The rain beat the ground like an angry wife. It was uncaring and fell as hard as it pleased. Lance looked up at the sky. The sun was covered completely, so no heat would reach him.

His body ached all over, and he was about ready to keel over any minute but the person(or burden at this point) was keeping him up.

Lance, after diving straight into the river, caught up to Alice quickly. He wrapped his arms around her and put all his new found energy into his legs. Thought it may have been futile to try, Lance knew he wouldn't stop no matter what. For the first time in his life, his resolve was firm.

Through miracle or luck, the river lessened its hold on them, and Lance shot to the shore.

He dragged the unconscious Alice to shore. Lance placed her on the ground and tried to find a pulse. Thankfully, Alice's body was not a shadow, but her real form. But Lance had little time to pay any heed to that fact.

Lance wished he should've paid more attention in health class. He needed to do CPR, but he had no experience. I think they put their lips together and breathe right? Lance had no time to hope and so, he did what he believed to be CPR.

He did the best he could. Breathing air in and attempting proper chest compression. For minutes no sign of life. He added more air and did deeper compression. He wouldn't lose her. He couldn't afford it.

She can’t die!

“Ga” A small sound caught Lance’s ear. He got in close and almost took the full brunt of water coming from her mouth. Holding back his own urge to throw up, he tilted her to the side.

Alice had started breathing again, but she did not regain consciousness. Lance thought of calling an ambulance, but he had left his phone in his pocket when he jumped in.

He decided, since his house was closer, to take her to his place to get dried off and rest.  Lance put her piggy-back style on his back. He was reluctant to touch her, but he couldn’t risk her getting a fever or worse from the weather.

The feeling of wet socks and shoes wore Lance down more than carrying the girl. Lance was pissed, happy, and very annoyed all at the same time.  He felt her warm breath on his neck. He felt his heartbeat skip a little bit.

Damn my pure self Lance cursed his years of solitude.

“You better pay me back for this,”  He grumbled through his breaths. After what felt like an eternity of walking. Lance street was in sight, as well as his house.

Lance’s house stood alone. The other house were old and were mostly torn down already. So it was left standing in the street by itself. Now that Lance thought about it could've passed for a haunted house given the surrounding area.

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Though small, the building’s interior was far more exciting. The outside was a modest white building, with few windows to see the streets. The house just screamed middle class, but Lance never did care for highways of living. In fact, he did his best to live cheaply and efficiently.

Once at the door, Lance maneuvered to where Alice's weight was on one side, and he used his other arm to get the damn thing open.

The refreshing smells of his house came out like the wind. Lance saw a black object dash into the room.

“You gotta be kidding me. You followed me home?!” Lance yelled at the dog, that was knowing running through his house. He didn’t have time for this.

Lance moved past the living room and turned left down the long hallway. There half way down was his bedroom. He went in, closing the door to makes sure the dog wouldn’t get in.

“I should probably remove her wet clothes and wrap her in some towels or sheet.’ Lance spoke to himself. A single thought broke through Lance's mind.

“Which means I have...to...do….it,” Lance felt his now calm heart shift into overdrive.

Well, I just found mission impossible. This is way too stressful for a high school student! He gulped down his fear and went to work. He removed her school uniform, attempting to keep his eyes half closed.Once the shirt was off he removed her skirt, the second he thought of removing more, his brain shut down and he stopped.  Before he could make such a daring decision, he wrapped a blanket around her and placed her on his bed.

I think I saw a black….No that is dangerous thinking me. Lance rubbed his head and tried to rid himself of the thoughts. I need to sleep Lance toyed with the idea, but then a smell of wet dog and his own hit him.

“Guess since you're here, might as well clean you” He left the room and took himself and the dog to the bathroom.

While washing the dog, Lance learned it was a boy and a spray one at that. Lance had to hold him steady while he washed the fur, but soon gave up and let the dog run free.

First undressing a girl and now cleaning a dog, I might really be a mad at this point. Why he didn’t refer to himself as a butler I will never know.

He went to wash his hands at his sink. Lance Looked up at the mirror to get a look at his face, but the steam had fogged it over. He used his hands to wipe it away. Maybe I shouldn’t. I don’t want to see my eye….Before Lance could finish his thought.

A new sight stood before him. Instead of his dead eyes, his gray eyes were bright and full of life. Lance felt the warm feeling in his chest and wonder what had changed.  

Lance overjoyed with his change, did a little jump in the air, but slipped and botched his landing. The dog seeing him go down ran up next to him.

“Don’t look at me like that?” the dog seems to be giving him a pitying look.

Lance looked at the clock, and it was half past seven already. Since his bed was...occupied. Lance took a few spare sheets out of the closet and placed them on his couch in the living room.

Lane was glad it was Friday, and he wouldn’t have to go back to school for awhile.

Lance checked on Alice once more, then went to his makeshift bed. He laid his head down and felt his eyelids get heavy.