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September Writing Prompt #2--Tears of A Clown?--STORIES WANTED!
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so many wonderful submissions!! thank you all for sharing :)
Breathing EasyPART ONE
On a warm summer night, August 24th 3327 to be precise, somewhere on the outskirts of Zero-One-One, far north on a planet still called Earth.
Footsteps crunched on the fake-diamond covered path to my right. Starcloud leaves rustled and the occasional Pynta stick snapped as they drew closer. I held my breath and a few heartbeats later a barely there shadow fell over me. Though I couldn’t make out the silhouette in the rapidly dimming light I knew who had come to find me. I hadn’t expected Ally to bother looking for me, not tonight of all nights.
The thought of him being here right now, seeing me like this, brought back the nausea along with the tears that had fallen so freely only an hour ago. My eyes prickled fiercely and I pulled my legs up, up, up and hugged them tight against my churning stomach.
I whispered, "Lovely night isn’t it?" But it wasn’t and I knew Ally could tell simply by my being here. He wouldn’t have to see the smeared lipstick or my truly fucked up eye makeup to know. That’s just how we worked, freaky as it was.
"You’re late, by the way, almost missed the sunset." I went on, ignoring the slight squeak to my voice. I could feel the blackness inside me, like dark waves longing to drown me. I pushed it back as good as I could and focused on the ground before me. "It's rude letting me wait for almost an hour, you know."
Again there was no response as my friend sat down beside me. I hadn’t expected him to say anything anyway, I just tended to be a brat when I was upset. Yet another thing Ally knew and to my benefit seemed to ignore. If I’d turn my head I’d probably see him giving me the finger. But I couldn’t bring myself to face him just yet.
Ally’s dirtied sneakers came into view as he stretched out, the log we were leaning against made a loud creak every time one of us moved. And he moved a lot as he got settled, always did. Clothes rustled, leaves crunched and a pile of dirt formed before us with every stretch of his long legs. I bit my lip and felt the tenseness leave my face.
Ally motioned for me to stand up and I did. He spread the blanket and we both made to sit down, resting more comfortably now. Slowly I could breathe easier and the anger in me began to fade.
For long, silent moments we watched as the blue and purple sky transformed into a vast expanse of jet-black that engulfed the town on the other side of the corn fields. A small forest lay behind, separating us from the abandoned village Ally and I had discovered when we were just kids. The creepy stone statues and crumbling pyramid shaped wooden houses had given us nightmares en masse. Freaky dreams kept haunting me to this day if I was being honest. There was just something way too eerie about the place. Yet we keep coming back here as it had become our place over the years.
With the first stars blinking into existence Ally stirred and dragged his huge neon yellow backpack in front of him, settling it between his spread legs. My eyes darted to his hands and I watched him retrieve a familiar red Dalek tumbler, an army-sized pack of M&Ms, a blue rolled up fleece blanket and a white plastic bag.
Silently, Ally tore the M&Ms open, popped a few into his mouth —crunch, crunch— and washed it down with whatever was in his tumbler. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious which concoction he’d brought along. Suddenly my throat felt parched and it finally sunk in that my stomach had been empty all day. Filling it with something alcoholic might not be the smartest idea right now, but I longed to wash away the day, the pain.
When I thought he wasn’t looking I caught him with one eyebrow raised and a worried expression on his face. The mess that were the long waves of his cherry-red hair fell down his shoulders like a river while the breeze made some of the strands dance back and forth. I’d always adored his insanely long and brightly colored hair. While it came naturally to him I’d never dared to touch hair dye myself. I was enough of a freak without drawing attention to my hair.
With a smile, Ally handed me the tumbler. As expected, he didn’t disappoint. Whatever was inside, it burned as fuck and I welcomed every single drop as it warmed my throat, inch for inch.
Eventually the tumbler was satisfyingly light. I put it aside and reached for the M&Ms, munching on a few handfuls before chancing another glance at Ally. He was silently looking out at the rolling hills in the distance. He wasn’t a talker, I was. Still, we often just sat together without filling the silence with words. It was nice, relaxing. So this was nothing new and I enjoyed the familiarity, the comfort his presence always gave me.
The wind blew through the fields and many stars circled overhead. Now that the sun had gone to rest, the moon took its place and darkness began to surround us. It was a familiar feeling, experiencing darkness falling together. Ally and I had spent countless nights out here, talking, playing games on our tablets, listening to music and all the great things you do with your best friend.
"So," I said eventually, unsure how to start a conversation and reach the safe ground we always maintained between us without having to think about the day and all the shit that had gone wrong yet again. Maybe it was time to address whatever hole I’d fallen into, although I hoped we didn’t have to talk about it. Ever.
