EVERYBODY'S EVERYTHING | AV

[10] Regulary Scheduled Programming

Mickey couldn't stop thinking about the phone call. Who was it? Who hated her so much that they would turn her whole entire life upside down? She knew that if she could just hear the recording, she would be able to figure out who it was. If it was someone she knew, she'd recognise their voice. She knew that.

What she didn't know was why her feet had dragged her in the direction of the SLTs classroom. It was an elective now, meaning she didn't need to attend just because her name was on the map. But she still found herself walking inside and looking for a place she could sit in alone. Her eyes looked on the desk in the back corner, and she made a beeline for it. On her way there, she passed Malakai and brushed his shoulder with her hand. He looked up at her and smiled as he watched her retreat into the corner.

Mickey slumped down in her seat, dropping her bag on top of the desk and using it as a pillow. She caught Malakai's eye and smiled at him, closing her eyes as the rest of the students filed inside.

Without Ca$h around, Malakai was her next choice. She liked him, the two of them had an understanding that she couldn't really decipher. She knew she could go to Amerie, or Darren and Quinni, but they had their own struggles. They didn't need to worry or know about what was happening to her. Malakai knew nothing about her situation either, but she found it easy to admit to herself that if she would confide in anyone other than Ca$h, then it would be him. He was a safe space.

Amerie was chaotic, that much everyone knew. She went berserk trying to get Harper back and then trying to protect her. Mickey didn't need that chaos right now. And anywhere Amerie went, so did Darren and Quinni. She didn't want pity, or unnecessary attention and coddling. Malakai's silent understanding was comfort enough.

It took Mickey slightly off guard when she felt someone sit down in the chair next to hers. She opened her eyes just as Miss Obah walked into the classroom. Malakai has moved to sit beside her, leaving Missy and Sasha behind. Mickey scrunched her brows in question.

"I've had enough of Sasha," he whispered, earning a chuckle.

"Well, I am really glad to see you all. I was kind of worried no one would show up," Miss Oban began, a smile on her face as she looked between her students. "I'm pleased to see some new faces, too."

"Still your SLTs, Miss," Amerie piped up.

"Thought you'd be be too busy with your campaign for sexual literacy," Sasha shot out and Mickey rolled her eyes.

The door was pushed open then and Harper rushed inside, dropping into the empty seat next to Am. Mickey watched as Malakai pulled a notebook out of his bag and scribbled something down on the back page. He pushed it towards her and she read his messy scrawl. 'Are you okay?' Mickey looked up at him and nodded. He pulled the notebook back towards himself and scribbled something else on it.

'Meet me in the quad after school?'

Mickey thought about it for a second and nodded her head. She held her hand out for his pen and he handed it over, pushing the notebook closer to her. Mickey listened to the conversation and doodled on the page.

"Well, I hope making it an elective means we can have more constructive and healthy discourse about sex and sexual-" Miss Obah cut herself off when Darren raised their hand.

"Now, that it's just us girls," they said, gesturing to the room and ignoring Malakai's presence. "I was thinking maybe we could discuss why straight men don't know how to wash their arsehole properly."

The room chorused with laughter from everyone but the table of newcomers beside the two of them.

"I am really glad you stayed, Darren," Miss Obah said with a chuckle.