[h1][center][color=be8ea6]Emily's Morning[/color][/center][/h1]

A black and red-colored alarm hit 6 am on the dot. Strobe lights flashed on and off, filling the darkened room with pulses of blinding light. It peeked through Emily’s closed eyes causing her to roll over in defiance and try to continue sleeping. The sound drew her mom to open the door, her head peeked. Mrs. Sawyer just sighed at the sight of Emily curled into a ball and invited herself inside. She turned off the alarm before she took a seat on the bed. Her arm shook her daughter’s shoulder.

Emily just flipped around. She narrowed her anger and annoyance on the source, waiting for her mom’s reply. Mrs. Sawyer put her fingers together around her mouth and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened her eyes and pulling her hands apart into two L shapes next to her face. 

[b]Wake up.[/b]

Emily sat up, folding her covers down. She lifted her hands up, making clawed fingers then turned them upside down. She shook them away from her like she was brushing something away. 

[b][color=be8ea6] I don’t want to.[/color][/b] Emily signed back.
[b]First day of school. Don’t be nervous, it will all work out.[/b] 
[b][color=be8ea6]I’m not nervous.[/color][/b] Emily lied in her reply back, her butterflies swarmed in her middle. She wasn’t even sure if she could manage eating today. 

Her mom’s posture fell into disappointment causing Emily to look away. She didn’t like making her mom feel this way, but she was determined to stick to her lie. Her mom once more touched her to redirect her attention. 

[b]Then why do you want to go back to bed?[/b] Her mom asked the hardest question in Emily’s opinion. 
The teenager sighed then began to explain. 

[b][color=be8ea6]I’m scared and worried. What if no one wants to talk to me? What if they ignore me?[/color][/b] Her sign language became quicker and sloppy. Immediately her mom reached to stop Emily’s hands, silencing her in order to speak. 

[b]Too fast. Take a breath and repeat that. Slower.[/b] 

Emily nodded in understanding. She inhaled then exhaled, releasing the earlier butterflies for the moment. She signed again, this time at a better speed. 

[b]Better.[/b] Her mom paused to consider her daughter’s concerns. The answer came in a simple word. 

[b] Myles. He talks to you and doesn’t ignore you. That’s one cute boy down.[/b] 

[b][color=be8ea6] Mom.[/color][/b] Emily gave her mom a look that screamed she was being ridiculous. 

[b] He reminds me of your father at that age, but I’ll drop it.[/b] Her mom gave her a warm smile. She leaned in and kissed Emily on the head, pulling up from her seat on the bed. Her figure turned back one last time. 

[b] Wake up. Get dressed. There are some chocolate waffles waiting for you in the kitchen. Myles will be here soon, so get them before he eats them all. [/b] 

There was a bit of playfulness in the signing causing Emily to snort in laughter. Feeling slightly more positive about the day, she tossed the blankets to the side and rose onto her feet. Her oversized tee shirt draped over her boxers as she went to her closet. It took what could’ve half an hour deciding on her outfit, but she settled on one of her favorites. A pair of form-fitting light blue jeans with black floral stencils on the sides, a light tan spaghetti strap tee shirt with a studded purple heart on the right breast, and laced up canvas shoes. 

Emily looked herself over in the mirror. She didn’t feel like make-up so she went all-natural, her hand snatching her phone on the way out. It was set to vibration and flash rather than sound. Her thumb flicked through the messages as she passed the utility closet and bathroom. When she reached the kitchen, she noticed a text from Myles. 

[color=teal][i]"Good morning, I should be there for breakfast so long as I don’t, you know die or something. Hope we have Waffles!"[/i][/color] This was accompanied by a smiling emoji.

Emily shook her head, texting him back. [i][color=be8ea6] “Only if I don’t eat them all as revenge. Dad’s making both chocolate and blueberry ones so they will be nice and hot when you get here.[/color][/i]

She put her phone away as she entered the dining room. The table had been set with butter, store-bought syrup, few bowls of fruit and whipped cream. Her mother wasn’t much of a traditional syrup and butter type of gal. Emily took a moment to inhale the warm cinnamon scent while she took a seat by the window.
 
A few minutes later, her mother bumped their kitchen door open then strolled out with a plate piled high in each hand. One was blueberries and the other was chocolate chip. She signed for Emily to dig in, but leave a plate for Myles. With a nod, her mother went back into the kitchen to help clean up the mess. 

