Hours

22- Thursday, May 17th

12:26PM

Andy smirks, as if he could never form a full smile. Alisa lurks behind him, but it's still clear she's in charge.

"What do you want?" All traces of humour dissipate from Micheals' voice as he addresses Andy and Alisa.

"How was your project?" Alisa sneers at me, blatantly ignoring Micheals question. Her arms are crossed, crossed over her dark jacket. It's far too warm for her to be wearing it, but clearly, she doesn't care.

Normally, I'd be intimidated. Normally, I'd shrink away from resident murderess Alisa.

But I'm not going to shrink away. Not anymore.

"Great, actually." I smile as I see Micheal throw me a panicked look. "Thanks, by the way, for being so understanding."

Oh my god. Did I actually just do that?

"Glad your project went well. Now you're... what? Banging on the side?" Alisa sneers.

I see Micheal turn red as I smile again, still calm. "It is such a shame that two people of the opposite gender can't hang out without everyone assuming they're infatuated, isn't it?" I look at Andy and Alisa, knowing what I'm about to say is a bad idea. "You two would know that, right?"

I said it anyways.

Alisa gets this murderous look on her face. Micheal looks like I've grown another head. Andy is smirking, and I'm pretty content with the fact that I've just signed myself up for execution.

Andy breaks the silence with an easy- but harsh- laugh. ¨Alright, Price. You're hilarious, I can appreciate that, but nows not the time for jokes."

"You'll have to forgive me," I say dryly.

"Shut up, Price." Alisa says finally, "I'm sorry to interrupt your little lunch date, but we need to talk." She practically growls, clearly talking to Micheal.

"Sounds good," I answer again. I seem to be getting closer and closer to being murdered in my sleep by Alisa, who shoots me a glare dark enough to blot out the sun.

"Let's go, Sawyer," Andy says firmly, likely to prevent Alisa from strangling me on the spot. He repeats Alisa's earlier words, harsher and more commanding this time, "We need to talk."

I almost laugh- yeah right, like that's going to work- when Micheal starts to stand up. I look over at him like he's crazy, but he won't meet my eyes. He won't look at any of us, actually. His eyes are downcast and I see his hand in his sweatshirt pocket, likely holding his phone. Sometime after Andy and Alisa arrived, he pulled his hood up over his head, blocking himself off from the world again. He looks like a man resigned to his fate. No, not a man.

He looks like a boy.

I scramble up beside him, once again ignoring any warning looks from Alisa. Micheal is already walking away, one hand hanging limply at his side, the other tucked into his pocket. His head is down, and I can see his eyelashes resting against his cheekbones. He looks like he did when I first saw him- invisible. He looks like he wants to disappear. I hesitate for just a second, knowing I could just let him go. It would be easier for me, anyway. God knows I'm on Alisa's hit list now. Everything could go back to how it used to be. All I have to do is let Micheal walk away.

I take his hand.

His hands are smooth and warm. He doesn't have the hands of someone who spends all day working, his hands are smooth, free of callouses. His fingers feel long and curl perfectly over mine. I grabbed his hand to stop him from walking away, but now I don't want to let go. I feel his hand stiffen in mine, just for a moment. Then he relaxes as if because I'm there, everything will be okay.

"Whatever you have to say, I'm hearing it," I say, the tone of confidence gone from my voice. "Whatever you jerks want, I'm not leaving Micheals side."

Whatever I was expecting their reaction to be, it wasn't what happened. Alisa shoots forward instantly, moving faster than what should be possible. Instantly we're face to face, and I take small comfort in noting that she doesn't tower over me. It makes her far more approachable. The tension skyrockets and all humour and mercy leaves Andys eyes. I can tell that he's not going to be of any help, no matter how sympathetic he's seemed beforehand.

"You don't get a say in this, Price." She snarls quietly, right in my face. I can feel her breath on me, and for a moment I imagine a wild beast, going in for the kill.

"And you don't get to tell me what I do or do not have a say in," I reply, trying to keep the shakiness from my voice.

In an instant, Alisa has me by the collar, pinned up against a tree. Micheals' hand was ripped from mine, and I see Andy holding him back by his arms. The impact knocked the breath out of me, and I draw a shaky breath.

"You wanna run that by me again?" She asks, her voice like liquid poison.

I hesitate, unsure of what to say. This can't keep happening, but if I say something, it's likely I'll be out of school for a week, concussed. The tension in the silence is growing, bordering on violent.

"Enough!" Micheal shouts, and all eyes snap to him. He looks sure of himself for once, a new kind of courage burning in his eyes. "You're not a part of this, Kayla. Just go."

Alisa releases her weight off of me, keeping her eyes on Micheal. Andy doesn't let go of his arms and Alisa stalks up to him. A look passes over both of their faces, one of complete understanding. They know each other so well, I think bitterly. It would almost be considered sweet until Alisa punches Micheal in the stomach. Hard.

Micheal gasps and Andy throws him on the ground unceremoniously. They walk away without another word, and I'm left cold, standing in shock, while Micheal is curled over himself on the ground. It takes me a minute to process what's just happened, and after a moment I begin to move towards Micheal slowly. I kneel down beside him, but he doesn't lift his head or even move.

"Are... did they go?" I hear him whisper faintly.

"Yes," I reply, just as quietly. I don't know why, but I feel the need to be quiet.

All of a sudden, Micheals body shudders, and I hear him choking back a sob. I sit there in shock; I've never seen anyone, much less a boy, break down into tears so suddenly.

"Hey..." I whisper awkwardly, placing a hand on his back tentatively. "It's okay-"

"I hate them," He chokes, and I can hear the anger in his voice plain as day. "I hate them for what they... What they did to you,"

That leaves me in shock; what they did to me? I'm not the one they hurt. And why is Micheal worried about me?

"Me?" I ask anxiously, still surprised. "I'm fine, Micheal, really."

Micheal looks up at me for the first time, and I can see every emotion he's feeling visible on his face, clear as day. His pain, his anger. But also care. And that one shines through the brightest, smacking me right in the face. "I should've never... This isn't about you..." He says, almost to himself.

"It's about me now, Micheal. I want to help you." I say, knowing what I say next will change everything. "I'm here for you."

Micheal smiles at me genuinely, and when he smiles, it's impossible not to smile back. If there's one thing I have figured out about Micheal in these few days, it's this-

Micheal may be damaged, but he's not broken.