I collapsed on my bed with a smile on my face. He'd seen it. The drawings, he'd seen them. He knows. And... he doesn't hate me! He doesn't think I'm weird and... more importantly? I might have a chance. Sighing, I rolled onto my stomach and sighed, drawing in my sketchbook. Then I looked out the window. The woods. Grinning, I jumped up from my bed, laced up my boots and searched for a corset. Simple and black, but complimented my dress. I couldn't figure out if I was trying to impress him or myself... Either way, I grabbed my sketchbook and headed outside. If there was one time I was glad my mother was never home, it was this. I ran to the woods, excited for a chance to see him again. Even though I had just seen him in school... Caden found a grassy spot across from me and leaned against an old oak tree, closing his eyes. "It's so peaceful here..." "It really is..." I say, sketching in my book. Caden opened his eyes and cocked his head. "Whatcha drawing?" he asked goofily. I decided to be honest, "You." Caden sat up a bit straighter. "Oh, cool...do you need me to pose or something?" He pulled a few over-dramatic Renaissance poses, grinning like a total dork. I focused on my sketchbook, trying not to blush or laugh. I didn't succeed in either. Laughing, I said, "Wow, where'd you learn those?" "Aunt Jenny really likes art museums and sometimes I like to mimic the poses from the different paintings. Just kind of a weird hobby of mine." I grin, "I think it's perfect...ly normal!" I said, cringing at the awful recover. "NOTHING is normal about me!" he responded, shaking his head and laughing. I simply smiled and finished the sketch. "So... what do you think?" I asked, showing him. "Very nice!" he paused for a second. "Whoa...is my chin seriously that square?!" he asked, still grinning. I pretended to think hard about it, "Eh, you never know." I said, grinning as well. "My turn!" He pulled his sketchpad into his lap and started drawing without waiting for an answer. I instinctively tucked my hair behind my ear and tried to focus on something as to not blush too hard. "So... what do you think of the band?" He didn't look up. "It's pretty rad. Did you hear what they named it?" "I.. wasn't paying too much attention. Honestly, my friend dragged me into this." He nodded knowingly. "I feel you. They named it 'Off-switch Reboot.' Not exactly sure what it's supposed to mean but it sure sounds cool." "It does sound cool. Though she quite literally dragged me- Although I did do the same..." Caden didn't answer. He was staring at the roses, looking miserable. I got up from the rock, and sat next to him, "Hey what's wrong?" He shook himself and flinched a little. "Oh, sorry...nothing." I didn't want to push him, but he really did look miserable. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" "I...I don't even know anymore...," he whispered, his voice starting to break. "Hey, it's okay, you can tell me. It's not okay to bottle it up inside..." I said, wrapping my arm around him. He bit his lip. "But that's what I've always done," I heard him say under his breath. He looked over at me. "Just...something my Uncle said. Still trying to figure it all out." "Well... We can figure it out together." I felt myself blush, "If you want to, of course." "Actually...yeah, that'd be really nice..." I gained back some of my confidence, "Alright. Spill!" I said, trying to bring some of the good mood from earlier back sounding like Jordan in the process. Caden chuckled half-heartedly. "My Uncle James said something really weird about my parents...something about how they died..," he explained, a grave shadow passing over his face again. All of the positivity seemed to be drained out of me, "Oh I... I didn't know... I didn't realize..." "Oh, right, sorry...guess I didn't tell you about my parents..." I shook my head, "No... I... I'm so sorry. I know how hard it is to lose a parent, are you really okay?" Caden chuckled ruefully. "I don't really know what 'ok' is anymore...But, it's nice to have someone to relate to." "It really is." I said as memories came flooding back. "I was heartbroken when my dad was... yeah. But to lose both my parents? I... don't think I would still be here." I said, absentmindedly tracing my finger along his arm. "Can I ask what happened to your dad?" He asked quietly, touching my hand. "I... he... it was an accident." I finally say. Caden nodded in understanding. "My mom had this saying she'd always tell me when I was feeling anxious or whatever. She'd say: 'Sometimes, when you're feeling down, all you gotta do is defy gravity.' I always thought it was silly when I was younger but...it's kinda the only thing I have to hold onto now." I leaned toward him a bit and rested my head on his shoulder, "Defy gravity..." Caden rested his hand gently on my back, staring off at the setting sun. Hm. Defy gravity..? I smiled, alright.