[hr]

[h1][center][color=teal]Myle’s Morning[/color][/center][/h1]

“There is a House, in New Orleans. They call the rising sun!” The lyrics to Bob Dylan’s version of the classic song were suddenly stopped by a fist slamming down upon an old alarm clock which shone the current time in bright red lights. For many, Four o’clock in the morning was earlier than they’d even consider waking up, especially for the first day of school. But it was a normal routine for fifteen-year-old Myles Pershing, who after a moment of groaning, snaked his way out of the blankets that covered his bed and stood drowsily beside it. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and then gave a large stretch of his body, shaking his limbs and fully waking up.

After a few more moments the boy padded out of his room and into the hallway, the colder air forming goosebumps all over his skin. He rubbed his arms a bit and opened the hallway closet, frowning as he noticed that there were no clean towels and resigned himself to using the one from the previous morning. He made his way into the bathroom and undressed out of his boxers while turning on the water for the shower. He started brushing his teeth as the water got warm and soon the everyday motions were in full swing.

Forty-five minutes later brought Myles back into his room. He was wearing a towel and already had his hair parted to the left as was usual. He dressed quickly, throwing on another pair of boxers and then pulling on a pair of jeans that had a hole in the knee. Unlike so kids, his jeans weren’t bought with such a hole. He had to work for that honor, wear them down until the fabric started protesting. Much like in life, said protests fell on deaf ears and as a final act of resistance decided to just come apart. To match the jeans, the now Sophomore wore a plain white t-shirt that went underneath a dark blue button-up shirt. Upon finishing, Myles gave himself a glance over in the mirror and shrugged. 

It wasn’t going to get any better, and if he looked too bad he was sure that Emily would say something. He gave a smile as he thought about it, standing in her room and having her tsk while trying to iron out any wrinkles she saw. With that thought in his mind, he pulled on his Patriots hoodie and then started getting his school supplies all sorted. They were spread around his room as he had sorted each location to a specific subject. He still didn’t know why he did such a thing, but it did make it easier to move from subject to subject. He was still embarrassed at being so behind in his Freshman year, and thankful he had been given a second chance by his teachers, who passed him even though he toed the line. Even if one condition was that he had to get a tutor in math.

At first, Myles had been hesitant, not knowing how he was going to get along with his tutor, he wasn’t very good in social situations but hoped that since it was a small scale interaction he could work himself through it. He had managed to do such with Rosalyn after all. Luckily for him, Marie was not only really good at Math, but she was also easy to get along with. He wouldn’t truly consider her a ‘friend’ so to speak, but it was someone that he could say he didn’t just ignore.

He finished organizing his backpack and then stood at his door. His mind started racing, making sure he wasn’t forgetting anything and after nodding about six times at the mental checklist he gave a small smirk and grabbed his iconic powder blue earphones which covered his ears. He pulled his hoodie up over his head and clicked a button on his phone which began blaring an orchestral piece that he had recently loaded into his playlist the night prior. Just as he left his foster parents' house he glanced at the microwave and did fully smirk then. Five on the dot, perfect timing.

He made his way over to his bike and unlocked it from the fence. The lock was a recent addition to his routine, seeing as the local gangs seemed to enjoy stealing them and using them in drug deliveries. It made it harder on Law Enforcement because nine times out of ten none of the bikes the mules rode were their own which meant those descriptions couldn’t ever be trusted. And the last thing Myles wanted was trouble with gangs OR Police. He took off our of his drive-way and pointed himself South. He knew the route by heart so he didn’t have to worry about getting lost or making a wrong turn, but as he neared the end of his road which was thick with trees, he had to double-take as he saw a Wolf sitting on his haunches staring at him. Myles skidded to a stop and started turning, but the Wolf instantly stood and disappeared into the forest beyond.

With heart racing, the boy slowed his breathing and made a mental note to call in the wolf sighting to the New Hampshire wildlife officials and started back on his route. His eyes, however, continued to travel to his left, at the treeline. Soon enough he made it to one of the many bridges which separated the Northside from the South. He rode across it and stopped in his usual spot to text Emily, who was no doubt still snoozing.

