struggle ↠ mgc [on hold]

2

michael

"Have you played video games before?" Michael asked Autumn as he switched the TV off.

They had spent the past hour playing video games whilst making small talk about random things.

"No, my brother tried to teach me but I've always been hopeless," She sighed.

Michael found it funny the way she lost at every game they played.

He noticed how she was still fiddling with her bracelet absentmindedly. For some reason, the way she was always doing it interested Michael.

"Can I play with him, then?" He joked

"He's not around anymore."

She looked down at her lap and her facial expression had changed and Michael mentally punched himself for even making the joke.

Michael sat his controller on the table and stretched his arms behind head.

"What's the time?" Autumn asked him after a short silence.

He brought his arms back down to his side and grasped his phone from table.

"11pm."

"Could I use your bathroom?" Autumn asked, picking her bag off from the floor.

"Sure, if you turn right it's the door at the end," He replied.

Michael wondered why Autumn had asked for the time and then asked if she could use the bathroom.

Maybe she went to the toilet at specific times of the day, Michael thought for a second but quickly dismissed the idea of that since it was really weird to even think about it.

When Autumn was out of the room, he leaned back on the couch, thinking about if he should invite her to his band practice tomorrow.

Would it be too soon for him to introduce her to his friends, he wondered.

What annoyed him was that normally Michael could tell if someone liked him or not but with Autumn he couldn't.

autumn

Autumn sat her bag on the side of the sink and quickly groped the bottom of it and sought her pills.

After finding them, she placed her bag on the floor and put two of the pills on to her hand.

Sighing, she stared down at them and prepared herself for the unpleasant taste of them.

It sucked because she was having a good time with Michael and having to take her medication reminded her about how she was still ill.

But even though she really hated taking them, she put them in her mouth and swallowed them without hesitation because they helped her get better and that's what she wanted more than anything.

Then, she washed her face, grabbed her bag and left the bathroom.

michael

"I've got to to home now," Autumn informed Michael, standing by the threshold of Michael's room.

"Oh, okay. I'll walk you out."

-

Autumn stopped on the doorstep and turned to face Michael, the night air whipped her hair lightly.

"Will I see you again?" She asked, looking up to meet his gaze.

Michael smiled widely, happy that she had asked.

"I'll uh give you my number."

Michael quickly looked around for something to write on.

Luckily, there was a notebook on the table in the living room and Michael quickly wrote his number down and rushed back over to Autumn.

"I had a good time tonight," Autumn told Michael, slipping the paper into her bag.

"I did, too."

Just as Michael was about to step back into his house, Autumn pulled him into a tight embrace.

He hugged her back, resting his head on her shoulder.

From the time he had spent with Autumn that night, he knew there was something captivating about her.
He really couldn't explain it very well.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Michael said happily, pulling back from the hug.

"Cya." Autumn smiled at him, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She made her way down the porch steps and across the driveway.

Michael stepped back and closed the front door.

He laced his fingers through his messy blue hair and strolled over to the stairs.

Maybe this girl was the right girl, he hoped.