This Is How You Do It (Michelle)

[Michelle Reed]

"Don't apologize." Michelle reassured him, as there was nothing to be sorry about. "But yeah.. it's good. Sweet things. I'd rather have an ice cream cone than be here in gym class right now." She said, wrinkling her nose. And although Michelle felt the desire to skip, she would never act on the impulse. It just wasn't her.

Bracelets and bracelet making were something she could talk about for awhile. All the different patterns and colour combinations and ways to make them. But, she recognized that not a lot of people shared the same interest and that was okay. Lifting her head from her lap, Michelle just noticed Jackson's reciprocated smile. At least he seemed to be enjoying his time around her; she would hate for him to be bored out of his mind in her presence. When he asked for one, her own features lit up. "Sure thing, yeah. You have any certain colours you like?" She asked, mind whirling with possibilities.

Unlike Jackson, who wasn't phased by embarrassment, Michelle always felt a little judged and ashamed when she felt colour rise to her cheeks. Keeping to herself was easier, even if he was right and it wasn't as bad as she made it out to be in her head. Speaking of, he then called her a cute girl. It had to be her; there was no on else around. Immediately, she flushed red. Bright red. She laughed nervously, not because she was mad that he said that, but more over the fact that he actually said that. Nobody outwardly called her cute to her face before, even if Jackson was just trying to flirt or something.

Oh god. She should have gone to go warm up with the class. But she promised to stay. But was it better for her to leave? Her gaze darted towards the rest of the class as they began running laps. She crinkled her nose. Happens all the time? "Are.. are you really sure I shouldn't be telling someone then? Because if you get hurt I'll be upset... and I don't really know what to do if something really bad does happen." She rambled. "But.. yeah, seriously. I don't mind staying, really. Honestly." He said he didn't mind, but did Jackson really? Which one was the better option? Michelle had no idea, folding her hands awkwardly in her lap.

[Deleted]

Jackson laughed again and shrugged. “Sorry, that’s just a bad habit of mine.” That is, to apologize for thing simply for polite’s sake rather than for the actual need for it. “See? I did it again, ha ha!” And he’d probably do it again before the conversation was over. “Mmm, yeah, I’m with you there. A nice double chocolate scoop, right?” Well, that’d be Jackson’s preference, at least.

Of course he was enjoying himself! She was a girl and was talking to him so enthusiastically about something she loved. Jackson didn’t have a clue about anything to do with the subject, but it no doubt made her happy to do it and talk about it, so it was fine. “Uhh…I like blue…and red, and orange, and purple…I like a lot of colors, actually,” he admitted with a smile. And besides, the way things were going, he was going to get a precious gift from a cute girl!

Ah, there was that word again. Jackson really needed to slow down his thoughts before he said something dangerous. Like something that might actually scare her away. He was flushing sheepishly from that absent-mindedly spoken compliment, though his eyes did catch her own flattery towards his words. A red face and her meek laughter just made Michelle that much cuter.

Sigh…Jackson hoped he hadn’t made things too awkward by saying that though, because it’d suck if she decided to stay behind with him and then they could only sit around and utter the most basic of conversations. If she stayed. Jackson shook his head. “No, it’s okay, if there was anything really wrong I’d be…well, I’d’ve already told someone.” The teacher was used to him having to sit out on occasion for similar reasons. “I just need a few minutes, really.” Jackson disliked having people fuss over his health issues like this, though, hence why he usually kept them to himself. He’d much rather talk about something fun and cool while he waited it out rather than the reason why he was unwell in the first place. It happened often enough that it simply got repetitive after a while.

Jackson nodded. “Okay, that’s…that’s fine. It’s up to you, really, what you want to do, so don’t let me…my, uh…I’m fine with it, really, he insisted.” Besides, it would be nice to have the company, so long as they could manage to talk, well, normally. Jackson was just worried he’d made things awkward, is all.

[Michelle Reed]

"It's okay, I just.. you know, didn't want you to feel forced to apologize." Michelle added, not wanting to be one of those people. The ones who made every conversation a chore. Her grin widened when Jackson pointed out that he had just done it again. "Yeah, that sounds delicious." If only gym class consisted of ice cream cones. Then maybe Michelle wouldn't hate it as much.

"You know, there's so much that can be done. It probably sounds dumb but there's different patterns and with a bunch of colours... it'll be great." Michelle promised him. Not because she was arrogant; it was actually the opposite. Hopefully he liked it, because she would hate for him to have to pretend to like something for her benefit. And she didn't know Jackson well enough yet to make a good guess on colours he liked. Blue was the first colour he mentioned. "Blues are always nice. I can choose a few shades... give me a day or two and I'll have one made." She enjoyed working fast.