[color=teal][i]"Good morning, I should be there for breakfast so long as I don’t, you know die or something. Hope we have Waffles!"[/i][/color] 

This was accompanied by a smiling emoji and Myles himself gave a half-smirk. As he went to put his phone away his eye caught on one of his contacts. Aiden (Da QB). Myles’ smirk left him and he wondered what Aidan had been up to during the summer break. He hoped it had been at least decent and Myles made another mental note to check in with him before practice. He was just about to move on when another contact made him frown. ‘Addy Spletzer’. His eyes narrowed and the last interaction he had with the self-styled reporter sprung to his mind.

[center][hider=Flashback Collab with Typical]Closing the door behind her, Addy pursed her lips, her pen tapping irregular bouts of fast and slow on her clipboard. She’d overstepped back there, let slip another question about Emily’s family, but she’d been unable to help it. Almost an hour of going over the girl’s past and Addy couldn’t even ask the questions she actually wanted to ask? It’d been torture, but her inability to sit through with a placid smile had lost her the story. The ‘good cop, bad cop’ game wasn’t one she could play with reporting, but she knew that. She’d just been unlucky this time.

Looking up, she spotted a familiar-looking boy approaching the house. Myles, if she remembered correctly. Well, since Emily wasn’t going to answer her questions, she couldn’t fault Addy for turning to secondary sources.

[color=#B8293B]“Hey, Myles, right?”[/color] she asked, clicking her pen as she walked over. [color=#B8293B]“Emily ever mention her siblings to you?”[/color]

[color=teal]"And from your lips, she drew the Hallelujah.”[/color] 

Myles had his head down, hands stuffed into a New England Patriots hoodie as he softly sang the words to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. He didn’t need to see, having nailed down the route to Emily’s house a few weeks ago. This let him walk with his usual downward stare, letting most people just ignore him. But today, it seemed that such a thing wouldn’t happen. He almost walked right into Addy and looked up right in time to stop himself. He caught her mouth moving and sighed as he took out his phone and turned the volume down. He forced a quick half-smile and his eyes darted up to look at the girl for a moment as he spoke before the azure gaze quickly darted away and down again.

[color=teal]"Sorry, didn’t see you there. What was that you were saying, Mr. Cohen, was turned up slightly too loud.”[/color]

Addy squinted at the boy. Was that sarcasm? He wouldn’t dare try and brush her off. So, relaxing slightly, she planted herself in front of him with a thin smile.

[color=#B8293B]“I was saying, I’d like to ask you a few questions about Emily’s siblings. Have you met any of them? Can you tell me about them?”[/color]

Within an instant, a few emotions flickered in Myles’ expression. First, it was surprise, followed by frustration, and then acknowledgment and the boy gave a sigh as he removed his earphones and let them hook around his neck. He frowned a bit but did raise his eyes to not appear rude. He wouldn’t keep said eye contact for long, but enough to hold her gaze while he spoke back to her. 

[color=teal]"Would you believe me if I told you that I never asked about it?”[/color]

Addy stared at him for a second, her smile frozen. The little twat. [color=#B8293B]“Why should I believe that?”[/color]

With another sigh, Myles shifted from his left foot to his right. 

[color=teal]"Because sometimes the past should stay in the past. Do you ever think that by digging into it and bringing it out into the light that you’re [i]hurting[/i] people? The past can be rough for anyone, and they just try to shove past it as best they can and focus on the future because they can make that better.”[/color] 

His face morphed into a frown as he finished and he unconsciously rubbed his right arm with his left hand which then carded through his hair.

Tipping her head, Addy considered the kid’s words. He was attempting to make some general, profound-sounding statement about the past, but all Addy could see was how uncomfortable he was. The question, though, was whether he bothered by her presence or her questions.

[color=#B8293B]“You have a past then?”[/color] she asked.

She was fishing right now, but the kid looked fishable. Like she could hook and sink him.

This was why he hated those with a notepad and pen. He gave a soft chuckle, his lips barely twinging upwards and his eyes gave a half roll. [color=teal]“Well I am human, and humans have a standard of time that consists of a past, a present, and a future so if we look at it logically I have a past, as does everyone that exists. Look, even if I did know anything about Emily’s siblings, which I don’t, I wouldn’t tell you. It’s not my story to tell, it’s hers and if she doesn’t want you taking her words and twisting them to write a story for the school paper, then more power to her.”[/color] He knew that he painted a target on his back with that statement, but if it kept Addy from going after Emily than it was worth it.

