The rain drummed on the roof of the small, enclosed bus stop. Thunder rolled in the distance as I pulled my thin waterproof jacket tighter around me, trying to keep out the damp, cold night.

"Let's go," I said flatly.

Rachel looked up, her hair hanging around her face, heavy with water.

"I don't want to go," she said, her eyes imploring me. "Besides, we can't"

"Why not," I asked, the words harsher than I intended.

She was taken aback. "Because we're waiting for the bus," she said softly, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"I know," I said, reaching out to her. She shied away. I couldn't keep the frustration out of my voice. "But we've been waiting twenty minutes! I don't think it's going to come. If we had walked, we would be home by now."

"But the schedule says its going to come," she said desperately. "I'm already cold enough…" Her words trailed off as she shivered under her purple windbreaker. I couldn't tell in the hazy, inadequate light of the bus shelter if it was for my benefit or from a real chill.

I stood up. "I'm not going to leave without you," I said, offering my hand. She shook her head slightly, drops of water flying from her long brown hair. She kept staring down.

"It's pointless to wait here!" I suddenly shouted. At that moment, lightning struck nearby. I jumped at the flash, and sat back down on the bench.

"What's going on?" a strange voice called. A tall, older man walked into the enclosure. "Everything all right with you kids? I heard shouting."

"Everything's fine." I assured him.

"You should really get inside soon; there's a big storm coming through," the man said, wiping rain from his forehead.

"We're waiting for the bus…" Rachel said, sadly.

"This route doesn't run this late at night. You'll be waiting a while," the man replied. He looked out at the sky. "Well, I'd best be off. Good luck getting back home."

With that, he was gone.

I looked over at Rachel.

"Let's go," I said.

She just sat there silently. We did not move.