End Up Here (Michael Clifford a.u.)

Chapter 7

No thanks to Michael we had the best project in the class. But I found myself spending more time at his house or him at mine. We didn't even have anything important to work on or talk about. We mostly watched our favorite TV shows or listened to music.

Today we're hanging out in my living room, listening to music and staring at our phones. He sits up and looks at me.

"Did you hear about this party everyone's going to tomorrow night?" he asks.

"No. Why?"

"I want to go."

"Whose party is it? I'm not going if I don't like them," I reply.

He shrugs. "Nobody really knows, but everyone's going."

"Who do you mean by 'everyone'?" He laughs. "I'm serious! It could be anybody!"

"Would you go if I went?" he asks. I stare at him for a moment, considering if I would or not.

"I don't know."

"C'mon, Makenna. Please? Don't you trust me? If anything went wrong, you'd know I'd try to keep you as safe as I possibly could."

I sigh. "Fine. I'll go, but we'll have to drag the others along."

"Good," he says, smiling widely.

Michael leans back until his head is resting in my lap. I look down at him and trace features on his face with my finger.

"Do your parents like me?" he asks.

"Yeah. They think you're great. A little crazy but great."

He laughs. "I can be insane."

"Well so can I."

"That's true too."

I play with the ends of his faded purple-maroon hair. He still hasn't dyed it for his indecisiveness. I want him to dye it dark brown or maybe something completely crazy.

"What if I brought you to band practice?" he asks.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I think it'd be cool."

"I shouldn't distract you from working."

"It's not a job," he says with a laugh. "It's just something we do for fun."

"Have you considered doing something with it?"

"A little bit."

He pauses as I continue playing with his hair. He looks ready to fall asleep.

"What are your dreams, Makenna?" he says.

"I just want to get out of school and move out of here and live near my friends."

"What about kids?"

I laugh. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just want to know everything about you. I want to know where you want to be."

"I never really wanted kids, but if I had one I would love it with everything I had."

"Would you get married?"

"If it's the right person," I reply.

"What's your dream job?"

"Is it weird that I want to work with dead bodies?"

He laughs. "Not really. I've heard worse."

"I doubt it."

"You know, I was thinking the other day. You're the first girl I've ever trusted like this."