Fatal Attraction

A week after returning to school, Mayella and I made our relationship public. We were like all new couples, holding hands in between classes and being all mushy at lunch. People stared at us like we were insane but we paid them no intention. We acted as if we were the only two people who walked through the halls and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Once I had walked Mayella to her trig class, I rushed to my Chemistry class, making it just in time for the bell. I slipped into my seat smoothly, dropping my notebook onto the desk. Unfortunately for me, I found out that the class was supposed to be doing a lab with our lab partners. My lab partner still remained Mike, Mayella's ex-boyfriend. We haven't had to do a lab since before Christmas break so this would be interesting.

I grabbed the lab I was supposed to being doing and sat next to Mike, pulling my desk over to his. He grunted a hello at me. Normally Mike was all cheerful and happy to converse with me but I think me being with Mayella had thrown him for a loop. He seemed to really care for her; he still cared for her. I think he was just jealous that I'm the one makes her happy now.

"So," I started off, "have any idea on how to do this?"

Mike stared at his lab, "Nope." He huffed and uncapped his pen, scribbling his name on the top of the paper. I could see that he was gripping his pen in a vice like grip, his fingertips turning pale. He scanned the instructions and barely made eye contact with me as he got up to get the appropriate materials we needed to complete the lab. I guess this was how it was going to be for the class period. We had a double lab period today so I get to double deal with the miserable Mike.

Twenty minutes later, we had done the hard part of the lab with little communication whatsoever. Now, we just had to answer the questions, which we didn't need communication to do. Our Chemistry teacher, Ms. Slater, had been watching us with a bewildered expression the whole period. Normally Mike and I were laughing and talking while doing the lab. We had grown to become friends. I even hung out with him and his brother Vic once or twice before Christmas break. I had a feeling that would end.

"Aren't you worried?" Mike asked suddenly. It surprised me, since he hadn't said anything non-Chemistry related this whole period.

"About?" I glanced at him. He wasn't looking at me, instead he was filling out the questions. His brow was furrowed and he was chewing his lip. It was a habit of his that I had taken notice to over the past few months as lab partners.

"Dying," he stated simply. He lifted his eyes to meet mine. They weren't the friendly eyes I had grown accustomed to. They were dark and daring, a look I had never seen once on the usually energetic Mike Fuentes.

I scoffed and started to read the questions. Dying? Why should I be afraid of dying? Then it clicked, "No. That's just some stupid rumor. Nobody attracts death," I thought for a moment, "And besides, were you scared of dying when you were with her?" I knew exactly what he was talking about now.

"All that freaky shit happened after she broke up with me. First her parents, then her brother, then Sam. I'm kind of glad she broke up with me when the first pair of deaths happened. I could've been next, you know? We were inseparable." Mike always gets this glossy look in his eyes when he reminisces about his times with Mayella. This experience was no different, "The deaths had died down for a while but this school year, her foster sister, Michelle, died. The next one can happen any day now. I think they happen in threes."

I rolled my eyes, "Like I said, nobody attracts death. It's just a crazy coincidence. An unfortunate one at that. Everybody has people in their life that die."

"But in a row like that? With just weeks, months, separating them? And all surrounding and affecting the same person? That's no coincidence, dude. That's fate."

"If you think that's true then why didn't that happen this time? Michelle died and it's been months since that happened. Nobody close to Mayella has died since. You shouldn't believe everything you here, dude." I put emphasis on the word "dude." I hated that word.

"It's because she has nobody left to care about. Everybody May's ever cared about has died. And now, she cares about you. You're probably next, Tony. I'd watch your back around her if I were you," Mike warned and continued to answer the lab questions. He stopped making eye contact with me. He's clearly crazy. Like I said, nobody can attract death. I don't believe in that shit. Honestly.

"Mayella didn't care about Michelle. She told me that she could give two shits about her foster family. You're just trying to scare me into breaking up with her because you're jealous of me." I called him out. It was obvious he still had a thing for Mayella. I could hear it whenever he talked about her, no matter how lewd or innocent the conversation turned out to be.

Mike snapped his head towards me, eyes narrowed to daggers, "I don't have any feelings like that for her anymore. Not after she broke my heart. But don't say I never warned you, Perry. You're next. I can feel it." He obviously didn't want to talk about the subject any longer because he fully invested himself into his work after that.

I rolled my eyes and got up from the desk, walking back to my own. I sat down and finished my work on my own, thinking about our conversation. He totally still harbored feelings for Mayella but I didn't want to embarrass him. Maybe he's just worried about himself dying, even though it's impossible. I stuck to my word in that nobody attracts death. Nobody.