The Sweet One by Andi Anderson Page A

had planned. He grabbed the tall pile and slid it neatly into his worn, brown leather satchel before he gave his classroom a quick once over.
    Who knew that only fifteen minutes ago his classroom looked like a tornado had run right through it? Now everything was put away in its place. The tables were clean, the pencils and papers were put away, and everything looked almost spotless, until Monday rolled around again.
    Micah slid on his blue jean jacket, grabbed his well-loved satchel, and walked out of his classroom and directly into the cool, autumn air. He quickly made his way to his fifteen year old, faded red Honda CRX and hopped in.
    He put the key in the ignition and cautiously backed out of his parking space. After he slowly drove out of the parking lot, he flipped the radio on and shuffled through the stations until he found a song he liked. Sarah McLachlan's clear voice filled the tiny car with her presence.
    "You are pulled from the wreckage… of your silent reverie. You're in the arms of an Angel, may you find some comfort here."
    A small smile formed on Micah's face. This song reminded him of his own imaginary Angel he used to see as a kid. Whenever he got hurt or had a bad day, his Angel was there. For years, he kept his Angel's presence a secret. His Angel was his best friend and his place of comfort. When times got tough, he started looking for his Angel. He depended on his Angel's soothing presence and quiet support. Once, he tried to talk to his Angel, but the Angel shook his head sadly and disappeared. After that happened Micah stopped trying to verbally communicate with him for fear of scaring his Angel away or making him disappear again.
    Micah hummed along to the song as memories of his Angel washed over him.
    His Angel was the most beautiful man he'd ever seen. He had eyes as blue as the clearest ocean that were brought out by his peaches and cream complexion. His lips were light pink and soft-looking, and when his Angel smiled at him it was like sunshine coming through a cloudy sky. It lit those clear blue eyes up and he seemed to glow from within. He had long, dark hair that fell past his waist in soft waves: a stark contrast to his pure white wings and the gauzy, iridescent robe that clothed his body. Micah had never seen those soft looking wings spread out behind him, but he was sure that if he had, those wings would have easily touched each side of his living room. His Angel was gorgeous, and it made Micah's heart feel light and happy every time he looked into his Angel's handsome face.
    Many times had he longed for his Angel to open up those arms and his lovely wings and offer him physical comfort, but it never happened. His Angel would just hover nearby, quietly, with a serene smile on his beautiful face. Even without any physical comfort, he always made Micah feel loved.

    As he got older, his Angel's appearances became less frequent. The day after he graduated from high school he came out of the closet to his parents. It had been a difficult day, and both his parents had expressed their disappointment and their sadness upon Micah. When Micah had gone to his room to gather his thoughts together, he had never felt more alone in his life. As tears of frustration and despair overwhelmed him, he glanced up and saw his beautiful Angel hovering next to him. His Angel's eyes were filled with a love and compassion that Micah had never felt again since. He felt the warmth of affection in his gaze, and soon Micah was able to relax and fall asleep, feeling loved and accepted.
    When he woke up his Angel was gone.
    He never saw his Angel again.
    Over the next ten years, throughout his heartaches and disappointments, he would look for and hope that his Angel would appear again. It never happened. Micah began to doubt his visions, and he started telling himself it was all a dream or an imaginary friend he had conjured up in his own mind to cope with any negative events that happened to him. He never told a soul