catfish // mgc

☼ t w e n t y - f i v e ☼

/// PSA: 5SOS IS RELEASING THE SKH MUSIC VIDEO TOMORROW AND HAS ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WILL BE A SKH EP WITH FOUR SONGS BEING RELEASED ON AUGUST 28TH (THE SAME DAY AS HALSEY'S ALBUM!!!!!!) ///

"Mae..." he whispered, caressing my cheeks with his hands.

He was so delicate with me, as if he was scared that he'd grab me too hard and I'd shatter under his touch. And quite frankly, I'm pretty sure my insides were shattering.

I couldn't see his face; everything was blurry. But I recognized his voice. His beautiful, angelic voice that I swore if it was a liquid, it would be sweet tea.

I tried to reach out and touch, to feel him, to finally feel the warmth that poured out of him, but my arms wouldn't move an inch.

"Mae," he said more sternly this time. His hands moved from my face to my shoulders and he gripped them. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I squinted my eyes, trying to see his face, but I just couldn't.

"Meredith!" He shouted, shaking my shoulders violently. I didn't recall telling Michael my actual first name, unless maybe Ash told him? He was the only one I remember telling. My body felt limp, as my head shook with my shoulders.

"Meredith Grace, wake up!"

"Michael?" I shot up in my bed, my hair messily falling around my face. I rubbed my eyes and reached for my glasses on my nightstand. My mom stood next to my bed, glaring at me with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You're not Michael," I mused, my eyebrows furrowing. My mom rolled her eyes.

"Last time I checked, I was the woman who suffered 17 agonizing hours trying to get you the hell out of me."

"Must you bring this up every year?" I questioned, rubbing my temple in mock aggravation. She just grinned at me.

"Kat's here," she said.

And right on cue, my bright eyed best friend poked her head in my room, then bounded in on her toes when she saw I was awake. She immediately jumped on me, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Happy birthday!" She squealed in my ear. I hugged her back, rolling my eyes and laughing.

"I never understood why people celebrated the fact that they're getting closer to death," I grimaced. Kat sighed heavily.

"Alright ya Debbie Downer," she shoved away from me, making me fall back on my bed. "You've got presents!"

"So?" I said meekly. "I want sleep."

At this point my mom has sneakily exited my room, but left a giant fricken box in my doorway. I narrowed my eyes at it.

"What is that?"

"Presents?" Kat guessed. But I could already tell she knew what it was. She jumped off my bed and bounced over to the box. She bent over and scooted it over to my bed so it was in front of me. I sighed and slid off my bed and onto the floor.

If there was one thing I hated about birthdays, it was gifts.

They made me feel beyond awkward.

I never knew how to react to a present. I just would end up feeling uncomfortable with everyone staring at me, acting like they were expecting me to jumping up in the air and cry tears of joy.

Kat suddenly stabbed the box with a kitchen knife, scaring me and making me jump and squeal. She left the knife in the box and sat down across from me, on the other side of the giant package.