𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐲 | 𝐦. 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧

sixteen.

you and michael started talking a lot less after that. you still spoke to each other and sat with each other but it was just as it was when the two of you had first met. you sat in silence and only shared small, meaningless conversations. he was being distant. it made you feel terribly guilty. it was deserved for what you said but you wished he would talk to you again. you deeply regretted it.

during lunch, later during the week and after he had spoken to you about what happened, he came up to you covered in bruises and scratches. again. this poor kid could not catch a break. he would have skipped like he did last time he got beat up but he had too many absences. one more absence and the school would call his dad and that would blow up in everyone’s face. you sighed to yourself, stuffing your lunch in your bag and standing on your feet. you had a plan in mind. confusion washed over michael’s face as he finally walked close enough for you to hear his voice.

“what are you doing?” he asked, tilting his head in a way that was similar to a puppy. without a word, you grabbed his arm and started dragging him off. he repeated his question but followed you without resisting at all. he assumed the two of you would sneak into a bathroom together so you could clean him up or that you were taking him to the nurse’s office. his confusion changed to surprise as you started walking off school grounds. your school had off campus lunch so no one suspected anything but you two would not be coming back for the rest of the day. michael asked for a third time what the hell you were doing and you finally answered.

“we’re going to my house. i know all the bathrooms will be packed or we will into people that we don’t want to see. the nurse is useless and will do nothing more than give you a pack of ice. i’m cleaning you up at my place again,” you said, letting out a sigh as you let go of his arm. “of course i had to go and make friends with the kid that can’t keep himself out of trouble.”

“i didn’t ask to get beat up,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over himself and rubbing his upper arm where you had been holding him and dragging him along. “anyways, you’re gonna get both of us in trouble,” he argued.

“i never said you did. i would be rather concerned if you did,” you said sarcastically and rolled your eyes. “my parents don’t mind. they know whatever i miss today i will make up tomorrow. i can probably help you with whatever you miss too. it’ll be like it never happened.”

there was no further argument and the both of you fell quiet as you walked. by the time you two got to your house, lunch was over and you would have been way late to your next period if you even tried to go back. you stepped in quietly, michael following behind you. you didn’t see either of your parent’s cars in the driveway so it was safe to assume they were both at work. they usually didn’t get home until just a little after you arrived home from school. you told michael to follow you and he obeyed, following you to your room where the both of you set down your things before going to your bathroom. 

you repeated the same things you had done last time this happened, pulling out the first aid kit, wiping the blood and dirt off his skin, cleaning the open wounds and giving him bandaids. it went by quicker this time but it was much more awkward. you both just wanted to get out of the bathroom and put a bit of space between the two of you. it felt so cramped.

“what did you even do to deserve this?” you asked as you ripped open a bandaid and pressed it carefully against a wound for the umpteenth time. you made sure the adhesive stuck to his skin before pulling your hand away and moving on to the next one. “this is ridiculous, michael. why won’t you go to the principal or even just a teacher? does no one stop them? what is the deal? don’t you have any other friends you can turn to? isn’t there someone that’s there for you?” you asked, your tone sounding irritated because you were. it might have seemed like you were angry with michael but in reality, you were upset by how horribly he was treated by everyone.

he was quiet for a moment, intimidated by your tone and your angered body language. you were moving hastily and being just a bit too rough with him. “no, i don’t. it’s just you. the principal doesn’t really care,” he said, looking away from you and fixing his gaze on the floor. “i can’t fight back either. winning when it's one on four is damn near impossible.”

“what did you do to deserve this?” your tone was demanding. as if you were interrogating him or accusing him of something. he looked offended, his brows furrowing together and he just scoffed in response. “why won’t you just tell me? don’t you just wanna get it off your chest?”

“what would you know? why would i open up to someone after months of nothing but torment?” the question was clearly rhetorical and he continued speaking before you could even get the chance to respond anyways. “i’ve already told you it’s none of your business. can’t you just lay off me? it’s not like you care about my feelings anyways.”

“why would you say that? of course i care about how you feel. you’re the sweetest guy i know and i want you to just open up to me. is that so much to ask?” you said, growing more and more frustrated with this conversation. you were both ticking time bombs.

he didn’t say much else in response, his expression hardening as he glared at you. your stomach dropped as you met his eyes. he had never given you a look like that. he was usually sweet to you. you really fucked everything up the other day, didn’t you? that fact was hitting you hard now. you bit your tongue, both of you falling quiet again. you looked away from each other and you finished patching him up before he hopped off the counter.

both of you knew michael couldn’t just go home right now and he didn’t have anywhere else to go. it was gonna be an awkward couple of hours. you wished you had thought this out a bit more or been nicer to him. this was all blowing up in your face now. mistake after mistake was setting you back. you needed to fix this somehow.