finifugal ➵ michael clifford (on hold)

Chapter 3

It stained my face, my hair, my towel, my shirt... everything. I dyed my hair a dark red to look a bit more different - edgy, except it kind of failed as I got more due on everything else other than my hair. I don't know if it's going to surprise anyone other than my friends but I can't wait to see my friends reactions tomorrow morning. It's going to be a Friday, so if I get a warning for my hair I'll just have an extra two days to wash it so it fades. I wonder if that boy will notice. These past few weeks I've bumped into him numerous times in the school halls, except he's ignored me every single time. I still don't know his name and I'm too afraid to ask that boy, Elijah Langdon, that added me on my second week back at school who had the selfie with the guy in the background. To distract my thoughts from him, I tell my mum I'm going out to study at Beach Haven Park and she tells me to be back by six.

The park is where I've gone to relax since I was ten years old. Rough times at primary school called for alone time by the beach, but little did I know it was going to get worse as my age grew. The park is like my own little heaven on earth, hence the name Beach Haven Park, that overlooks the endless sea stretching out across the horizon. The lush green pasture offers a comfy bed-like surface, the closest grass gets to being of bed quality. To tie it all in, literally, there's a fence surrounding the place to stop people jumping off the cliff. It hasn't stopped some people though unfortunately.

I set my picnic blanket down onto the grass, though it was only a picnic of one with no food, and lay down. I was on a hill with my head at the top of it, so I could see the whole view. I've seen it a lot of times so I decide to get a bit of shut eye before the next day. Nobody comes to this place as it's very secluded and undiscovered by most people, so I know I'll be safe to sleep.

As my eyelids start to get heavy and close shut, I feel a weight on my picnic blanket and hear the grass crunching under the tarpaulin-like fabric that lines the blanket.

"Idril?" I call, only to get a "nope, Michael" in response. My eyes shoot open and I turn my head towards the boy sitting next to me and looking out at the vast expanse of ocean.

"So, Michael, I see you're not with your mates," I ask, but more like state the obvious. He shakes his head.

"No, no. I've been thinking, and I don't really think they're my real friends," still looking out at sea, his mouth stretches into a smile.

"Oh." That's all I can think of as a response. I wait until he responds while trying to look like I'm busy resting. I feel a piece of my hair move, lift up off my arm, and open my eyes to see Michael twirling it around his index finger a couple of times before letting it fall back onto my arm.

"It looks good."

"So does yours," I said as I looked at his freshly dyed pink hair. "It looks like a flower."

"A flower?" The pitch of his voice raised. "I don't want to look like a flower," he said, putting his head in his hands and groaned. I sat up, pondering what to do to convince him it's a good thing. All I could think of to say was: well, if I had a rose and a daisy, you would be the rose and I would be the daisy. I'm small enough to be invisible and blend into the grass and you're noticed by everyone, well known, and-

I cut myself off there as I thought roses were beautiful, but I thought he would take it the wrong way if I said that. Plus, who calls boys beautiful?

"And what?"

"Nothing it doesn't matter," I shut him up and placed my hands behind my head, lying back down onto the blanket. We sat in silence for a while and I must've fell asleep because when I woke up, he was gone and it was way past my curfew.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I swore as I rolled up the picnic blanket and put it in my shoulder bag. As I was leaving, I saw a yellow note on the grass laying next to a rose. I figured these must've rolled off the blanket so I picked them up and shoved them in my bag too to look at when I got home.

'Roses aren't punk rock. I think you would suit being the rose a lot better. -M'

I smiled as I saw a phone number following the message, got out my phone and filed it into my contacts under Michael. Now I understood why there was also a rose.

****

Monday rolled around faster than I wanted it to and I was ready to sport my new hair. I hadn't told my friends yet so I can't wait to see what they say about my sudden change of appearance. After my outfit for the day was sorted, I slung my white backpack over my shoulder and made my way to the lounge to slip my shoes on. It's only been a few weeks since schools started again and I'm already exhausted from lugging my stuff around every day, though Idril has a locker that I can put my stuff in. I don't want to use up her locker room and be annoying so I've decided not to do that... for now. I bent down and laced my green converse on although they don't even match my clothes. To be honest, I couldn't care less.

"Have a good day, Hun," my mum orders as I walk out the door.

"I will-" I say before I shut the door, but mutter "definitely not" as soon as I close it and so she can't hear me. I don't want to see Michael today at all. Sure he's not exactly the type of guy you don't want to look at, but after Friday night I'd rather not.

"Can you believe the weekend went by so quickly?" Sienna questioned, playing with my hair. Unexpectedly, she and Idril basically didn't react at all to the colour but did say it suited my skin tone and eye colour quite well. I tell her I can't either in reply to her question, and Idril butts in.

"Actually, all weekends are equal in time apart from when holidays fall on either the day before or after the weekend. Then it's not and therefore longer."

"It's a figure of speech smarty," Sienna giggles at Idril and pokes her in the side of her stomach, making Idril laugh too. As I sit with my friends who are giggling to themselves on a park bench in the heart of the school, I begin to think. I was too lost in thought, overthinking a lot of things when Idril tugs on my shirt so subtly that I almost didn't feel it. I turn towards her and she's not even looking at me, but at the six boys walking directly towards our bench.