One moment at a time

1

Calvin Waters

"I don't think you understand-" I took a giant gulp of the foggy November air. "This life, it.. hurts"

"Explain." You could see her breath twirl in the air. Kind of like cigarette smoke trailing out of her mouth.

"Well for one, people die. They don't live as long as we want them to... we miss the color of their eyes and how their words slur when they're dozing off. I miss -"

Off in the distance I heard a faint name. Positive it was mine.

I shook my head and started talking again, "Second, school is a joke." I breathe out a laugh, barely opening my mouth.

Her laugh beside me was like a song, it took all of your attention, you couldn't think about the simplest things when she spoke or most of all laughed.

"Isn't that the truth."

"I better get going. See you next Saturday?"

She nodded and gave me a small hint of a smile.

"Goodbye my interesting friend."

I nodded and walked off. My feet dragging against the mixture of rubble and sand. Shoving my hands further in my jean pockets I saw a figure running towards me, screaming my name.

"Calvin! Is that you?"

They were getting closer, but too far for me to answer without straining my lungs. So I decided to stand still and wait for them to come to me.

Their red hair flying and catching the wind kept hitting their face and their smile seemed to reflect with the sun.

"Calvin you stubborn bastard it's been ages!"

I allowed a forced smile to appear on my face as I whispered "Mae?"

Finally reaching where I am she let out a breath of exhaustion. "Damn I have got to go running more." Her European accent practically struck me dumb.

"Been traveling lately?"

She looked down at your feet, starting to make a circle in the ground and looked up through her lashes. "I've been.. around."

I nodded and started walking forwards in a slow pace. Mae of course started following me.

"That's it?!" She put her arms up in the air. "No hug or even a real smile?" Her arms went down and she ran in front of me and pushed my chest. "Not even a Welcome fucking home?" She was yelling now.

"Welcome home." My throat hardly let, even that come out. My smile no longer visible.

Her face changed drastically. Her eyes no longer bright and sunny. Her hair tangled and her lips cracked.

"Goodbye Mae."

"See you around Lover Boy."

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"Where's the bagels?" I had torn the entire fridge apart... several times. Now my life has resulted in sitting on the counter eating a full box of pop tarts.

"They should be in the fridge." My mom glanced up at me over her silver square framed glasses. The pencil, holding her hair up was slightly crooked and the tip broken off.

"Mother I have looked everywhere. I'm so hungry"

"I beg to differ" She pointed to the half eaten pop tart in my hand and stood up and smiled at me. Then began searching. "So I heard Mae was back in town."

I grunted, and then let out a sigh. "Not interested in this certain sub-"

"Calvin, sometimes I worry for your eyesight."

I looked up and there she was holding the bag of bagels.

"You're a miracle worker"

"You're welcome."

I nodded and hugged her small frame. "Nothing is ever truly missing unless your parent can't find it."

☪

"I'm going out!"

I heard my sisters laugh down the hallway.

"With what friends?"

"Who needs friends, when you have money for Taco Bell, and an empty field waiting for me to lay down and eat my Taco Bell."

I grab my keys and my black hoodie. "Mom I'm leaving." I half shout.

"Oh, Okay be safe!" She said poking her head out from the door way of her room. She had a baby blue towel wrapped around her head. She smiled so wide I'm almost certain I saw her molars.

I nodded "I'll try."

After getting in my car, driving to Taco Bell, ordering, paying, and driving to the field. I bit into my food and looked up at the cloudy and star filled night, I dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone and headphones.

Closing my eyes after turning on music. It felt like I could see the colorful musical notes floating around me. I could feel myself relaxing. Physically and mentally.

My brain had been jumbled through out the day, this moment with the stars above me. It finally was me giving away all of my worries. I just laid there, humming to the music and thinking about going to a town far away. It seemed perfect.

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• Authors Note •

Well here's my new story.

Tell me what you guys think of it so far.

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