𝑷𝑯𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑵𝑰𝑪 // Michael Afton x Reader//

||1||

There was something amazing about capturing a moment inside a picture. You were able to freeze time; imprison the happiness, emotions, and movements everybody displayed at that particular moment. If done right, you could even convey a story through a singular, small photo. It was incredible.

Despite this, the first half of Photography class was always boring to me. It was filled with Mr. Walter's pep talks and borderline hippie speeches about the art of photography. It was all perfectly useful stuff, but it was displayed and taught in such an uninteresting way. The real fun started when he gave us our assignment. We were given fifteen minutes to "embrace our creativity" as he put it; we could go out in the hall and find something to photograph now or ponder what we could possibly do with the prompt he gave us.

"Alright, class," Mr. Watson said in a loud, affirmative tone, snapping me from my thoughts. "The assignment today is..." He grabbed the stick of chalk and scribbled 'expression' on the board. The students burst out into mummers, all voicing their opinions on the subject to their nearby friends. I stared at the board, mind drawing conclusions, options and opportunities flying through my brain.

"Okay, okay. Settle down, class. Now, this prompt can be interpreted in many different ways which is why I chose it today. I want to see what you think when you see the word expression," His eyes scanned the class. "Now, per usual, you have fifteen minutes. Use it wisely. Looking at you Marissa and Kalee. No gossiping, Kapeesh?" The two girls, dressed in crop tops and high-rise jeans, giggled.

Many students stood up with their cameras and went out into the halls while others stayed at their desks and pondered what they were going to do. I was among the students who stayed, thoughts rolling around in my mind. Thousands of ideas flooded my brain, but only a few actually stuck. I was deep in thought when a beautiful, black-haired girl skipped up to my table, tapping on the hardwood surface.

"Yoo Hoo! Is (Y/N) in there? I would like to speak to her?" Luna teased with her charming smile, bending down so her face was lopsided in front of mine, her green plaid skirt riding up her thigh ever-so-slightly. Many boys stopped to stare before going back to what they were doing.

I let out a huff. "Sorry, she can't talk right now. Leave a message and she'll get back to you as soon as she can." Luna chuckled and I cracked a smile at the sound. She righted herself, silky black hair falling elegantly over her shoulders.

"Aw, well that's too bad. I was just about to ask her to join me out in the hall, but I guess I'll have to go all alone then. A real shame, huh?" She teased. I shook my head with a smile, standing up to join her as she walked toward the classroom door.

Luna Davidson; crowned one of the most popular and prettiest girls in the school. She was a sweet, delicate, and intelligent girl with rich and well-known parents – Mister and Missus Davidson; strict, uptight accountants. They lived in a nice, big house (as big as you can get in Hurricane, Utah) along the rocky mountains at the edge of our town. She was expected to get straight A's, and she delivered. Star student; class example; teacher's pet. It was a wonder that we were friends.

I, in contrast to Luna, was very unknown when it came to the social circle. I didn't know many people, and I was happy with that. The only two people I would consider my friends in this school are Luna and Alex - a tomboy-ish girl who didn't speak much. Luna had a large group of friends, and while I knew them, I didn't make an effort to be friends with them. They were mostly stuck-up, preppy, popular girls who, before befriending Luna, would bully and trash-talk me as I passed them in the halls.

Luna and I laughed as we walked down the empty corridors, discussing insignificant matters such as our outfits or how odd a certain classmate looked in Luna's first class of the day. "Oh, here it is!" Luna exclaimed, coming to a sudden stop in front of a bulletin board the school used to announce events that no one paid attention to.