Inhaling You (A Bradley Simpson Fan-fiction)

Chapter 1 - Oh, I'm punching above my weight.

"I wish they told me I matter, that they need me as much as I need them"

- Left by Iris on a napkin at a coffee shop.

Iris woke to a loud knock on the door, followed by her mother's uninterested voice telling her to get ready for school. Sighing, she rolled out of the comfort of her bed and took a quick shower. Slipping into an old pair of jeans and a faded t-shirt, Iris got ready to face another day.

"Ma, I'm leaving." She called out before closing the door behind her, not waiting for her mother's reply.

She walked to school every morning, with her bag slung on her shoulder she hummed a random song and grumbled when the school-building came into view. She had four friends - Louisa, Allen, Ava and Grace. Although not much of a talker, Iris loved spending time with her friends. They were the only people who could keep her sane, without whom she would even forget her name.

Iris reached school just in time before the bell rang. All the students were hurriedly getting their books out for the first hour before heading to class. Upon reaching her locker, she threw her bag inside and took the notebook out for her English class. They were to read "Aedh wishes for the cloths of heaven" by W.B. Yeats. With her copy of the poem neatly pasted in her notebook, Iris made her way to the classroom.

"You are late Iris." Her teacher, Mr. Williams said.

"Sorry sir." She quietly mumbled and went to her seat with her head hanging low. When it came to social situations, Iris was no good. She could feel her heart speed up, her mind clouding and fire in her finger tips. She couldn't function at all, the fear always gripped her.

"Today," The teacher's voice boomed, "We will read an eloquent poem by W.B. Yeats. Please take out your copy of the poem and read it once."

The students did as they were told to. Mr. Williams called out, "Jaime, please stand up and read the poem out loud."

Mr. Williams liked to make sure that the reading of the materials was done properly in the class; he always said that "it's the reading and the understanding what matters".

Jaime stood up, his voice unsure and started reciting the poem.

"Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."

Iris loved poetry. She loved writing it as much as she liked reading them. It had always been a thing for her, to read poetry and to draw inspiration from it. She needed to be inspired and poetry was something that kept her grounded. Unlike the other young adults of her age, she preferred sitting at home with a cup of bitter coffee and a book instead of partying.

She was bitter too.

She was lost, not lost in its entirety but lost in herself. There were times when she'd go on feeling nothing for days. It made her miserable; it made her feel like the stars every night turned into black holes which tried to suck her in and oh, did she want to get sucked in.