oblivion [michael clifford]

one

"Psst. Hey, Dani.." My friend whispered behind me I turned around to see her holding a note out to me. I took it from her hand and faced towards the front of the class. I opened her noted and read it.
- you coming with me and Nadine to Tiffany's?- I smiled. We did this at least every other weekend. She should know that I'm going. I think she just wants to make sure because I had to cancel on her last time.
- yes, of course. 7:00 just like every time, Whitney.- I wrote back. My arm reached back behind me and Whitney grabbed it. I glanced back at her and she flashed me a small excited smile.
My group of friends were pretty big on going roller skating. And Tiffany's Skate-In was the place to go. They had good music, cheap food, and amazing people. One of us would almost always met someone new. It was mostly Whitney and Nadine though. I wasn't all that much into socializing. Especially since I've had the same two friends since 5th grade. I kind of kept to myself. I didn't mind it though. I felt safe with having a little group of friends.
I sat there for the rest of class thinking about how the night would go. I was excited. As I was about to pick up my pencil to actually finish my work, the last bell rang in my ear. I put all of my school supplies in my light brown leather purse and threw it onto my shoulder. As I walked out of the classroom door, a hand grabbed my arm. I turned around to see Whitney.
"I hope you're not wearing that." She said looking me up and down.
"What? What's wrong with my outfit?" I had on plain blue skinny jeans, a purple v-neck, and black combat boots. "I happen to like this, thank you very much." I started to walk away, but she had a tight grip on my arm.
"Me and Nad are gonna come over at 5:30 to help you. You will not hide in the corner this time, Danielle." She gave me a reassuring smile. I rolled my eyes at her and nodded. She let go and smiled at me. "See you then, darling." Whitney blew me a kiss goodbye and I pretended to swipe it away in the air. She giggled and walked the opposite direction from me. I pushed open the door to walk outside and cut across the courtyard. Just as I was almost to my car, my body hit someone abruptly, causing my bag to drop and everything to fall out.
"Hey, watch out!" I yelled, I looked up to see who the kid was. i had to crane my head to look all of the way up to his face. Man, was he tall. The sun was shining so bright that I couldn't even see his facial features.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry." And with that, he was down on his knees picking up my bag and replacing the contents into the emptiness.
"I-It's okay.. Don't worry about it." As he was bent over, I could see he had dark brown, short hair. He also wore glasses. He stood up and handed me my bag.
"I'll try to be more careful, it was totally my fault." I stood there awkwardly and nodded my head. "Uhh, I'm.. Skylar.. And you are?"
I looked up at him covering my eyes with my hand, trying to block the sun.
"I'm Danielle." I almost choked on the words. He seemed very friendly.
"Nice to meet you.. Well I better get going. I have to get home to do homework. See ya around" He waved and walked away from me. Well that was odd.
I made my way to my 1995 dark green Suzuki Sidekick. It was my baby. I thought it was the perfect vehicle for me. I unlocked the door and hopped in. Finally I could go home. I pulled out of the parking lot and made my way towards my house. I went through winding roads where trees filled the sides of the street. I loved living out here. In the middle of nowhere. I decided to plug in my phone to my stereo. I played my favorite song What I Got (Reprise) by Sublime. I love this song because it's just so laid back and the singer acts like he just doesn't give a damn. Most of their songs are like that. I bobbed my head to the music as my base system bumped. As I pulled into my driveway, I saw my little brother, Quinton playing in the front yard. My dad was sitting on the front porch watching my brother with close eyes as he played with his bull dozer and construction toys. I made my way to the front door.
"Hey Dani. How was school?" My dad smiled at me and asked.
"It was okay. Just like any other day." I replied.
"You say that everyday honey." He chuckled at me and I smiled.
"Because it's true. Oh, by the way, Whitney and Nadine are coming over tonight. We're gonna go roller skating."
"Like every other weekend?"
