The Fall of the Aftons

153: Michael Afton

When Michael returned to school on Monday, he was bombarded with questions. Noah popped up out of nowhere, asking a million questions about the upcoming school dance for the eighth graders and high schoolers. It was similar to prom, but it wasn't as fancy as prom and was accessible to the eighth graders.

"I'm not going," Michael interrupted, holding his hand up to silence Noah. "Too many things have been going on with my family. Besides, I don't have a date. None of the kids here like me because of that stupid rumor when I was a freshman."

"You could always go with me," Noah suggested, a cherry red blush quickly rising to his cheeks as he scrambled to add, "A-As friends!" He laughed awkwardly, glancing away. "I mean, we could go as friends. Not as each other's dates, of course. That'd be... That'd be awkward. Really awkward."

Michael felt a twinge of heat warm his face. "That would be awkward. Especially because everyone still thinks I'm homosexual, even though I'm not. They'd rather believe the rumor than the truth."

"You're blushing," Noah pointed out blankly, playfully sticking his finger in Michael's cheek. He laughed when Michael slapped his hand off of his face. "Are you sure that you're not?" he asked, grinning. "I'm perfectly fine with your kind. Two people in my family are homosexual—everyone in my family accepts them."

"I'm not that!" he exclaimed irritably, laughter filling his voice. "You're blushing, too, dumbass. Stop being a hypocrite."

Noah stumbled back dramatically, clutching his heart. "That hurt, Afton. That really hurt." He threw himself into Michael's arms and said in a raspy voice, "I think you've inflicted a fatal wound on me, Afton."

Michael bit his lip, struggling not to laugh at his friend's terrible acting skills. "No, my dear friend," he cried, playing along. "Thou shall not perish! Thou has too much to live for!"

Noah laughed. "Pardon me, my friend. But the blow you have delivered to me is fatal. I cannot be saved." He went limp in Michael's arms and stuck out his tongue, then quickly came back to life in a fit of laughter.

"You're still a dumbass," Michael noted, laughing softly before shoving Noah off his lap.

Noah just grunted before continuing to laugh, pushing himself into a sitting position. Once he started to settle down, he carefully stood up. "We should probably get to class before we're late," he said, still laughing to himself. He quickly grabbed Michael's hand and yanked him onto his feet, then started to run off, practically dragging Michael behind him.

Michael started to laugh at first, amused by his friend's sudden shift in behavior, then squealed when his feet started to fumble beneath him. "Noah, slow down!" he exclaimed nervously, knowing that he was going to fall at any moment.

And he was right.

In about two seconds, he fell face-first onto the ground, grunting loudly as his body slammed onto the tile flooring. He slowly sat up as Noah did a sharp turn on his heel, rushing back to him.

"Ouch," Noah hissed, wincing when he saw the tiny pool of blood where Michael's face previously laid. Within twenty seconds, he started to tremble and waver, his eyes rolling back into his head as he fell to the ground.

"I have a fear of blood. I faint when I see even the littlest bit."

Michael chuckled at the memory as he wiped the blood from his nose and stood up, then went over to Noah and picked him up, carefully throwing him onto his back. Sure, Noah was at least six inches taller than him and at least thirty pounds heavier, but it didn't matter. He could still carry Noah, even if it was difficult. And that's what he did, carrying Noah to the nurse's office.

~ ~ ~

"Oh my goodness, Michael, what happened to your face?!" Henry exclaimed worriedly when Michael walked through the front door of the house. "I thought the kids stopped bullying—did they start fucking with you again?"

"Do you know how weird it is to hear you swear for once?" Michael asked, laughing. "I get that Charlotte's at Miss Bishop's and Beth isn't out of school yet, but jeez, it's weird."

"You didn't answer my question," Henry pointed out, raising suspicious eyebrows.

"I just fell," he explained, laughing softly. "Noah and I were screwing around as we were headed to class, and I ended up falling on my face pretty hard."

Henry crossed his arms. "I don't believe you."

He rolled his eyes, smirking at Henry's reaction. "Of course, you don't. But it's the truth." He shrugged, then chuckled. "Um, may I take your car to the house to get some things?"

"Did your license come in the mail already? Dang, that was fast!"

Michael laughed softly. "Yeah, it did. It's in my wallet."

Henry grinned. "Good for you! Yeah, of course, you can. Just be careful, I need more coolant so the car might overheat. If it does—"

"—pull over immediately, turn off the car, and wait for it to cool down," he interrupted.

Henry chuckled. "All right, smartass. You can go, then," he said, ruffling Michael's hair. "Could you bring something back for Beth? I don't think she's liking it here. I mean, I don't blame her, but I still feel bad. I don't want her to be miserable here, especially after..."

Michael motioned for him to be quiet, not wanting Henry to start crying again. "Sure. I don't mind."