Addy considered the kid with narrowed eyes. He was telling the truth, as far as she could tell, but not the entire truth. Not about his past, at least—he’d deflected there. But his cocky mannerisms hinted at some sort of foul play. He was baiting her. And, because the story mill was running dry this close to summer, she was going to have to let him.
A buzz from her phone drew her attention and checking it prompted her to look up at the Mercedes parked at the curb. From the open passenger seat window, Clarence waved at her.

[color=#B8293B]“Well, Myles, this was fun, and we are by no means done, got that?”[/color] she said, slipping her clipboard and pen into her tote. [color=#B8293B]“I’ll see you later.”[/color]

Off she went towards the car, her schedule in her mind’s eye. There was a lot of research to do tonight, but she had options. Finding a better story, for one. Not every story required so much work for so little gain.
Myles watched her go hesitantly, he wasn’t sure if his deflection truly caught her attention but figured he’d just have to wait and see how things went. He sighed and decided to keep his earphones off as he turned and knocked on the door to Emily’s home. His thoughts were filled with all the worst-case scenarios that could come from Addy snooping around and fought off a groan even as the door opened to let him inside…[/hider][/center]

With a groan that matched the one, he gave that day he clicked his phone back to his music and clicked play before he tucked it into his hoodie pocket and pedaled off towards Emily’s house. His mind was filled with thoughts once again on what Addy was going to end up doing, or whether she had done any digging during the summer months.

He ended up making decent timing, pulling into Emily’s driveway at six-fifteen. He would have been there before but had stopped and helped Mrs. Berns with some shop supplies she was bringing in. He propped his bike against the garage, not bothering to lock it now that he was safely in the Southside of the town. He placed his helmet on the handle-bars and then removed the hood from his head, sending his hair into a tousled mess. He didn’t seem to care however and made his way to the door. He gave two knocks, waited, and then a third. It was ‘his’ usual knock so the family would know it was him. For good measure, he also rang the doorbell.

From the corner of her eyes, Emily had caught her father walking out of the kitchen. He disappeared into the small hallway leading into the foyer. She scrunched up her expression until she spotted the strobe lights flashing that indicates someone was at the door. Curious to see if Myles arrived or someone else, she pushed her chair out. She left her one-third eaten waffles behind as she followed her dad. Her form stopped just short and leaned against the wall adjacent to the den’s entrance. She stood there watching the two converse until someone noticed her. 

“Myles, you’re later than usual. Everything all right?” Her father asked without sign language. His hand gestured the younger boy in while he stepped to the side, closing the door behind Myles. 
 
[color=teal]” Oh yes Sir, Mr. Sawyer. I was helping Mrs. Bern with some boxes and got distracted by the sunrise. It was quite a sight today.”[/color] 

He found himself smiling past the man and spotted Emily watching from the wall and his half-smirk grew to a full one. It was strange, he didn’t like to smile and for the most part never did, sticking to sideways and half-smiles that never reaches his eyes. But Emily was an exception, though others were growing on him at the school. 

As the door closed behind him Myles couldn’t help but feel truly welcomed to the home. It had taken a while but he was starting to feel like part of the family, or at least, not a stranger. He followed along behind the man who was leading them towards the kitchen and gently nudged Emily as he passed. He brought his hands up and signed over to her. 

[color=teal]Morning, everything ok?[/color]

Emily’s father accepted his answer and began to pull back to the dining room, leaving the two to talk. She nodded then spoke with her hands.
 
[b][color=be8ea6] I’m just happy to see you. Come on, or I’m going to finish the waffles myself.[/color][/b] 

She increased her smile as she gestured for him to follow her.

And follow along Myles did, the familiar hallway leading into the kitchen where he could smell the residual cooking. He kept moving until they came to the dining room and Myles gave a half-smile to Mrs. Sawyer, inclining his head respectfully. 

[color=teal]” Good morning Mrs. Sawyer, thank you for inviting me for breakfast, and for the ride to school.”[/color] 

He didn’t hover too long in a standing position as his eyes had gone straight to the waffles that sat upon the table. He slid into his regular spot and tried not to look like a starving child. 

He waited until Emily sat and got situated and then hesitated, the old familiar ‘should I just grab a waffle?’ hitting his brain. He didn’t want to assume and didn’t want to seem too familiar to the family so they took offense. He shot a ‘help me’ look to Emily and shifted in his chair.

