Bonding: A Boyf Riends Fanfiction [Completed]

•~twenty-five~•

~Michael's POV~

Day Five

I climbed onto the crowded bus confidently, feeling much better than I did about 14 hours ago. Despite the glares I still received, I was able to ignore them with the hope that I might be able to fix things. I sat in a separate seat from Jeremy, as I didn't want to approach him just yet. I wanted to give him some time in peace before I dragged him into the whole problem again.

I glanced at the back of Jeremy's head nervously, feeling my nerves flare up abruptly. He was bobbing his head slightly to a tune in his earbuds, his eyes closed and his mouth curved into a cute smile. He looked absolutely adorable, but I couldn't gawk for long. The kid in the seat opposite of him was staring at me with a cold glare, their jaw set and their head tilted forward. It was somewhat protective, as if they'd taken pity on the upset boy and wanted to keep him safe from me. Either way, it wasn't very reassuring, so I sat back and looked out the window.

Jeremy didn't speak for most of the ride, so I didn't have much to do except stare at my phone, which still sent shivers down my spine. Although, at one point, I could've sworn I heard Jeremy talking to the kid, asking about me of all things.

"Hey, did Michael get on the bus today?" He inquired somewhat nonchalantly, pulling out one of his earbuds. The kid gave him a skeptical glance, scratching the back of their head.

"Uhh, yeah, I think so. Why are you so interested? Didn't he like, hurt you or something?" they asked rudely, crossing their arms.

Jeremy shot them a glare before answering, "I'm asking because I still care about my best friend. I'm not going to completely wipe out a 12-year friendship because of one little hiccup. Michael's still the most important person in my life, despite the events of yesterday. Now, I'd appreciate it if you worried about your own problems."

I couldn't help but snicker as the student gave a start, then grumbled something impolite and settled back in their seat.

The long bus ride was a bit of a blur, as I spent most of my time staring out the window or whispering to Christine about how I might be able to fix everything. Before I knew it, I was hopping off along with the rest of the students and getting back with my group. Jeremy spotted me first, and with somewhat of a strange grin he made his was over to me.

"Jeremy," I greeted, nodding my head.

"Hey Michael," he gave a small smile that still made my heart skip a beat and returned the gesture. "Look, I have to apologize, really--"

"And I have some explaining to do," I interrupted, holding up my hand for him to pause. He bit his lip nervously, his eyebrows contorting.

"Um, go ahead I guess, sure," he stammered, and I couldn't help but get the sense that he was a little scared. I pulled out my phone, taking a deep breath.

"That picture you saw yesterday, that wasn't me. Well, it was me, but it also wasn't. The image was photoshopped," I explained, showing him the original picture. He raised his eyebrows and took the device from my hand.

"Holy crow.." his eyes widened, and his head snapped up to look at me. His gaze was now soft and apologetic, and he seemed to understand a bit more.

"So, along with that picture, I had some unknown person send me a bunch of messages threatening me and telling me that if I didn't cough up $10,000, I'd regret it. I didn't realize how much of a terror it would be until it was too late," I admitted sheepishly. His jaw dropped slightly, only to be shut abruptly.