4 Chapter Four

It had been two weeks since Michael and I had our little coffee adventure, and since then he had been visiting me regularly. Sometimes he would pop up at my places of work, and other times we would arrange days to hang out; today was one of those days. It was a blissful tuesday afternoon, with the sun peeking out from behind the clouds as it fell. The golden leaves shimmered as I walked along, my hands placed in the pockets almost protectively as I walked. I ventured past a tiny park with leaves flying about. My shift at the library had just ended, and Michael had requested me to meet him here. Peering around for the tall man, he was nowhere to be seen. My hand gripped the item snuggled in my pocket as I began to almost skip to the lone rickety bench in the park. A set of swings lay across from the bench and I smiled as they creaked in the wind. Leaves crunched underfoot until I reached the relic and sat upon it, the maple tree beside me offering shade from the setting sun.

"I do not think it's a good idea to be at a park after five," I shook my head at Michael who fluttered around me happily. He had offered to walk me home from school and practically skipped beside me.

"Come on! You'll have a big strong man there to protect you." He winked at me as I moved my backpack behind me . I began to comically look around the area which rendered him puzzled.

"Where? I don't see one," I mused. Michael chuckled at my crack and I felt a sharp tug on my backpack.

"Very funny Peanut, but seriously let's go!" He was beginning to sound childish as he reached out and slipped my backpack off of my shoulders before slinging it over his own.

"Why did I agree to this?" I muttered under my breath, crossing my legs and placing my backpack on the empty space beside me. The final few beams of light were peeking past the trees, casting a golden glow across the park. I had to admit, the sight was beautiful and sent chills down my spine. I was beginning to fall into a sense of security, with the cold wind tugging at my light jacket.

Flash! A sudden white light coupled with a clicking noise made me almost jump out of my skin. A laugh quickly followed and I craned my head to see Michael standing there. A chunky machine resting in his hands that spat out a square sheet of glossy paper.

"You jerk!" I cried out as I rubbed my upper arms for warmth. Michael winked at me and removed the paper from the machine, shaking it slightly.

"Good evening to you too." He grinned as he strolled over to me. Michael sat down on the last bit of bench and took the same position I was in. I watching the paper as an image slowly began to leak onto the once blank black and white square.

"Is that a Polaroid camera?" I smirked as he adjusted the camera on his lap. He grinned and handed me the glossy picture. The grassy scenery was bathed in golden light, along with the small figure resting on a bench. The picture was truly beautiful and I gaped at it with a small smile on my lips.

"I remember we promised each other to show our collections. Because I couldn't lug all on my pictures here, I thought I would show you a new one." He fiddled with the strap around his neck as I took in the picture. I immediately dug into my pocket and pulled out the smooth object.

"I wanted to bring you something as well." I opened the palm of my hand to reveal the small and smooth object. It caught the fading light that fell into the sockets. He gawked at the tiny pigeon skull in my tiny hands, tiny holes peppering the occipital crest.

"Here, it's for you." I gently handed him the piece, his eyes widening as I placed it in him large hands.

"This is so cool," He gasped as his finger poked at the sclerotic ring resting in the socket.

"It was the first skull I ever cleaned. The rest of the body was destroyed when I was little, so I want you to have it." His face brightened like the fading sun as he placed the skull into his leather jackets pocket along with the new picture.

"So why did you want me to come here?��� I asked as I zipped up my jacket,"You were pretty persistent that I show up." Michael slipped the Polaroid strap from around his neck and placed it on the old wooden bench beneath us. At that exact moment a strong wind pushed past us and shook the leaves violently. Some detached from the tree and blew around us. One leaf fluttered around me before violently shooting forward and pasting itself against Michael's face. A laugh flew from my mouth as he tried to pry the flickering leaf from his face.

"What the hell?" He yelped as another leaf joined its brethren on his face.

"You're a mess." I chuckled and plucked the two leaves from his face with ease. He was frowning as he did so but then pushed himself into standing position.

"Stupid autumn." He growled under his breath as he reached down and laced his hands through my own and pulled me to my feet.

