The air was suffocating him. Like every morning when he got up, the window left wide open from the previous night, air rushed in to clog up his insides. Warm air mixing with the smell of flowers and pollen, the sound of children rushing to bus stops. The sounds and smells that seemed to escape into his nostrils and choke the life out of him, pressing down his very being...

"Landon!" His mother's voice carried its way up the stairs and through the oppressive air to his ears. "Hurry up or you'll miss the bus!" His mother sounded alive and awake, like most mornings. His mother was a morning person. Always had been a morning person. Landon was definitely not.

Landon Davis reached over and slammed the window shut, cutting off the annoying gust of warm air that rippled through his brown locks. He mentally cursed himself for leaving the window open again last night. He always left the window open every night, and always woke up cursing himself every morning. It was a tiring cycle that never seemed to end.

Landon quickly pulled on a shirt, hurrying to pull on some shoes. He stumbled down the stairs and gave his mother a quick kiss. "What, you aren't going to eat anything?" She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged. Eating didn't appeal to him in the morning. All it did was slow him down. He was always starving by noon, but he usually didn't think much of it.

"Alright, well, I'm off Mom." He turned to go as she put down her coffee cup, raising her head.
"Wait, Landon - will you do me a favor and go visit your Father after school today"
Father?
Landon paused as his mother continued to speak. "I'll go by during lunch...but...will you go by after school? You haven't been in awhile"
"I know, I know..." He muttered. "I'll go, Mom. After school."

Stepping out into the sun, Landon was met once again with the restricted feeling. Air wasn't supposed to stifle people. It was supposed to help people live, help people breathe...Landon shivered despite the warm sun, then went forward to climb onto the school bus.

"'Bout time! God, Landon, could you be any slower?" Landon raised his eyes to see his best friend, Jonah Smith, staring back at him. Despite his seemingly common last name, Jonah was definitely anything but common. The boys envied him, the girls loved him. Jonah was the aura of perfection. An aura that Landon always strived to be, but also an aura that he never seemed to reach.

Landon rolled his eyes, sitting down across from Jonah, who looked overly excited as usual. "So, then, get this." Jonah paused for dramatic effect, his eyebrows in danger of escaping upwards into his brown hair. "The school fair is being planned, right? So who would be better to perform at the big ol' bash than..." He let his words trail, his mouth spreading into a wide grin. "...than Resolute! Right? Am I right?"

Jonah continued blabbing about his plan for the fair while Landon just watched him, amused. Jonah had this ideal that they would all be famous one day. The next big hit. 'Unrealistic' is what Gideon Ross, his other best friend, always called it. Landon, Jonah, Gideon and Ren Parker, the last of the famous foursome, were all in a band they named Resolute - nothing but a hobby on the weekends that suddenly catapulted into a career opportunity.

"Are you listening?" Jonah sighed at Landon's unresponsive face. "You are so...ah." His eyes slid to the side as the bus stopped at its last stop. A tall blonde girl stepped onto the bus, immediately glaring as her eyes met Jonah's.

"Don't talk to me, Smith. Don't even breathe in my direction." Jonah tilted his head back, looking aghast.

"Why, but Helena, my dear, we're meant to be!" Helena crossed her arms.

"Yeah, me along with the other hundred of girls you harass daily."

Landon started snickering as Helena marched past them, leaving Jonah looking annoyed. "I hate that friggin girl." He muttered. "But she's as hot as hell..." His eyes moved to the back of the bus again, where Helena continued to glare at him.

"Anyway, about my idea...whaddya think?" Jonah turned back to Landon, apprehension clear on his face. "Uhm...I don't know, Jonah..." Landon looked away, frowning a bit.

"It...depends. I haven't been feeling well lately..." Jonah frowned, leaning back in his chair. "The fair is a month away though, right? You'll be fine by then, right?" He titled his head at Landon, who just shrugged, his eyes raising up.

"Yeah, fine...I'll be fine, I guess." He paused, frowning. "Hey, Jonah. Close that damn window, will you?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Greenlake High School rose up almost majestically against the blue background of the sky. The courtyard of the school was filled with the voices of the students coming back day after day for learning...well, mostly for friends. Or just to skip school to go to the movies. Usually not for learning.

