Let My Heart Rest In Pieces

Let My Heart Rest In Pieces 075

Bonding With Mikey

“This teacher is such a bore. I never though Physics could get any more boring than it already was,” Mikey sighed, his head falling to his chest in defeat. I laugh quietly at his own misfortune, though it was a little over dramatic, and continued to copy notes from the board. I had to admit, though, my friend was right. This class had always been somewhat boring, but the nerds would disagree. It didn’t help that our new teacher was as stale as a chip left out overnight.

“Don’t say that out loud, you might offend him.”

“He couldn’t hear me even if I was shouting!”

“Hush!” I giggled, pushing him as he faked falling off the chair. People began to push their notebooks and binders into their backpacks, signaling the end of the period, and my friend and I followed their lead. The collective noise made our teacher look around, then at the circular clock on the wall, though he had to squint to see the time.

“Alright, before you pack up, I’m handing out a study guide packet for your test on Friday. This is worth 70 points, so I wouldn’t try to do it the night before. It’s easier if you all work together and discuss the questions. I’ll collect them at the beginning of the lesson before you take the exam. You’re excused.”

Right after that, the bell started to ring, and everyone grabbed the packet from his hands as quick as possible before dashing out the door. I sighed in annoyance and took my own, leading Mikey out of the room.

“As if I didn’t have other homework to work on, he stacks this on top of everything. I thought Senior year was supposed to be the easiest?”

“It is, when you don’t wait the day before to finish all your homework and do it when you’re supposed to.”

“Okay, whatever Mrs. Goody-Good. Will you at least help me on this so that I don’t spend this whole week on it, please?”

Looking over at the lanky boy, he gave me the puppy eyes through his glasses, even though it wasn’t necessary and I nodded my head.

“I can’t just leave you to fend for yourself, or you’ll be graduating with Frankie next year.”

“No, I refuse to stay here another year! I would rather drop out then stay in this hell hole for 5 years.”

I rolled my eyes at his dramatic-ness and hit his arm. “That’s no way of thinking. Anyway, I have Government, so I’ll see you at lunch. We’ll do the packet at my house. Bye!”

Mikey saluted me and made his way to his next class while I hurried to another part of the school. I happened to make it to class just before the bell rang and had time to zone out because our teacher said he didn’t feel like teaching us today and wanted us to watch a movie. Not like anyone was going to complain about that.

Looking over at the class mates that I had had in Econ, my mind remembered Drake, and how at this point we probably would have done something really silly. I gave a small smile and shook my head. After we had kind of made up after that big fight before he moved, I found myself missing the guy. He had been a better friend than a boyfriend, and I missed the talks we used to have during this class. But now he was gone, and I was down a friend.

I couldn’t complain, however, because I had made more than a handful the day I moved here who had stuck with me through everything. No matter how things changed, no matter who left my life and who came in, I could always rely on that big group to support me in my time of need.

