Iridescent: The Prequel

Why are you so nervous?

December 1993-

High School. A place no teen wants to be, but is forced until they are either old enough to sign themselves out or graduate. Mila and her friends didn't necessarily find it all that bad. Granted, they would all rather sleep in than get up at what felt like the ass crack of dawn to just sit at a desk in different rooms all day. One thing that Mila was thankful for throughout the experience of High School, was her tight knit group of friends she had made since she moved to California three years ago. When Caleb, her neighbor, introduced her to them all they all seemed to just click and accept her into their group. Mila will admit though that being the only chick in their group got old at times. There were only so many times you could hear them talk about other girls, comics or jokes regarding each other's penis size before you were ready to bang their heads together. Despite all of this, they all stuck by each other no matter what. There was nothing that all of them couldn't solve together. So it didn't take long for her to notice the nervous look on her best friends face. She wasn't sure what could cause him to look that way on a Friday morning during the second week in December. They didn't have any tests, quizzes or projects due and honestly much like the students, the teachers had begun to check out with the anticipation of Christmas break. Mila looked at Brad tapping his arm gaining his attention from where he was leaned against the locker beside hers practically asleep.

"Do you know why Mike looks like he's about ready to have a panic attack?" She asked him nodding her head in the direction of their friend who stood at his locker on the opposite side of the hallway practically sweating bullets.

"Nope," Brad replied shaking his head and immediately she didn't by it. "No clue. Sorry, Mils."

Mila raised a brow at him getting a pat on the shoulder from him as he walked down the hall. 'Delson only makes quick getaways when he knows his face is selling him out,' She thought shaking her head. Sighing, she made her way towards the male who was still beside his locker grabbing books from inside. "Shinoda, you okay?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded sending her a weak smile. "I have to talk to you later about something though."

Mila looked at him confused. "Why not now?"

As if on cue, the bell rang for first period. Mike smiled pointing a finger up towards the ceiling. "That's why. I'll see you at lunch, Cams."

"Why are boys so weird?" She huffed turning in the other direction walking quickly down the hall to her first class. Mila was confused as to what he could have to talk to her about. She tried to think back on things that had happened over the past couple of weeks to bring him to that statement. There was nothing that Mila came across that could lead him to being so nervous. Regardless of this fact, she found it hard to concentrate on whatever the Chemistry teacher was saying. It also stayed that way through the other four periods of class blocks before she finally made her way outside to the normal table her and the guys sat at.

Placing her backpack onto the table, she took out her lunch that she brought from home. Mila found bringing food from home to eat for lunch a lot more appetizing than the shit they called 'food' in the cafeteria. Her friends on the other hand usually always bought their lunch and then stole whatever was left of hers.

"Hey Mils," Brad smiled placing his tray onto the table sitting across from her. Mila smiled back shaking her head at his curly brown hair that sat askew on the top of his head. "I know what you're going to say. I had gym before I came here."

"I'll help you out when I'm done eating," She told him seeing Mike take the seat on her left. Mila noticed that unlike Brad, his hair looked a lot neater. They had both come from gym and usually she had to fix both of their hair, but today Mike's was already combed sitting slightly on his forehead. Out of all her friends, he was the one she always found attractive. It also helped that he was the sweetest kid around, at least to her. Even when they first met three years ago, Mila thought his glasses made him look cute and for whatever reason he seemed to look past her freaky eyes and braces. Of course since then he's switched to contacts, but she still found him attractive. If anything, even more so. Last year during her Quinceanera, Mike, who was her court date, had told her she was beautiful. Sure, he had told her she had beautiful eyes before, but never that she herself was beautiful. Ever since then whatever she had originally felt towards him had gone way up. She wasn't sure what he actually felt for her, probably just the normal best friend bullshit, but she couldn't help the crush that just kept growing.