Before she could stop herself, one of Michelle's hands shot forward to his knee. "I insist." She refused to waver, in a rare stubborn moment. She awkwardly patted his knee a few times before pulling her hand back. Her face grew redder, if that was at all even possible. "I want to make sure you're okay. And... and it's nice being around you." Jackson was everything she wanted to be; outgoing, personable and heard of. A group of their peers would likely notice that he wasn't part of the warmup routine. And even though Michelle did everything in her power to stay in the shadows, part of her wondered what it was like to exist outside of it.

"Hey, you know, I heard our gym teacher has had like, five knee surgeries. Isn't that so weird?" Michelle brought up, nodding over towards where their teacher lead the way. She'd heard it while hiding out in the locker room one day; maybe Jackson knew if there was any truth to the rumour.

[Deleted]

“Ha ha ha, no I don’t, don’t worry about it really,” he assured the girl. It was compulsive and was going to come whether he wanted it or not, whether he needed to or not, so there was no point in worrying about it. Jackson was fine! One-hundred percent fine! Even more now that his mind was occupied by thoughts of ice cream. Maybe he’d get one after school? Yeah, that sounded like a plan, yup, for sure.

Jackson tried to listen and remain engaged, but it was honestly hard to imagine something that he knew nothing about. He smiled. “It sounds great! Very, um…colorful? Ahahaha…” Jackson laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. “I think I’ll have to see it to really be able to appreciate it.” Did that sound too dismissive? He hoped not! “That is…I mean, I’m really looking forward to seeing what you come up with. It’s exciting, ‘cause I don’t know what to expect, really.” Jackson smiled, squinting his eyes with glee. “Thanks a lot, Michelle. I’m sure it’ll turn out great!”

When the hand came to his knee…Jackson couldn’t help but turn completely red. He wasn’t expecting that. And she looked so darn serious! And insistent. How could he refuse a cute face like that? It’d be so inconsiderate and ungentlemanly of him, or at least that’s what his Grams would say. He nodded rapidly, his smile creeping awkwardly up one side of his face. “O-okay…okay, that’s okay. Thanks! It’s…thanks!” Such a small touch just completely burnt out his brain functionalities, how did this sort of thing happen so easily with him? Every single girl…well, not every single girl, but the cute, quiet, sweet ones like this. It was fine, yup, she could stay as long as she wanted! Besides, it really was nice talking to her.

He leaned in slightly when she started up with the random piece of gossip, and his grin grew wider. “You know, I heard about that, except what I heard was that he had 3 surgeries and has a rod or something in his leg.” He pointed slightly towards the gym teacher. “See how he hobbles a little bit on his right side? Kinda like he’s dragging his leg…like a zombie! Uggghhh~” he groaned, holding his arms out slightly like the undead creature he was referencing.

[Michelle Reed]

Already, Michelle's mind was elsewhere with thoughts of colourful string winding together different ideas in her head. She liked to personalize each one, to make it special for her friends that she made them for. Were her and Jackson friends? It was hard to say after one conversation but she hoped that they would talk again. She assumed so since she was making a bracelet for him. Her heart dropped momentarily, but quickly steadied itself out once Jackson corrected what he meant. "Oh, yeah.. that makes sense. It's hard to picture something if you've never done it before." It was how Michelle felt with a lot of things, many of the sports in gym class being one of those. Her cheeks flushed with the compliment. "No problem! I love making bracelets, so I just hope you'll like it."

Oh man, the burn. Her cheeks burned as she pulled her hand back, feeling just as hot as her face. Was that too invasive? Too forward of her? Michelle's breath caught in the back of her throat until Jackson answered, then she released a small sigh of relief. She simply nodded in response, afraid of rambling or saying something embarrassing... again.

The change of topic was necessary. Michelle didn't know how Jackson felt, but she was completely flustered. 120%. Besides, the gossip had been on her mind for awhile but couldn't find anyone to confirm or deny the rumour. Her eyes widened when he mentioned that there was a rod in his leg, her lips curling into a smile that mirrored his own. "Oh wow... you know, I never noticed that before." She commented with a laugh. "Who knows, maybe he is a zombie. A highly functioning one." Who knew, it was a possibility... maybe.

[Deleted]

It was probably too soon to say they were friends, but that’s where Jackson’s mind was going anyway, regardless. He already considered them that. He was quick to consider new people he met as friends. Why, he thought of himself and Ginny as friends after just one meeting as well, back when he helped her not drown in the school swimming pool! Jackson was just…really friendly. And liked having friends. And making new ones. He was a very interactive and talky person, after all. He’d get bored if he didn’t have a friend to bounce his thoughts off of. And he usually did.

And since she was going to be making him a friendship bracelet, that was all the more reason for him to think so! He’d wear it all the time, he was sure(as long as it didn’t make him look too girly, because then he’d be self-conscious). Jackson nodded. “Right, that it,” he said. Oh, good, it seemed she understood. He didn’t now what he was going to do if she had somehow taken offense from his poorly worded statement. “I think I will. Actually, I’m sure I will! It’s something you made, after all.” Geeze, that was cheesy. His face was probably red again from saying that. At this rate, he may never have a normal colored face again!

