misophonia | m.c

in the flesh

The blonde boy smirked, "In the flesh."

"Y-you didn't have to do that." Cassidy looked down shyly, brushing some hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. 

"I wanted to." He shrugged. "Calum's just a jerk, he should have been watching where he was going."

Cassidy just nodded, not knowing what else to say. Michael had a reputation. You could tell just by looking at his ripped t-shirts, dyed hair, and trade mark smirk he was considered a bad boy. He wasn't known for helping random girls in the hallways. It also struck the blonde girl as odd that he called Calum Hood a jerk. Calum also had a reputation at the school, but he was known as one of the sweetest guys around. 

"Are you alright?" Michael asked, talking rather slow, as he took a step closer to the girl.

Cassidy, on the other hand, spoke at a breakneck pace as she nodded. "Of course. Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" 

"You seem a little tense, kid." The smirk was back on his face as he took yet another step closer to her.

Tense. That's not the half of it. Cassidy thought to herself. Hallways in general weren't bad; the whole blending of voices really helped there. But the whispers were terrible. Breathy voices with words you couldn't make out just tortured her brain. And now that the hallway was almost empty, all she could hear were whispers. Cassidy couldn't exactly just tell Michael that; he'd think she was crazy. And who is he calling kid? There's only one year between us. Cassidy was a sophmore, Michael was a junior. 

"You gonna answer me, Cassidy?" He arched an eyebrow, chuckling to himself. 

"Yeah, Michael. I'm fine. Just tired." Just tired. A phrase Cassidy had come to know and use all to well. But she forced her gaze upwards, hoping Michael would buy it and let her scurry off to class. 

He didn't look convinced but he just sighed "Don't wanna be late, do you? Well you're going to be late anyways, but that's beside the point. Where are you headed?"

"English." Cassidy adjusted her sweater sleeve, avoiding his gaze. 

"Let me walk you there. The English teachers all love me." Michael winked.

Did he just wink at me? Why? Cassidy choked out an "Okay." She turned away and grabbed her book, finally getting to close her locker.

As they walked down the nearly empty hall, Cassidy didn't feel right. Her stomach felt funny and her head was still pounding. Her mind whirled with little worries and she had a hard time focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other.

"Cassidy?" Michael nudged her arm, "Did you hear me?" 

She blinked, "Wh-what?"

The boy just chuckled and shook his head, "I asked if I had any classes with you this semester because you looked more familiar than just a girl who's name I had picked up somewhere."

"Spanish,  Social Studies, and Health." Cassidy muttered, looking up at him for a moment.

"You're the girl that Senora Jacobs always calls on 'cause she never talks, right? Maria?" Michael grinned and shook his head again. "Couldn't have chosen a more creative name?"

"Like Taco is creative." Cassidy rolled her eyes, then flushed red. The girl didn't usually speak back so quickly.  

The boy had been surprised by her sudden wit, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. Silence to probably anyone but Cassidy. She hated the way he shuffled in his boots, the soles of the footwear scuffing along the tile. But she couldn't just say that to him, could she? His inhales were quiet, but his exhales were heavy. What was she supposed to do, ask him to stop breathing? Not to mention Cassidy already felt nervous just being around Michael alone. She'd never spoken to him directly before and he'd never acknowledged her existence before. With the normal anxiety that came to her when she was with a new person, there was also the slight urge to snap at him. 

Cassidy was relieved when the reached the hall where all the English rooms were located.

Michael stopped her a few paces from the door, grabbing her forearm. "Let me do all the talking, not that I think you would say much anyway." His smirk was back on his face as he released her arm and brought his hand to the door handle.

"Cassidy, nice of you to join us. And Mr. Clifford, what brings you here?" The teacher asked, after finishing her directions to the rest of the class.

"Ah, Mrs. Jones. I found Cassidy here in the hallway on the ground." He slid an arm around her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze as if to specify that it was in fact her that had been on the ground. "She got knocked over and hit her head quite hard. I had to help her to class, I didn't want her to be more late than she already was." Michael smiled, but almost anyone could tell it was fake. The boy dropped his arm as he looked from Cassidy to the teacher, counting on a positive response.

 Cassidy could feel the teacher and all her classmates staring her up and down, and it's easy to say she didn't like it. 

Finally after a few moments of waiting, Mrs. Jones sighed. "Fine. Cassidy take your seat. Michael, off to class with you." 

Michael nodded, brushing past Cassidy lightly as she walked towards the back of room and he walked out of it. 

Cassidy let her hair fall back over her shoulder to put a divider between her and the boy she was sitting next to. Of course he was chewing gum. Just my luck, the girl thought with a sigh. She didn't quite know what the teacher was talking about but she didn't want to bring herself to ask her tablemate. 

The class droned on until the bell tolled, sounding lunch.

As the girl picked up her books and got ready to leave, a voice reached her ears.

"Cassidy." It was Ashton. The boy she sat next to in English. She never quite paid close attention to him, other than when he was chewing gum or tapping his feet. He was a nice enough guy, she just didn't know him that well.

She swallowed, turning back to face him, "Yes?"

"Did you get she was talking about? You didn't write down the homework in that little planner of yours, and you always do that." He seemed genuine enough, he had even stopped chewing as he spoke. That caused Cassidy to relax her posture a bit and let her free arm dangle loosely by her side.

"Uh-no..." Her voice trailed off,  "Since I came in late I was kind of lost." 

Ashton smiled softly, "Happens to the best of us. Want me to fill you in?"

"That would be great." Cassidy managed to smile back and allow herself to take an actual filling breath.

"Why don't we talk about it over lunch?" The boy's eyes grew wide, "I mean, if you have lunch this period. You do, right?" 

Cassidy nodded, but hesitated to speak, "Look Ashton, you really don't have to..."

"I don't have to, but I still will. C'mon Cassidy, let me help you." 

"Fine."

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a/n

does anyone like it so far? i'm looking forward to seeing where things go, but i just hope i don't move things too fast.