Rain was Harper's least favorite of all weather conditions. It just didn't do anything for her. Yes, she knew it was selfish because all the beautiful plants needed it to grow and become so lovely. But it made her feel so gloomy inside. Plus, there was the time when Mother Nature put a perpetual rain cloud over Justin's head, and she just felt so horrible for the love of her life. Well, maybe not the love of her life yet. The feelings still weren't mutual, much to Harper's dismay.

The rain was just making everything worse. Because there was no sun, Harper couldn't focus on anything positive. She kept thinking about the math test she took two days prior and hadn't gotten back. Her mind drifted to whatever mischief Alex was cooking up that she was going to force Harper into. And then she thought about Justin. He'd never love her, as much as she hoped and wished and dreamed and prayed. Like always, the love would be a one-way street… a one-way street with constant storm clouds and lightning.

It helped that it was Friday, but only a little. She couldn't go home because her parents were having some intense, smack down marriage counseling session that she wasn't allowed to attend. In all honesty, Harper didn't mind. She'd actually rather be with her best friend, complaining about the trouble she was stirring up. There was no question with Alex- trouble would always happen. Sometimes, Harper thought it would probably be best to get out of it. But when it came down to it, Alex's rebelliousness would eventually lessen and become more sophisticated. To top it all off, she was a good friend. So Harper knew that leaving Alex would only hinder her. If only Justin could leave Alex.

Yes, she was quite sure that her best friend's older brother was the reason she found it difficult to be around them. It wasn't even the fact that they happened to be a wizard family. That was just a side effect that she almost always forgot about until one of them did something magical of some sort. Justin… now he was the cause of her… she didn't know how to conclude her sentence. Pain was too dire a word, and she never really felt it. No matter the scenario, Harper had always found how to avoid pain. Jealousy couldn't be the word either, because Miranda was long gone and Juliet had moved far away. Was there even a word? She thought harder about it and finally derived one. Problem. Sure, it was simple and broad. So was Harper.

"Hey, Harper," Alex greeted her best friend after school on that Friday. "Ready to go over to my house and have the best time ever?"

"Alex, what does the best time ever involve?" she questioned.

"Well, I was thinking we'd go to the bowling alley again," she stated her usual favorite idea. "But instead of making my dad drive us, we could walk in the rain. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Wincing, Harper replied, "No. I'd rather go by car."

She shut her locker, and Alex chased her around so that she wound up facing Harper.

"What do you mean, you'd rather go by car? You love the outdoors, and you especially love walking. So what makes you hate it so much today?"

"I just don't like rain. Is that really that bad of a thing?"

"No. It's just weird. I always figured you liked all weather. Except for maybe tornados and hurricanes because they could suck up your scrapbooks or break your painted plates."

Alex laughed at her pathetic joke, and Harper gave it a small chortle. Only sometimes did she find Alex funny. Most of the time she thought her humor was rather immature, but when you had a brother like Justin who was so perfect and so beyond his years, you couldn't help but be mentally younger. There she went thinking about Justin again. For just once she'd like to get over him.

No, no. She didn't say that. What was that one saying she read on that girl's painting? Oh yeah. The hardest part about getting over a crush is the fear that they'll catch on. Fat chance. There was no way in hell Justin would ever return those feelings for her, so there was nothing to fear. So why didn't she just meet some other guy already? Could it really be that difficult?

"Well, I don't like all weather," Harper protested. "In fact, I'd rather go back to your house and watch movies. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Alex said, puzzled. "But can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why don't you like the rain?"

A million answers flooded Harper's brain. She wasn't sure which was the best to give, especially because most of them were ones Alex wouldn't be able to or want to comprehend. There were images and words, but only a few made any sense. So, as soon

as Harper found a phrase that could easily be put together, she answered,

"The most difficult things happen when it rains."

And she and Alex left the school.

A/N: Wow, so, that's the start of the Jarper story I promised. That was the prolog, kind of, so I apologize for it being so short. Other chapters will be longer, I promise! It's late and I'm tired, but after the Wizards movie I was inspired to start this.