"Hey, hey, don't hate on the season." I chuckled as my legs straightened out. Releasing one of his hands he pulled me over to the old swings with childlike glee.

"Sit," He demanded and pointed to one of the two rusted swings. I let go of his hand and sat down on the rubber seat, pushing myself back and forth.

"So are you going to answer me?" I wrapped my hands around the chains and my legs pushed me forward and backwards. Michael walked around to the other swing and grabbed higher on the chains. He jumped up and pushed his legs onto the seat so he was standing on the seat and pushing himself back and forth.

"We've hung out a few times in the past few weeks and I've been walking you home, but you're always working. I just wanted to hang out with you like me did at the cafe." He was beginning to get some air while I stayed relatively low. I could feel my cheeks becoming pink and the goofy smile that rose on my face. He peered down at me and saw that smile before I could suppress it.

"Cut that shit out." He called down. I laughed and changed the goofy smile into a cheery one.

"You like my company! You like to see me! You want to lo--"

"Okay stop that." He cut off my singing by jumping off the swing and getting behind me.

"What are you doing?" I craned my head up to see Michael wrap his hands around mine and peering down at me. He pushed himself forward which then pushed me forward as well. I squeaked as I slowly got higher. When I swung back he would gently press his hands against my back and push me forward.

"I can't remember the last time I was on a swing." I mused as the wind pushed through my hair.

"I'm glad I could refresh your memory." I expected his hands to push my back but they wrapped around the chain and he started running forward. I screamed as he ducked under my legs and run under me. I got an insane amount of air before I jolted back down and started to speed up.

"Michael!" I screamed as I flew back and forth.

"That's called an underdog, noob." He chuckled as I pushed my legs back and forth to keep the air.

"Noob?" I giggled as my spine tingled from the feeling. He walked back around me and began to push me again. He just chuckled and slowly started to force the swing to stop until I was not moving at all.

"What are you--?" He then started to spin me around so the chain began to twist together. I squeaked as the chain became more twisted. He then let me go and the world became a blur around me.

"Michael!" I screamed as I became increasingly dizzy. Even when the swing jerked from side to side from stopping my head was still spinning. My knees locked together and my hands lost their grip from around the chain. I began to fall backwards into a hard stomach as I tried to regain my bearings.

"Do you get dizzy easy?" Michael chuckled and wrapped his arms around my shoulders to keep my upright.

"Yes." I moaned and rolled my head back and forth to try and shake off my dizziness. We stayed like that for a few moments, Michael holding me upright until I felt better.

"Thanks bud." I grunted as I sat upright again.

"Stand up for a quick minute." Michael asked and patted my back. I followed his orders and he grabbed the chains and pulled himself upwards. He used the leverage to jump over the seat and place his legs on either side of me. He sat down and wrapped his arms around me and pulling me onto his lap. He was so tall that my feet did not touch the ground, and I could feel his legs pushing back and forth with his heels planted firmly in the sand.

"You were right though. I do enjoy your company." He put his chin on my shoulder and leaned his head against mine.

"Thank you. I enjoy your company as well. It's nice not being bombarded with constant gossip and annoying guy talk." I sighed and leaned against his head as well. I was slightly uncomfortable; feeling like I was too heavy for his poor legs. When I tried to slip off he pulled me back up onto his lap.

"Where are you going?" He asked, peering back at me with big puppy dog eyes.

"I don't want to break your legs." I squeaked and tried to slip off again.

"You're not heavy," He pulled me back up, "I have legs of iron anyways." I was still uncomfortable but I did not move.

"Everyday is leg day?" I joked and placed my hands over his arms.

"In this friendship I am the athlete and you are the bookworm." He moved his arms around and clutched onto my hands.

"I mean, you're not wrong. I am definitely not physically active, I don't have time for it." Michael hummed at my words just as he yawned. The puff of air rustled my bun just before he nuzzled his face into the crook of his neck. The sun finally dipped beyond the horizon and the streetlamps flickered to life.

"It's getting pretty late." I thought aloud.