I wasn’t sure why I was thinking about all this right now, especially in a Government class. It might have been my brain trying to entertain me, or maybe I had just used my time wisely to appreciate what I had, but I didn’t mind. Because thinking about all this gave me a grin for the rest of the day, and nothing could really get rid of that.

~~~~~

“He’s been sitting like that for a long time now; I’m kind of worried about his sanity.”

“Do you think he’s finally cracked?”

“I don’t know, it sure looks like it.”

“What brought this on?”

“All I did was mention how spring break was next week and he—“

“Don’t speak those words!” Bert exclaimed, pretty much climbing over the table to smack his hand across Dan’s mouth.

The freckled boy glared at him and pushed his hand away before rubbing at his face. Bert had hit him kind of hard; I could already see the redness starting to form.

“What is your deal with Spring—“

“Don’t you dare say it, or I will hurt you.”

Jepha blinked slowly before continuing with his conversation. “Fine, what is your deal with this vacation?”

“Because every vacation,” he said this with a wince, “I always have to go to Michigan to see my grandparents.”

“Aw, what’s so bad about that?” Taylor questioned, “Old people need love too.”

“Do you know what my parents make me do when I see them?!” he whispered, sounding horrified. With his tone, it sounded like they made him cut off his name and pretend to be a pirate.

When no one asked the dreaded question, he continued on. “They make me—they make me look nice! They style my hair so it’s not Bert hair anymore, I have to shave what facial hair I can grow, they dress my up in the stupidest clothes. It’s horrifying, I tell you!”

“How did I know that this story of terror was going to be stupid?” I sighed, shaking my head. I felt a body scoot in next to me and smiled when I saw it was Frankie.

“Is he complaining about Spring Break again?”

Bert groaned at the words, which made Frank laugh. “That must be a yes.”

Mikey sat down next to Bert and started to pat him on the back, actually looking sincerely sympathetic. “I know how you feel man. My parents make me do the same thing, and they always complain about my long hair.”

“Oh good god!” I moaned, pulling my head in my hands.

“They’re idiots, I know.”

Some minutes passed by, with a little bit of conversation here and there while everyone ate, and soon, Frankie was laying his head on my shoulder and cuddling up to me. I looked down at him with a questioning glance.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

“I’m sleepy, you’re comfortable, you do the math,” he sighed in content, snuggling closer and actually rubbing his nose against a sensitive part of my neck.

"Envy, have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?"

That was when he leaned in and pressed his lips to my shoulder, sending an electric shockwave up my body and forcing a small noise to leave my mouth.

"No, I don't think you've ever told me that," I breathed, voice shaky.

I shivered slightly and closed my eyes tight, remembering a night I loved, but wish I could forget. I pushed the boy away, gently so he didn’t think anything of it, and gave a fake laugh.

“Go lay on someone else, why not your girlfriend?”

“But V, she’s not as comfy as you~!”

We struggled against each other for a little while, with me becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second, until the fight was surprisingly broken up by Mikey, who took Frankie by the ear and hauled him up.

“Ow, ow that hurts!”

“Excuse me, I have to talk to this idiot for a second,” the tall boy said, sounding rather serious, and pulled the boy a little ways from us. No one but myself and Roxy seemed to care where they were going, with everyone continuing with what they were talking about. I strained my ears to try and hear what they were saying, but they were too far away. All I could do was watch.

In the beginning, Mikey seemed like he was kind of angry for some reason, while Frankie thought he had been kidding around. After the older boy had been talking for a little while, they both looked kind of pissed, though I wasn’t at all sure why. Mikey was making some hand motions, but they were unfortunately very vague and didn’t hint to their conversation.

After the two had been over there for close to ten minutes, Mikey decided to end it. He said a final statement, one that seemed to make Frankie fume, and walked back to the table, acting like nothing had really happened.

Frankie did the same thing, sitting next to me but not cuddling like her had before. Hell, he was sitting as far away as he could without actually leaving the bench. I wanted to question what had just happened, but I was smart enough not to, knowing that it would probably start another argument. So the rest of lunch was kind of awkward, and I was thankful to leave the table.

But I still had to wonder what all of that had been about.

~~~~~

The day had finally ended after our Volleyball session, and now all I had left to do was wait for my tall, lanky friend to come out of the locker room so we could walk home together. I had been standing out here for at least ten minutes, humming to myself, and was getting kind of frustrated at how long it was taking him. He was a man boy; weren’t they supposed to get ready fast?

I was attacked at that moment, being tickled by said boy. I squealed in a high pitched voice and spun around to glare at him.

“First you make me wait, then you tickle attack me? Oh, I am so giving you all the wrong answers for that Physics packet.”

“Oh, whatever, you wouldn’t let me fail. You love me too much for that.”

“But it would still serve you right,” I mumbled, starting to walk towards the front of the school so we could get to my home quicker.

“So, what were you humming while you were waiting for me? I haven’t heard that song before,” Mikey asked, making small talk as we walked.

“It’s one of the songs that I’m singing for that special music thing.”

“Special music thing?” he teased.

“Shut up, I forgot the official name. Don’t be mean when you were the one who asked the question.”

“You are so sensitive! Fine, I’m sorry. We’re all invited to this shin dig, right?”

I looked over at him and though it over, remembering how they had acted during the trials part of the contest.

“Only if you all promise to behave and dress nicely. Bert included, even if he doesn’t want to.”

The youngest Way chuckled and nodded his head, looking up at the sky and thinking for a moment.

“To think that this year is almost over, and that we’ll be out of school and into the adult world. It’s kind of… scary.”

Looking over at him, I gave the teen a hug around the waist. “Don’t worry, Envy is here to protect you!”

“Oh yeah, because I am so reassured that a teen girl will take care of me.”

I huffed at him but laughed along with him, and when the conversation died again, I found the courage to ask him about earlier today.

“Hey Mikey, what was going on between you and Frankie at lunch today? You guys seemed kind of mad at each other.”

“That? Frankie was just being stupid today, and he just hit the last straw. I’m his best friend, I have to stop him from doing too many stupid things in a day, or he’ll get in trouble.”

What he was telling me sounded like the truth, it really did, but the way that his body was stiff when he retold the story just made my body think that he was lying to me. I mean, he had no reason to, but I just couldn’t shake that feeling. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard someone calling my name. Looking across the street, I saw a familiar classmate from Physics, Julia, and her best friend Nolan walking together. Mikey and I both waved back at them before continuing on.

“I still can’t believe those two aren’t dating, they’re perfect for each other.”

“It just makes you wish that the two people who obviously belong together would just get together instead of pretending they don’t have any chemistry.”

I looked up at Mikey again, only to see his serious face looking forward. Everything he was saying today just had some kind of strangeness to it, not at all like the silly things he usually said. And I had a feeling he was talking to me.

“Yeah…”