If The World Ends Tomorrow | ONGOING

𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓇𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃

𝚝𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚓𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟷𝟽𝚝𝚑

"I don't know why you smoke that shit, you're killing yourself." Mikey shakes his head fixing me with a disgusted look, like he doesn't smoke himself. 

Mikey's Car Shop is another one of my distractions, and a way for me to get money, I picked it up when I was younger and we didn't have enough money to get stuff, not important stuff, just things like a bag of chips, a small toy, a pack of skittles, a house run on a teenagers income isn't very sustainable, Leo was able to make it work though.

"You smoke too, old man." I squish the butt of my cigarette against the wall before tossing it in the trash. 

Although Mikey smoked himself he hated it when I did and would give me a dirty glare, while obnoxiously coughing.

His lung health was fucked up, way before I was even born. If you ask me it's a bit late for him to be caring about all that.

"You're a kid, a baby! I'm old, I'm gonna die soon anyway." I don't tell him that I'm going to too, if I talked how I thought it'd mess up the way people view me.

Ms. Happy-Go-Lucky.

I've spent too long perfecting that image, why would I throw away my shield just like that? 

But I won't lie It's been getting harder to keep it up lately, I remind myself all the time that I only have to keep it just a little loner.

Just a little longer.

I hand Mikey his coffee, it's more sugar than it is coffee if we're being completely honest. 

How he didn't have diabetes was beyond me, to be fair there's a chance he does, but he never goes to the doctors, like ever.

Mikey lets out a satisfied hum, licking his upper lip. "This is why I keep you around."

I roll my eyes. "I thought it was so i could protect you from Ms. Lane."

He waves me off, "That too." He shudders. "Demon, that woman."

I laugh shaking my head. Mrs. Lane is the sole object of all Mikey's nightmares, sometimes mine too.

The story goes back to when Mikey was 15 years old he was a bit of a player, the ladies loved him, his words not mine, and he made the mistake of getting involved with Dave Banks's girlfriend Shirley Lane, (Ms. Lane). The fact that Ms. Lane wasn't in a relationship didn't bother Mikey, he isn't proud of his actions, and he hasn't gone after a taken woman since Ms. Lane, anyways, he and Ms. Lane had chemistry class together, they sat next to each other, Ms. Lane flirted with Mikey, Mikey flirted back, one thing led to another and Ms. Lane lost her virginity to Mikey, after that she was attached, swore up and down her and Mikey were soulmates, then she demanded Mikey married her, Mikey was like 'you crazy chick, why the fuck would I marry you, you're crazy, you hear me, lady? Crazy!' his words not mine, Mikey was a bit of a dickhead back then (still is) and he ended up getting with Ms. Lane's friend, Ms. Lane got mad and went crying to Dave who she still hadn't broken up with that Mikey kissed her. Dave didn't like that, he and his friends jumped Mikey behind the bleachers, that's how Mikey lost his front tooth, he blames Ms. Lane hence his humongous grudge against her. And he isn't given the blessing of not seeing her, because Ms. Lane still has a crush on him, yeah, years later, it's crazy.

I've been the buffer between the two countless times, Ms. Lane comes over claiming her car is broken, and Mikey hides in the back while I attend to her, she tries to stall by making conversation with me hoping she'll catch Mikey, but I've mastered the art dealing with her. 

Mikey definitely hasn't, her name alone gives him goosebumps.

I might be good with cars as a result of being around Mikey's but I don't work on the cars half the time unless it's something easy enough. I do the paperwork and keep track of all the clients that come in. 

Why? 

Though Mikey would never admit it he can't read, not well enough to do the paperwork, the amount of late tax fees he's had to pay because he couldn't read the paper is criminal

I hold Mikey at the same level I hold Mrs. Huxley, though they matter to me in different ways. Mrs. Huxley is like a mother, and Mikey is like a cool uncle.

"Did you change your hair?" Mikey pipes up, I look up from the papers I'm organizing he's squinting at me. He has glasses he just doesn't wear them says they ruin his good looks by making him look like a nerd.

I nod. "A couple weeks ago." He's seen my new hair, he asks about it at least once a week.

"You're shitting me?"

I shake my head. "You might want to pay a visit to the doctor." He hasn't been to one in too long, he says they're useless and a waste of money, but as his memory worsens and worsens, he'll give in sooner or later.

⋆・○・✮・○・⋆

"Look who finally decided to show their face, done going Hollywood on us?" Jack announces my entrance. The rest of the group looks up to me, all giving me their respective greetings.

Chelsea, a wave and a smile

Noah, a whistle.

Adrian rolls his eyes. He likes to act like he hates me, keyword, acts.

Christopher, just looks, I don't think he actually registers that I'm there, he's too clocked out, as per usual. You'd think being high 24/7 is impossible, but Chris proves you wrong. Sometimes I wonder why he does it, but the unspoken rule of our group is we don't ask the whys.

The sun is starting to set, the only real light being the streetlamps, and the glow of Chelsea and Noah's cigarettes. 

The park is practically empty, excluding a small group of middle schoolers on the swings, passing around a half-finished cigarette, they mirror us almost perfectly. 

In my head I stomp over to them snatch the cigarette from their hands and throw it in the trash, and beg them to do better, to be better. 

In reality, I ignore them and sit next to Adrian plucking the beer bottle he's holding out of his hand and taking a swig, and then another.

"You're so fucking annoying." He glares, it's halfhearted.

I smile overly sweet. "Suck my dick."

He scoffs taking the bottle back, I let him. He takes a swig before passing it back to me. I feel the liquid sit at the bottom of my stomach, it's sickening, but it's a feeling that passes after a little while, usually when you're in between tipsy and drunk.

"So care to explain where you've been, Missy?" Jack leans back on his arms, a toothpick in his mouth, no cigarette, Chelsea has one though, she'll raise it to his lips every so often, that's what they always do.

They're so in sync in the things that don't count, but so out of sync in the things that do.

"I was at Mikey's."

"For 4 days? You haven't even been to any of the parties." He shakes his head, shaking his finger at me. "Can't wait until you turn into an adult to ditch us? Traitor, you are, Gizzy."

I roll my eyes, forcing myself to smile."Just say you missed me and get it over with."

"No one missed you," Adrian scoffs.

I lean back one hand behind my head, the concrete is hard on my back and there's a rock digging into the corner of my spine. "Keep telling yourself that." I poke his neck, he flicks my hand, I pinch him.

"Children." Noah raises his hands. 'Hey!" He protests when Adrian snatches the cigarette from between his fingers taking a puff before passing it to me, I take a puff, blowing it up towards my face, the smell fills my nostrils, clouds my vision. I toss it back to Noah, a decision that gets me a glare from Adrian.

"I'm going to marry you," Noah proclaims, I roll my eyes. "You know Gizz Gizz you've missed a lot."

"Have I?"

"Yup." Noah agrees. "Remember that chick that told me to slap her..."

I don't hear the rest of what he says or anything after it, it's the same old things anyway, we pass around a cigarette, sometimes drinks, sometimes both, it used to be somewhat enjoyable, but for the past couple months, I sit and wonder why didn't just stay at home.