"Yes, dad. Just like how school is the same every day." I giggled and opened the front door, stepping inside I saw that Quinton's toys were everywhere. He never cleans up his messes. I rolled my eyes and turned the corner to head up the stairs. When I got up the stairs I turned the knob on my door and flopped down onto my bed. I loved my room. It was my own quiet paradise. The walls were teal, with a white boarder. My bed spread was a pastel purple with dark purple flowers on it. And I had one special wall for posters and pictures of friends and family. I walked over to my computer desk and decided to check my grades. Not good. Like always. My dad had always gotten upset with my grades. He should be happy that I don't fail at least. School just doesn't click with me. It's boring and I feel as though the career I want won't have to involve any of the subjects. I closed the tab and spun around in my chair, watching the world spin around me. I closed my eyes and in visioned me on a stage, rocking the crowd. Singing my heart out while playing my favorite acoustic guitar. I could see my dad in the crowd, smiling at me, being proud for once. I snapped back to reality as a hand was planted on my shoulder, shaking me awake. Nadine was looking me in the eyes, her face inches from mine. Her dark brown eyes pierced mine. Her black bangs falling out of place. Her small lips in a smile. Her medium toned skin seemed to be glowing.
"Hey, sleeping beauty." She said, stepping away from me.
"Hi, what time is it?" I stretched out my arms and rubbed my eyes.
"5:30, just like we said." Whitney said, I looked over to her. She was analyzing my wall with posters and pictures. "This one is scary." She pointed to a poster with a smiley face, it had x's for eyes.
"What? You don't like Blink-182?" I asked, standing up.
"Who?" Her and Nadine said in unison. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
"A band, a very amazing band." They gave me a weird look. I shrugged. "So, are you guys gonna help me or what? Or are you just gonna stand there and criticize my wall?" I gestured to my most favorite wall, giving them an unamused look.
"Fine." Nadine said. They sat me down on my bed and went through my closet. They picked out a light pink dress and a dark grey, long sleeved cardigan. The dress had a brown leather small belt on the waist to accent it. I hated wearing dresses. They held it up showing me it and I instantly shook my head.
"No. Absolutely not." I refused.
"C'mon, Dani! It'll be so cute!" Whitney pleaded.I pondered the thought. If I was going to wear this, they had to make an exception. I looked at their makeup caked faces and teased hair. Yeah, if they think they're gonna change me into them, they're crazy.
"Fine." They jumped up and down in joy, smiling and laughing."But I'm not done." I said holding up my hands in front of me. They suspiciously waited for my answer. "I'm doing my own hair and makeup and accessories." They looked at each other and gave in. I smiled at my victory and threw on the dress and cardigan. I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself. It wasn't so bad. It went down to my knees, and the cardigan helped cover me up. I went into my bathroom and threw my hair in a side braid. My brown hair was pretty long, almost to my butt, so it always looked presentable in a braid and very easy to do. I put on a small amount of foundation and brown mascara. This was as much as I was going to put. I didn't wear makeup unless there was a special occasion. I was almost ready to go. I padded across the wooden floor back to my room and opened my closet door. I pulled out a pair of tan leathered boots. I loved wearing boots, they were comfy and I didn't have to worry about dirtying them. I slipped my socks on and then put my feet into the boots. I laced them up and went to my shelf where I kept all of my bracelets and necklaces and rings. I grabbed a brown wooden beaded bracelet, a braided light purple bracelet, and a silver ring with a heart on it. I turned around to see Whitney and Nadine sitting on my bed, both on their phones.
"What do you guys think? Should I wear a necklace?" I questioned them.
"Yes, always wear a necklace. They're cute." Nadine answered. Typical reply from her.
I grabbed a silver metal necklace with a daisy on the bottom of it. I slipped it over my head and put on the rest of my accessories. I felt actually attractive and like I gave a damn about what people thought of me. I didn't like it. I liked feeling normal and comfy.
"Are you ready yet?" Whitney said, she's very impatient.
