Between The Books-Michael Clifford

Sixteen

I hate biology. Biology is horrible. I am a history major, why do I need to take biology?!

Professor Gillette is talking about our upcoming lab where we'll be disecting a baby pig. Disgusting.

I dragged Kyle's ass to biology today. Against his will, but we both bombed our bio tests, so I told him from now on we're here, together, every class.

"This sucks ass, Star." Kyle says. He's leaned back in his chair staring at the ceiling, trying to balance his pencil on his nose.

"Yes. I completely agree but we need this class so we're doing this together." I say. I'm leaning over my lap with my head in my hands. Drank too much AGAIN last night. No more going out on nights when we have class the next morbing. It's just too damn hard to get up and drag our asses to an 8:00 am class.

"Hey, has Wade asked out Laney yet?" Kyle startles me out of my almost mini nap.

"Kyle, I was almost asleep."

"You just talked to me, like thirty seconds ago."

"I know, but I think I'm still drunk from last night." I know my head feels like it weighs fifty pounds and could fall off and roll down to Professor Gillette's podium.

"What'd you guys do on a Tuesday?"

"We went out with some friends that Jax knows, they're in the band, Lickit. Played some drinking game that should be called called drunk ass jeopardy. Laney and I just met them the other night. Oh, and to answer your question, Wade missed his chance with Laney. She's head over heels obsessed with their drummer." I sit back in my chair.

The lights in these lecture halls are stupid bright.

"Marcus Lickit. I know him. Their band kicks ass." Kyle says, muffled.

I look over at him and see he's in the same position I was just two minutes ago. How is it that I had never heard of Lickit, but since meeting Michael almost two weeks ago, just about everyone I meet either knows them or is best friends with them?

"How do you know Marcus?" I ask.

Surely this guy's gotta be about done. Class technically ended ten minutes ago.

"We went to high school together."

"No fucking way!" I say, way too loud. People in the two rows in front of me turn around and give me dirty looks.

"The class should be over." I say, giving them my best bitchy face back.

"Why is that weird?" Kyle asks.

"Just seems a lot of people know them, either one of them, or the whole band." I say, starting to pack up my stuff.

"Good guys. So Laney's with Marcus now?"

"I guess. They've spent almost all their free time together since Saturday night."

"He's hanging out with her outside of the bar?" Kyle stands up, stretching.

"Yeah, on campus, lunch, regular kinda stuff."

"He must like her. Marcus doesn't hang out with girls. Any time he spends with them is at the bar, or in his bed. He doesn't like to lead them on, get them thinking there's more to them then there is. Yeah, if he's doing stuff with her, he's into her. That's cool. Marcus is solid. He'll be good for Laney. She finally dumped Nate? He was an idiot anyway."

Kyle and I walk out of bio and head back across campus to the dorm. Neither of us have another class until after lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so we go home after class and usually back to bed.

"Can I ask you something, just between you and me, oh and Wade knows." I say.

"Sure."

"What's Michael like?" I try to say this all blah, like who cares, but I think he's probably not buying it since he's grinning at me.

Stupid cocky Kyle.

"Mikey Clifford? He's cool. Kind of quiet until he gets to know you. Why? You hot for him, Star?" He says, laughing.

"He's in our history of Civ class, did you know?"

"Yeah, I'm usually the one who goes, remember? Nice way to not answer. Guess that's the answer right there, huh Star?" Kyle says, pulling me into the geology building.

"I just need a drink. You got any change? All I got is a ten."

"Yeah, here." I hand him three dollars. "Get me a Diet Pepsi."

After we get our drinks, we leave the geology building and continue towards Mack Hall.

"So, why'd you wanna know about Mikey, other then you want his junk?" He asks, opening his Pepsi and grinning.

"Ok, listen. I love Jax...."

"I knew it. Star, I won't say anything but if you want my advice, probably stick with Jax. Mikey's a decent guy, but he's pretty serious about the band and school, doesn't have time for much else. Course, shit I don't know. Maybe if he had a girlfriend he'd do other stuff." Kyle waves at some guy walking by us.

"I thought he and his girlfriend just moved into a new place together?" I open my bottle and take a drink.

"Mikey doesn't have a girlfriend, that's his sister, Bekka. They live at Lions Head, right across from us."

Right across the street from us. Awesome.

"Going to make it hard on you, seeing him all the time now. Aw, poor Jax. Does he even know he's got competition?"

"No, clueless. I mean...no competition, Kyle. I'm just infatuated with Michael for some reason. I'm with Jax and plan for it to stay that way."

"Sure, Star. Keep telling yourself that. I know you pretty well, and I can see Jax's days are numbered."

No. That's not true. Is it?