Ally took my hand and held it, gently, like it was a precious gem or something. We sat like that for a moment, looking at each other. I wondered what he was thinking. I knew my brain was all muddled for more reasons than I wanted to count.
"I have something for you," Ally said as if he knew I didn’t want to talk talk, tipping his head to the side as he studied me. He whistled in a familiar way and a moment later we were joined by a small group of pink fireflies, their red and orange glow lending us light as they swarmed cheerfully around our heads.
I followed the movements of Ally's hand as he stirred the little creatures, playfully poking them mid-flight. They didn't seem to mind, and their glow intensified. A quiet hum filled the air. I noticed not for the first time how cool Ally looked with his fire-red hair in the warm glow of our little friends. It lit up his beautiful features and reflected in his rich golden eyes.
I startled when Ally reached for his backpack and pulled out a single sheet of what looked like colorful, but mostly red stickers.
"Deadpool stickers?" I asked stupidly, because, obviously they were Deadpool stickers, I didn’t need him confirming it.
"Yep."
I frowned at him. I hadn’t seen any kind of stickers in years, not since we were out of kindergarten.
"So, what’s with the stickers?"
Ally grabbed for the sheet just as I’d picked it up and pulled the stickers out of my hands. I watched him peel off one of the red characters and blinked when his hand appeared in front of my eyes and his fingers pressed a sticker to my cheek.
I opened my mouth to say something snarky but nothing came out.
Ally peeled off another sticker and another and before I knew it, I had five silly cartoon guys on my face, neck and more down my bare arm. When our eyes met, Ally giggled like the four year old he was.
"Gee, Ally. Aren’t we a little old for stickers?"
"What’s this?" He said instead and poked my cheek. "Did I get a smile out of you? Oh no, I made you smile! What was I thinking?!"
I gave him an unimpressed look but let out a laugh a second later.
"Idiot," I muttered, smiling at him fondly, realizing I had been smiling for a while.
"I have something else for you," Ally said, leaning a little closer.
I laughed and waved my hand in a circle, showing off my colorful arm. "You already got me awesome Deadpool stickers," I said with a hint of teasing in my tone.
They were cute, all right. And he'd gotten me all cheered up. There was nothing more I’d wanted him to do, especially not shower me with gifts.
A spark of curiosity burst to live within my chest when our eyes met and Ally nodded toward the ground. He kept his gaze on me while he plunked the plastic bag I’d spotted earlier between us, shoving it wordlessly toward me.
I liked the way he looked at me, familiar and friendly. There was none of the hatred and coldness the other guys had reserved especially for me. Instead, there was warmth, so much warmth, and the sparkle in his eyes made me forget about the mess I was and looked, because he saw past it. He always did.
A smile grew on his lips. "Go on, have a look already," he said with a mock whine.
So I did.
My hand fell onto the bag, inside was something square or rectangle-shaped. Hard and flat, like a magazine. Without looking I pulled it out.
My heart skipped a beat or two as I picked it up, studying the hardcover.
A Doctor Who graphic novel. The Weeping Angels of Mons.
Holy shit. I had to look away for a moment, blinking into the starry night.
"Where’d you get this?" I whispered.
"The internet," Ally said matter-of-factly. "Obviously."
"Obviously," I parroted, feeling some of the earlier numbness return, although for completely different reasons this time.
Of course, everyone knew the internet could get you anything, even some ratty old magazine from the 21st century. Like wow. Sure, it wasn’t in the best condition, the corners were bent and even in the dark I could make out what appeared to be a coffee stain on The Doctor’s face. What idiot got coffee stains on that gorgeous face!? Insanity.
Ally chuckled as if reading my thoughts. I looked up and turned to meet his gaze then. Ally grinned back at me dopily. I rolled my eyes but a smile cracked through my chilled armor. I never could stay upset when I was with him. Best friends apparently knew the secret to cheering you up or some freaky shit like that. I could hardly say I minded. The insane flutters his smile caused in my stomach beat angry tears any time.
Also, there currently was a copy of one of my favorite comics in front of me and I could gawk and read and smile for as long as I wanted. Thanks to Ally.
I lifted the piece of holy goodness to further inspect it. It was an issue I’d wanted to read for ages but never found a way of obtaining it. I’d only ever gotten my hands on a couple of issues in the library two towns away. Those ancient magazines were long out of print, naturally, and a collector's item like that was way above my allowance, even if I’d saved up for a year.
I felt a hand on my arm.
"Like it?" Ally’s voice was quiet and when I looked at him he was frowning.
"Like it?" I laughed at the ridiculousness of his question. "If I like it he asks! Dude, it’s Ten." I paused and gazed longingly down at the cover in my lap. "Ten" I said wistfully.