"Yes, who's car are we taking?"
"We can take mine, I just filled the tank." Nadine answered. I nodded and grabbed my black small leather purse. I love leather. It's so bad ass and just screams rebel. We all headed down the stairs and out the door. My dad and brother were in the living room and they were playing the Wii.
"Bye dad, love you!" I called out before heading out.
"Bye! Have fun girls, drive safe, use protection!" My dad yelled back and you could hear his deep laugh from a mile away.
"What do you mean by protection daddy?" Quinton asked my dad and me and my friends all busted out in giggles as we closed the door behind us. We jumped into Nadine's car and she turned up the stereo. Some pop music. I wasn't all that into it, but I think it must've been Katy Perry. Everyone talks about her at school. She's the girl with the fireworks right?
About 45 minutes later of Nad and Whitney gossiping and horrible pop music we arrived at Tiffany's. The line wasn't very long as they were letting people in at the front. We got out of the car and walked to the side of the building. Whitney knocked on it and it swung open, appearing a boy with brown messy hair, brown eyes, and tall body. He smiled at Whitney and grabbed her hand. Ashton always was very close to her. He would do anything for Whit. But as he pushed her against a wall and stuck his tongue in her mouth, I lost the cute feeling and gained a new found disgust. Me and Nadine pushed past them and went out the door that led to the main carpeted area. We turned and walked up to the counter. Everyone had their skates on already and were on the wooden floor. Some were falling and laughing while their friends helped them up. We went up to the guy that hands out the skates. I let Nadine go first. She got her skates and walked over to the bench to put them on. The boy looked at me and smiled slightly. He then realized he was staring and and ruffled up his pink hair with his hands.
"Uhh... what size?" He asked, he seemed very awkward.
"7 please." I told him. He turned around and went to the shelves full of skates. He grabbed a pair and handed them to me. He then looked at me and gave me a half smile. "Thank you uhh.." I looked at his name tag. It had a cute yellow smiley face on the corner of it. "Michael."
His face lit up and he smiled with his teeth. "Anytime."
I walked away to the bench where Nad was lacing her skates. The skates were ugly here. They were a greenish grayish color with bright orange laces and blue wheels. Whoever designed them didn't have their head on straight. I took my boots off and slid the clunky big skates on. I heard lots of laughter coming from my side as Whitney and Ashton came out of the door. Whit kissed him one last time and said goodbye. She got her skates and put them on. Once mine were all laced up, and we were all good to go, we headed to the arena. We went around and around, enjoying the bumping music. Nadine kept falling, Whitney would just laugh and laugh but I helped her up every time. After we skated for about 30 minutes I sat down on the side where they had benches in the corner and took a break. My feet were already killing me. Whitney and Nadine rolled past me a few times, holding hands, trying not to fall. They stopped in front of me after awhile though.
"We're gonna go get some food. You wanna come?" Whitney asked.
"Uhh, no I'm good. I think I'm just gonna hangout." I replied, looking around.
"Okay, we'll be back soon! If you wanna join, don't be afraid." She said as they skated towards the carpet. I watched them as they disappeared into the dining area. I wasn't even hungry. I got up and decided to skate a little bit more. Around and around I went. I watched my feet as the skates glided against the shiny wood. I wonder who thought of roller skating. Like it's actually a super cool idea to have wheels on your feet. It feels so awesome to just skate slow and feel the breeze on your face and just zone out. It's actually very calming when you're by yourself. I enjoyed this. I enjoyed being alone. I closed my eyes briefly and felt the cool air blow on to my face. It was one of the best feelings ever. I wished I could stay like this forever. I'd be content if I could.
When I opened my eyes I was headed straight for the benches on the side. I tried to stop myself, but I hit my shin on the hard wood. I bent down and winced in pain. That was for sure to leave a bruise. Yeah, I think I was done with skating for the night. I got up from the bench and slowly skated over to the carpeted area. When I arrived, I looked up at the clock on the wall. Woah, it was already 9:30. Skating ends at 10:00z How did time fly by so fast? Why didn't my friends come back out and go skate some more with me?
