Intertwined

Trouble At Home: Part Two

Mike looked at her up and down. "You don't really have to keep them on, you know. We're outside the school, and we're friends" He pointed out. Not in a judgmental way, he was just saying what was on his mind.

She gave a small shrug and reluctantly pulled her hood off, pausing her music and slipping her headphones into her pocket.

"There you go. You look better now" He smiled sincerely at her.

Mara couldn't help but smile back, a small dusting of blush fell onto her cheeks. "Why thank you"

Mike's smile widened into a grin. "Is that baby Mara blushing, I wonder" Then he laughed a bit at her.

Mara lightly shoved him, laughing a bit. "Oh be quiet"

"Hey! Don't shove me!" He pouted jokingly.

She laughed a bit more. "Whoops. My arm slipped"

Mike looked at her with confusion. "That doesn't even make sense in this situation"

"Oh shush, it's called sarcasm, Mikey"

"Wow. Almost 6 or 7 years around the snarkiest person I know and I still don't get it" He replied sarcastically, grinning smugly again.

She laughed a bit, rolling her eyes at him.

He laughed along with her until he noticed that they were entering an area unfamiliar to him. It was pretty rundown as Mara said so he asked to make sure. "You live around here? You weren't kidding. This place is a mess"

"Yeah" She laughed a bit, but her laugh had no happiness or any emotion behind it. "I've lived here for as long as I can remember"

"No offense, of course but..." Mike added nervously. "Yeah, it's a mess" He kept looking around in curiosity and shock.

"Is your family like...not okay with money or something?"

"We never have been. My mom is the only one who works, my dad just sits on his butt all day doing nothing, my brother tries to get a job but he's too busy partying, and my sister is too busy living her own life with her own girlfriend"

While he let all her words sink in, Mike's walking pace slowed down until it came to a stop. "Wait a minute..."

She turned to face him. "What?"

He looked at her directly. "I remembered just now, when Matt called you, he said something about yelling....Was that your-"

He stopped mid sentence.

She slightly tensed up. "O-oh that u-uhm"

"Mara? Don't be afraid. You can talk to me. You know that right?"

"Y-yeah I know"

"Well then, tell me. What's going on with you...at home?"

"I-it's... i-it's nothing"

Mike raised a brow at her, clearly he didn't believe her, and there was only one way to find out the truth. "Okay. Let's carry on then" He started walking again, this time more hurried.

She sighed and followed, trying to keep up with him.

"Where's your home?"

The petite girl stopped walking and pointed to a nearby house. Her house was one of those houses you would walk by and immediately assume it was haunted.

He cringed when he saw the house. "I would've assumed it was haunted in other situations" He started to approach it slowly.

The brunette shrugged a bit, trying to lighten the mood "You never know. Maybe it is"

Mike paid no mind to her. Instead he walked up and slowly raised his fist, then he knocked on the door and stood his grounds, waiting for an answer.