Please Take Me Home

Always

Please Take Me Home

 

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Chapter Twenty-Five

 

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Always

...And you're always on my mind. 

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 Flashback - Grade Six

 

"Wait for me!" Luke called, signaling for the brown-eyed boy to slow down. 

 

Calum either pretended not to hear Luke or Luke didn't call loud enough for the other boy to slow down. Honestly Michael went for the former, because he knew what type of person Cal was. 

 

"Yeah, as if Hemmings!" Calum called, while looking over his shoulder. So Michael was correct. 

 

It was a hot summers day and Michael was quite content with siting under a tree, by himself and watching the scenery around him. There were a handful of moments like these that Michael wished he could change, but its not like he could have just gone up to Luke, who had clearly moved on an found a new best friend.

 

Twelve year-old Michael didn’t have many friends. People didn’t really bother to interact with him, mostly due to the fact that they never had the change to get to know him because it was always ‘Luke and Michael’.

 

Michael remembers that there had been a lot of days spent by himself, or drifting along with various groups of people. He never really interacted with them though; it was more Michael wanting something to do because he didn’t like spending too much time alone in his head. Those lunchtimes though, the ones spent with the various friendship groups, all Michael would do was desperately try to blend in. He never spoke but listened because maybe, but maybe, if he listened he’d figure out a way to make another friend.

 

Luke never really spared Michael another glance, and if Michael’s being honest, he probably ignored them, if ever Luke did ever bother to cast a look over at him. It’s not like Michael ever cared.

 

Calum was everything that Michael wasn’t. Calum was funny. He knew the exact moment to crack a joke and make everyone laugh. Michael couldn’t have done that. Calum was sporty and he was even popular too. On his first day of Year Six, Calum had managed to get everyone to like him and everyone had wanted to be friends with him but Calum had brought Luke up and into the spotlight of popularity, and apparently Luke had never looked back.

 

So, while sitting under the tree and observing his surroundings, Michael decided he wouldn’t let someone ever get the better of him again.