All Is Hell, In The Afton Family.

04

The school day flew by fast. It was already the 6th period. The last period of the day. His last period did have that black haired boy from the principal's office, Noah. He was sitting with another boy and two other girls. Noah kept glancing back at Michael. He soon got up and walked over to him.

Michaels eyes shift up, glancing up at the taller boy. Then he looked back down. “Problem?” Michael asked, writing in his notebook. “You’re new, I..- came over to say hi,” Noah said with a smirk. Sounding pleased. “Yeah, I’m new. What, don’t see new people often?” Michaels blue eyes glare up at the boy.

“Okay, smartass. I do, but you just seem familiar. Thought I’d come over and say hello, since no one else seems to acknowledge your existence.” Noah taunts, his crystal blue eyes burning holes into Michael's eyes. Michael shuts his notebook. Tilting his head up to look up at the taller boy who towered above him. “Is that so?” Michael mumbles.

Noah sits on Michaels table, which sat in the back of the room. With one chair for one person. Michael liked sitting alone. “Are you related to a guy named Dave?” He asked, eyeing the boy. Michael squinted his eyes. Taken back by the question. “No.., I don’t recall even knowing someone named Dave.”

Noah nodded, slightly sneering. Not believing the brunette. “Okay, sure,” Noah said looking at Michael studying his features. “You moved here from London, or somethin’?” Noah asked, looking over at the teacher. Who was on his computer, not caring what everyone was doing. It was their grade.

For him being so cool, and humble, that made him Noah’s favorite teacher. “Yeah, recently.” Michael said softly. Why was he so eager to keep this dry conversation going? Michael thought. Biting on his inner cheek. Noah looks back at the boy with a small huff as he gets off the table.

Noah shook his head, chuckling as he walked back over to his friends. “Yo, what’s good,” One said, patting Noah's back. Noah rolled his eyes playfully sitting back down. Michael’s eyes stayed glued onto the boy. Noah looked back for a second, they made eye contact as they both looked away, embarrassed how they were both caught.

***

As Michael walks to his younger sister’s school, which wasn’t too far from his own. Someone pulls on his collar. Causing Michael to spin around with a confused, and somewhat angry look. But when he finally turns around his eyes are met with a familiar green eyes. “Ouinn?,” Michael says confused.

“Hey, me and Noah saw you walking home. Thought we’d come by and say hey,” She said with a wide smile. Noah stares at her, not wanting to look over at the brunette in front of him. Michael hums, as he continues walking and then follows.

“Where’re you going’?” Ouinn asks, holding onto Noah’s shirt sleeve. Whilst Noah stays near the sidewalk, keeping his hand in his pocket.

“The elementary school,” Michael says in a quiet voice. Not looking over at the black haired girl. She mumbles okay, looking over at Noah. “Aren’t we picking up Vanny from Richardson?” She asked looking up at the blue eyed boy.

He nodded, giving her a small smile, before it faded. “Yeah.” Noah said in a small voice. Michael glanced over. “I remember the principal saying something about your siblings. Wouldn’t have thought they’d be in elementary.” Michael points out.

After the principal says they lack empathy? How could a little girl lack something so important? Michael holds back a scoff. Glancing back over at Noah, in which he makes eye contact with the blue eyed boy. “I have a brother that goes to our school, though me and him aren’t on good terms, right now.” Michael makes a huh, sound.

He continues walking, not asking anymore questions assuming that it's a sensitive topic. Quinn saw the tension that arose between them. She laughed and looked over at Michael. “How olds is your sibling?” Quinn asked, holding onto Noah’s sleeve. Michael glanced over at her.

Seeing her holding him, like that, made his eyes narrow. Glancing up at the taller boy who was looking straight forward, as they walked. Michael looked away looking forward. “She's 7, she just turned 7 a couple months ago.”

Noah looked over. “My younger sister’s the same age, she turned 7, 2 months ago. I got her a princess dress.” Noah smiled, looking over at Quinn then Michael. Michael nodded. “I got my younger sister a mask I made. Her favorite animal is foxes.”

Noah nodded, looking over at Michael with a soft smile. “That’s nice,” Michael nodded, glancing up to look at the boy. Who looked forward when Michael made eye contact. What the hell is wrong with him? Michael thought.

Before the three knew it, the school was already in front of them. Elizabeth soon came running out and hugging onto Michaels legs. He stiffened, “Hey,” Michael said in a soft voice. Patting the top of her head. She looked up at him with a soft smile. “Hello!” She gave him a toothy smile. MIssing a tooth.

Michael put his arm under her thighs, picking her up. She laughed. “Look! Mikey! Can’t you see!” She said with a wide grin. Pointing to one of her front teeth that was missing. Michael gave her a smile. “Yeah, that's amazing, Beth.”

Elizabeth grinned, and giggled. Glancing back up at the two others near her and her brother. “Mike, who’re they?” She mumbled, as her smile faded and her hands clutched onto the fabric of his shirt. “Kids from school I know,” He assured Elizabeth with a smile.

She looked back at her brother and smiled. Quinns face fell into a pitiful pout. “Kids? Ain’t we your friends?” Michael looked up at the black haired girl as she spoke. She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. Michaels eyes narrow, looking away from her. As his face heats up. “Uhm, I guess, you could be.” Noah crosses his arms and scoffs, shaking his head.

“What?” Quinn says looking back up at the boy. “Crazy,” He shook his head with a smile looking at the three. Elizabeth huffed, not liking how the attention had been drawn away from her. “Ice cream, don’t forget.” She reminds her brother of the promise he made the night before.

As they spoke about where they’d be going out for ice cream, Noah had found his little sister who was laughing with the other two. Michael opened his mouth to speak, but he soon closed it. Trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He looked back at his sister.

***

Michael and Elizabeth soon found an ice-cream truck. “What would you like, Elizabeth?” Michael said, holding his sister's hand. “Uh, Uh, Strawberry!” She said pointing to the picture of a strawberry ice-cream on the side of the truck. The man inside the truck smiled at the girl.

He turned his attention to Michael. “That’ll be 10 cents,” The man says with a soft smile. Michael reached in his pocket pulling out a quarter. “Keep it.” Michael put the quarter next to him. The man grabbed it and smiled. “One moment.”

The man came back soon. He handed Elizabeth the ice-cream. She licked near the cone, since the ice-cream was already melting in the hot weather. Michael let go of her hand and patted her hair. “Hey! Don’t mess up my hair!”

Michael chuckled, resting his hand on her head. “Am I forgiven?” Michael asked, looking at her as they walked home. Elizabeth hummed, with ice-cream around her mouth as she giddily ate her ice-cream.