Pictures of You [M. C.]

4

(Song for this chapter: "Don't Say Anything" by: Sleeping With Sirens)

As I descend the stairs with a white sweater over my arms, I take each step slowly to give myself more time. Michael looks up at me from the front door as I reach the bottom step. I walk past him and continue outside without a word to my parents or him, and he follows just as quietly. We start down the sidewalk and Michael catches up to me, his steps matching mine. I take this as a good sign. After a few minutes of silence other than our footsteps, I decide to speak up.

"So..." I begin, "you're starting to like it here?"

"We are not doing this," he snaps. "We are not friends." I stop in my tracks and narrow my eyes at him.

"Then why come with me if you hate me so much?" He slows to a stop and turns to face me.

"I don't... I don't know," he sighs. I swear he was going to say something else but I ignore it. "I guess I'm doing it for my mom. I promised that I would try." He says this almost to himself.

I let his words hang in the air for a few seconds before taking a breath. "I'm going home," I mummer before walking the other way. I hear Michael groan behind me then I feel a soft hand on my arm.

"Don't go home. I just... can we just go to the movie?" he asks with a look of hope in his green eyes. As I stare at him debating on my answer, I realize for the first time that he has an eyebrow piercing placed above his right eye. Before I can stop them, words tumble out of my mouth.

"How long have you had that?" I ask pointing to the piercing. The question takes him off guard as his head pulls back in confusing. He definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Uh... a year or so," he says slowly. "Why?"

I shrug, "I've never noticed it before." I bite my lip and sigh. "Come on, let's go." We start walking again, a comfortable silence separating us.

A few minutes later, Michael breaks the quiet, catching me off guard.

"What movie were you planning on seeing with Calum?"

My eyes go wide for a split second. I honestly didn't think he was paying attention to that part of the conversation earlier.

"Oh, I didn't actually have plans. I only told my mom that so I could get out of the dinner," I say quietly, looking at the ground. Michael lets out a short laugh, causing me to look at him. I can tell the laugh was genuine and wasn't forced.

"I tried getting out of it too."

"I don't even want to see a movie," I admit shyly.

"Neither do I really. What else could we do for the next hour or so?"

I think for a moment then an idea pops into my head. "I've got an idea."

About ten minutes or so later Michael and I emerge into an older part of town. The shops are all run down and their age shows in the chipping and peeling paint and faded signs. Some windows are cracked while others have a thick layer of dust and dirt covering them, concealing the inside. Ahead of us sits a tiny ice cream stand. The lone building is older than I am and brings back a feeling of nostalgia. My parents used to bring me here all the time before things changed. My heart drops at that thought but I try my best to hide the sadness creeping into my heart.

"Why are we getting ice cream when it's freezing outside?" Michael asks.

I roll my eyes even though he can't see me. "It's not that cold. And besides, no one said you had to actually get anything." I make my way up to the window, Michael following close behind.