Misalignment | ✔

dates

Exams are approaching
much more quickly
than I would like them to.
Three weeks
turns to two
and then one -
but I still feel
just as ill-prepared
as I had
coming back from
Thanksgiving break.

Still,
Matty and I persist.
Our studying takes on
a new urgency
as the gap between us
and the impending tests
gradually closes.
I still can't help
but worry that
our hard work
will prove to be
for nothing
in the end,
though.

But maybe I'm just
worrying too much
about it.
Maybe that's
the real problem, here.

"Christmas is
just around the corner,"
Matty comments as I
struggle with the
history study sheet
we'd been given in class
today.
"Have you gotten anything
for your mom yet?"

"I haven't had time,"
I tell her
after a few moments of
irritated scowling
at the series of dates
I've been staring at
for at least an hour now
with no success.
"You should know -
all we've been doing
is studying
and studying
and even more studying
for two weeks, now."

"Touché,"
she laughs.
The smile on her lips,
I notice,
doesn't quite reach
her eyes.
It's her typical reaction
to anything concerning
her family,
subconscious though
it may be -
and I suppose that
Christmas
is quite the trigger
for such a reaction.
I just wish
that I could do
something
to take her mind off of it.

"You know what?"
she asks
all of a sudden,
throwing her textbook down
on my bed
surprisingly violently -
and nearly hitting me
in the process.
"We're taking a break
from all this studying
to go shopping.
Stressing out
over these dumb exams
won't help anything,
will it?
And I mean,
we have to get it done
sometime
before everything is
sold out."

I have to agree there,
despite my
lack of interest in
anything shopping-related.
Gratefully, I
toss my notebook down
beside her study materials
(with a little less force
than she had),
and sit up, yawning.
"Thank god,"
I mutter
after a moment.
"I think
all those dates
might have killed me
if I tried to memorize them
for any longer..."

Matty giggles aloud
at that,
and I can't help
but grin, too.
Her smile
and laugh
are still infectious,
even in spite of
the lingering sadness
hovering around her
like a cloud.
It reminds me of
her aunt -
and more than anything,
I don't want her
to turn out the same
as Margo due to
unfortunate circumstances
and her own personal miseries.

"Me too,"
she assures me
when she's quieted some.
Luckily, I see
that some of the
usual Matty brand
of happiness
has come back to her eyes.
It does something
to calm my worries.
"Come on,
before all the stores close -
I'll help you
pick out something nice
for Flory."

×

Ohhhhhh god I hate allergies. They're miserable, I swear. This winter has had such weird weather, and it's literally killing me...  I have no energy to do anything lately either, so if I suddenly start slacking and don't have anything to post in the next couple days, please don't hate me. I'm over-scheduled at work this week, and considering my current health, I don't have a lot of time or motivation for anything besides sleeping x3x

(Also, I'm steadily losing ideas for this story...... I know how I'm gonna end it, but I'm still working on getting there, rip;;)

Anyways, if you guys liked this chapter, I would love if you would vote and leave me some feedback! It would be much appreciated c: