Are You Just Bad News?
Chapter Five
Two days later, after moving my stupid, absolutely pointless still life project into the living room to work on – the doorbell rang yet again.
Wanna know who it was?
Honestly, it should come as no surprise when Mike Carden himself walked right into my apartment, murmuring a low, “Hey Lay.”
“Uh, hey Mike?” I questioned, closing and locking the door behind him. As I headed back into my lovely little workspace, Mike took my seat and picked Mr. Dandy up off the floor.
“What’s up?”
“Oh nothing…” Mike muttered, but I could see the underlining anger in the back of his eyes. They were clouded over with overwhelming thoughts and confusion.
“What’s wrong sweetheart?”
“Hm?” Mike replied, rubbing Dandy the wrong way, causing him to jump off his lap. “Oh, uh, nothing.”
“Doesn’t seem like nothing,” I shrugged, picking up my notepad. “You look a little upset.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Girl trouble?” I asked. I was a little unsure if Mike had a girlfriend or not, I’d never seen him with any other girl but myself. And Mike did mention he knew everyone in this town, and due to his good looks – it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d been with them all.
But Mike shrugged. I erased a couple shading lines on my drawing, noticing the damn apple looked a little different now. Mike stayed quiet though, obviously lost in his thoughts as he nibbled quietly on his thumbnail.
After a couple moments, I went: “Are you ever gonna tell me what’s bothering you?”
“Eh,” he said. “Hey, how much do you pay for this place?”
“Why?”
“Well I don’t know…it’s a lot nicer than ours is.”
“Oh…well I wouldn’t know, I put down a down payment for 5 months. So I have 5 months to find a suitable job.”
“Ooh,” Mike cooed. “Smart move.”
“Do you have a job, Mike?” I then asked.
“I work a shitload of hours at a bookstore, but you see…”
“Ah, lemme finish it for you – some kid you went to high school with that you used to bully, his uncle owns the bookstore and lets you leave whenever you want?”
“…No. God you’re weird.”
“I’m not weird!” I defended. “But that always seems to be the case for you, Mikey.”
“Ew…don’t call me Mikey ever again.”
I giggled at him and smacked him over the head with my notepad. Mike reached to snatch it out of my grasp, except there was a loud ringing that sounded out through my apartment.
“…I have a doorbell?” I muttered.
“…We can afford doorbells here?” Mike asked. I ignored him and stood up, taking slow strides towards my front door. Mr. Dandy appeared, stretching as I peered through the peephole.
I mean honestly, I know maybe…two people here in Illinois. Oh no, like three. One that I met in class, named Lisa, Mike, and his…roommate, Will.
But Lisa didn’t know where I lived, Mike was already in my apartment.
That only leaves one person, huh?
“Uh, hi Will,” I mumbled when my eyes connected with his. He towered above me, searching my apartment quickly from where he stood for…what I’m guessing was Mike.
“Can we have Mike back?” He snapped, his gaze hard and cold.
Oh boy, here we go again.
“We?” I asked, smirking.
Will stepped aside, and two guys I hadn’t noticed before stood behind him. One was blond, with kinda curly-ish hair. He wore a black jacket over his zebra-striped t-shirt, and dark jeans. The one beside him wore a tight blue shirt, with the sleeves cut off. He had short dirty blond hair, just like me, and his arm was littered with tattoos.
This must’ve been Adam and Andy.
“We,” William stated, after I got a once over of the other too. “Would like our guitarist back.”
I rolled my eyes at Will, “Do you not even have the courtesy to say ‘please’? Maybe your lack of manners is why he ran away from you in the first place.”
He frowned down at me, ready to shoot back another insult when I felt someone behind me, and Mike’s hand appeared on my shoulder.
“I’m coming,” he muttered at them, pressing a chaste kiss to the side of my head. “I’ll see you later Leah.”
“Yeah…” I trailed as he went with them, Andy and Adam chatting in the front, Mike in the middle.
Where was Will?
Glaring at me as he caught up with them, and they all headed down the stairs – probably to the basement to practice.
God, what was up his ass?
“Seriously dude,” Will snapped after the back of Mike’s head. “What’s your problem? Why in the hell are you always at her fuckin’ place?”
