Galaxy *ON HOLD*

• park •

As soon as I walked out of the school, I saw Logan. He must've been waiting for me. He smiled when he saw me. I walked over to him with my hands in my pockets.

"Shall we leave, m'lady?" Logan said, bowing.

I rolled my eyes and nodded, a small smile appearing on my lips.

"Tell me, Galaxy, what are your interests?"

"First of all, I would really appreciate it if you'd call me Alyx. Thanks. And...uh, I guess drawing. It's kind of, my passion."

"What do you draw?"

Another smile tugged at my lips."Everything."

"Can I s--"

"No!" I screamed before he could even finish.

"Woah...sorry."

"I just...I don't like when people look at my work,"I hug myself and let out a shaky sigh before continuing,"I feel like I'm not good enough. I don't show anyone."

"Well, then what's your inspiration?" He asked.

"I guess, how I feel. What I've seen. Basically...everything and anything." I smiled a small one.

He smiled back at me and we finally reached the park. He ran on the grass and started to do back flips. Each time he'd do a back flip, I'd wince and scrunch up my nose. As he screamed "woohoo"s I walked over to the swings.

"I didn't waste my time coming here so you can do flips, ya know! And the grass is still wet from the rain from earlier! You're going to get dirty!" I screamed at him.

   He just laughed at that and didn't listen. I shook my head with a small grin and took out my sketch pad. The park may have had trash flying everywhere and paint chipping off of the benches and such, but it was beautiful to me. After I started drawing the flowers, Logan screamed and shook me to scare me. My sketch pad went flying, landing in a puddle of mud.

   I gasp while running to my now ruined drawings that I spent so many hours and so much effort on. Hot tears spilled down.

"I'm...I'm sor-"

"Go away! Do you know what you just ruined?!" I yelled but he just stared at me with sympathy.

   I started to run, tears making my vision a bit blurry. Logan chased after me but I was too focused on getting home. I tripped over myself and started crying on the floor. Logan jogged to me and pulled me to him, cradling me.

   I should've pushed him and ran. Or punched him in the face. But, I enjoyed the hug. I could tell he was scared that I'd hit him because with every movement I made, he flinched.

"You're buying me a new sketch pad." I whispered to him.

He held me tighter and I felt him nod. We sat there for a few minutes before he decided to stand up.

"We should go now."

"Yeah, our parents are prob-"

"No," he interrupted," I mean we should go and buy the sketch pad now. I have some money. I keep  $25 on me just in case. Do you think that's enough for your new sketch pad?"

I smirked before saying,"If the most expensive is $25 or lower, I say that that'll be perfect."

   I was looking over my smudged drawings, seeing if I could probably redo them. I know that you're probably thinking it's stupid to draw in pen but, if you make a mistake, oh well. Mistakes and flaws are what make you, you. So why would you try to cover them up? Everything and everyone has flaws, sometimes they're just harder to notice.

"Hey, look! That's where my brother used to work." He pointed to a store I couldn't see. I need to get glasses already.  When Michaels was in sight, I stopped in my tracks. Logan noticed this.

"C-can we not go in there?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I just don't p-particularly like that store. Maybe we c-can go to the one in Nor-"

"Alyx, what's wrong?" He gave me a look full of concern and a hint of fright.

   I sighed. I will not explain what happened me. Not to Logan. Not to anyone. I walked into the store cautiously, the bell ringing on the door scaring me.

"You sure are jumpy today." Logan said with a serious expression.

"Let's just look for a sketch pad and get out of here." I growled at him.

   He put his hands up in defeat and followed me. I picked up random sketch pads and smelled the pages. It's weird, I know. But that's how I picked my last one; by smell. I love the smell of them. I loved the smell of new pages yet to be drawn on.

   Logan picked a sketch pad and I immediately snatched it away and smelled it.

"It's perfect!" I yell with happiness, jumping up and down.

"Okay, now lets go out of here." Logan says, examining the place with a hard look.

   I took notice on how serious he was being as we walked into the store earlier to now. I wonder what's up. When we paid and start walking out. I started,

"Why were you so serious in there, Goldie Locks?"

"Why were you?" He replied.

"Touché. But you still didn't answer my question."

"Uh...you just seemed...terrified when you walked in. I was worried. And I didn't know what you were so scared of...I felt a need to protect you." A slight blush crept up his face.

"It's fine. It was really noth-"

"Alyx, you're a tough cookie. And-"

"You did NOT just call me a coo--"

"And I know you don't get scared that easily. I know something happened. Something having to do with that place. And you don't have to tell me right now."

"I won't. And how would you know if I'm a 'tough cookie'? You don't know me. You don't get me. No one seems to anyways."

He was silent for a bit and we kept on walking.