I skated over to the pizzeria in Tiffany's and looked around for them. All of the tables were pretty much empty besides a couple giggling at each other. I stood there for a few seconds, just watching the two of them. They were cute, and that's why I hated them. I wasn't all that much interesting in dating. I've only had one boyfriend and that was in the 8th grade. I broke up with him after about a week because I didn't want a boyfriend in the first place. My friends just all had one, so I thought I'd give it a go.
Sometimes I hate not being normal, not wanting to be like everyone else. I just didn't enjoy the things that other people like. I don't like socializing, dating, learning, I am me. I don't wanna change just so that people will be interested in me. I definitely figured that out when I dated that boy. I think I find pleasure in being different though, being like no one that I know. Being me.
The boy noticed me and gave me an odd look. I quickly acted like I wasn't staring and awkwardly skated over to the bathrooms. If Whitney and Nadine weren't still eating, they had to be in the bathroom. When I rounded the corner to the women's bathroom, I peeked inside.
"Whit?.... Nad?..... You guys in here?" I called out. No answer. Where they fuck were they? I spent at least 45 minutes looking for them around Tiffany's. I was starting to get worried. They've never done anything like this before.
I reached for my phone but then I remembered that I had left my purse in the car so that I wouldn't have to buy a locker. Everyone was gone besides the employes. I skated over to a bench and started untying my skates. Might as well take these hideous things off. I pulled on the strings in lacing them and felt a presence next to me on the bench. I saw a pair of black, dirty boots next to my big skates. Their legs had black skinny jeans on. Very tightly I might add. When my eyes followed up their body I saw the bright pink messy hair. I forced a smile at him as he gave me a worried look.
"Hey, what are you still doing here?" Michael asked me.
"I can't find my friends... anywhere." I said looking down, I pulled the skates off and wiggled my toes. Man, did it feel good to get those off.
"Oh.. well do you know where they were when you last saw them?"
"They went to go get food." I replied. I looked down at my hands, this conversation had an awkward vibe to it. I didn't like it. I just wished my friends would come out of hiding so we could fucking leave. I am so done with tonight. I want to go home, listen to some music, and go to sleep. After this I probably won't ever go skating with them ever again. I'm not looking to be left behind like this.
"Oh.. want some help?" He looked over at me and I turned my head to face him. I never noticed how green his eyes were until now. Man was he lucky. I wish I had eyes like those. I wouldn't even need makeup, it would just cove them up. They had a childlike happiness to them. Also the way the fringe of his hair almost swept over them gave them a nice look. The bright pink and green contrasted amazingly.
"No, I just think I'm gonna walk home. I don't have my phone though or purse. It's in her car." I looked away, his stare was too intense to hold.
"You're gonna walk home, in the dark, with no phone, or purse, in the city? I'm sorry but... are you crazy?" He said to me. It's not my fault my friends ditched me.
"It's my only option." I said, shrugging my shoulders.
We sat there for awhile in silence. I think he was pondering a solution for me.
"Well,-" We both said at the same time. He giggled and I smiled at him.
"You first, sweetheart." He said grinning at me. He had a very genuine smile. Big and bright.
"Can I have my shoes please?" I picked up the skates and held them up. He nodded and I passed the stupid things to him. We both got up and walked over to the counter. My feet on the floor felt alien to me. Michael opened the door to the left or the counter and went to the back to grab my shoes. He took longer then usual. I poked my head behind and squinted my eyes in the darkness. Just then Michael rounded the corner and walked up to me with my boots in his hand. I took them from his hands and gave him a thankful smile.
"Thank you." I said to him.
"No problem." I slipped on the shoes with no problem. That's what I liked about these boots. You could easily slip them on without needing to tie them because usually I just slipped them on and off.