At least he knew how to take a topic and run with it in a completely different direction. Hallelujah! Saved by the random! Jackson smiled wider seeing her own start to spread. She really was so cute! “Yeah! Like in that one movie, uh…” Which one was it? Jackson had seen quite a few zombie movies, it was hard to keep track of them all. “What’s that one where the zombie sorta fell in love with that one girl? And he was pretty high functioning too, like that! What’s it called?” Way to digress, Jackson. Good job.

[Michelle Reed]

"I just don't want to let you down or anything." Michelle answered with a quick, short laugh. Self depreciating humour was always something she turned to as a way to crack a joke. The colour in her cheeks deepened momentarily as he insisted that he would like it, no matter what. Handmade items did carry a certain sentimentality to it. "Well, now you're just being too nice to me." She told him, shyly looking to her running shoes. Accepting a compliment was a challenge for Michelle.

When the attention and conversation shifted towards the gym teacher, her eyes flickered between him and Jackson. It was fun to laugh and joke around with someone and not have to worry as much about saying the wrong thing or doing something stupid. God knows she did enough of that already; but here he was. Not laughing or making fun of her. Instead, they were able to laugh about the gym teacher and make up a funny scenario. "Oh yeah! I know what movie you're talking about... I think." Michelle mumbled, thinking for a moment. "It has that... guy, the one from Skins, right?"

She paused, scrunching her face in concentration. "Wasn't it something like.. zombies... no, that doesn't sound right."

[Deleted]

Jackson shook his head. “You could never let me down!” he insisted. “Not with something you made just for me!” When will the cheese end? He laughed and looked away. “Maybe I am just being nice,” he said melodramatically. “I’m starting to say some really corny things just to make you agree with me!” Jackson turned back with a smile and proclaimed a quick “How dare you!”, then stuck out his tongue. His little play was finished off with a giggle.

“Right!” Jackson exclaimed with an excited point to the girl beside him “From that….one movie. That guy….” What was it called? “Yeah…zombies….Zombies Alive! Or…something…” That didn’t sound right either. (a/n: it was Warm Bodies) “Hmmm….” Now he was going to be bothered the whole class period wondering what that zombie movie was called. He could play the whole thing in his head, but the title just completely escaped him…

Speaking of class… “Oh, it looks like they’re ready to start,” he said, looking up towards the rest of the class who had just finished with warm-ups. Jackson took a moment to consider how he was feeling. He…should be okay. Didn’t feel like dying, at least. He turned to Michelle. “You ready to go back in?” he asked with an inviting smile.

[Michelle Reed]

As her gaze faltered to her shoes, the smile on Michelle's face widened in response to Jackson's play about being nice to her. One thing was for certain; she appreciated it. She found herself laughing with him. "Well, I mean, as long as it works right?" She added on, eyes crinkling with her smile.

The movie title probably had zombies in it. They were never original anymore. "Mmm." She mused out loud, tapping her chin while thinking. "I'll have to look it up after class. Or else I won't be able to sleep tonight." Maybe they could watch the movie together; that would be fun. Michelle had only ever seen the trailer, which is why she couldn't think of the title.

Pouting momentarily, Michelle turned to face Jackson at the same moment. "Yeah... I mean, as ready as I'll ever be. Can't be too bad right?" She reached down, to tighten her shoelaces before standing up. "As long as you're okay too." Didn't want to force him to head back so soon. Plus, it gave them the excuse to hang out on the bleachers and talk instead.

[Deleted]

When in doubt, make a joke of it! That was always the best way out of an awkward situation. Though granted sometimes Jackson’s jokes just made things even more awkward, but at least he was laughing about it, even if they weren’t. It was for his sake after all. Well, in this case it was for Michelle’s as well. She needed to be okay with people, mainly Jackson, being nice to her.

Jackson might look up the title later himself as well. Or might not, it depended on whether or not he remembered this conversation later. No, he’d remember the conversation, that one took place, but he’d mostly remember the fact that he was talking for about half the class period with a such a sweet, pretty girl, and that basically blotted out all the other details. He did want to do the bracelets thing though. Definitely. Though Michelle might have to remind him of that later too. “Don’t worry so much about it! You need your sleep, a silly zombie movie isn’t worth putting bags under those pretty eyes of yours.” Ack, more cheese. He scratched his head and laughed. He really was just embarrassing himself left and right with this girl, wasn’t he?

At least he wouldn’t have that chance anymore while they were engaged in the physical exercises….or maybe that would make it worse? Nah, sports were what Jackson was good at, he was an old pro! He’d teach her right, yup! Jackson shook his head and smiled. “Nope! Not at all, and if you have any questions, I’ll be right here to answer them.” He nodded. “I’m alright. All better now!” He flexed his arms to demonstrate. “So…let’s go!” he said brightly, then stepped out onto the gymnasium floor to join the rest of the group, looking back to make sure his new friend was following behind.