"Nothing Ten can’t fix, ey?"
When I met Ally’s gaze I thought for a moment he’d looked at me the way I’d looked at the magazine.
I nodded. "Hell yeah. He’s magical."
Ally shook his head, smiling. He stretched, then folded his arms behind his head and looked up into the night sky, perhaps counting the stars.
We’d spent many nights sitting here, looking out into the vast darkness, telling stories and imagining what it would be like to work at one of the space stations when we were finally old enough.
Lately, I doubted they’d take someone as weird as me. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to stay behind, forced to watch Ally go away. He might not return and I'd die from heartbreak. I shook my head, forcing the horrible thoughts to the back of my mind where they belonged.
PART TWO "Seriously though, how did you even get this? It must have cost a fortune."
"Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it."
My flinch at the words were an automatic reaction but I hoped Ally hadn’t noticed. It wasn’t the same, I knew. When he called me pretty, even jokingly, he meant it. Getting upset about it would be irrational so I swallowed it down, hating the confusing and all those weird feelings such a simple words stirred in me.
"Does this mean we can keep it?" I asked hopefully, praying he hadn't borrowed it from someone. Though that sounded highly unlikely. I just couldn't imagine how he'd managed to get the copy, and I really hoped he hadn't stolen it or something.
"Sure you can."
I blinked at him.
"Well, it’s yours."
Blink. Pause. Blink.
"Yours to keep," he clarified.
I blinked again, feeling as dumb as I must look, rendered totally speechless.
"Dude, I got it for you, hence the whole I got you a present. thing," Ally explained calmly and as if he hadn’t just given me permission to keep the world’s coolest comic ever, the one featuring my favorite Doctor and the freaking Angels nonetheless.
"No way," I breathed.
"Yes, way." Ally laughed, sounding delighted.
I was still quite stunned, honestly.
"How on earth did I get so lucky?"
I realized I’d said that aloud when his grin reappeared and my stomach swooped, feeling my face flush and grow hotter by the second.
We shared some more M&Ms and browsed the comic together under the warm glow of the fireflies and the glittering moon above.
"Thank you," I said, waving a hand around to indicate our picnic-style retreat from reality.
Ally shrugged and insisted, "I didn’t do anything."
"No, of course not." I laughed. "You didn’t come here saving me with your awesome emergency saving kit. You’ve always had those brilliant saving skills."
I admired his profile, all sharp angles and freckled skin. He really was awesome.
The breeze carried a familiar scent: warm and spicy. Ally’s deodorant. It always smelled like he bathed in it. I liked it.
It’s like you always know what I need. Somehow I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.
Ally shook his head. "You don’t need me saving you, Tris."
I snorted. "Obviously I do. I’m a freaking mess."
"No, you’re not. What you need is a friend and you're good to go."
"I already have a friend,” I said and stared him down. A smile grew on his face as he reached out and took my hand.
"So, you're perfectly fine then," he said with a warm smile.
A tight squeeze nearly crushed my fingers but I only felt the warmth inside bubbling to new heights. We were quiet for a while, sitting there holding hands. It should have felt awkward, maybe, but it didn't.
Eventually Ally broke the silence. "How would you feel about a boyfriend?"
I started at that.
Huh?
Looking at Ally I raised my eyebrows and said, "To what? Protect me?" Why would he suggest something like that?
Ally shook his head and added, "Not like that, no. We'd look out for each other, like we do already. It's a two way street, you know? I just like to give them another reason to stay the hell away from you."
"What are you even saying?" I stared at my best friend in confusion. "It's like you're not even speaking the same language right now."
Ally laughed and brought our hands to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. "I like you Tris, you know I do. In fact I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you, and well, I think we'd make a really cute couple."
Someone must have flicked a switch somewhere inside of me, one that was apparently connected to my heart and some kind of power station, because it was pounding like mad, causing my whole body to vibrate with nerves and suppressed energy.
"Don't you think?" he inquired, cocking his head and giving me such a shy smile, one I hadn't seen before. I could hardly handle the cuteness. "You're all tall, dark-haired and beautiful. And I'm, well, I'm me. Also tall, red-haired and together we'd be strong and..." he trailed off, laughing awkwardly.
I wanted to kiss him.
"Whatever, never mind. I totally don't know what I was going to say," Ally said, blushing. And I'd never seen him turn red before, at least not when it wasn't from exhaustion or anger. This was all so new.
I was fascinated.
"Yeah, I think we would," I said. "We'd make a great team."
Ally beamed.
"So, we have a deal?" he asked shyly and I couldn't help but laugh with the burst of happiness threatening to bring me tears again, this time for far better reasons. I didn't want to end up crying like a baby so I nodded and swallowed down the little bubbles of warmth and joy.
