"Foolish Dreamers" Michael Afton x Reader

𝓢𝓴𝓲𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓭 𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓵 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓪 𝓕𝓸𝓸𝓵 (Ch.18)

Tuesday
November 27, 1984  9:57 A.M.

3rd Period: History Honors

Y/N tapped her pen absently against the edge of her notebook, her thoughts drifting to fifth period. She couldn't forget the promise Michael made of food to make up for making her miss lunch the day before. Knowing him, she half-expected some weird excuse, but her stomach hoped otherwise.

The door creaked open, and CJ strolled in with the kind of attitude only someone completely unbothered could pull off. Her oversized "The Cure" shirt hung loosely over her frame, and her curly ginger hair was piled into a messy bun, wisps of it sticking out in every direction. She plopped down next to Y/N with a smirk, legs kicked out and sneakers squeaking against the floor.

CJ popped a stick of gum into her mouth with an exaggerated grin and offered Y/N a piece. "Gum? Helps you survive Mr. Foreman's rambling. Might need it."

Y/N shook her head with a small laugh. "I'll take my chances."

CJ's grin widened as she leaned in, her elbows resting lazily on her desk. "So, how's Hurricane High treating ya? You like it here, or does it suck as much as it looks?" Her voice was low, playful, and dripping with curiosity.

Y/N shrugged, flipping her pen between her fingers. "It's... okay, I guess. Not the worst."

CJ tilted her head, popping a bubble between her teeth. "That's a lie." She gave Y/N a teasing nudge with her shoulder. "C'mon, you can tell me. New school and all, probably weird as hell."

Y/N hesitated before smiling. "It's... different."

CJ gave a soft laugh, her grin never fading. "That's code for 'it's awful, but I don't wanna sound rude,' huh?" She blew another bubble and cracked it, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Don't worry, everyone hates it here at first. You'll get used to it—or you'll learn how to sneak off without getting caught like last time."

Y/N snorted. "Is that what you do?"

CJ winked. "Nah, I just never show up on time. Can't get in trouble if you're already trouble, right?"

Y/N shook her head, smirking. "You sound like Michael."

CJ's eyes lit up mischievously. "Speaking of, how's lunch with Mikey gonna go? Heard he owes you big-time." She wiggled her eyebrows, clearly enjoying herself, clearly either Michael told her or Annie.

Y/N rolled her eyes. "He dragged me into his mess with Heather, so yeah—he better show up with something good."

"Oh, Mikey's got you now," CJ teased, her grin stretching wide. "Food bribery is his love language. Dude offers snacks like he's handing out secrets to the universe. And if he's feeding you—" CJ leaned closer with a teasing whisper—"that means he likes you."

Y/N tried to suppress the annoyance creeping up her neck and buried her face in her notebook. "He's just being nice."

CJ hummed knowingly, like she didn't believe a word of it. "Sure, sure. That's what they all say... until you're covering his shift and knee-deep in animatronic grease."

Y/N laughed despite herself. "Not happening."

CJ gave her a playful nudge again. "We'll see. You're already hooked, whether you know it or not." She stretched her arms over her head lazily. "Anyway, don't let him pull too much crap, yeah? Michael's... complicated. Nice, but complicated."

Y/N looked down at her notebook, tapping her pen against the paper. She appreciated CJ's casual honesty—it was hard to tell sometimes with Michael what was genuine and what was just part of his act.