Under The Stars (Stephew)

3

The sky was a clear blue, the hues dipping between ever-so-lighter and ever-so-darker. Leaves hung on pale brown branches, speckled with deeper hues, the green leaves liquid dripping down the branch and down the bark, where it slid down the gaps in the sturdy material.

Matthew stated at the pond, captivated by how the water, though dirty, reflected the light and how the mallards feathers dripped water eloquently, the green, brown and whites still deepened by dampness. His mother walked over, and Matthew excitedly whispered, "Look at the pwetty ducks!" His mom smiled. Her skin was tanned, from working outside almost everyday, which her spouse said would kill her some day. "That one's a male," She said, pointing at the duck with green coating it's head. "It has bright colors to attract females." Matthew chuckled quietly, the ducks becoming alert at this, "Do I need bwight colors to stand out?" He asked. His mom looked him right in the eyes as she responded." you're already beautiful, never forget that."

Matthew hissed as violent sunlight beamed through the window. He blinked open his eyes, looking at the sun, or general direction of the sun, "Morning world," He mumbled to nobody. Matthew laid in bed for a few minutes until the brunette decided to climb out of the slightly comfortable sheets and face his job. He didn't hate it, it was just challenging to deal with ignorant people all day.

Matthew stood in front of the bathroom mirror, looking at his face, a small smile present. "I'm pwetty," he said in a baby voice, laughing at himself. He had been lonely most of his life, so he learned to make himself laugh. Some would call it pitiful, others would call it... Resourceful. Maybe cute, cute was probably pushing it though.

Matthew left the bathroom, stepping down the staircase in the fashion that made it obvious they'd walked those steps a plethora of times. He reached the bottom, the floor creaking slightly as he did. It was probably that darned step. "Hey," he said, seeing his dad in the kitchen " Another day at work." The brunette said optimistically, which his father smiled at. The older man had shorter hours, and worked slightly closer than Matthew did, so he got home first. "Have fun," The elder responded.

Matthew almost wished dawn looked more different than dusk, dusk simply had more bold hues covering the darkening ground, while dawn had paler colors, covering the Earth in light. He let out a sigh, wishing that it became visible as it hit the air. He simply smiled, thinking about the snow that coated the small town, hanging off of every branch and tendril of living greenery. His eyes widened at a squirrel, laying gutted on the path, seeming to struggle for air Matthew bent down, watching the squirrel helplessly. A coldness gripped his heart, and he felt air catch in his throat. Death. Death was cruel, taking not only beauty and happiness but innocence. A life that could've, should've, been. His legs buckled underneath him, and he simply cried, as if mourning the squirrel, but in reality years worth of pain hit him. Years worth of his innocent "Where's mom?" Years of pointless, useless anger at his father, years of stressful problems. Eventually he stopped,wiping his eyes with his long sleeves before hurrying off to the general store.

"Matthew! What the hell!" Nathan hissed at Matthew when he came in, though worry glimmered in his eye. "You gotta get here on time! What if you loose your job!?" " Nate, I'm sorry, it's just... Life, I guess." Matthew said back, guilty that he left his best friend alone.

Matthew was casually standing at the register, a notepad with numerous addition and finding x percent of a price scattered the page, Matthew scanned the aisle, watching Nate chat with a customer, like usual, probably about a product, presumably "overpriced", but that's just marketing. Matthew spun his pen between his fingers, which expertly moved into the right place at the right time. It was either a reflex, or pure boredom. The customer, presumably pissed stormed towards Matthew, slamming his hands on the notepad, smudging a small doodle slightly, "I wanna speak to your manager." He said. "Sire," Matthew started, preparing for a pissed off customer, " The manager isn't here most days. I can try to get an appointment with him, but it would take around a month." "A MONTH?!" The customer yelled, " You have some AWFUL service if it takes THAT long!" Matthew sighed before speaking, as all eyes turned to the arguing pair. "If you tell me what the problem is, I may be able to help you." "I'll write a letter, and it better go to your boss." The man then stormed out, and Nathan quickly announced that everything was fine, and to continue shopping while he and Matthew talked.

"What is this, the fourth time this month?" Nathan quickly said, and Matthew nodded. "Boss-man better hire some new people or something, otherwise we risk going out of business!" Nathan added, "I'll have a chat with him the next time he's here." Matthew promised, "Come on, we gotta get back to work."

the rest of the day was surprisingly uneventful, though Matthew had a hard time hiding his smile as the sunlight slowly draped over the land. He grinned, sprinting home, even though that would quickly expend his low amount of energy.

But when you run for a reason, you barely notice the ache in your legs, or the fact that you're gasping for breath.

(I'll probably get rid of this during editing, but...
1. I need tags. Throw some at me.
2. Is the pacing good? Too fast, too slow, perfectly fine? Give me a reason if you can.
3. If you notice a grammar mistake, please point it out. I'll fix it when I edit it.)