Toxic // m.c.

chapter seven.

I thought that after that incident happened, maybe Michael would start talking to me more. But Rae and my grandmother both basically told me not to be a dumbass in the nicest way, and that wasn’t going to happen, and that it shouldn’t. We were just simply not good for each other. They were right too, and I did feel like a dumbass for even thinking of that. I just miss him. No matter how much I know I shouldn’t, and how much I should hate him for what he did to me, I can’t help it. It’s a feeling I can’t control, but I can keep it to myself, which was what I intended on doing.

Weeks and weeks passed, and nothing happened with him. But it’s for the best I know, even though it doesn’t feel like that. I continued to work at my job which I was finally getting a hang of, and I finally got all my co-workers numbers so I’d actually have people to hang out with. I was pretty sure Kaya had a thing for Ashton, but no one said anything. So I just kept quiet and mentally shipped them together.

It was safe to say Ashton was my best friend here in NYC, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I met him, he has helped so much.  He still walks me home from work every day, claiming it was “too dangerous” for me to walk alone. Sometimes Michael would see him walking me home and he’d give us a dirty look, but that was pretty much the only contact I’ve had with him; if you can even call that contact.

It was the Sunday night before school started up, so Ashton and I both had a shift that ended early, at 6 o’clock p.m. Ashton was pretty excited to get back, while I was nervous as hell. He was majoring in music; he says his life dream is to start a band one day. I'm going to be majoring in journalism and writing/ literature. I wanted to be an author or a publisher one day. So basically we won't have any classes together, much to my disappointment. 

He walking me to my door as usual, but this time before I walked in he stopped me, looking pretty nervous. His hands were slightly shaking, I could see it through his pockets he was trying to hide them in. “Ash, what’s wrong? You look like you're scared or something” I asked him, a little bit worried for him.

 “I was um, just wondering if you wanted to go get dinner with me tomorrow after school?”

“Yeah sure! We can meet up at work and eat. How about 6 pm?” I asked him, not getting why he seemed so nervous over that. We were just going to eat dinner, friends do that right? 

“No, Soph, I mean like on a date. A real nice restaurant, not our work” he said with a small chuckle.Oh.

I was really thrown off guard because I thought he liked Kaya? But Ashton is such a sweet guy, and he looked so vulnerable standing in front of me like that I couldn't stand to say no. Plus, what if it was actually fun?

“Yeah, that sounds like fun. Text me before you come over?” I asked with a smile. I wanted to go with Ashton, but I couldn’t deny how much I wanted it to be Michael standing in front of me.  

Ashton got really excited and told me he’d be there around 7 pm tomorrow, and kissed my cheek, which also really threw me off guard. He then told me goodnight and headed off down the hall. I just stood there in shock, processing the fact Ashton just asked me on a date until I heard the door next to mine slam causing me to flinch and I see an angry Michael storming towards me.

“You’re going on a date?! WITH HIM?” he screamed at me, acting like he had a right to do that.

“You need to calm down Michael. If you remember correctly, you left ME behind in Maryland!” I snapped back at him. Michael opened his mouth like he was going to speak again, but I just kept going, I was so done with all this drama.

“You’re the one who gave up for good. You’re the one always giving me dirty looks, being mean to me. You made it clear you didn’t give a shit about me a long time ago, so what gives you the right to be mad at me?” The logic behind this guy was going to be the death of me. I can never understand his mind.

He just stood there for minutes, thousands of emotions shooting through his eyes. “Fuck. I need to go.” Michael said and then rushed down the hall, mumbling things to himself, leaving me there alone.

I went back into my apartment and rested my hands on the counter, taking deep breaths. I was on the verge of a breakdown, and I just wanted to call it a day and go to bed. 

I lay down in bed, just thinking over everything that happened. I was going to have fun on my date, Michael didn’t have that authority over me to tell me not to go anymore, he made that decision a long time ago and he needs to deal with it.

I was tossing and turning in bed all night, unable to sleep for hours. But just when I was finally about to, I started to hear loud banging coming from the hallway and my other neighbors in the hall yelling that they were going to call security. It’s like 2 A.M, what asshole has the nerve to do this?

The banging sound then reached my door, which I ran over to answer quickly, grabbing an umbrella on the way to defend myself with somehow in case it was some serial killer.

But when I opened my door, it was no serial killer, it was Michael drunk off his ass.

“Michael no, you can’t do this. Go back home.” I told him, tiredness obvious in my voice. As I was about to shut the door on him, he kept it open with tears starting to fill his green eyes.

“Sophia, please. I… I need you.”

No matter how mad I was at Michael that he was drunk and doing this to me right now, I couldn’t just shut the door on him. I sighed and opened the door wider, so he could stumble inside and I yelled out an apology on his behalf to all the neighbors he had woken up.

"Don't apologize to them assholes, Sophie" Michael slurred and I just shot him a death glare. He shut his mouth and then made his way to the couch, he knew better than to keep going when I gave him that look.

I shut the door, and mentally braced myself for whatever was about to come.