Between The Books-Michael Clifford

Four

"So this guy, Michael, he's in your Civ class and you never noticed him before?" Laney is sitting on her bed in gray yoga pants and a T-shirt of Nate's.

"No, but I hardly ever go to that class. Kyle usually does, and I do Bio for him, but we switched this week."

I flip my hair upside down and turn on my hair dryer.

We're supposed to meet Nate and Jax at The Basement at 9:00. Jax's friends are playing there.

After about five minutes, I flip my head up and turn off my hair dryer.

"That's good, just like that, Star. Don't you wish you could keep all the volume after you dry your hair upside down?" Laney says.

She's already started drinking. We both had late classes so we didn't get back to Mack Hall until almost 7:30. We ran and got dinner really fast and now we're getting ready.

"You still have to get dressed. You better hurry up. It's almost 8:15." I say.

I walk over to my closet and start looking through it for something to wear.

"So just how hot is Michael?" Laney says, getting up off her bed.

"Seriously hot."

"Hotter then Jax?"

Um.

"He's just different..." I say.

"Different like you wanna dump Jax, or different like a complete circus freak you just can't stop staring at?" She says, laughing.

"Whoa! No one said anything about dumping Jax." Is she crazy?

"Funny how, even though the wording you didn't like, that's the choice you went with."

"Ok, Michael is seriously hot, and yeah, definitely worth getting with, but I have Jax and we're happy."

I choose a black short skirt and my dark green sweater. I turn around and grab my black boots.

"Um, you better wear tights under that. You know it's February right?"

True. I open my drawer and pull out a pair of black tights.

"So since you have ZERO interest in Michael, maybe I'll get with him!" Laney grabs a pair of folded skinny jeans and a black tank top off the top of her laundry basket.

"Sure, and Nate?" I know her. She's just trying to get me to admit I want Michael. She'd never dump Nate. He's the perfect guy for her.

"So you have no interest in Michael, but you've been talking bout him since Friday night."

"Just making conversation, Laney. I love Jax. He's....everything."

"I didn't say he wasn't. Who ya trying to convince, Star?" Laney flashes her perfect smile and opens the door.

"Ah, we were just talking about you, Michael!" She says, walking out.

Oh holy fuck.

"Who's Michael?" Jax asks, walking in.

I sit down on my bed. Shit. I think I might've just had a small stroke.

"Oh, uh, just a guy who's been trying to get with Laney." I say.

Close.

"Who the fuck's trying to get with Laney?!" Nate says, coming in a few minutes later.

Jesus really?

"No...I mean...I thought we were meeting you guys there?" I say.

"Yeah, Baby, but it's cold. We thought we'd pick you up." Jax sits down on the bed beside me, stretching out.

He smells delicious.

"So who's trying to get with my girl?" Nate asks again.

"Some Michael guy. How'd she meet him, Star? Maybe we meet this Michael, talk to him." Jax says, rubbing my back.

I'm sitting here in my underware, holding my clothes. Nate is ALWAYS here, so being mostly naked in front of him is not a big thing.

"He's in one of my classes. He's not really after Laney, I just was..."

"Well he's not after you, is he?" Jax asks, grinning.

His fingers have dropped, just sliding back and forth slowly underneath the waistband of my panties.

"No, no. Um, I'm gonna get dressed, you guys want a beer? Laney has some in her fridge."

I stand up and drop my clothes on the bed, pulling on my tights.

"So this band we're going to see. Who are they?" I ask.

I pull my skirt up over my hips and zip it up.

"It's Mike's band, you know, Mike from down the hall from me? Shooter's their name."

"Sick. You guys will love it." Nate says, opening the fridge and pulling out the beer. "You want one, Star?"

"Thanks, Nate." I take a beer from him.

I grab my sweater off the bed just as Laney walks in talking to somebody.

I hurriedly pull my sweater over my head, but just as I get my head through the neck, it gets caught on my earring.

Awesome.

"So Star, you have a guest." Laney says.

"Hey man, want a beer?" Nate says.

Finally I get my earring unhooked. I'm sure I look stupid as fuck standing here with my head stuck in my sweater.

Just as I push my head through....Michael says, "Thanks, but I'm just dropping off this notebook to Star. She left it in class today."

"Michael?" I say....without even thinking.

"Wait, you're Michael?" Nate stands up, taking a step towards him.