Hurt Me Once- A Boyf-riends fanfiction

Chapter 6: A Million Words Apart

Back... a day late.. again... I swear I should stop saying Sunday and start saying one update a week. But anyway, it's here, and... I hope you enjoy!!

Jeremy

Jeremy watches as the two fire-scarred boys leave the table. They're a three-person group now, and he feels the empty space beside him like a missing limb, even after three days of not speaking. Even though Michael's still at their old table- Jeremy's the one that switched.

Or a missing organ. For example, his heart. He stabs the dry rice on his plate, missing the bites of Michael's lunch he used to get. When they were together. As friends. Dammit.

When Michael wasn't being stupid, Jeremy reminds himself, but after only a day, that line had gone stale. After two, his anger was gone. Now, day three, he's really just mad at himself.

And Christ, he misses Michael.

"I hope Jake's okay," Christine sighs worriedly, and Jenna scowls.

"He'll be fine," Jenna insists, "He didn't even look hurt. Probably just wanted to get Rich alone."

"Still worried." Jenna's scowl doesn't disappear. "What, jealous?" Jenna flushes at Christine's teasing, and Jeremy tunes them out.

Michael would have fried rice today. Or maybe that Filipino soup- Michael never had stir-fry in the middle of the week.

Jeremy's eyes find Michael, who's talking with some hispanic- looking guy, and shoves down a twisting snake of jealousy. Is that my replacement? He hates the guy. He doesn't know anything about him, but he hates him.

He goes back to his food. What if he could get his own lunches like Micahel? He remembers this morning clearly.

Groceries," his dad said, and Jeremy looked up in surprise because usually they lived off of Cup O' Noodles for the second half of the week.

And he did a double take. "Dad, are you wearing pants?"

His dad only winked. "Michael made me promise to be a better dad."

Jeremy squeaked loudly. "Michael?"

His dad laughed. "Someone's gotta look out for you. I believe he said, If I try harder to be his friend, you have to try harder to be his dad. And he dragged me to the store and wouldn't let me leave until I bought a pair of pants."

Jeremy sighs. Michael did that for him, because Michael is a great friend. A great best friend. A great person to hang out with, a great person to go to for weed or a pick-me-up, a great person at making the world shine brighter. A great person.

"Talk to him. God. Do something." Jeremy's head snaps up to look at Jenna, who's sharing a piece of spaghetti with Christine.

"I- talk to who?" Jeremy asks weakly, his face flooding with color. "I don't know who your talking about."

Jenna scoffs. "No, of course not."

"The one you've been staring at for ten minutes," Christine supplies helpfully.

Jeremy groans, but he can't help one last glance at the soft smile that used to be for him. "I can't. We haven't talked for three days."

"Not that long," Jenna replies with an easy shrug.

Christine shakes her head. "For them it's like a million years."

Jeremy nods. "Exactly- see- it's like we're a million worlds apart, and I don't know how I would even start."

Christine actually giggles. "Oh, that's so romantic, isn't it?" Jenna responds with an arm around Christine, and Jeremy drops his head in his hands.

"I can't." He looks over again. "Look, he's made a new friend anyway. He doesn't need me."

Christine pins him with a look. "Maybe you need him. And anyway, you can't or you won't?"

Michael

Michael's eyes flit to the table where Jeremy sits. Again. He can't stop.

"Are you even paying attention?" Julio asks. "If you wanna go sit with them, I really don't mind." Michael can tell he does mind, but he appreciates the offer.

"Can't," he says. "I always sit here. They chose to sit there, so if I follow..." If I follow, that's just pathetic.

Julio snorts. "Their loss. Anyone ever tell you how cool you are? They don't know what they're missing."

Yeah, Michael thinks Jeremy used to tell me that, every day. He winces, looking away. "They know exactly what they're missing," he mumbles, "they just don't want it."

Julio glares at the table. "They're fucking stupid," he says then. He nudges Michael. "Don't let it get you down."

Michael can't help but smile. After years of being that voice for Jeremy, it's nice to have someone be that voice for him. "You really think I'm cool?"

"The coolest."

Michael grins. "You're cool too. Cool Julio. Coolio."

Julio laughs. "Michael... Michael..."

Michael laughs too, feeble, but real. "No hope, I've tried."

Julio scrunches up his face, still trying. "Rad-i-cal. M-i-chael. Ra...Ramical!"

Michael groans. "That's the worst thing I ever heard. I'm cringing so hard." It's the worst. He loves it. Jeremy would too... his eyes go back again.

"Well, I managed almost five minutes," Julio shrugs in defeat. "Not interested, huh?"

Michael shakes his head, ignoring the tear in his heart as he says the words. "Clearly not."

Julio draws back, eyebrows raised. "You never asked?"

Not that simple, Michael wants to shout. "We're not like that," he says instead, "I can't lose what we already have."

"Amigo-"

"You don't really say that, do you?" Michael interrupts desperately. He wants to go back to being distracted. Please, leave it be. It hurts enough as it is.

"Not often," Julio's eyes dance. "Bro. This is what you have right now." He gestures to Michael, the empty seat beside him, still empty just in case. The boy sitting at another table rather than taking the place that used to be his.

Michael shrugs. "He's happy."

"You deserve a better love life than he's happy. At least get someone who appreciates how great you are."

Michael exhales, discouraged. "You?"

"I'm straight."

"You're the only other person who does."

Julio watches Jeremy talk to Jenna and Christine. "I'd say the only."

Michael drops his eyes to his fried rice. "Maybe."

Here's me hoping you enjoyed suffering as much as I enjoyed making you suffer. Just got back from a very nice trip in spite of the coronavirus... Heard Bay Area is shut down... World is gone to shit lately, hasn't it?

                  -The Worst Writer on Wattpad