Telescope Eyes

Micah twirled the bracelet on her wrist nervously, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she looked into the mirror. She took one of her blonde curls and twirled it around her fingertips stretching out the bouncy wave.

“Micah Marie, if you do not stop touching your hair it will fall out,” her mother instructed her annoyed. “I did not spend a half hour helping you to do your hair so that you could pull it all out.”

“Sorry,” Micah said simply, enlacing her hands and letting them fall to her sides.

She was nervous.

No, nervous didn’t even cover it. She had been going to her high school for one solid month now, hanging out with John and Eric for one month now, and here she was: going out on her first date.

Sure, boys had liked her in Vegas, but no one had ever asked her out on a double date before. She had just turned fourteen years old and her mother decided she was finally old enough to be going out with a boy—as long as it was a double.

Her mom was way stricter than other parents were. Most kids here age were already staying the night at their ‘significant other’s’ houses, but not Micah. No, she was barely going out on her first date. She had held one boy’s hand: Trevor Bacardi in the third grade, and she had been kissed on the cheek, but she had no real experience with boys.

But now here she was, having her mother curl her hair and teach her how to apply her make up as to impress the boy who was scheduled to arrive in less than ten minutes, and she was completely terrified.

“Okay, now look at me.”

Micah turned and faced her mother’s tired eyes. They had been that way for the past month that they had been learning to live without her dad. It was hard on Micah, but it was even harder on her mom. Her mom was the one who had to wake up in the middle of the night and soothe Daniel because he was crying for daddy. She was the one who had to take over the ‘manly’ jobs Micah’s father would do. She was the one who had lost her husband of seventeen years.

“Micah, you look beautiful dear,” her mother whispered, tears clouding her eyes.

She chuckled softly before pulling her mom into a hug, “Don’t cry, mama.”

“Y-you’re just growing up so fast darling, you’re such a beautiful young lady now.”

“That’s all thanks to you, Mom,” Micah smiled, kissing her mother’s cheek.

The doorbell ringing tore the two from their embrace as her mother squealed and Micah’s stomach dropped. This was it; he was here.

Micah fixed her tank top and applied a coat on lip gloss to her lips before walking down her home’s stairs and to the front door. She placed her hand on the brass handle before opening the door slowly, exposing the heat to her cool skin.

She smiled as the boy on the other side of the door rocked back and forth nervously with his hands in his pockets. His skinny jeans were hanging tight on his hips and his oversized ‘Hurley’ t shirt was covering his scrawny torso. He had obviously run a brush through his short brown hair and his green eyes showed his nerves.

“H-hey, Micah, you, you look beautiful,” he stammered softly.

She giggled gently trying to hide the blush on her cheeks, “You look very handsome as well, Eric.”

Micah watched as his cheeks turned red before his eyes went wide, looking behind her. His back straightened up instantly and he held his hand out formally, “You must be Mrs. Crosby, it’s very nice to meet you.”

Her mother laughed knowingly, shaking Eric’s hand, “You must be Halvo. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Micah blushed before whispering a soft ‘mom’. She looked up at Eric’s smirk before rolling her eyes with a laugh. “We’re leaving now, mom. I’ll see you when I get home.”

“Be safe, love you!” Her mom chuckled before shutting the door behind the two preteens.

Micah smiled at Eric before he led her to a pickup truck that was parked in front of her lawn. He opened the door for her and shut it behind before climbing into the driver’s seat next to her. He placed the keys in the ignition before smiling at her once more and beginning the drive to the zoo.

“John is going to meet us there with his date,” Eric grinned, looking over his shoulder and making a left turn into a busy intersection.

Micah nodded her head as she stared out the window at the passing buildings. Phoenix as a whole was huge, sure she was used to it from Vegas, but it was still just so much—larger. There were so many suburbs that made up the entire city whereas Vegas only had two major ones. It was such a mystery to her.

“I didn’t know you had your license,” Micah commented as Eric merged onto the freeway.

