Mimeomia

13 | lionhearted

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

LIONHEARTED

( — exceptionally courageous or brave. )

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

          FRANKLY, ROYA ISN'T THAT SCARY WHEN SHE'S IN A GOOD MOOD. She's sitting in front of Jillian, who's on Michaela's right, and has been smiling so much since they first got here that Michaela doubts her cheeks aren't hurting. It's not something she's used to seeing, as Roya mostly only smiles for videos on her blog, managing to keep a straight face on the remaining occasions.

          Maybe it's Jillian's influence, as it can be quite hard to be in a good mood when she's around, similarly to the effect Kelsey Blue has on people, or maybe it's the excitement around sitting at the same table as her. Jillian has always been well-known for always stopping for a selfie or for a quick chat whenever she has the time, so it's no surprise to have her sit here.

          Ginny, on the other hand, is the only one of them who doesn't seem too amused. She hasn't been rude, or anything, as it's simply not in her nature, but Michaela knows there's something going on, as she's barely taking part in their conversations and, when she does, she does it through monosyllables and quick nods.

          Michaela didn't want to speak up, as it would probably cause a scene because Ginny simply hates being called out, Roya would immediately jump to her defense, and Jillian would be sitting there awkwardly, watching everything develop without quite understanding what happened.

          Still, Jillian has probably made Roya's month by accepting to be interviewed for her blog. She's not doing it for the extra fame, with Roya's blog being followed by hundreds of thousands of people all around the world, especially because she can be quite picky with the people she talks to in such contexts, but it might be because she's an avid reader.

           "Do you mind if I record this?" Roya asks, setting her phone on the table. The café they're hanging out at is packed, and Michaela doubts this is the best place where this interview should be taking place, but she simply sips her latte and tries to mind her own business.

          Jillian nods. "Go ahead, though I don't think you'll be able to hear anything with all this chatter."

           "She'll work around it," Ginny mutters, playing with the foam over her mocca with her straw, and Michaela stirs uncomfortably on her seat. "It's what she does."

          "I know," Jillian chirps, eyes hidden behind her sunglasses, while Roya's could potentially light up the entire city for a week. "I read her blog and trust her ability to work around things like these."

           Ginny sighs. "Of course you do."

          Jillian throws her yet another smile, but this one is a lot more hesitating than the previous ones, and Michaela knows Ginny is managing to hit a nerve by doing barely anything—how she does it, she's not even sure, as she doubts Jillian ever lets herself be intimidated by things like these, and this is very out of character for Ginny.

          Before things can escalate and become much worse, Michaela decides to take matters into her own hands when she's completely certain the girls aren't aware of her presence. Straightening her back, she carefully swings her bag's strap over her chair, instead of having it over her lap, and pulls her cup of coffee closer. When she brings the cup to her mouth, she lets it spill all over her shirt and jeans, the scalding liquid weaving its way through the fabric and finding her skin.