Countdown (MC)

2 - The Plan

Michael's POV
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"Michael... Michael?" I heard my name being called by the boys and my mother several times, but I didn't answer any of them, I just stared ahead blankly.

I was in shock. I didn't understand why I had said those words to Luke, those words that have been aimlessly roaming around in my head since Vivienne left.

I've always pushed the corrupted thoughts away, scared that if they were actually true and not just my mind playing tricks on me, that I would lose my best friend.

"Michael, please answer us. You're scaring me." My mother took my face in her hands, gently caressing my flushed cheeks with her tiny thumbs.

"I don't know what you're wanting me to say," I spoke up in a monotone voice, not letting my wild emotions seep through my stiff complexion.

"Do you boys know what's wrong? What happened before he froze up?" Giving up her hopes of me telling her what was running through my mind, she turned to three out of my four friends for help.

"We came by to check up on him, like usual. He was fine at first. We found him watching home videos of Vivienne and himself. But everything went downhill once I confronted him about the tear stains I saw dried upon his face." Ashton tried explaining to my mother, looking from me to her every few seconds.

"Why was he crying? Why were you crying, honey?" She started off questioning Ashton, but moved to ask me soon after, wanting to hear the story from her son; me, the person that truly knew why I was crying. But of course, I didn't answer her.

"Do you know Ashton?" She shook her head frustratedly, turning back towards the boys, hoping that at least one of them had the answers.

"No. He wouldn't talk to me or Calum after I brought up his crying." Ashton sighed, looking down at the floor, ashamed. To him, it was probably like he had let my mother down by not knowing all the answers to her rushed out questions.

"What about Luke? You didn't mention Michael not talking to him." Raising her eyebrows, a pleading look crossing over her face as Luke stepped out from behind Calum.

"He did talk to me, Mrs. Clifford." Luke pipped up, making my mom's facial expressions turn from hard and stiffened, to soft and lightened.

"What did he say?" They all kept talking as if I wasn't even in the room with them, but it didn't really matter, I was practically zoned out enough to be in another room.

"He- um- he said that he was in love with Vivienne." Luke stuttered out awkwardly, not enjoying everyone's eyes - except mine - all on him. But no one seemed to care about his awkwardness at the moment, they all just snapped their heads towards me in awe.

"Y-you're in love with Vivienne?" My mother gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth in surprise.

I started to panic. Was she mad at me? Does she find me disgusting now? Loads of questions that I wanted to know the answers too, but also didn't, swarmed my brain.

Everyone's gazed was still on me, making me very uncomfortable. I felt under pressure. Like if I didn't refuse Luke's words, I'd be yelled at or looked down upon.