His face went pale before he looked at her nervously, “I-I don’t actually. I only have a permit, but my parents let me drive anyways.”

Micah’s eyes widened, “Can’t we get arrested for this or something?”

Halvo laughed, but continued to drive, “Probably but we won’t. Trust me okay?”

She nodded her head nervously. She had never been one to break the law but she wanted to impress Eric and running home to her mommy wouldn’t be the way to do that.

“Have you been driving for a long time?” Micah asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

Eric nodded his head vigorously, “Yeah, my grandparent’s have some farm land about an hour or two away from here in Flagstaff and I grew up driving tractors and stuff. I’ve been driving for about five years or so.”

Micah’s nerves relaxed and she sat down farther in the seat, “Okay good.”

Halvo laughed, peeking at her from the corner of his eye, “I wouldn’t hurt you, Micah. I’m not that kind of guy, I promise.”

Micah smiled, knowing that the words he spoke were true.

And they always had been.

*

Micah leaned her back against the wooded railing of the bridge outside the Phoenix Zoo as Eric spoke angrily on his phone. She looked at the turtles that floated around on the water, lining up on logs to bake under the hot sun. A slight breeze rolled across her skin, making Goosebumps appear on her bare shoulders.

She felt Eric lean against her and she listened to his soft sigh, “John said they’ll be here in about ten more minutes. Of course he’s late…I’m sorry about this, Micah.”

She chuckled softly, “Eric its fine.”

“No, it isn’t! He’s making me look bad on our first date. I knew I should have just gone and picked him up,” Halvo mumbled all at once running a hand through his hair.

Micah smiled and placed her hand on his arm, forcing him to look at her, “This isn’t ruining anything Eric, I’m already having a good time with you. Besides, now we can look at the turtles!”

Halvo smiled out of relief before facing the lake below them, pointing at a small turtle that seemed as if he was racing with another. “My bet is on the one who is already winning!” He laughed.

“Fine, I like the underdogs anyways!” Micah laughed, cheering on the other one, the one who was lagging behind by a long ways.

They laughed as their race came to the end and Micah’s underdog turtle came out to win. She threw her hands up in the air and cheered, laughing as Eric pouted. She smiled at him and he glared at her playfully, “The underdog always wins.”

“Whatever,” Eric mumbled softly, his lips in a cute pout.

Micah bit her lip as she smiled at him, lowering her eyelashes before looking away. She watched as an all too familiar boy approached them with his hand in a girl’s. Micah tried to tell herself she wasn’t jealous—but she was. She may have had a small crush on John O’Callaghan…but it was harmless.

“Hey Crosby,” John smiled, releasing the brunette he was with hand and pulling her into a tight hug.

She smiled as she inhaled his scent, “Hey John.”

“What up fag?” He laughed, punching his best friend in the arm.

“Not much, just waiting for your late ass to get here,” Eric returned with an annoyed eye roll. Micah laughed softly at Eric. He was cute when he was mad.

Micah looked at the girl who was standing with John with envy running through her bones. She was beautiful; she had long, dark chestnut brown hair and shining blue eyes. She was thin and tall, but still had amazing curves. The girl was pretty enough to be a model.

“Guys, this is Addison,” John said with a small smile on his lips as he gestured to the girl.

Addison smiled nervously and stuck out her hand to Micah and Eric. They made small talk for a few moments before heading to the entrance of the zoo. Eric paid for Micah, like a gentlemen before they entered. There were signs indicating which animals were where and they all argued on which way they should go first.

“I wanna see the ephalants!” Eric whined like a child, causing Micah to laugh.

John shook his head ‘no’ and crossed his arms, pouting his lips to Addison, “No! We have to go see the giraffes first.”

Addison and Micah shook their heads at their dates before making an executive decision to ignore their date’s pouts and go pet the sting rays. They all walked around the zoo, each couple taking their separate ways through the same area, joining back up whenever they were done with a section.