I felt my eyebrows knit together, glaring at the back of William’s head. I backed away from my door and slammed it hard, attempting to channel all my anger into it.
Wanna know who it was?
Honestly, it should come as no surprise when Mike Carden himself walked right into my apartment, murmuring a low, “Hey Lay.”
“Uh, hey Mike?” I questioned, closing and locking the door behind him. As I headed back into my lovely little workspace, Mike took my seat and picked Mr. Dandy up off the floor.
“What’s up?”
“Oh nothing…” Mike muttered, but I could see the underlining anger in the back of his eyes. They were clouded over with overwhelming thoughts and confusion.
“What’s wrong sweetheart?”
“Hm?” Mike replied, rubbing Dandy the wrong way, causing him to jump off his lap. “Oh, uh, nothing.”
“Doesn’t seem like nothing,” I shrugged, picking up my notepad. “You look a little upset.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Girl trouble?” I asked. I was a little unsure if Mike had a girlfriend or not, I’d never seen him with any other girl but myself. And Mike did mention he knew everyone in this town, and due to his good looks – it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d been with them all.
But Mike shrugged. I erased a couple shading lines on my drawing, noticing the damn apple looked a little different now. Mike stayed quiet though, obviously lost in his thoughts as he nibbled quietly on his thumbnail.
After a couple moments, I went: “Are you ever gonna tell me what’s bothering you?”
“Eh,” he said. “Hey, how much do you pay for this place?”
“Why?”
“Well I don’t know…it’s a lot nicer than ours is.”
“Oh…well I wouldn’t know, I put down a down payment for 5 months. So I have 5 months to find a suitable job.”
“Ooh,” Mike cooed. “Smart move.”
“Do you have a job, Mike?” I then asked.
“I work a shitload of hours at a bookstore, but you see…”
“Ah, lemme finish it for you – some kid you went to high school with that you used to bully, his uncle owns the bookstore and lets you leave whenever you want?”
“…No. God you’re weird.”
“I’m not weird!” I defended. “But that always seems to be the case for you, Mikey.”
“Ew…don’t call me Mikey ever again.”
I giggled at him and smacked him over the head with my notepad. Mike reached to snatch it out of my grasp, except there was a loud ringing that sounded out through my apartment.
“…I have a doorbell?” I muttered.
“…We can afford doorbells here?” Mike asked. I ignored him and stood up, taking slow strides towards my front door. Mr. Dandy appeared, stretching as I peered through the peephole.
I mean honestly, I know maybe…two people here in Illinois. Oh no, like three. One that I met in class, named Lisa, Mike, and his…roommate, Will.
But Lisa didn’t know where I lived, Mike was already in my apartment.
That only leaves one person, huh?
“Uh, hi Will,” I mumbled when my eyes connected with his. He towered above me, searching my apartment quickly from where he stood for…what I’m guessing was Mike.
“Can we have Mike back?” He snapped, his gaze hard and cold.
Oh boy, here we go again.
“We?” I asked, smirking.
Will stepped aside, and two guys I hadn’t noticed before stood behind him. One was blond, with kinda curly-ish hair. He wore a black jacket over his zebra-striped t-shirt, and dark jeans. The one beside him wore a tight blue shirt, with the sleeves cut off. He had short dirty blond hair, just like me, and his arm was littered with tattoos.
This must’ve been Adam and Andy.
“We,” William stated, after I got a once over of the other too. “Would like our guitarist back.”
I rolled my eyes at Will, “Do you not even have the courtesy to say ‘please’? Maybe your lack of manners is why he ran away from you in the first place.”
He frowned down at me, ready to shoot back another insult when I felt someone behind me, and Mike’s hand appeared on my shoulder.
“I’m coming,” he muttered at them, pressing a chaste kiss to the side of my head. “I’ll see you later Leah.”
“Yeah…” I trailed as he went with them, Andy and Adam chatting in the front, Mike in the middle.
Where was Will?
Glaring at me as he caught up with them, and they all headed down the stairs – probably to the basement to practice.
God, what was up his ass?
“Seriously dude,” Will snapped after the back of Mike’s head. “What’s your problem? Why in the hell are you always at her fuckin’ place?”
I felt my eyebrows knit together, glaring at the back of William’s head. I backed away from my door and slammed it hard, attempting to channel all my anger into it.