"We've been out here for twenty minutes." I smirked at his blunt response. My body slightly gave out as I relaxed on his lap, feeling each knob on my spine crack and soften. My head rolled back as the stars began to peek out. My blinking began slower and more frequent as a sense of lethargy began to kick in.

I could close my eyes for a few seconds, I thought to myself. I did just that and did not even notice when my mind shut down for a handful of moments.

Michael noticed that Salayria had grown quite relaxed in his arms and her breathing evened out. He felt a little sad that she was self-conscious about her weight and he wondered why she would think in such a way. Considering it to be a touchy subject he kept quiet about it. He heard a small buzzing noise and he quickly realized that it was a snore.

"Peanut?" He nudged her head with his nose. Another small snore fell from her lips as her face grew lax and calm. He suppressed a laugh as he realized that she had fallen into a light sleep in his arms.

"Are you serious?" He chuckled in amusement and gently began to rub circles on her wrist. She smiled in her light sleep but still did not wake up. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes and felt extremely reluctant to wake her up from the nap she had found herself in. The longer he waited to wake her up the heavier her sleep became.

"Ah crap." He muttered under his breath when he realized his predicament. He could either be a jerk and wake her up, or patiently wait for her to return the the land of the living. Knowing how tired she was, he wanted to choose that latter rather than the former. He also knew how long she would sleep if she did not wake up, so he was also leaning to the former. A third option opened up and he grinned at his idea. Shifting her in his arms he pushed himself up.

"Let's go home."

I felt myself swaying from side to side in two strong and warm beams, and the right side of my body was pressed against a similar wall. My eyes fluttered open to see the stars moving above me.

"You awake there Peanut?" Michael's face joined the stars as he peered down at me. My entire body stiffened as I realized the position I was in. Michael had my bag slung around his shoulders with his Polaroid camera while I was placed in his arms.

"Put me down!" I immediately squeaked and clutched onto his dark shirt. His eyebrows shot up but he did not put me down.

"Calm down there, we're almost at your apartment." He moved his eyes back to the sidewalk and continued strolling down the street.

"You're going to drop me!" He rolled his eyes once more.

"How much do you weigh?" My jaw dropped at his words.

"That's a rude question." I sputtered and clutched his shirt.

"I'm not meaning it in a mean way, but answer the question." He hoisted me up a little higher so I felt more comfortable.

"One forty." I cringed but he just shrugged.

"That's not bad. I lift more than that on a regular basis." He grinned down at me to comfort me but it did not work.

"Can you please put me down." My voice had become small and weak. Noticing this he put me down without another word, but he did not hand me my bag.

"Thank you." I began to fidget in place as he slowed down his strides to keep up with my little legs. The silence was deafening and my apartment came into view, the silence being replaced by hollers and screams.

"This has been… something." Michael rolled his eyes at my bluntness and pressed his hand against his chest.

"You wound me! Am I not fun?" His entire being screamed melodrama.

"No." I smiled slyly. He jolted slightly at my words but quickly hid the shock behind a chuckle. The closer we got to the apartment, the louder the screams got. A chill rolled down my spine as I realized the voices belonged to Doug and my mother. Whether the screams were ones of anger or of pleasure. I did not want to find out. I stopped at the parking lot and stared at the dark window with pinpricks of anxiety running down my fingertips.

"Maybe I'll go over to Penny of Hannah's." I thought aloud. Michael was staring at the window with a quizzical smile and shrugged.

"Why?"

"I'd rather sleep on a hardwood floor than deal with them either being pissy or listen to them defile my dad's memory. I'm out." I raised my hands in surrender and began to walk away from the complex.

"Won't they worry about you?" Michael asked as he caught up with me. I snorted at the words and kept walking down the dimly lit streets.

"That's the biggest joke of the year." I snickered and jumped over a small crack. Michael continued to follow me and holding onto my knapsack. I continued to jump around like a child to hide the growing pain radiating from my ribcage. My heart felt like the life was slowly being squeezed from it-- and it hurt the whole time it was happening. As I giggled and exchanged jokes with Michael, the night began to melt and stars dotted the black sky. I was certain my rouse had been successful and he was blind to the growing anxiety and darkness in my chest. It had been a twenty minute walk and he never brought it up and added onto my running corny and crude jokes.

