EVERYBODY'S EVERYTHING | AV

[16] Beat Her to the Punch

Mickey couldn't get what Spider said out of her mind. You like Ant. Why don't you do something about it? His words had been echoing inside her head ever since he spoke them and no matter what she did, she couldn't get them out. So, Mickey decided to do something about it. She watched Ant's parent's car pulling out of their driveway and then she made her way to the side of the house. She climbed onto the wall, then the roof. She rapped on the window and waited for him to open it. The front door would've been more efficient, but the climb helped her focus on something other than what she was going to say to him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pushing the window open and looking at her. He was confused to see her, surprised.

"You gonna let me in or not?"

He moved out of the way and she climbed in through the window, using his shoulder as support. She lowered herself onto the floor and turned to look at him. He stood there, staring down at her. His hair was messy, his eyes looked tired. He looked pretty.

"Making the phone call to DOCS?" she asked, pushing at his chest. She had to say something or else she was afraid she would've made herself out to be a complete fool. "Putting Amerie and Jojo's lives on the line because of a stupid lesson?" She pushed at his chest again, looking up at him as the words left her mouth.

"What were you thinking?"

Ant grabbed a hold of her hands to prevent her from pushing him again. He smiled down at her, but his face fell when she didn't smile back. His hold on her hands wavered and that was when she took the opportunity and shoved him again.

"What were you thinking?" she repeated as he dropped down onto his bed. He held himself up with his arms to keep himself from falling further. She stood above him, her eyes focused on his. He smiled at her again, reaching his hands out and pulling her down onto his lap. Her eyes widened in surprise as his hands settled on her waist. His eyes flickered from hers down to her lips and then he leaned towards her and kissed her. She was taken by surprise, but kissed him back nonetheless. She pulled away first, looking into his eyes as he opened them.

"I like you," he said. Mickey thought she heard wrong. She came here to say exactly what he just said, and he beat her to the punch. Anthony Vaughn beat her to the punch. She laughed at the thought, bringing her hand up to her mouth to stop herself from laughing again. His expression flashed with hurt and embarrassment. His hold on her waist wavered.

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you," she said, a smile plastered on her face. She brought her hands up to his cheeks and kissed him again.

"I like you, too," she said as she pulled away.

"Awesome," he muttered, his hold on her waist tightening once again. She laughed softly before pushing him down on the bed and kissing him again.

•••••

Mickey walked through the school gate the next morning with a smile on her face. The night before, she spent hours at Ant's place. They sat together, talking watching movies and enjoying each other's presence.

Ant was sitting on the floor, his head leaning on Mickey's knee as she played with his hair. His attention was focused on the TV, but his mind was elsewhere. She was running her fingers through his hair, which was soft against her skin. She was focused on the movie, too, so it took her by surprise when she heard his voice.

"What are we?" he asked, unmoving as his eyes remained focused on the movie playing on the screen. She thought she heard him wrong, so she remained quiet for a few seconds, replaying the moment in her head. She looked down at him, staring at the back of his head.

"What?"

"What are we?" he asked again, this time turning around to face her. She looked down at him, now sure that she heard right.

"You did not just ask me that," she said, a nervous smile creeping onto her face as he gazed up at her with his lip stuck between his teeth.

"I'm serious, Mickey," he said, shifting position again. His back straightened, his face fell. "I wanna know."

"What do you want to be? Boyfriend and girlfriend?" she asked him, leaning her elbows on her knees as she supported her head with her hands. She was smiling at him, attempting to dissolve the situation a little and make herself feel less nervous. He made her nervous. She saw him nod his head a little, unsure of the movement. Mickey slid down off the bed and joined him on the floor.

"I need to hear you say it."

"Yes," he answered. Mickey let her smile fall, suspecting that it was making Ant feel more embarrassed than reassured. She lifted her hand and placed it at the back of his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He wasn't looking at her, instead he was focusing on the space between their hands. Their fingers were about an inch apart, so close yet so far from touching.

"Anthony," Mickey said, wanting him to look at her when she said the next words. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. His hand moved closer to hers and their fingers touched. "I'll be your girlfriend if you'll be my boyfriend."

He remained quiet for a few seconds, his eyes roaming her face as a small smile crept onto his own. His posture relaxed, his fingers interlocking with hers.

"Awesome," he whispered, and Mickey pulled him closer and kissed him. She pulled away and laughed as she saw the expression on his face. She still couldn't believe that he said those words, but a part of her was glad he did.

Now, she was walking into the building with a smile tugging at her lips. It was weird, to have such a genuine smile on her face. There was a weird feeling in her stomach, too, a new feeling. She hadn't experienced it before, but it was nice.

She was just about to walk up the stairs when she heard a familiar voice. She stopped in her tracks and pressed her body against the wall. She recognised Ca$h's voice and also Amerie's.

"Have they done this before?" she asked. Mickey's smile fell. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but she couldn't help it. She was curious, maybe a little too curious for her own good.

"No. Never," he answered.

"Will they do it again?"

Ca$h remained silent. We're they talking about the eshays? About Chook and Jayden and Tiller? Mickey heard someone stand and she set off down the hallway, not wanting to get caught. Her mind was whirring with thoughts. Did Ca$h tell Amerie about what happened to her? No. He wouldn't do that to her. He promised that he would never utter a word to anyone about that night.

Mickey stepped into the classroom and sat down in the back corner, her eyes focused on the initials carved into the desk. What were they talking about? Why was Amerie asking about the eshays?

She was brought out of her thoughts by Ca$h, who dropped down into the seat beside her with a weird look on his face. She glanced at him, but then looked away as he turned to her. He looked like he wanted to say something, to greet her maybe. But he remained quiet, his mind on the conversation he just had with Amerie.