Nightland (m.c. / a.i.)

three

MICHAEL's POV

"Happy Thanksgiving," Ashton cheers as he clanks a can of Dr. Pepper against my own. "May your pizza be fresh and your stomach be full."

"Okay, I'm never full, "I laugh. "I don't know how you haven't caught that in the past two years."

"Because I'm usually ignoring you," Ashton shrugs. "Don't take offense or anything though, I don't  like many people."

"Do you like Bailey?", I ask. I've been around for a while, but Ashton gives off very mixed emotions. "You change your mind a lot."

"I don't dislike her," Ash shrugs again. "I guess I just have a hard time showing it."

I don't push further, seeing as how his answer is relatively clear. Bailey is a hard person to care about, and an even harder person to like.

At least, that's what her mother says. I've never had that problem.

I've always liked Bailey.

"I'm surprised," Ashton breaks the silence. "Bailey didn't even put up a fight when I offered to bring you back here."

"She does have a problem with me coming to her house, doesn't she?," I laugh. "I always assumed she was just a really, really private person. But I don't know why, this place is amazing."

"This is the living room?"

"I thought we put Bailey in the living room?", I ask, wondering where we put Bailey if this is the living room.

"There's more than one living room," Ashton shrugs. "Bailey's dad let her help design it, but she was just a kid, so it was basically her castle."

"I thought Bailey and her dad weren't close..."

I know Bailey and I are best friends, and I know you're probably thinking that's impossible because I seem to know so little. Bailey really is my best friend, and I am hers. She's just really private, even with me. 

"Not anymore," Ashton answers plainly. "He was all she had when her mom left, so she clung onto what was left."

I take another bite of my pizza and take these things into consideration. Bailey never brought me back to her house. I thought maybe it was just really small or that she had a messy family.

I never expected a mansion. 

I never would have expected a castle.

"Hi," I hear my favorite voice squeak timidly behind me."Did you save me a slice?"

"Of course," I smile softly and hold up an open box of pizza for proof. "I found some garlic dip in your fridge too."

"You... You found the kitchen...", Bailey's tiny smile falters some. "Welcome to me casa. Well, and Ashton's casa. I failed Spanish."

I chuckle and set the pizza box down as Bailey makes her way to the floor Ashton and I made our temporary home. Zootopia plays in the background, yes we were watching Zooptopia, but the audio has little affect on our thoughts.

Is she upset that I'm at her house?

"I can head home if you want," I offer. 

I don't want to make her uncomfortable, and if she's uncomfortable with me being in her home, then I'll leave. I just want her happy.

"No no no," Bailey replies quickly, "stay, please. I'm just not used to people being here, or having friends over... I don't know how it all works."

"Well it goes something like this."

I lean back against the front of the couch and pull the open pizza box into my lap. I grab a slice and take a large bite out of it while I stare at the screen. After a second of the cartoon I look to Bailey and raise an eyebrow.