Open Pondering Precipitation

[Briony Mettlestone]

Briony traced a finger along the window pane, chasing raindrops down the glass as the rain continued on outside. It was morning tea break already but the rain hadn't let up yet and Briony was itching to get outside. There'd no doubt be worms all over the footpath outside and someone would need to help them back into the grass before everything dried out. Plus, it was boring and weird inside now that Vanity had left to go to Hogwarts and she had no one to talk to. She could probably talk to the worms.

The itch she'd had that something important was going to happen today also hadn't lifted since she'd woken up this morning. At first she'd just assumed it was the rain but now, staring out the window, Briony was sure she was meant to go outside. Maybe there was a special enchanted worm outside that would turn into a prince or princess if she saved it. She had to go check.

Glancing over to check Mr Torres was busy, Briony slipped on her gumboots, making a beeline for the door outside in the stealthiest movements she could make in the big rubber boots.

 

[Hazel Ashworth]

Hazel was trying to focus on her coloring page, coloring it in with all her favorite colors. She had finished her snack quickly so she could finish working on it. But truthfully, now that she was looking at it again it looked all wrong. She had been coloring in the princess dress with pink, yellow and blue, but she suddenly was sure she should have used gold and silver with some green instead. She was pondering if she could still add those colors to the design, maybe add a rainbow? Some polka dots? Hazel tapped her pencil against her chin, when she suddenly spotted one of the other girls making a beeline for the door. She glanced at Mr. Torres, who didn't seem to have noticed yet. Hazel leaned back in her chair to be in the girl's path a bit so she could talk to her. "What are you doing?" She hissed. Was she escaping? How thrilling. Hazel hadn't spoken to Briony much, but the girl was definitely being interesting right now.

 

[Briony Mettlestone]

Briony had been focusing furiously on sneaking in her gumboots, trying to remember if it was quieter to walk heel-toe or toe-heel when you were trying to sneak, and she pulled up short when Hazel shifted her chair into her path. "Going outside," she said simply, taking a step around Hazel's chair before stopping and looking between her and the door, trying to decide if she should mention the worms. The Vanity that liked to live in her head was pretty sure she shouldn't mention the worms but Briony listened to her about as often as she listened to the real Vanity. "I just have a good feeling it'll be fun outside. And there's probably lots of worms out in the rain," she added, deciding if she was going to be on her own without Vanity all year she could ignore her imaginary voice for now. And maybe Hazel would want to come too, not everyone seemed to hate the rain after all, Briony didn't mind.

 

[Hazel Ashworth]

Hazel stifled a giggle as Briony said she was going outside. That much had been obvious. She glanced in Mr. Torres' direction, then back at the redhead. "I know, but why?" She whispered, scooting her chair to the front again a bit so Briony could pass more easily. "And are you allowed?" Briony's answer was something Hazel hadn't been ready for. She glanced outside again, eyes wide, then back at the girl. "Worms?" She whispered. "What are you going to do with them?" She wondered if Briony had some sort of art project in mind, though using worms sounded messy.

 

[Briony Mettlestone]

Briony followed Hazel’s eyeline towards Mr Torres and back, wondering if she was about to be told on. She let out a sigh of relief when Hazel moved her chair instead, shuffling past it with a grateful smile. “Well, Mr Torres didn’t specifically say we couldn’t go outside,” she said with a shrug. In Briony’s mind that was as good as permission. “Yeah, worms,” she said, glancing out the window again as the rain kept falling. “Befriend them maybe? I think I've heard people say worms can predict the weather, which is cool. You never get to see them cause they’re in the dirt all the time so why not take the chance,” she said, not sure why Hazel was so stuck on the worms. Who wouldn’t want to look at some worms? “It’s fun, you should try,” she added. Briony didn’t exactly have a knack for making friends, but she was pretty sure this was how you did it. It worked with people like Ivy, so why not Hazel too.

 

[Hazel Ashworth]

Hazel couldn't help grinning as Briony answered she wasn't explicitly not allowed. She had never considered the other girl that much before, but she definitely hadn't expected her to have this rebellious streak. Last year, Hazel had mostly stayed away from her because of her mean sister. What a relief that she was gone, Hazel was still convinced she had stolen one of her colored pencils. Hazel put her hand over her mouth to stifle a surprised laugh when Briony said she would befriend the worms. She didn't want the girl to think she was laughing at her, but it was a surprising answer. "Do you- have you done that before?" She asked after lowering her hand again. "How do you befriend worms?" She asked, genuinely curious about the girl's answer.