In the courtyard, near the fountain, two figures could be seen. Two figures that were often seen together before school - and no good ever came out of it.

"What, not saying anything, freak?" A tall boy with a pierced nose leaned over the small figure of Ren Parker. Ren's own light eyes traveled upwards to look at Lucas Williams' face, clenching his hands tight as his sides. Lucas had always picked on Ren since the beginning of school. Ren was the younger, smaller boy. Lucas was the taller and more popular one. They were bound to have disagreements. It also didn't help that Lucas loved nothing more than to beat the hell out of younger students - just for fun.

"Of course not. Little mute piece of -!" Lucas was suddenly thrown backwards as another tall boy stepped in front of Ren. His green eyes were shielded by glasses that glinted with the sunlight.

"Is there a problem here?" Gideon Ross raised his eyebrows, his eyes glaring down on Lucas.

"Oh, no problem." Lucas brushed off his clothes nervously, and with a final glare at Ren was gone to bother some other lowly freshman.

"You alright, Ren?" Gideon turned to Ren, who merely shrugged. Ren never talked if he didn't have to. He preferred to keep quiet since talking always seemed to get him in trouble with his parents at home. Ren was good at hiding things. He was good at harboring secrets. It's how he survived. Gideon tried his best to protect Ren, but he knew that soon Ren would have to learn to defend himself. Gideon wouldn't be able to protect him forever.

"Oy! Small man!" Ren turned at his nickname as Jonah and Landon rushed up to him and Gideon. "You alright?" Jonah tilted his head at Ren, who nodded. Gideon pushed one hand in his pocket while the other ran through his red hair.

"It was just Lucas, being stupid as usual."

Landon sighed. "Lucas again? I swear, one day..." His voice trailed off as Jonah turned to the group, his eyes sparkling as he explained the idea of Resolute playing at the school fair. Ren scratched his head as Gideon crossed his arms.

"C'mon, guys, work with me here!" Jonah looked at the three boys, exasperated, as the school bell rang in the background.

"We'll talk about it later, alright Jonah?" Gideon gave him a reassuring pat on the back, then turned to rush off to class. Jonah gave a defeated sigh as Ren gave him a small smile and walked off to class as well.. "Losers." He muttered, then turned to Landon. "Consider my idea, alright? It'd be great." He looked so hopeful that Landon had to nod.

"Alright, Jonah, I'll consider. I promise." He couldn't help at returning Jonah's wide smile before he hurried off to class.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The school day ended as it usually did with the normal foursome walking to Gideon's house at the end of school. Ren would walk alongside Gideon, eyes looking upwards at him in slight awe. Gideon walked in an almost fatherly manner, looking down on Ren kindly, glancing forwards to make sure Jonah and Landon were behaving decently. Jonah and Landon walked ahead, horsing around and disturbing the peace. It was how it had always been. How it would always be.

"Assemble, ye lowly band members!" Jonah stumbled into Gideon's basement, grinning as he strode over to his guitar. Gideon rolled his eyes as Landon gave a mock gasp. "Lowly? Excuse me"

"Shut up and sing, Davis." Jonah grinned, teasing him as Ren sat at his place behind the drums, his dirty-blonde hair falling in front of his eyes.

The boys finally got to their places- Ren at the drums, Jonah with his electric guitar, Gideon at the bass guitar, and Landon standing calmly behind the mike. And then Landon knew that this is where they belonged. That Ren didn't belong where he was now, being teased everyday at school and being ignored at home. That Jonah deserved more than the boring things around him. That Gideon truly loved the band, despite his realist issues. That he, Landon, belonged there. Not anywhere else.

Later that night, after band practice, Landon forced himself to go visit him. Him. His father. Breathing in slowly, Landon stepped through the newly mowed grass and paused at the nearby fountain. His breath caught in his chest as he knelt beside the tall monument - the gravestone - the thing he called Father...

"Hey, Dad. What's up?" He ran his fingers across the top of the tombstone, then closed his eyes, feeling the air rushing in again. He sat there, the grass pressed against his palms, the same air stifling him...pulling the very life from him as he sat there, gasping for breath...