To say that Eric was adorable was an understatement. He made faces at the animals and cooed at them in order to get their attention so Micah could snap their photos, he even paused and asked a couple nearby to take a picture of them on their first date so that she could show her mother. He was so considerate to her.

Micah smiled as her feet dragged up a hill that was covered in red sand. She felt her cheeks heat up and butterflies gather in her stomach as the skin of Eric’s soft hand brushed against her, eventually enveloping it completely. She inwardly thanked her mother for painting her nails.

This was good for her—being out with Eric, hell, being friends with him, John, and all the new friends she had made at school at all. They helped her to get her mind off of her dad—they gave her an escape.

Eric looked down at their entangled hands before giving Micah a small smile, “Do you like Arizona so far?”

She nodded her head meekly, shrugging her shoulders. Would she give anything in the world to be back in Vegas with her father?—yes, but you couldn’t change time, even though she had been trying to find a way to for months. “It’s growing on me,” she replied simply, giving the boy a small shy grin.

“Your mom is really pretty,” Eric laughed. “You look a lot like her...I just realized how creepy that sounded. I was just trying to call you pretty.”

Micah laughed and shook her head at her rambling, “Thank you, Halvo. But next time just say I’m pretty,” she said with a playful wink.

His cheeks blushed and he squeezed her hand tightly, “Was your dad not home? I’m surprised he didn’t come to the door with a loaded gun or something. I know you were a military family or something right?”

Micah’s stomach dropped and she bit her lip. She hadn’t told anyone why she was in Arizona, no one had asked before. She had never had to say the words out loud, and she honestly wasn’t sure if she could. “I—uh, well… My dad actually…” she took a deep breath. “My dad died a few months ago; two actually. That’s why we moved here.”

Eric went rigid next to her and his face turned red in embarrassment, “I—Micah, God I’m so sorry.”

She forced a small smile on her lips, “It’s all right…you had no idea.”

He was silent next to her as they walked. They were looking at zebras and antelopes as they ran around in an open field. She watched as they danced around together and she thought back of the time when she was little and her and her dad would pretend to be explorers. He would get down on all fours as she straddled his back. They would walk through the house like tourists pretending they were on a safari.

“Micah?”

She turned her eyes from the animals in front of her and looked into Eric’s eyes that were staring into hers deeply. He looked at her quietly, with a concentrated look on his lips. “Yeah, Eric?”

He grabbed both of his hands in hers, keeping his face serious, “I just want you to know that anytime you need me I will be there. I promise you that. I don’t care if it’s three in the morning. If you need a hug, or a shoulder to cry on I’ll be that for you.”

She smiled softly, genuinely, at his sincerity, “Thank you, Halvo.”

“No, I’m serious. I don’t care if this never goes anywhere—or it does and we have a horrible break up, knock on wood,” he knocked on the post next to them causing her to chuckle. “I am your friend first—and no matter what, know that you can count on me.”

Micah smiled sincerely as she looked up at the boy’s serious look, “Thank you, Eric. I may have to take you up on that sometime.”

Eric grinned, “Good, now can we please go see those damn ephalants?”

Micah laughed softly before taking his hand tighter in hers and walking the boy to where the grey giants were waiting. She laughed as John and Eric pretended they themselves were in fact elephants and made the same screeches as the animal. She and Addison merely hid their faces from the adults who looked at them in annoyance.

The group of four continued to walk around the Phoenix Zoo. They saw monkeys, peacocks, a leopard, and so many more animals Micah couldn’t even remember. It may have been hot and she may have been sunburned, but she didn’t care; she was having fun.

Micah chuckled as she listened to John squeal next to her. “Micah, Micah, Micah, Micah, Micah!” He chanted.

“Yes?” She giggled, looking at the boy who was bouncing up and down on his toes like a five year old.

“Have you ever fed a giraffe?” John said, an excited grin on his lips.

She shook her head ‘no’, and soon her hand was being torn from Eric’s and into John’s as he led her up a brown staircase, handing the ticket lady three dollars. Micah looked back to see Halvo chuckling at his best friend, laughing at the two with Addison.

