(Hey<3 Kind of a short chapter, but it's a good one. It somewhat reflects the title.... Just don't worry okay? You'll love it:)

Job 37:5 "God's voice is glorious in the thunder. We can't even imagine the greatness of his power."

Chapter 6

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We got on the bus to as far as it would take us as I sat by the window and Aspen sat beside me.

We could've rode our skaters part of the way there, but something inside me kept telling me to take the bus, so we did.

The seats felt a little smaller than the bus we were on yesterday, but...I kinda didn't mind. A few minutes after we got settled for probably (part of) the longest city bus rides of our lives, Aspen tapped on my shoulder. I looked at him.

"You're forgetting something..." He smiled. I looked at him.

"What's that?" I asked him really thinking about it pushing up my geek glasses. He glanced down at my camera in my lap and I jumped giggling. "Omg I did forget. Here."

I took the camera and I held it up to take our selfie and I purposely smiled really big with my eyes closed super tight, my braces showing. I took it and Aspen laughed as I thought he was laughing at me. I turned it around and examine it and I busted out laughing as well.

"Omg what are you doing??" I asked him covering my mouth laughing.

"Me?! What are YOU doing?" He asked me behind laughs. I just leaned on him laughing so hard as Aspen had his tongue out to the side with both his eyebrow raised like it was confused but, kind of also resembling a dog; the flash really catching his pretty deep blue eyes. "Despise what I LOOK like, I like that photo," he smiled. "It really brings out your smile." I wiped my eyes.

"Hahaha! I like that photo too... If I had social media, I'd post it somewhere," I nodded at him with a grin. He chuckled looking at me and I looked at him and it didn't hit me that he just complimented MY smile and I uncontrollably started blushing and I turned to look out the window. Aspen looked ahead of him as he held his head back on the seat pressing his finger tips together and I wonder what he was thinking about as he bitting the corner of his lip.

I stared at him for awhile as he didn't recognize me with his eyes closed and I almost forgot why he was with me. "Hey Aspen?" I asked him. He sat back up acknowledging me.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't your parents pick up again? At the airport? You never told me," I said not looking at him shaking my head.

He sighed.

I looked at him by him for not answering right away and he was about to reply, but I glanced out the window hearing what sounded like light sprinkles against the glass. "It's raining!" I said quickly. I heard him breathe out.

"It is," he said by my face looking out the window as well. I sighed leaning my head back on the seat like he did with my eyes closed annoyed.

"Ugh, now we have to deal with rain," I complained. "Our trip to Virginia has been delayed." I felt him shrug.

"It's not all that bad. Maybe now it won't be as hot," he had a point. I sat back up.

"I guess. But....I want to find my parents as soon as possible. Just the fact of me almost being there every step of the minute just makes me anxious," I said happily looking in front of me. He smiled, but mines quickly faded. "But now that's it's raining....that might change." He shaped his lips to the side as if he was thinking while I played with the camera in my lap, my head back on the seat.

"Well....don't think of rain as a depressing state....think of it....as blessings." I looked at him.

"Blessings?" He nodded coolly.

"Yes. Every raindrop you see is a blessing from God we shouldn't take for granite," he explained. I squinted my eyes thoughtfully. "See, people think rain is the perfect day to sulk or stare at wall; watch sad movies or over-think bad moments from your past, well instead of that, let's make it positive," he explained to me probably by my face. "God lets it rain to water the plants and give life the animals. Is that too much too ask for?" He asked a hypercritical question. I thought about it.

"Well.....what about storms?" I asked curious. "Like thunder roaring and lighting?" He sat back closing his mouth to where I couldn't see his lips.

"Actually, thunder is God talking," he informed. I widen my eyes.

"No way! How do you know that?" I asked getting interested with a big small. He smiled looking into my eyes.

"It's a scripture in the Bible. I think it went like, 'God's voice thunders in marvelous ways. He does great things beyond our understanding.' That basically telling you, every time it thunders, that's God talking." I widen my yes totally amazed.

"Whooooa, that's so cool.... Well, what about lightening? Anything about that?" He chuckled as I amused him like a kid and a magician.

"Haha! Well, I don't know a scripture about that, but I always thought of it as the lighting being God's glory. Every where in the Bible it talks of how Jesus/God's glory is so pure, it's a shade of white we've never seen so righteous. I always thought that quick flash of lightening was he's glory and it comes from the heavens." I blinked a few looking at Aspen as his idea seemed so true, I couldn't help BUT NOT look at him.

"That's really smart..." Thats all I had to say amazed. He nodded with concentrated eyebrows.