Emily had started to dig in until she felt Myles look at her. She paused and glanced at him, her lips frowned. She quickly signed. 

[b][color=be8ea6] Really? You’ve been here long enough, you might as well be family. Grab a few waffles and toppings.[/color][/b] 

She shook her head as she returned to finish her four waffles. 

Myles gave a nod, accepting the words with a shrug. He started digging in happily, filling his plate with quite a good many waffles before starting to pour syrup on top. He didn’t use too much however, not wanting to drown the flavour of the well-made breakfast. He started eating voraciously, yet still politely, keeping track of any conversations and nodding when applicable. After the fifth? Sixth? Hard to count, he stopped and leaned back with a grateful nod.

[color=teal]Amazing as always, thank you![/color] He wasn’t sure which parent had cooked this time, and as such looked to either of them.

Emily’s mom looked pleased as she began to clean the platters which held the food earlier. She signed with one hand. 

[b] At least we don’t need to make room in the fridge.[/b] 

Emily snorted again with her odd laugh. It made her mother happy as she added, [b] Get your bag, I’ll be out shortly. Father is going to pick you two up after school.[/b] 

Even after her mom mentioned it, her father had already started to head to his bedroom for a long-overdue nap. Emily pushed out from the table to rush over to him and sign him a good night. It was enough to make his tired expression curl into a warming one. 

[b] You have a good day at school.[/b] He signed back then disappeared into the hallway. 

Emily turned to Myles then signed a question, [b][color=be8ea6] Did you put your bike into the garage?[/color][/b] 

Myles felt his cheeks burning just a bit at the jest, catching the tail end of it, but decided to take it as a compliment. He watched as Mr. Sawyer headed off for his room and was reminded that the man would likely be napping for most of the morning. He felt his lips tug upwards as Emily and her father interacted and then had it disappear before darker thoughts clouded the wholesome moment. 

As such, his face was neutral when she turned to him and he shook his head.

 [color=teal]Was way to hungry, I figured I’d do it before we left.[/color]

 He was getting quite good at sign language, though he was far from an expert. He kept his motions slow and consistent while still mouthing the words as well. 

She nodded. 

[b][color=be8ea6] I’ll grab my bag and necklace, then meet you outside.[/color][/b] Emily moved for her bedroom. 

Myles returned the nod and headed outside, snagging his own backpack which he had deposited beside the door when he entered. He walked the ‘vehicle’ into the garage and leaned it against the wall before slipping the lock around the body. He gave a nod and waited beside the car for Emily and her mom. He would occasionally kick at the ground a bit, and resisted the urge to turn his music on.

Emily came through the door and stepped down the porch steps onto the sidewalk. Her fingers fiddled with a senior ring dangling about her neck for a moment. A habit to assure her it was there. Her bag was a common, plain backpack with patches on the front and keyrings hanging off the sides. The car was sitting out in the driveway waiting for them. She signed for him to head into the left side while she went into the right. 

When they situated into their seats, her mom opened the door and popped into the driver’s side. She glanced into the rearview mirror then signed. 

[b] Everyone buckled up?[/b] 

Emily Exggerated  her eye roll so Myles could easily see it. She reached for her own seat belt and secured it in place. Mrs. Sawyer glanced at Myles, seeing him already buckled in, then turned on the ignition. The car began to pull out. 

It was a habit by that point for Myles to simple buckle in the second he was in his seat, he gave a genuine wide grin as he caught Emily rolling her eyes at him and just shrugged. He nodded into the rearview mirror as he noticed Mrs. Sawyer asking if they were belted in and then removed his phone. He started a simple playlist, something peppy to prepare him for the day to come, and he placed the phone on the seat right beside him in case Emily wanted to feel the vibrations from it. 

Other than the music, the thirty-some minute ride went quickly and before Myles knew it they were pulling into the schools drop off zone. He glanced over to Emily to make sure she knew they were here and then signed to Mrs. Sawyer. [color=teal]Thanks for the ride again. I’ll make sure Emily gets to class ok. And if anything happens I have your number.[/color] He was sure he had messed up at least part of that but was sure that Mrs. Sawyer knew what he was saying.

Mrs. Sawyer nodded and signed for them to have a good day. When they finally exited, she drove off and headed to work.