Familiar Faces In Strange Places (Frikey)

Chapter Twenty-Three: We're All A Little Broken

Mikey dragged me down the street by my arm in complete silence. I practically had to run to keep up with his long legs and the pace he was setting. I could hear Pete, Katherine, and Lane talking in hushed voices behind us and the slap of their shoes following after Mikey and me. It put me off a bit that they were talking about my life as if it were some kind of horrible soap opera, but I also had to admit that it was better than the angry silence that was as thick as tension between Mikey and me.

I focused on blocking out the voices behind me and felt Mikey’s hand that was gripping my arm shaking. I peeked up at his face and immediately regret it when I saw the unfamiliar expression he had on his face. The mouth was set into a grim line and his eyes were unreadable. If it had been any other situation, I would’ve thought that Mikey was an emotionless type, unable to show what he was feeling, but I had seen him. I had seen him show more emotion than he was now and I only had one thought on my mind: it’s always calm before the storm.

We reached the end of the street and we turned the corner sharply. I must’ve blinked or something because the next thing I knew I was being backed up against the brick wall with Mikey pressing against me. I barely had time to register what had happened before his lips were on mine. I was too bewildered to really act on my own, so I just let him lead. I was so confused and it didn’t help that this kiss was different compared to all the other ones we had shared. This one was raw, angry, hungry, and possessive. It was everything I had never wanted in a kiss from Mikey. There was absolutely no passion or love just control and my mind dipped back to a place I thought I had left long ago.

The scene around me faded and I was suddenly a twelve-year-old again. Will, my mother’s boyfriend at the time, was standing above me with a terrifyingly angry look on his face. I was being held down against my will and like a snake, his freshly polished knife touched my wrist and his words reached my ears like poison, “It needs to match the other one, you pathetic little shit.” Suddenly, there was so much blood and it was pouring out of my wrist like a suicide attempt. The blade of the knife was stained and Will looked at it in satisfaction before wiping the blood on my shirt sleeve, leaving a small red and brown tinted stain. I barely had time to be thankful that he had cut horizontally before he pressed his slimy lips hard against mine. It was only for a second but it felt like an eternity.

I was yanked back into the present when Mikey made an angry and desperate noise. I was shaking all over as Mikey finally pulled back. I could barely hold myself together let alone stand up as Pete came around the corner with Katherine and Lane. Their eyes widened and they quickly turned around to give us our privacy. Mikey didn’t even notice them as he looked into my eyes angrily. He was shaking just as hard as I was before he made another frustrated noise that was close to a sob. I whispered as quietly as I could, “Mikey, please, stop.”

“What do you want me to do then, Frank?” Mikey snapped coldly, “Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg you not to leave me for Dan? Do you want me to overlook this and pretend that you haven’t hurt me?”

“Mikey, please, just let me explain. I’ll tell you everything. I love you, please. I love you more than anything on this fucking planet. Please, Mikey.” I grabbed his arm and the front of his shirt as we talked. Mikey snorted and pushed me back towards the wall. He took a step away from me and my hands were ripped away from gripping desperately at  his shirt.

“What is there to talk about, Frank? You betrayed my trust and you lied to me. You fucked up and it seems like I have to deal with it all. I moved to this state for you. I moved across the U.S for you. Now, all I want is to go back to New York and never see you again. There’s nothing to talk about and as far as I’m concerned, we’re done. I’m leaving tonight. Have a great fucking life with Dan, but I want you remember this: I waited three years for you and that’s something Dan will never ever do for you.” Mikey spun around on his heels and crossed the street before I even had enough time to cry. My eyes were blurry as I ran across the street to catch up with him. He may have been done with me, but I wasn’t done with him. I never would be and he needed to know that.