"Yeah." I stared at Ally in wonder and with so much adoration and gratefulness I could barely stand it. "We have a deal." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "This is quite the surprise, Ally. I didn't think that you feel that way about me. But I'm glad. So very glad."
Ally had known how much he meant to me for a long time now, I'd even confessed my deeper feelings for him a while back, but I'd never imagined he'd be able to return them.
This was the best day of my life.
But then I remembered...
It wouldn't matter how perfect it could be, being with Ally in a way I'd longed for. We'd be an even bigger target for those haters, an easier target even because of our shared feelings.
The best day of my life was short-lived and sucked alienballs.
"They will make fun of you, you know," I said after a moment, unwillingly breaking the comfortable silence. I had to address the reality of what he'd agreed to. It was too good to be true.
"The guys will be awful to you," I went on, trying hard to keep the bitterness and resent from breaking me further. I couldn't stand the thought of everyone making Ally's life harder simply because he liked me. They wouldn't let something like Ally and me being together pass without making a sport out of tormenting us.
"They can kiss my ass. Nothing I can't handle." Ally laughed and took my hand in his again. "You know I don't care what everyone else thinks, right?"
I nodded. I knew he didn't care, but I also knew it wouldn't matter. People were stupid and they liked to treat everyone who didn't fit into their idea of what was normal like they were scum. Something not worth breathing the same air as the rest of them.
"You'd think it shouldn't matter, not in the 34th century. But you know it does. They will hate to see us like this."
He squeezed.
"Like how?" Ally asked with a smile, sounding curious. To my surprise he was enjoying himself.
I frowned at him, tipping my head to the side. I tightened my fingers around his and lifted our joined hands.
"Holding hands?" I said and attempted a wave which resulted in tugging him closer by his arm until he stumbled forward. Ally laughed and let himself fall, pulling me down with him.
"Do you want to hold hands with me? Where everyone can see?" Ally asked, sounding far too amused.
"Obviously," I said with a huff. "If you're my boyfriend now, that comes with the job description."
"Where is kissing on that?" He beamed at me now. A thrill coursed through me. I liked it. "I must've missed reading the flyer."
I reached for Ally and tugged him toward me. Our noses brushed and I notice yet again that he smelled fantastic. I said, "Depends on how you did during your interview."
"Oh." Ally leaned back a little and frowned. "I think I also must have missed the interview. Is it fixable?"
I nodded. "Sure thing," I said and grinned. "Not like you ever needed one, so…" I trailed off, closing my eyes, and sealed our lips with a long anticipated kiss.
A kiss that was all soft lips and hands in my hair. Full of sparks and fireflies and warmth and comfort.
"So... How did I do?" Ally asked when we broke apart.
I hummed, unable to form words and unwilling to open my eyes just yet. I tugged Ally closer again and wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him tightly.
He brushed his nose against my cheek and neck.
"Worth keeping?" he whispered.
I nodded. Squeezed him tighter.
"I'd keep you anyway."
Thank you, I thought, for giving me a little miracle and hope. I concentrated on sending my gratefulness out into the universe.
THE END.
#####
I was feeling down today so I decided to do some writing. It helped, so yay. I haven't been writing in what feels like an incredibly a long time.
Sadly, it's not much of a story, I guess.
So, thanks to everyone who still took the time to read it.
It's a wonderful story! (And I know writing helps me too (((hugs))) I love the little touches you add, a few words that evoke feelings: the vast darkness, the warm and spicy scent, the little bubbles of warmth and joy. You don't overdo the descriptions, but you hit on a phrase that evokes the moment.
Kaje wrote: "It's a wonderful story! (And I know writing helps me too (((hugs))) I love the little touches you add, a few words that evoke feelings: the vast darkness, the warm and spicy scent, the little bub..."
Thank you -- HUGS BACK!
I didn't put much thought into writing this, so I'm especially happy to hear you liked those bits :)
I hope to find more motivation to write in the coming days and weeks. I hate that I stopped for so long. I feel so rusty.
xx
Riina wrote: "PART TWO
"Seriously though, how did you even get this? It must have cost a fortune."
"Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it."
My flinch at the words were an automatic reaction ..."
Oh Riina I thoroughly enjoyed that. A great "team" they make indeed. I always admire your imaginative and thoughtful stories, this one particularly so. Thanks for sharing! =D
Riina, I thought it was gorgeous. The connection between the two characters was so believable. I really liked it immensely. Thank you for sharing it.
Riina. This is a wonderful story. Thank you SO much!!!
Thank you guys, so so much -- you're being too kind! :)
Thanks Sara!