the ups and downs of micahs

10

 ▷ griffin duffy ◁ 

"I'm friends with absolute crazies."

My girlfriend, Ellery, giggles at my dramatics as she quickly turns into her driveway and shuts her car off. I unfasten my seat belt, grab my bag, and drag myself out of the car, sulking all the way up to her front door. She catches up to me and takes my face in her hands, soaking my expression in before she frowns herself, turning to let us both in the house.

"I think 'crazies' is a little strong, baby," Her voice is incredibly gentle, and it makes my sourness drop instantly. "Your friends are great, sans Zachary."

There weren't enough words in the world for me to describe Ellery. She was a different breed. Oh, wait, there are words. Sweet. Kind. Thoughtful. Considerate. Beautiful. She never raised her voice, would always compliment you on virtually anything, and most notably, she would turn any negative energy around you positive and bright. She was like an angel, placed on Earth to grace everyone with her presence. However, I was the luckiest of all. She was all mine all the time.

"Well, that's what I think they are," I mutter softly, dropping on her bed with a huff once we arrive in her room. I stare at her ceiling for a bit, taking in her messy photo collage. There are pictures of herself, us together, her parents, her whole family on their vacations to Korea and London, where her parents are from.

Ellery drops her things off at the foot of her bed and climbs up next to me, raising my head to settle it in her lap. Her fingers find their way in my hair, massaging at my scalp before running through the curls and beginning the process again.

"Fine. Why are they crazies?"

I can't stop myself once I start.

"First, Sidney. She's been extra Sidney recently. So high-strung and snappy and aggressive and mean. And when she's with Micah, she's super bossy and clingy and doesn't let the boy out of her sight. Then there's Jesse, who is getting rumors about her spewed left and right, and the poor girl can't even defend herself because the rumors are being fueled by Watson's actions, which are so...vile. Jesse is absolutely oblivious to all of it too. She's on her hands and knees for this boy who's sleeping with every other girl in our school and then leaving their houses to visit her, the girl who he just cheated on! And then there's Micah Blue, the new girl. Word about her is spreading like wildfire. 'She's hot, she's bold, she's different', all of these compliments, but on the other side of the coin, Sidney is pelting her with dodgeballs, and everyone is just eating it up like the followers they are. She's making her seem like the enemy. But...I'm guessing that in Sidney's eyes, she is because she's getting incredibly close with Micah Barrett, and unfortunately, she wants to get closer in a more romantic sense even though she knows she can't. And I know for a fact that Micah Barrett feels the exact same. He's obsessed. He won't admit it, but he draws her and writes little blurbs about her, and they constantly talk, inside and outside of school, their text log is so fucking long! And!" I take a big, dramatic gulp of breath, sitting straight up. This startles Ellery slightly, causing her to blink rapidly while she returns to normal.

"I caught them in an extremely compromising position."

"Like...sex?"

"No, I would've known if they had sex. We'd be in deep shit if they did. I walked into study hall one day, and they were the only two in the room. It was scarily quiet, too, but I recognized them, so I called out for them, and they literally pulled away from each other. Micah Blue was red as hell, and Micah Barrett was stammering like crazy."