Grown up kid

5

After dinner Michael and I went to the back porch with Marie. She had black coffee and we had some new drink Marie made herself. It tasted like lemonade but the color was definitely not yellow. It was good.
Michael and I sat on the porch swing. He sat sideways; his back against the arm rest, one leg on the swing, and one resting on the ground gently pushing us. I sat between his legs and tilted my head back onto his shoulder. He brushed his fingers up and down my arm which gave me the chills.
The sun had set now and the moon was taking the night shift. I wasn't much of a sunset fan like Johnny and Pony were. I preferred the moon and stars and constellations and everything above our planet.
Marie was quiet. She watched us from her distance. Michael was quiet. He hadn't brought up the incident before dinner. I wish he had short term memory loss and forgot it all but I could tell he was thinking about it. "How are you doing?" He whispers into my right ear.
"I'm fine."
"That seemed pretty intense," I suddenly realized Marie had been tuning into the conversation and she furrowed her eyebrows at us.
"Oh no no no. I had a panic attack. It's not what you-."
She cuts me off laughing. I smile a bit. I turn my head to thenright so that it rests just below Michael's chin. He wraps his arms around me.

We sat out on the swing long after Marie had ventured back inside and soon after went to bed. We were alone in the night. Now we were sitting side-by-side; his left arm wrapped around my shoulders. I rested my head on him. I could have fallen asleep out there.
I swung my legs over and on top of Michael's. I was basically cradled in his lap by this point. We looked at the stars. I pointed out constellations I had recently learned in my new astronomy class.
"You're very smart Aidelaide," When he called me Aidelaide I got so mad but also melted inside just a bit. The way he said and how it rolled off his tongue made those moths have a hayday.
"You're a very good listener Michael," I took my legs off him and just sat by his side. Instead of having his arm slung over me he brought down and interlocked his fingers with mine.
Something about holding hands while star-gazing was better than holding hands while cloud-gazing.

Soon we found our way inside. But we were ready for bed. We sat cross-legged on the floor beside his bed. "I can call over my friends. You can call over yours. Have some fun."
"Wouldn't your mom hear us?" I knew this was his way of cheering me up after earlier.
"She's the worlds heaviest sleeper. We can go to the basement and she will never hear us."
I had no friends to call over. Sandra didn't count. "How about you just call your friends over. I want to meet them."
"What about your friends?"
"The gangs about all I got and you've seen them before. You know Steve and Two-Bit and Johnny and Dally."
"How could I forget em. Dally threatened to kill me and Johnny told me about he was almost burned alive in a church. Oh! And Two-Bit smashed a cake in my face."
"Sorry about that," I laugh. That day was amazing. The gang was rough on him but they were trying to protect me. They wouldn't hurt him unless he hurt me. Dally wouldn't be afraid to get involved in another murder wrap.
"Well I'll call over some of the guys. Stay here," I realize as he leaves the room that that's the first time in hours we weren't touching.
After a while Michael returns and sits across from me on the floor, our knees touching.
"They'll be here soon," He says.

About thirty minutes later, three boys walk in and stand in the door way. I turn to face them. They're much taller than Michael was and seemed older. About seventeen. One had slicked black hair that resembled Pony's. The other two looked almost like twins. The same face structure and loose blonde hair that fell over their right eye.
"So this is Aidy," Twin 1 says. He smirks a bit and I turn back around to catch Michaels reaction.
"Yeah," He was red.
"Hi."
"She looks a bit young, ey, Miller?" Most people said I looked much older others said I barely looked twelve. Depended on the day.
"She's fourteen," I feel Michaels hand on my shoulder. His fingers creep up the side of my neck.
I nod; trying to not think about Michael and the way he rubbed my neck and the moths deep in stomach.
"Pedo," Twin 2 laughs. Twin 1 pushes him against the doorframe in a playful shove. "Sorry," He laughs so hard he doubles over laughing.
"Okay Wacker," I was hoping that was his last name. "Isn't your girl like 15?" Michael asks.
"She's 16 Miller."
"And your 19," He stands up and offers his hand out to help me up. I get up and stand beside him. The boys seemed even taller. "It's a year Wacker."
Our birthdays were 362 days apart. Mine was September 23 1951, his was September 26 1950.
We follow the three boys through the house to the kitchen where Wacker opens a door and descends down a flight of old wooden stairs. I go down last, holding Michaels hand right as I went. When I was near the bottom a light flicked on.
"Wanna drink Miller?" Wacker reaches into a cooler and grabs a beer. He tosses it to Michael.
"You're not going to-." He tears up the cans, tips his head back and pours the liquid into his mouth. "Michael," I whisper.
"What?" He wipes around his mouth with the back of his hand. "Live a little." He hands me the can with the remaining beer. I had drank before, surprisingly. I heard drinking made you happy so I drank can after can but the thoughts of Bird Creek and the shallow river came harder with each sip.
"Michael," I push the can away. I just stood at the bottom of the stairs watching the 4 boys.

Each boy had their share of alcohol within the first hour. I just sat on the bottom stair and watched. I thought me and Michael were gonna have a nice night in, cuddling or painting, but now I watched as they got drunker and drunker.
Sometime near 4 am Wacker, Twin 1, and Pony 2.0 leave. They stumble their way down the street, erupting chaos into the dark quiet street.
Michael wasn't was drunk as them but I still had to help him get into bed. I was exhausted and wanted to go home. I was mad at Michael but he was too drunk so I didn't say anything.
"Come lay down baby," I slowly slid next to him. I just laid flat on my back, staring at the ceiling instead of curling up next to him. "I love you."
I snapped my head to look at him but it was too dark to see his face. "I love you Aidelaide," He repeats.
He had never said that. "Babe your drunk go to sleep," I pulled the comforter over us and went to sleep. I would withhold my anger until morning because the words 'I love you' made me a bit too happy.