“I can’t believe you’ve never fed a giraffe before!” John exclaimed, looking at the giant creatures they were approaching.

“Well you know, I did see one sitting on the sidewalk the other day and I seriously thought about feeding it, but then I was just like, nah,” Micah said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

The boy punched her arm lightly, smirking, “Don’t be rude…or else I won’t share.”

The two walked up to an animal trainer who handed them each a handful of brown pellets, instructing them to stand behind a red line. Micah grinned as she watched three giraffes stalk over to her, their legs long and gangly. Their long, brown and tan patterned necks bobbed as they walked, their eyes staring into hers behind their long eyelashes.

“Okay, now take one pellet in between your pointer finger and thumb and hold it in front of you,” the trained instructed.

Micah smiled and nodded her head, looking at John who was grinning next to her. She held her hand in the air, smiling as the giraffe leaned forward. She giggled as the animal opened its mouth and a long, skinny black tongue came from between its lips which were covered in fur. She watched as his tongue literally wrapped its entire way around the pellet and pulled it into its mouth.

“That is so disgusting!” She laughed, her fingers wet from the animal’s tongue.

John joined in her amusement, smiling down at her, “Isn’t it so cool? This is definitely something you have to do at least once in your life.”

Micah nodded her head, blushing as John’s hand brushed against hers as he stole one of her pellets. The two got their picture taken with the giraffe before exiting the platform they were on. Micah turned her head to try and find her date, but he was gone.

“They went to go get lemonade,” John said simply, reading a text on his phone. “They said to meet them up by the front.”

Micah nodded her head, her step falling in pace with John’s. They walked in silence for a few moments, smiling at the random animals they passed, making small talk about ‘The Lion King’, and how it always made her cry when Mufasa died.

“So, are you and Eric having a good time today?” John asked, a small smirk on his lips.

Micah nodded her head, an innocent grin on her face, “He’s really sweet.”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy,” he replied softly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. “Don’t hurt him, Micah.”

She scoffed. How could she ever hurt a boy like Eric? He was sweet, handsome, and caring. Hell, she was lucky to even be friends with boys like him and John. She would never jeopardize that. “I’m not exactly a heartbreaker there, John. Don’t worry.”

John smiled at her softly, shaking his head at her, “You are though. Your smile is making the boys fall in love already.”

Micah rolled her eyes, “Yeah right. There’s nothing special about me—I’m just a simple girl. Girls like Addison, they break hearts. Girls like me get their hearts broken.”

The boy next to her shook his head in disagree, looking at her intently, “Micah, you have no idea how many boys you have wrapped around your finger. You really are breathtaking. All I’m asking is that when you realize that you are careful—because you could do some damage without intentionally trying.”

Micah rubbed her arm softly, biting her lip as she soaked in the boy’s words. “You’re making me feel guilty for something I haven’t even done yet, John.”

“I—I’m sorry. I guess I was just trying to say that I—I just, it’s hard for some guys…like Eric, you know, to be around girls like you…we fall in too deep before we even have a chance with you, and then we’re too scared to even try for a girl like you because—because we know a girl like you can break us…and by our own fear, you break us without even trying,” John rambled softly, looking down at the ground and then up at her nervously. His cheeks were a slight shade of red and he looked terrified, like a boy in the first grade with a crush.

Micah looked at him anxiously, suddenly aware of the way the sunlight hit his eyes perfectly, making them shine a bright green in the sun. His hair fell onto his forehead in a sloppy way and his youthful features gave her butterflies, “John, are—are we still talking about Eric?”

She watched as his eyes fell to the ground, looking away from her nervously. His fingers were twiddling against his pant legs anxiously, before running through his hair, “Y-Yeah, of course.”

Micah stared into his eyes as he looked back at her. They didn’t say a word—but they didn’t need to. His eyes said it all: he was scared to fall for her.

And so he wasn’t going to even try.