Say You'll Stay

Mickey's POV

I was finally getting used to school. It was Thursday, and we were off the next day. When I got out of bed, I took a shower and put on the outfit I'd picked out the night before. My daily routine was carried out and I went to meet Ross by the mailbox. He was wearing a yellow Hollister shirt, skinny jeans, and yellow high tops.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said, taking my hand.

"Hey. Someone likes yellow," I joked.

"It's my favorite color."

"I kinda figured," I said, letting out a giggle.

He chuckled and put his arm around my back as we walked.

"Today, you get to meet another one of my friends," he said.

I smiled.

"Okay."

When we got to school, we went inside and headed to our lockers. I grabbed the books I needed for the first three periods and then went to find Ross. He was standing outside his homeroom talking to some girl. He looked over and saw me, smiling and motioning for me to come over to them. I slowly walked over, wondering what was going on.

"Mick, I want you to meet my friend Sarah."

"Hi," I said to her, trying to be polite. Remember, I'm not good at making friends. "I'm Mickey."

"I'm Sarah. Mickey is an interesting name."

"Yeah, it's short for McKenzie. I hate my full name and I wanted a nickname that no one uses."

"Instead of Kenz or something like that?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh, I know. I hate it when people have the same name. Especially if you're with them at the same time."

Finally, someone who understands.

"I know, right."

"Well, it seems that you two have hit it off," Ross jumped in. I laughed.

"Yeah, I guess," I said, turning to Sarah. "Wait, why haven't I seen you around until today?"

"Oh, I was on vacation. Family Reunion in Florida."

"That's cool. Did you have fun?"

Sarah and I talked for a while until the warning bell rang to go to homeroom. Ross just stood there listening to us talk. He was happy that he finally got me a friend that was a girl.

After school, Ross and I walked home. He invited Sarah but she had make-up work to do. He took me over to his house for dinner since Stormie, his mom, invited me yesterday. When I walked in, my brother was sitting on the couch with Riker, Rocky, and Ryland.

"Mickey, you didn't tell us you had a brother," Riker said.

"Yeah, you didn't," Rocky added.

"Thanks a lot, Mick," Josh joked with a smile.

"Well, it wasn't exactly something I was focusing on at the time," I said. "So how did you guys meet?"

"Mailbox," Riker answered.

"I went to get the mail and Riker was getting his," Josh explained.

"We got talking and he mentioned that he was your brother," Riker continued.

"That's cool. So, have the two of you found anything in common?"

"Call of Duty," they said together. We all laughed.

"Well, that's...awesome," I joked.

For the next few days, Josh and Riker had been hanging out a lot. It was actually really cool. I don't have any idea why, but I'm less shy towards people when my brother is around. He always made me feel safe and more comfortable. Sarah had been at the Lynch house a few times, too. We were getting closer. Sarah was the only girl I really talked to at school. She understood me like my best friend from Hollidaysburg did. Man, did I miss Camille. I haven't talked to her since I left. I forgot to tell her about everything. I decided to call her when I got home from school.

As I was walking down the street with Ross, things got a little wierd. He wasn't talking as much, he wouldn't hold my hand, and when I'd smile at him, he looked upset.

"Ross, is everything okay? You seem a little down today," I said.

He looked up from the ground.

"Everything's alright, Mick."

"No. It's not," I said, stopping directly in front of him. "You won't hold my hand, you're not talking to me like you always do, and you look like your dog just died or something. What's wrong? I'm here for you."

He sighed.

"I can't tell you."

"Y-you can't tell me?" I asked, trying to clarify what he'd just said.

"Yeah."

"Ross, I'm your girlfriend. You should be able to trust me with anything. I'm not one of those girls that blabs everything to other people. In fact, I'm the opposite."

"I was sworn to secrecy."

"That's not the point," I replied, my voice raising a little. "There should be no secrets in a relationship. I don't hide anything from you. I've told you everything."

"This is different," he said, looking at the ground.

"How?"

"I-I can't tell you."

My mouth dropped. I couldn't believe what was happening.

"Fine. Ross, if you can't trust me, then I guess I can't be with you." I started to walk away. He came towards me.

"Mickey, don't do this."

I turned around.

"I can't date someone who doesn't trust me. I'm sorry."

I started running home, tears streaming down my face. Did that just happen? I ran in the door and went straight to my room. I layed on my bed for a good hour, crying harder than I ever did before. I thought Ross cared about me enough to know that I could be trusted. Apparently, I was wrong. My phone vibrated on my nightstand. I rolled my eyes, thinking it was Ross, but it was actually Camille calling. I grabbed it quickly and answered.

"Hello?" I said, trying not to sound upset.

"Hey, Mick. Wait, what's going on?"

She really knew me too well. I let out a few sobs.

"It's a long story."

"Well, I've got nothing but time. And it sounds like you need me."

I sighed.

"So, I started dating this kid the day after I moved here. Yeah, it was fast, I know. We were fine until today. I noticed that he was acting different. I asked him what was wrong and he said he couldn't tell me. So apparently, there's a secret that he can't trust me with so...I ended it." I let out more sobs, putting my face in my pillow with the phone still at my ear.

"Aawwhh, Mick. I'm so sorry. I can tell by your sobbing that you must have really liked him, too."

"Yeah," I forced out.

"What's his name?"

"Why is that important?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I want to woop his butt. Just kidding, I'm just curious."

I laughed a little.

"His name is Ross. Ross Lynch."

Camille choked on something.