"Do you ever think about your future?"
Ari and Michael lay inside their sleeping bags, where they had been since their small supper, staring up at the vast, starry sky through the hole above their heads.
"Yeah...I guess." Michael breathed out and watched his breath spiral up towards the ceiling. The temperature was dropping, although Michael felt very warm in his thermal sleeping bag.
"What are you going to go to college for when you finish school?" Ari asked, her beautiful blue eyes reflecting the glowing stars above them.
"I don't know," Michael swallowed, running a hand through his hair and then lacing his fingers beneath his head. "I don't think I'm smart enough to get a good job. I'm probably going to end up working at KFC to make a living or something."
"I doubt it," Ari said seriously. "You're pretty smart Michael."
"No I'm not."
"Yeah you are. You may not be book smart, but you're people smart."
Michael felt a lump in his throat. That was exactly what Grace had said about him. He tried to swallow the tears, but one escaped anyway. It trickled down the side of his face, and he hurried to wipe it away, but not before Ari noticed.
"What's wrong?" She asked, propping herself up on one elbow, concern filling her eyes.
"Nothing," Michael sniffed. "It's just the cold. You know, wind in my eyes."
It wasn't a very convincing argument, since there was no wind - the walls in the cabin blocked the breeze-and Ari seemed to think so too, because she bit her lip. "Michael..." She said quietly. "You can talk to me if you need to."
"I'm fine," Michael ignored her offer. "It's nothing."
He fixed his gaze firmly on the glowing moon, but he could still see Ari staring at him concernedly in his peripheral vision.
Finally, after almost five minutes of silence, Ari flopped onto her back and closed her eyes. Michael felt his lids slide shut too, and before he knew it, the peaceful, rattling sound of the wind blowing through the trees leaves lulled him to sleep.
The next day, Ari took Michael on a long hike through the forest. She seemed to know her way around the place pretty well because, despite Michaels worrying, they didn't get lost and were able to find their way back to the cabin without any trouble. By the time they got back, however, the sky had almost completely darkened and Michael was required to pull out his flashlight.
"I think I did pretty good today," Michael smiled triumphantly as they reentered the cabin. "You know, for a guy who grew up in the city."
Ari snorted and rolled her eyes at Michael. "You complained almost the whole time."
"That's not true," Michael crossed his arms. "I only complained when you put us in a dangerous or potentially life threatening situation. Oh...wait...maybe that was the whole time."
Ari laughed, rolling her eyes again.
"No, but seriously," Michael said, adopting an earnest look. "I really had fun today. Thanks for...you know, taking me here and everything. Thanks for picking me and not one of your closer friends."
"You're welcome," Ari smiled. "and thanks for coming. I know you probably didn't want to, but did it to be nice."
"Well, in any case, I'm glad I did." Michael replied honestly.
The two ate a quick dinner and then climbed into their sleeping bags wordlessly. Michael was so tired from the hike that he felt his eyelids start to droop as soon as his head hit the pillow, and the last thing he remembered before he passed out was Ari slipping her hand into his where it rested above his sleeping bag.
Or maybe he was so tired that it was just his imagination.
It it just my imagination, or are these chapters getting longer? (;
Loser_Luke
