xx.forget/to/breathe

[michael j ashford]

m/ichael.a/shford

Take, take a breath
We've got all the time in the world
To get a grip on the fact
That we don't last
But right now I want to watch the tide roll in
With my best friends

Let it roll
Our time is fleeting, so we take control...

[/size]

The bench beneath him was cold and hard, and the scalloping around the edges dug into his legs as he swung them back and forth. A sigh escaped his lips, and he raised his eyes to the lake before him. It was silent, all except for the occasional gust of wind and the resulting rattling of dry leaves. Gracie's normal demanding meow was nowhere to be heard: she refused to associate with him today, for some reason. Maybe it was his mood. A bird screamed overhead, and Michael threw his head back to locate the source of the sound. A hawk circled above him, wheeling without seeming to put forth any effort at all. I wonder what it's like to fly. Michael had just said goodbye to his mother, who was calling like she did every Saturday to check up on him. "I'm fine, school's fine, the kids are fine, everything's just goddam peachy. Yes, mother, love you too. Goodbye." And that was the extent of their communication, mostly. His father didn't talk to him much anymore, which he was fine with. And there was that word again.

Fine. Everything's fine.

Right?

Sure. Who was he fooling? Himself? The people here? It seemed like he was doing a good job, because he was as popular as ever. But then, none of them knew his middle name. Everyone laughed when he told them his email address, but they didn't understand why eggs and cheese were so fascinating to him. And that was fine.

Michael let out a breath in a gust of warm air, realizing that he was holding it. If he forgot to breathe, what would happen? He knew that he would faint eventually, and then his brain would make him start breathing again. But what if his brain forgot to make him breathe?

What if it didn't want him to breathe anymore?

Well, that would be just fine.

Michael jumped as he heard a door slam, and looked around. The noise had originated from the school, and he hoped that no one was coming out here. Because that wouldn't be fine.

Tags: Closed/Kathryne Fuschilia
Muse: Fair, but a little angsty.
Words: 358
Notes: {This will be lotsa fun.}

[sandywhiskers]

Kathryne blinked as the door slammed behind her. She'd shut it quite gently, but at that moment the breeze had sped up and made it seem like she'd flung the door shut in a rage.
But, she was far from a rage today. It had been a good day, with not much to do. No homework, just an English essay, and she loved writing, so that was good. She'd spent most of the day on her laptop, but had decided to go out for some fresh air, and a chat if she saw anyone, which she probably would.
Like she'd predicted, the pretty year eleven soon spotted somebody; Michael Ashford, a boy in her year.
A blush tinged Kathryne's cheeks. She'd known Michael for a while, and she classified him as a friend, and was rather sure he thought of her as a friend, too. She hoped so.
Kathryne had a rather large crush on Michael, actually.
She walked over to the bench he was sat on. With her friendly open smile, she sat down next to him. "Hiya," she said, voice just as warm as her gaze and smile.

WORD COUNT: { one hundred and ninety }
COMMENTS: { indeed it will be. hope you didn't mind them being friends already, kinda speeds it up and makes it more realistic }
[/i][/size]

[michael j ashford]

m/ichael.a/shford

Take, take a breath
We've got all the time in the world
To get a grip on the fact
That we don't last
But right now I want to watch the tide roll in
With my best friends

Let it roll
Our time is fleeting, so we take control...

[/size]

Michael groaned inwardly as Kathryne approached. He really didn't want to talk to anyone right now. As much as he loved his mother, his talks with her were always unsettling, and no one needed to see him like that.

She sat down, and suddenly the bench didn't feel so cold. Putting on a bright smile, Michael let himself laugh a little bit. "Hey there yourself, Kathryne." He used the nicest voice he could manage, which upon reflection sounded a bit strained, but that couldn't be helped. It was good enough for what he wanted: friendly and welcoming. Actually, it was just fine. I hate that word.

"How was your day? English was easy, yeah?" Michael leaned away from her, casually putting his weight on the palm of his left hand which rested on the bench. A smile lit his blue eyes as he remembered the class: writing was never a bad thing, and what made the class even more fun was its laidback form. No one told you to sit up straight and pay attention. Everything was quite lax and that was just the way Michael liked it.

Tags: Closed/Kathryne Fuschilia
Muse: Meh.
Words: Significantly less than that last at 198.
Notes: {Did you like how I managed to include a hawk in that first post there?}