To Build a Home

And Mike Gets Beat Up

CHAPTER 6: SIMPLE SONG

I know that things can really get rough

When you go it alone

Don't go thinking you've gotta be tough

And play like a stone

Could be there's nothing else in our lives so critical

As this little home

From "Simple Song" by The Shins

The next few days passed without incident but Mike still felt constantly on edge. He had spent most of the weekend sequestered in his room, trying not to think of the potential consequences of his sudden involvement in the world of drug dealing. Trevor had called him twice but Mike had ignored his phone's buzzing each time. He wasn't sure how he was feeling about the current state of their friendship and wasn't ready to talk to Trevor yet. He had spent most of Saturday poring over Harvey's old law textbooks to distract himself and consequently now had all of them memorized. Harvey had seemed somewhat alarmed at the fact that Mike had gone back to spending so much time in the office again and probably feared that Mike was going to regress and go back to the ghost act that he had favored during his first week in the apartment. This scrutiny made Mike uncomfortable so he had thrown Harvey a bone Sunday afternoon to try and reassure the older man that he wasn't about to pull another mute act. He really didn't know why Harvey cared if he was talking or not (in fact, Harvey acted like it aggravated him a lot of the time when Mike spoke), but Mike found himself wanting to appease Harvey's concern—Harvey clearly knew that something was weighing heavily on Mike's mind but he didn't probe, and for that Mike was grateful.

So he had shown his gratitude by traipsing into the living room with a stack of law books and challenging Harvey to a mock trial. He had lost miserably, of course, but it was fun testing his mind against Harvey's sharp wit, natural talent, and years of practice. In truth, he had held his own for much longer than he had originally anticipated. Harvey actually told him as much and Mike had ducked his head and blushed a bit, trying to stifle the rush of happiness that arose in his chest at Harvey's approval. Harvey had clapped him on the shoulder in a congratulatory manner on his way to the kitchen to call and order dinner, leaving Mike smiling shyly in appreciation of the affection. It had been a long time since anyone besides Grammy had touched him and now he had Donna trying to smother him with hugs on a daily basis and Harvey's rare but meaningful pats on the back or the shoulder. It was strange but kind of nice, he realized. Ever since his parents died he had studiously cringed away from physical affection but he was slowly remembering why he had liked the affirmation in the past.

Spending Sunday evening like that had been a balm for his troubled soul— bantering and arguing fake cases with Harvey made him forget completely about his troubles with Trevor. It all came back to him later, however, while they were sitting at the kitchen table. Mike was attempting to write a history report and Harvey was wading through mountains of paperwork.

He subtly watched Harvey out of the corner of his eye as he worked, trying to decide if he could talk to the older man about his troubles with Trevor. He had thought about it on Friday but had immediately dismissed it. The Peter Stuart incident should have been a done deal by now— everything had gone smoothly, nobody had seen the drop, and Mike hadn't technically participated except by being present at the scene. But he figured it would make Harvey angry to know that Mike had been running around dealing drugs (it would reflect poorly on Harvey's sterling image, after all, if his charge was incarcerated on his watch) and he couldn't think of a way to talk about the problems he was having with Trevor without telling the entire story about the marijuana. When it came down to it, he realized that he just wanted advice from a reliable adult about what to do in regards to Trevor. Should he try to continue to be friends with him despite his poor choices? Or should he just resign himself to being a friendless loser for the next 3 and a half years of high school? He was tired of being responsible and mature. He just wanted someone else to tell him what to do in this situation— and not because that someone wanted to boss him around, but rather because they had his best interests at heart and wanted to help him. He wasn't sure if Harvey fit into that category or not, though.