The Mute || m.c. au ON HOLD

3.

 // fixed,edited //

  Lola smiled once spotting the tall boy with blonde hair. She skipped her way through the crowded hallway over to him. "Hey" she greeted, basically breaking her neck to look up at him.

"Hey Lola" he responded matching her smile. They walked in silence to the cafeteria, not really having much to talk about being that they barely knew each other. But Lola hated silence.

"So" she started "What's the deal with Michael, I don't mean to be nosy or anything but why doesn't he talk?". She figured they had at least one thing in common, and that was knowing the boy named Michael Clifford.

Luke sighed, he hated thinking about the past events that lead Michael to stop talking. "Like I said it's a long story but" he hesitated to tell her, they were practically strangers. So he decided he'd leave out most of the information. "There was an accident, involving a very close friend of Michaels" he casually stated, not including 90% of the details.

"That's it?" She questioned, luke hummed in response.

"He... or she must've meant a lot to him if it stopped him from talking" she quietly stated. The rest of the walk to lunch she thought about who could possibly mean so much to Michael that he went mute. A sibling maybe, or like her- one of his parents died.

She sat down at the table of boys, today her appearance making her feel self conscious around them. Instead of her usual jeans and tee she wore a floral dress, the flowers shaped into skulls. Little did she know, Michael liked her appearance very much.

He tried his best to look at her without getting caught, it was hard since he was all she ever looked at.

"I like your outfit Michael" she complimented, there was nothing special about his attire. He wore his usual band tee and black jeans, but Lola was hoping he'd reply with a thank you. Just a nod would do though, just so she knew Michael wasn't ignoring her.

Of course Michael didn't reply.

"So Lola, did you just move here?" Ashton started a conversation, he was tired of Michael. He hated that he didn't talk anymore, it annoyed him more than anything. And it was selfish.

She shook her head as she bit into an apple slice "No, actually I just got out of the hospital. But before then I went to some school way across town".

"Why were you in the hospital?" Calum asked with furrowed eyebrows.

She swallowed the lump in her throat "Um, I caught a flu. It wasn't serious but they kept me for... other reasons". She lied, and Michael could tell.

"Oh, sorry to hear that" Calum felt bad for asking about an obviously uncomfortable topic.

She shrugged "I didn't mind it honestly".

But in reality she hated being in that place, it was horrible. She thought about how they forced fed her and made her take numerous of different medications daily. The pills were supposed to make her happy, but they only made her sleepy. So when she wasn't sleeping she dreaded every minute of her stay there.

"Well how are you liking this school so far?" Luke questioned changing the subject.

She shrugged "It's okay, I haven't made much friends but the teachers here are way more helpful than they were in my old school".

"Has anyone caught your eye yet?" Calum asked, Ashton nudged him on his side for asking a question like that.

Lola chuckled "It's fine Ashton" she reassured him, but he ignored her words and continued to glare at Calum. "Someone has actually" she spoke, getting an expression of shock from the others- including Michael.

"What's his name?" Calum asked.

"I'd rather not say, it's kind of embarrassing" she looked down.

"Why would it be embarrassing?" Luke questioned now a little more interested in the current conversation.

"Because" she started and took another bite from an apple slice "He's kind of out of my league, he doesn't even talk to me so obviously he doesn't have any interest in me. It's embarrassing that I like him in the first place, I don't stand a chance".

Ashton scoffed "Nonsense, if he doesn't like you back he's crazy. You're a great catch".

Lola blushed at the compliment. To which Michael glared angrily at Ashton.

"I say go for it" Luke added in as he threw a fry into his mouth.

"Yeah?" She tilted her head slightly.

"What do you got to lose?" Luke replied. Lola bit her lip, he's right. She should go for it, but then the idea of rejection interrupted her confidence. How could she possibly tell the boy that didn't talk to her that she liked him.

He didn't even want to be her friend.
***
Lola picked up the family sized box of Cheerios and threw it into the basket, she swore Dustin went through a single box within two days. She didn't mind grocery shopping, it was the only time besides school that she got out of the house. Though she wished her mother would come along instead of just leaving cash on the kitchen counter for her, she hated feeling like an adult rather than a teenager.

She perked up once turning down the candy aisle. Michael stood on the opposite side and looked closely at the variety of candy.

"Hi Michael" she greeted pushing the basket further up so she could stand closer to him.

Michael turned to look at the voice, his face should nothing but he was rather relieved to see Lola. Not that he was happy to see her, not at all- he wasn't her friend.

"I'm surprised to see you here" she spoke. Michael wondered why she was surprised, this was a local grocery store opened for anyone to come into.

"Is that your favorite?" She asked glancing down at the big bag of skittles in Michaels hand.

'You have a weird fetish for favorites' Michael thought.

"Mine is Starburst, though unfortunately I can't buy any today" she sighed eyeing the bag of Starburst. Michael tilted his head, Lola soon noticed he did this when he had a question. So she figured he wanted to know why, and she figured right.

"I can't afford it" she shrugged "My mom only gave me enough to buy food for Dustin, which isn't a lot to begin with".

She sighed once again, now not in the mood to bother Michael when she knew all he wanted was for her to go away. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, bye Michael" she pushed the basket down the aisle. Leaving Michael to stare at the bag of Starburst.

He eventually bought it.
And eventually decided to give it to her tomorrow at school.

This was a little shorter, hope you still enjoyed it loves.