"Why can't ghosts have babies?" I asked as I twirled on my heels. The world blurred around me but I still heard a faint 'what'.

"Because they have a Hallow-weenie." I stopped my spinning and grinned. Michael groaned at the joke and slightly smacked my shoulder.

"Stop this madness." I let out a sharp laugh at his words and ran my fingers through my hair to take out the elastic. I rolled it up my arm just as Penny's cookiecutter Victorian house came into view.

"Alright, that���s the house. Hopefully her 'rents will like me stay." I sighed and slipped my bag off his shoulder and hoisted it on my own. Michael eyed me with an emotion I could not place but it looked unpleasant.

"You…" He trailed off and cocked his head to the side.

"You…?" I repeated to encourage him to finish. Screwing his mouth in befuddlement he let out a small puff of air.

"You get some rest." His words were choppy, and obviously not the words he was going to use. Nevertheless, I was unable to say anything before he pulled me into a soft hug and disappeared.

Days drifted together and time melted into ceaseless nonsense. The only reason I knew what day it was was because of the flurry of assignments I had to label and the hours I had to work. My mind had become fuzzy and unfocused, and even though I gave off an air of comedic ignorance, my chest felt like it was slowly being emptied onto the desk in front of me. Teens around me whispered and the odd spitball hit my skin and clothes unbeknownst to the teacher who was glued to their computer.

"Where's that boy you've been hanging out with?" Heather whispered into my ear. She was situated behind me and her cold presence sent shivers of anxiety down my spine. My thoughts wandered to Michael for a brief moment. We had become close as friends, but even though he had brought up an intimate relationship the first time we met no one had mentioned it since. It seemed like he changed his mind from an intimate one to a friendly one, and the thought of that hurt for some reason. I kept quiet and Heather pushed the head of her mechanical pencil between my shoulder blades. It pinched, but I grinded my teeth together to stay quiet. Her pencil kept prodding at my flesh but I remained quiet. My eyes turned back to the biology notes before me as my vocal chords tightened. The words blurred together and I realized that tears were watering my vision.

The pituitary gland is also known as the 'master gland' of the endocrine system. It is located at the based of the brain and controls the release of several hormones from other glands including thyroid, adrenals, ovaries and testicals. The pituitary secretes hormones from both the anterior and posterior--

I lost my place in my notes from a sudden impact to my head.

"Oops," Heather giggled as she lifted her backpack up, "My bad." She made a beeline for the door as did the other students, leaving me with an aching head from the impact of her backpack. I almost broke into sobs right there with everything crushing me.

"I can't do this anymore…" I whispered under my breath. My teacher noticed I was still in class and formally asked me to leave before her other class arrived. Standing up in a hurry I stormed out of the room, shoving my things into my bag as I left. People crashed into me-- more in collateral damage from the swarm of students racing to class than out of animosity-- and I gripped onto my books tightly.

Time to go to psychology, A tiny voice at the back of my mind whispered. My legs faltered at the thought. Mikayla was in that class and both her and Heather were badgering me about Michael.

No, I need to go to class, I attempted to steel my nerves as students danced around me.

You barely pay attention in that class and you're getting a ninety five. It's common knowledge; just leave the school, Another darker voice muttered louder than the calm and collected one. I smirked at the prospect of my own id and superego speaking to me and made my decision. The sunlight had never felt so good when I left the school grounds. I did not quite have a plan but I knew going home was not a part of it. For the time being I just relished in the dark freedom. The air was cool and crisp and the dead and dry leaves scuttled on the cement. The silence was deafening and welcoming with the odd thrum of a car to break it. As I blindly walked about I contemplated calling Michael and asking him to join me, but quickly thought against it. For now, it was nice to have some time alone and feel a sense of normalcy.

Looking back on it now, I appreciate that final sense of normalcy. It was the last time I would ever feel that way.