it.

"Hey, Sammy?"

The woman turned around, and came face to face with the most pathetic expression she'd ever seen. Big, baby blue eyes swelled to the size of dinner platters, and for a second, she wondered if Danny was gonna ask for a cookie.

Almost hesitantly, Sam replied, "Yeah?"

Danny's eyes grew bit bluer, a bit more serious. "I'll forgive you, if you do one thing for me."

A chill ran down Sam's spine, but she wasn't sure if it was from the cold, or if it was from Danny's expression.

"Can I have a hug?"

And at that, Sam couldn't refuse. "You're such a dork," she smiled softly. She wrapped her arms around him, and instantly she was bombarded by his warmth. She rested her head against his chest. "But that's okay, because that's what makes you you."

"Yay," Danny whispered softly in her ear.

Sam huddled closer to him, trying to steal his body heat. "You're warm," she whispered to him, shivering uncontrollably.

"Are you kidding me?" Danny asked. "I'm f-freezing! You're the warm one…" And, just to prove his point, he pulled Sam closer, wrapping his lanky arms around her and soaking in her body heat.

Sam just closed her tired eyes and leaned her head against his chest. "Eh, well then, let's just agree to disagree…" She didn't really want to end up in another witty banter, and she feared that her mind had currently used up all of its "witty comeback" brownie points.

She just wanted to enjoy the feel of Danny's arms around her.

Not that she'd say anything.

Of course.

But either way, a feeling of guilt wormed its way through her heart, and Sam suddenly felt a spark of pain.

Danny's my best friend...

She wasn't supposed to be in love with him.

The woman reluctantly pulled away from Danny's warm hug. "Come on," she said, her smile masking a bit of her sadness. She jerked her head in the direction of the building. "Let's go inside and get dried off."

And Danny, who was completely oblivious of Sam's reasoning, just tagged along with a grin on his face. Yet, he slipped his hand around her's, and gently cradled her palm within his.

Sam suddenly felt like smiling and crying at the same time.

A short while later, their slow steps neared the building. Their shoes squeaked as they walked up the wooden steps and under the overhang of the building's roof, and buckets of rain seemed to roll off their poor clothes.

Soft lights from the café poured from the glass windows, lighting the porch with a hazy glow.

"Hey Sam?"

Blinking away tears, the girl tried to hide her sadness and managed a weak smile. "Yeah?"

Suddenly, Danny spun her around. He looked straight into her eyes, searching with such depth that Sam could see the emotions in his eyes. Rain drops beaded from his hair, and the steady downpour echoed in the background. He smiled lopsidedly, that signature sign of mischief. "I hope you don't kill me for this…"

And he kissed her.

Needless to say, she kissed back.

Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, with every story comes a moral. And with every moral comes a certain fact of life. In this particular story, one thing stood resolute:

There was just some things in life money couldn't buy.

But for everything else, there was MasterCard…

Yay! Completion!

I hope you enjoyed this two-shot. :) It was actually pretty fun to write. I hope people other than me know what I'm talking about with the "MasterCard" thing. You know, the commercials?

1.) How was the general flow of words/sentences?

2.) Characters in character?

3.) Any other comments?

Thank you for reading,

Lightning Streak

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