'Til Death Do Us Part / Michael Clifford

1

He was tall. I remembered him being tall. Looking up to him used to be a struggle for me until I realized he had these eyes; they were so innocent and full of hope. I could tell that all he wanted was the best. For me, especially, and I was never able to figure out why. That is, until it was too late.

Let me start from the top. It was the first day of freshman year at University. He fumbled around with the books in his arms, rotating the school map constantly. He was lost and was trying to figure out where the hell he was. In his defense, I think the school is pretty stupid for not showing those 'You Are Here' dots. However, you catch on pretty easily. I'm not too sure why it took him a while to figure it out.

Michael was taking University 1 while he figured out what he wanted to pursue as a career in life. That was goal one. Michael wasn't much of a school person, but he knew that he didn't want to stop attending. His parents did that and they ended up struggling financially for years. He didn't want that. So, U1 it was. Goal two was to have a fresh start and what better way than to move to a new city where no one knows you and you know no one?

"Ugh, this is going to take forever," he groaned. The bobbing of his head from fixing his sight on the paper and the hall in front of his was starting to make his head hurt. "Okay, so I think I just need to turn in... Here."

Michael followed the path on the map without looking up, using his peripherals as his guide.

"OH MY GOD!" a girl screamed.

Michael's head darted up from the page and in front of him was a half naked girl holding a shirt against her to shield her body.

"Umm, I, uh..." Michael used the school map to cover his face from seeing the girl he walked into. "S-sorry! I thought this was--"

"Get out! What are you even doing here, you perv!"

"I'm just trying to find my classes!"

"You're following the wrong floor map, dumbass!" The girl threw her top over her, approached Michael, spun him around, and began to push him out the door. "You're in the girl's washroom! Didn't you see the fucking sign?"

Embarrassed, Michael slapped his face with his palm. "Sorry, I didn't know. I, uh-"

The door behind him shut.

"Guess not," he sighed to himself.

After another twenty minutes of searching and asking people around, Michael finally found all his classes. The first day wasn't too bad, all the people were nice. However, he couldn't stop thinking about that girl he walked in on. It was one of the most embarrassing things he'd done since his elementary days. New city, new school, but not the new reputation he wanted to have.

Michael came home to his flat that he rented out a few weeks back. He only lives about three blocks away from the school so transportation wouldn't be a problem. On the walk back from school, Michael noticed this small coffee shop at the halfway mark that looked quite interesting. It would be something he'd want to visit every morning as a daily routine. The thought of knowing the staff and having a "usual" seemed cool to Michael. Now that's the reputation he wants.

Michael stood outside the shop's door, admiring the inner architecture and arrangement of furniture. The menu was a blackboard that was decorated nicely in different coloured chalk and neat, straight printing. Coffees, teas, biscuits and cookies. All of those and more flooded the menu. Michael just stood there, his eyes exploring the atmosphere.

"Seriously?" A voice too familiar said. "Don't tell me you're following me, now."

Michael turned his head to see the girl he had walked in on yesterday had been standing there. First of all, who changes in the middle of the washroom for everyone to see anyway? There are stalls for a reason. That's what locker rooms are for. She was in the middle of the washroom. People try to poop there. Not the greatest thought.

"Oh hey, it's you. Look, I'm so sorry about the other day. I wasn't even loo-"

"How did you find out I was going to be here?"

Michael glanced at her up and down. Probably trying to figure out where she manages to hide all of that sarcasm and hate. "I didn't," he said nonchalantly, "I don't even know who you are."

"Good. Let's keep it that way," she had said then proceeded to head towards a table by the window where two other girls were waiting.

Michael decided to shrug off that comment. He figured that she was probably just having a bad day and didn't want it to let it ruin his. After all, it was his first day and he didn't know the girl. Something that small shouldn't affect him.

After exploring the streets leading to his flat, Michael went straight to the room to settle down. Now that he thought about it, quite a lot happened in one day. With just one person, too. He hoped that he won't have to see her anymore. It was embarrassing enough to have walked in on her half naked in the women's washroom, but to have her call him out in public like that? Humiliating.

Michael gets up and splashes his face with cold water in his bathroom. Looking up at his reflection, water dripping off his face, he says to himself, "Let's try this again."