One and Only • Mikhaiah

Chapter 9

AIAH
It had been weeks since that quiet moment in the locked classroom, and sometimes in her silence, I saw something flicker something more than the coldness she usually gave everyone.

Today, though, as I approached her in the hallway, there was a heaviness in the air. Mikha was standing alone, her eyes distant, like she was lost again in a place I couldn't reach.

"Mikha!" I called out, jogging up to her. But when she turned to face me, the emptiness in her expression made my stomach drop.

"Mikha, it’s me, Aiah" I said, forcing a smile, trying to shake off the sudden chill that ran down my spine. I knew she recognized me, but the distance between us felt wider than ever.

She stared at me for a long moment, her face a careful mask of indifference. "I know who you are" she muttered. "What do you want?"

I flinched at the sharpness in her voice but pushed through it. She had been like this before, shutting me out, and I wasn’t going to let it stop me now. "I thought we could hang out. Maybe talk, like last time?"

For a brief second, I thought I saw something hesitation, maybe flicker in her eyes. But just as quickly, it vanished, replaced by the same guarded coldness I’d come to expect.

"There’s nothing to talk about, Aiah" she said, her tone flat. "Why do you keep trying?"

The words hit me harder than I expected. I swallowed, trying to find my voice. "Because you’re my friend, Mikha. I care about you, even if you don’t remember everything. Even if—"

"Even if what?" she cut in, her voice sharp like glass. "Even if I don’t care?"

The blow stung more than I wanted to admit, but I refused to back down. "Mikha, you don’t mean that. I know you’re going through a lot, and I—"

"You don’t know anything" she snapped, her eyes flashing with something I couldn’t quite place. "You think you understand me? You think you can fix me? Well, you can’t."

I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away. I couldn't fall apart now. "I’m not trying to fix you. I just want to be here for you."

She looked away, her jaw tight, and for a moment, I could almost see the internal war she was fighting. Her fists clenched at her sides.

"You’re wasting your time" she said quietly, but her voice cracked just enough for me to hear the lie buried underneath.

My heart ached, because I knew the truth. She wasn’t pushing me away because she didn’t care she was doing it because she cared too much, and it scared her. She didn’t know how to deal with these feelings, especially now, when her world felt so fragmented.

"Mikha, please" I said softly, stepping closer. "You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to push me away."

She didn’t move, her back stiffening as I spoke. For a split second, I thought she might turn around, let me in, just this once.

But then she took a deep breath and shook her head, her voice cold again. "You don’t get it, Aiah. It’s better this way."

I couldn’t hold back anymore. "Better for who? for you? but it wasn't better for me!" I cried out, my voice cracking with the weight of my emotions. "I’ve been trying so hard to reach you, but every time I think we’re getting somewhere, you just… shut me out."

She stood there, frozen in place, her hands trembling at her sides. I knew I had hit a nerve, but instead of letting me in, she stepped away, putting more distance between us.