"Hmmph," he said through his lips. "And you know how people get struck by lightening?" I nodded my eyes huge. "Well, I always thought that God's glory-the lightening- was so powerful and wonderful, it could accidentally kill whoever gets struck by it because it's so majestic but mostly, people who survive that experience come back with something new. Like the man who got struck on the arm and he had a beautiful tattoo afterwards or like the boy who couldn't speak after the shock but had the whole Bible downloaded into his brain," he closed his eyes. I gasped amazed by his real-life examples.

"See, God is Wonderful, and we shouldn't let rain hinder us from being happy....Everything God does is great in a way. Even the stuff they may seem bad..." Aspen closed his eyes tightly as I figured he was done speaking as if he was holding in something he wasn't ready to let out, but I didn't blame him as I was still astonished by what he just told me.

"Whoa....I never thought of it that way...like...ever," I whispered looking out he window. I saw his reflection through the glass looking at me.

"Hmmph," he said through his lips as if he was tired. I focused my eyes on a few raindrops on the window as I was watching them intently and I then relaxed as I pretended they were racing.

"So....every raindrop's a blessing, huh?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Or just the rain in general," he told me. "A shower of blessings." I nodded as I thought about it and I chuckled after the little raindrop I thought would loose won the battle with the other raindrop as the little on paired up with a big one.

"On days like these," -I began my head leaning on the window- "Vanessa and I would stay in our dorm and sleep all day...." I felt him look at me as I kept looking at the raindrops. "I wonder what she's doing right now actually..."

Aspen shifted beside me.

"Probably chillin' in her room happy it's the first day of summer and she doesn't have a roommate anymore," I chuckled softly, Aspen joined. "Or maybe she's out with friends as the curfew changed to later times. She is a social butterfly." Aspen waited before speaking.

"Were y'all close?" He asked me. I nodded bitting my bottom lip, now just looking out the window to the other cars.

"Yup. She was the only real friend I had except for another girl I met in school, but she was in sports and we couldn't hang out as much. But Vanessa...she was cool....she was sweet. At first I was forced to be nice to her because she was my new roommate before the last one found a foster home, but after a few weeks, it came natural," I shrugged. He nodded.

"That's nice," he commented. I agreed.

"Yeah.... She even promised me she wouldn't tell the caretakers I escaped or quote unquote 'ran-away'," I told him truthfully. "I hope she doesn't get in trouble because of me though." Aspen paused.

"I don't think so. Maybe they'll just run a few investigations. Did you leave any evidence?" He joked. I chuckled deeply with small eyes.

"Hehe, nope. I actually didn't. Well....I did steal my own files," I admitted. His eyebrows raised through the glass.

"Your own files? For what?" I looked at him.

"Well I had to figure out where my parents were in the first place," I gestured with my hands. "All I knew was that they were in Virginia 10 years ago and that wouldn't do me any good. By Vanessa's help, (she created a distraction) I was able to steal my files and look over them. It said Chesapeake Virginia, so that's where I'm headed," I finished with a sufficient nod. He nodded at me.

"Sounds legit," he concluded. I looked at the seat in front of me.

"I know but.....in the back of my mind....I can't help but think I'm doing all this for nothing," I sighed disappointingly. He looked at me quickly.

"How so?" He had to ask. I groan as just the thought was making me sick.

"On those files, (there're in my backpack by the way) the last time that stack of paper was updated was 7 months ago and trust me Aspen, A LOT can happen in 7 months," I rolled my eyes at him. He nodded in agreement.

"True.... A lot can happen in a day," he added dishearteningly. I sighed feeling more discouraged. "But I bet their still there. God would've allowed something to happen already if they weren't their," he said becoming more optimistic. I looked at him straightening myself in the seat.

"You think so?" He nodded.

"Yup. God won't let you go through something that won't mean nothing to you later, or even Him at that!" I blinked brightening.

"You're right..... " I whispered looking out the drizzled window. I felt him lean his head back on the seat again as I figured he was about to go to sleep and I was joining him.

'Aspen's right....about everything,' I thought as the window fogged up. 'Maybe if I stop acting like a pessimist all the time, I'll see there's more light in my journey than darkness...' The rain began to get a bit more heavier to where you could hear it's drops on the roof of the bus and it was quit peaceful and I grinned a little closing my eyes.

'Like now....I'm glad something told me to take the bus....because if we didn't...we'd be screwed right now,' I gave a final thought.

My body felt heavier after a few minutes of the heavy rain and I wondered why then the sound of rain made a person want to sleep. I glanced at Aspen as he hadn't moved a muscle since he got in that position and I secretly chuckled as I got comfortable by the window again and I thought to myself,

'Maybe I should just ask Aspen....'

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(Hahaha, cute!! This is by far one of my FAVORITE chapters so far and I hope you love the book:) Please vote, and if you read to this point comment 'I love long bus rides with (someone your close to)'. Bye<3 I'll see you soon:)