"Well, it was nice talking to you. I'll probably see you sometime later, this place is pretty common with me and my friends." I waved to him and turned around. As I took a step, a warm and very large hand grabbed my wrist.
"You didn't let me say what I needed to silly." He smiled cheekily at me.
"Go ahead." I said, nodding my head.
"I could give you a ride. I'm sure you're not far from here. It's not safe out there for a girl like you." He gave me a look of reassurance.
"A girl like me huh? And what type of girl is that?" I scoffed.
"A beautiful one." He looked me in the eyes and grinned. I could feel my cheeks turn bright red. I couldn't help but smile. Once he said that, my insides turned to mush. It was an odd feeling.
"I don't even know you." I added.
"Hi, my name is Michael Clifford, I'm 19 years old, I live in Puyallup, Washington and I like helping strangers out." He said confidently.
"Hello Michael." I giggled at him and his childish eyes stayed on me. "But I can't. I'll just walk. Thank you though, I appreciate your kindness." I started walking away and out the door I went. Yeah, that was enough interacting with people for the rest of the night. I made my way to the sidewalk and started my way home. Man was it cold. I pulled the sleeves of my cardigan down over my hands. If those two girls wouldn't have left me, I would be home safe and sound right now. Like I could get hurt! Did they realize that leaving me here would mean I couldn't get home at all. Well I mean, Michael could take me home but I didn't even know him! He was a total stranger. I wasn't going to hop in someone's car that I didn't even know. I understand he was just trying to be nice and everything but I'm not putting my trust into just anyone. I think that that's obvious.
I rubbed my arms with the palms of my hands, trying to warm myself up. The days here in spring were sunny and nice during the day. But when the night fell over Washington, it was almost freezing. You would be n shorts in the afternoon and bundled up like an Eskimo at night.
I watched as the cars went by. Car after car. As they would pass, I'd see the red lights on the back of their vehicles. And as they went past me, I would see the bright headlights that were almost blinding. When I was younger, my dad drove my family to Disneyland and I kept thinking while we were leaving that the cars headed for Disneyland with the bright white lights, they were the happy people. The people that were going to paradise. The people who would have the time of their lives. The people who wouldn't have a care in the world. And as we went with the crowd of cars out of the park, the red small lights were sad, depressed. They didn't want to leave. But it was time to go back to their real lives. Time to go back home away from where they wanted to be. I've never mentioned that to anyone but I've always connected things to it. I always thought, you are the lights on the back of a car going away from Disneyland, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to. Right now I was those red lights.
I heard a motor slowing down behind me. I looked back and the car was definitely slowing down to talk to me. I picked up my pace and stared straight. They sped up to be right next to me. The driver rolled down the window.
"Hey, you can't seriously be doing this." I knew who it was. On the inside I was happy it was who it was. It was weird to feel this way. I stopped walking and turned to him. He hauled the car. "Are you crazy?" Michael questioned me.
"No, my friends are." I shrugged my shoulders.
"Don't punish yourself by walking all of this way because of something stupid they did to you. Just get in. I'll take you home. You can trust me. I'm not an ax murderer I swear." He held his hands up in protest and smiled at me.
"Hmm I don't know. You do seen like the guy that would be into axes." I smirked at him and he rolled his gorgeous green eyes.
"Alright you got me." He laughed and opened the passenger door for me. I shut the door as soon as he pushed it open.
"I'm not letting you drive me home, Michael." I started walking and he followed me.
"C'mon! I can't just leave you out here."
"Yes you can, it's easy. Just drive away." I gestured to the road.
"Well, I'm not gonna stop following you until you get in this car." I looked behind me and saw a huge pile of cars.
"Oh my gosh Michael! Look at all of the cars, drive now please." I exclaimed. There were at least 10 cars behind him, waiting for him to speed up.
"Nope, get in and then I will." I stopped walking and shot him a glare.
"Ugh fine." I opened the door and hopped in. Michael looked at me and gave me a winning smile. He sped off and my stomach turned.