Reverse

Chapter 1 Epiphany

"You're hiding something." He told his mother, Aurora, watching as she continued to avoid his eyes. "Does this have something to do with Max? Because if it does, you know I'll beat him up for you, right?"

"Michael!" His mother scolded as she looked over at him disapprovingly. "No, this has nothing to do with Max. I will tell you later, I promise. Just, not right now." A sigh escaped Michael's lips. His mother's tone was one he was beginning to get used to, it was one that meant he wasn't getting anything out of her. A thought then entered his mind and he couldn't keep his mouth shut, a bad habit of his of saying things before he thought them through fully.

"When do I get to meet this Max guy anyways? You've been dating for months now and I still haven't met him." He shoved another mouthful of cereal in his mouth before pointing his spoon at her. "I'm starting to think that you just made him up..."

A laugh escaped Aurora's lips as she finally met her son's eyes, amusement the main emotion in her gaze. Leave it to him to act like he was her parent instead of the other way around.

"Max is a busy person with a lot of responsibility," She explained, not for the first time either. "Don't worry! You'll be meeting Max tomorrow night since we'll be having supper together." Michael frowns as he pushes another spoon of food into his jaw and chews slowly. "Now, hurry up before you're late for school. You only have a week left before summer vacation and you don't need to start being tardy now." Michael brought his bowl to his lips and chugged the milk back quickly before putting both the bowl and spoon into the sink for his mother to wash. After that, he kissed his mother's forehead before heading into the next room to grab his backpack. He hurried out the door before he really was late.

It only took Michael fifteen minutes to walk to his high school and then another few minutes to head to his first-period classroom. Michael walked through the classroom door and took a seat at the front beside one of his friends. He took his binder out and opened it, flipping to the correct section. School really wasn't his thing but it made his mother happy when his grades were okay so he tried putting in the effort, for her.

"Did you go to the party last night?" The male beside him asks nosily. Michael turns to glance at his friend and smiles innocently.

"Matt, it's only Tuesday, why would I go to a party on a Monday night?" He returned, cringing at the thought of his mother catching him. The other male gave him a strange look.

"Why wouldn't you? Never mind, I don't know why I'm even surprised." Matt stated before continuing on with his point. "Anyways, lots happened... Including Tracy and James who ended up hooking up." A look of surprise flitted across Michael's face and he looked at Matt like he was pulling his leg.

"Seriously?"

"Yup, Seven Minutes in Heaven. I'm betting the dare turned into something more. If you know what I mean." Matt thinks out loud, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"I wish I didn't..." Michael shudders internally, his mind filling with thoughts. Matt could be a bit of a creep at times. He was happy for Tracy and James though, those two had been eyeing each other up since they first met. Michael didn't know why it had shocked him so much that they had finally kissed and confessed. It was probably because they acted like shy preschoolers around each other... Too shy to fess up.

Classes came and went with Michael not really paying attention to anything, his head was too distracted to focus. He was trying hard not to think about the dinner he was going to have with his mother and Max. It didn't help that Matt had been in every one of his classes so far, the worst and last being Art. He was still cranky from what had happened just moments earlier. Art was the one thing that he actually enjoyed and took seriously. Matt, on the other hand, was always drawn to creating problems and often tangled Michael in them.