lay me down»michael clifford (on hold)

P r o l o g u e.

Mirakel sat in the back of the class. She fiddled awkwardly at the laces of her oversized black sweater. Her body was sitting in the school chair but her mind was some where else. While her fingers wrote down the equations that left the babbling teachers mouth her head was replaying last nights events in a continuous rotation. She remembered it all in a perfect sequence.

First came, the loud silence at the dinner table.

Second came, her mothers terrible decision to cook spaghetti for supper, forgetting it was his least favorite.

Third, he begins to loose his cool and confronts my mother on her blouse that showed off more chest than he allowed. In his eyes, the unbuttoned collared shirt made her look like a slut.

Forth, she chokes on her own alibis, assuring him that the only reason she unbuttoned the collar on her long sleeved polo was because it was a bit warm in the house. It might sound like a reasonable excuse. It was even the truth but he didn't like that the words came out of her mouth in nervous stutters.

Fifth, his face steams red and the sounds of his knuckles cracking make her and her mother cringe frightfully.

And after that, it was all just a nightmare that broke through fantasy and became reality.

The next morning Mirakel was forced to wake up and few minutes early just so she can spend extra time covering up her slightly bruise wrist.

"Mira"

Her head snaps up, meeting the gaze of her algebra 2 teacher. Mirakel shifts in her seat nervously. Her teacher points to the board where a long complicated equation was written in black marker.

"Can you come up and solve this problem"

she takes one look at the jumble of numbers and letters mixed with symbols. Taking her mind off last nights horror film for just a second to solve the problem and within a matter of milliseconds the answer is already in her mind. Yet she couldn't form the words to say it out loud. The only sound that came out her mouth were quiet stutters. She could feel her cheeks heat up and her palms start to sweat. The sound of the impatient teacher's foot tapping against the tile floor made Mirakel gulp. The class must have gotten tired of waiting or perhaps felt bad that the teacher was embarrassing her, because a few classmates decided to just yell the answer out themselves. The teacher made the classic remark, "oh I'm sorry is your name 'Mira'" before rolling her eyes and continuing on with the lesson.

Despite the teacher knowing about Mirakel's social anxiety, she still pushes her to speak more in class, which only made her anxiety worse. It wasn't just this teacher that was always on Mirakels case. It was all of them that would randomly call on her in the middle of class. And all of it only made her shyness ten times worse than it already was and she wish that the teachers would realize that.
*********

Michael looked in the mirror. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he liked what he saw. He wasn't a cocky boy. He just knew that he wasn't a bad looking guy. Maybe if he was the bad boy jackass guy that girl seem to fall for than they would be all over him. But, no. He was the good guy. The boy girls hang out with only to grief about how some boy doesn't want to go on a second date with them. Even with his goofy personality, musical talents, and good looks, girls just don't find that kind of interest in him. It bothered him at some point. But once moving into 11th grade he got used to it. He managed to get a few girls here and there but they would always end up breaking up with him.

"Want one?" His friend, Calum offered, holding a box of cigarettes with a single one poking out the top. Calum already had one in his mouth. Smoking in the boys bathroom was something they did weekly.

Michael took one look at the tobacco stick before shaking his head.

"Nah, I'm good"

Calum furrowed His eye brows, giving his friend an odds look.

"No?" He questioned in a confused tone. Michael was never one to turn down a free smoke.

"Why not?" He asked. Michael shrugged. Smoking was so familiar to him that it almost began to feel boring. Like a routine.

"I guess I'm trying to quit" he said to Calum. Calum blew the smoke out his mouth, the fog filling the small bathroom air.

"Whatever" Calum breathed out, hopping off the sink counter.

**********

Mirakel walked down the crowded hallways. Making her way through all the teenage bodies. No one really paid any mind to her. She was just a another pile of cells that could occupy a space. She was never severely bullied. She would get the occasional "hey can't you talk" or "is speaking a struggle to you" but nothing hurtful. And she was very grateful for that.

Mirakel took a quick second to look down at the books in her hand. But within that second a shoulder had knocked roughly into her, causing everything to fly out her hands. She muttered a "shit" and knelt down to retrieve her stuff off the ground.

"Sorry" a pair of hands began helping her pick up her books. She looked up to find a boy with red dyed hair holding her chemistry text book in his hand. A snap back sitting on his head.

"Sorry 'bout that" he apologized once again.

Mirakel took the books from him.

"Thanks. And it's okay" she muttered shyly with a small smile. The boy smiled back before walking past her to his class. She knew the boy. Well, she knew of him. Like, that his name was something like, Michael. But she didn't know him personally. They never really interacted with one another. Unless it had something to do with group projects, it was rare for them to speak to one another. It wasn't like they hated each other. They simply just weren't friends.

What's poppin? If you happen to stumble upon this story while browsing through wattpad fill free to continue on from here but don't complain if it sucks.
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