Calvin hated rain. He hated the sound of it on the roof, he hated the feel of wetness on his skin, he hated the smell of moisture in the air, he hated the way shoes squeaked on the floor when they were wet, he hated rain. He'd waited longer than he should staring out the rain-blurred window of his home, hoping for a break, but the water kept falling out of the sky and finally he'd given up and headed out into it.
He arrived at school wet and disgruntled and late, but that didn't make him hurry. He usually managed to get to school on time, so he wasn't too worried about a solitary tardy. He was at his locker exchanging books when he heard an unexpected sound and looked up in time to see Roz slipping and sliding down the hall.
Sheer surprise forced a laugh out of him. Well, she was laughing too, and it was such a perfect fall. He laughed a little more, not loudly but not holding back either, enjoying the unexpected moment of lightness in the dreary rainy day even though it was at Roz's expense.
Then, maybe a bit abashed, he slammed his locker shut and ducked to pick up a couple of papers -- wet, he grimaced -- that had fallen from her backpack in his direction. Holding the wet papers out away from him, he headed toward her. "You alright?" he asked, though he was pretty sure she wouldn't have been laughing like that if she was really hurt.