Complicated You; Sophisticated Me

Mika went downstairs, carrying a basket of fruits, to the owner of the apartment’s place. Mrs. Cordelia was an old granny who took her in when she’d found Mika sitting on the pavement under the rain.

At first, she didn’t like the idea of being helped by someone, but eventually accepted it anyway. Mrs. Cordelia has been the closest person to her ever since.

“Granny,” Mika called monotonously as she knocked.

She heard something rumbling inside. Granny was a klutz, after all.

The doorknob clicked open and revealed a boy she knew from school: Dylan Sparks.

Ah, one of the jerks at school, she mused.

“Mikayla?” Dylan’s eyes widened.

I don’t have time for this.

Mika quickly pushed the basket to Dylan, “Give this to Gran.”

And with that she walked away.

~

Was that really Mika?

Dylan was positive that it was her. She had the same eye color, same hair style, same everything!

But… there was something in her eyes that made him wonder. Something like sadness and pain.

Or maybe he was just imagining it.

He shut the door and turned to his grandmother, “Gran, someone gave you fruits.”

Gran smiled as she sat on the rocking chair, “Ah, it must be Mika,”

Dylan raised an eyebrow after he’d set the basket on the table. “Does she do that often—bring you fruits, I mean?”

“Yes, she does. She is a very kind girl, even though people think otherwise.” Gran said. “She doesn’t really express herself, though.”

Dylan smiled to himself.

He had enough time to kill anyway, so why not make it productive?

His mission: make Mikayla Trace smile again.

Just something to do to kill the time, he thought.

“I’m going out, Gran,” Dylan said.

~

The grocery store was packed with loud crowds.

Mika reached for a neatly folded paper inside her skirt pocket. It was a check-boxed list of the things she needed to buy.

She walked over to where the baskets and carts were. She took a basket and started for the fruits section.

Granny likes Fuji apples… I should buy her one.

Mika went to the apple stand and grabbed a plastic consisting six of them. Then she went to buy her daily needs: toothbrush, shampoo, soap, and other necessities.

She scanned the imported products around her, and just as she was about to make a turn, she bumped into something—someone—hard.

“Sorry,” she muttered almost indistinctly.

“There you are!”

Mika looked up to see a brown-haired creature with ash eyes, flashing his ridiculously wide grin at her. He was wearing a white shirt and denim black knee-length shorts that made him look like a model or something.

Him again, her eyes bored into his. Dylan Sparks.

“I’ve been looking all over the store for you,” he said.

“What do you want?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

Dylan gave off an amused chuckle. “Pretty harsh, huh?”

Mika decided not to waste her breath on such a foolish thing. She brushed past him. Dylan was obviously tailing behind her.

“You like Oreos?” he commented when she threw a pack into her blue market basket. “Me too!”

Mika rolled her eyes. What was this person up to anyway? Why was he even following her right now?

Oh, right. It’s because he had nothing better to do.

“Do you usually follow people you don’t know like a dog?” Mika asked monotonously, checking the details of an ironing spray out.

“Do you usually speak like that?” Dylan asked back with an amused smile.

Mika decided to ignore him.

“Hey,” Dylan called.

Mika looked at her checklist again. All of the items were checked.

“Heyyyyy.”

She approached the counter.

“HEY!”

Mika sighed and looked over at her shoulder, “What do you want now?”

“Buy me a Pocky,” he beamed like a kid, holding a red box of sticks with chocolate.

She raised an eyebrow, “You’re insane.”

Dylan pleaded, “I’ll pay you back later, promise.”

Mika looked at him incredulously before she allowed Dylan to take the Pocky thing to the cashier.

“Haven’t you tasted Pocky before?” Dylan asked soon after they’d exited the grocery store.

“I don’t intend to taste something you eat,” she replied tediously.

He insisted that Mika should take one, “Come on, you know you want to taste this stick of extremely heavenly chocolatey goodness.”

Mika ignored him until they were back at the apartment building.

~

“I see you guys already know each other,” Gran smiled when Mika and Dylan entered her room.

Mika placed the plastic of apples on the kitchen counter, “We don’t.”

“Stingy,” Dylan murmured.

“I’ll be going ahead, Gran,” Mika nodded her head slightly at her before she turned to the door and went out.

“Do you like her, Dylan?” Gran asked shortly after the door shut behind Mika.

“I don’t dislike her,” he replied with a smile playing on his lips. “But I guess you could say that she intrigues me.”

Gran closed her eyes and chuckled lowly, “Well, isn’t that interesting?”

~

Mika plopped down into her bed, eyes lingering on the white ceiling.

Dealing with a single moron had drained all her energy away in a snap of a finger. She turned restlessly here and there before she felt drowsiness.

Loud knocks made her eyes snap open and almost made her heart jump.

Mika shuffled towards the door and slightly opened it.

Don’t even guess the obvious.

Before Mika was able to slam the door to his face, Dylan leaned and blocked it with his arms. He smiled stupidly again, “Hi.”

“Go bother someone else.”

“I don’t want anyone else.”

Mika glared at him.

Dylan just smiled and ignored the sparks she was lashing at him, “Let me in?”

She figured that this pitiful creature would not budge until he gets his way, so she stepped aside reluctantly.

Dylan walked in.

“Very neat,” he commented.

“Are you satisfied now? Please leave,”

Too late. He had already made himself comfortable on a soft, black bean bag.

“I’m telling you to leave,” she continued.

He grinned seductively, “Only if you smile for me.”

Mika was slightly taken-aback. No one had ever asked her to do such a thing since... since she started to change.

She recovered shortly and regained her balance, “I don’t smile.”

Dylan slowly hoisted himself up from his seat and challenged her, “Oh, really?”

He started walking towards her.

“Leave me alone.”

He stood in front of her now, towering over her just because he was a little taller. Mika looked sternly at his amused gray irises.

Long lashes, ear piercing…girly features, she noted. He must be a homo.

Dylan bent forward, their faces were inches away. Mika didn’t flinch.

“What are you doing, you homo?” Mika demanded, emphasizing the word intentionally.

He cocked an eyebrow, “Homo?” His lips curled into a quizzical smile. “Say that one more time, come on."

“You’re a homo. An insane, obnoxious ho—“

Dylan closed the distance between their lips. After several heartbeats, he pulled away. “Call me homo one more time and I won't just be satisfied with a kiss.”

Mika just stared back at him like nothing happened. It amused him even more.

He looked like a light bulb just lit on top of his head.

“Ok,” Dylan started shortly. “From now on, you’re my girlfriend,” he declared without asking her opinion. He waited for her reaction.

He really is crazy. “You really are as crazy as shit.”

“Let’s get along now from now on,” he flashed her a seductive smile that could make any girl swoon.

Which obviously did not affect Mika.

“Asshole,” she mumbled to herself.