The Silent Brute

Chapter 19: Miri's Charade

Cassius

The next time I saw Miri, she had seriously cleaned up.

The Miri I met a few nights ago in my room had completely left the building. It was like the wild woman that crawled into my bed room beaten and furiously alive was replaced with a docile student council president.

I didn't know much about makeup but I knew her bruises had to be covered up. Her eyes were covered in something that I would call a glitter smolder. She looked innocent and absent which was an odd look on Miri.

Even her hair was straighter than normal. The pretty curls I briefly met had been removed from the picture.

I watched her down the hall as she stopped at her locker eerily calm. She didn't yell at anyone or speak to anyone when she entered the hall.

All eyes were on her. Word had spread a bit when she had gone missing but nothing too serious was mentioned. The whole hall shifted energy too. I feel like everyone knew that something was off.

Dana skipped over to her and tried to make conversation as I leaned against the lockers still watching. Miri turned with a pleasant smile and exchanged a few words back. I couldn't hear what was being said but Dana froze for a micro second before she continued on.

The day went on like that.

Whenever I had classes or was in her general area, I watched her involuntarily. She would appear in my line of sight and I became so interested in watching the alien that crawled into her body.

She was even calm, collected and strangely patient with the members of the student council. Miri responded nicely to everyone. Someone would give a dumb suggestion and I could see her shift a bit before recollecting herself.

As much as I hated to admit, she was not being the Miriam I was interested in or the one I enjoyed being around.

"Could you give me a ride home ?" I asked nicely but my intentions were horrible.

I wanted to poke the bear.

The aforementioned bear stopped in her tracks before agreeing. "Of course."

As soon as her key hit the ignition, I opened my mouth, "What's wrong with you today?"

Her fingers gripped onto the steering wheel tightly. The car lurched out of her parking spot before she tried pulling out again. The second time was smoother than the first.

"Nothing."

"I don't know... your acting like your marching towards death. " I lightly chuckled watching the Miri I know flash and scurry behind the mask again. "There's the crazy Miri."

"Don't call me crazy" ,she groaned a bit. The mask slipped a bit again.

I rolled my eyes at her, "Where's the girl that yelled at me and barged in my life?"

Her teeth smacked, "Barged? I simply walked in the front door of your life. Also I don't yell that much."

I let my face and my silence speak for itself.

"More like breaking and entering." I snorted, "You do yell a lot...by the way."

"Okay well maybe I do." Her normal grin appeared. The one that was absent all day and made her dark eyes pop. "I'm just being the Miri everyone likes."

Her last statement came out a little bit softer.

"This isn't you though. It's like a boring, drab politician. You're like a character. It's like your cosplaying my dad but less interesting."

I knew she didn't like hearing that. Her grin fell and the car gained a bit of speed.

"You have a lot to say for someone that hates speaking." Miri glared at the road a bit and quickly glanced over at me.

I sighed, not knowing when I would go a bit too far. My stake in Miri was undetermined but there was something about her that I couldn't shake. I saw her as a nosey parasite at first. Now I had to admit she brought something in my life that I hadn't felt in a long time. She made me interested in the world and her world. I wanted to know how she had gotten those bruises and who made her feel like she had to be anything other than the wild Miri that kept me guessing. "I don't hate speaking. I just only speak when it matters and it matters that your being weird. Like freaky Friday type weird."

She didn't respond and it felt like deja-vu.

"Miri, I like you."

Her eyes bulged out and she quickly braked the car very close to running a red light. In any other circumstance, I would of laughed at her reaction but my slip was a bit more daunting.

"I guess I should phrase it better...." My face felt a little hot as she turned to face me for the first time fully today. "I'm not like- liking you but I do enjoy being around you and I don't like being around most people. I could even say you are my .... friend", I scratched chin and continued, "so the normal Miri is the one I want to be around. Not the perfect robot Miri who doesn't yell in the hall or threaten the student council members. Just know that you are fine just being you."

I definitely said a lot in Miri's small car and more than normal but it felt like something I needed to say.

Her eyes became glassy immediately. Both of us could not look away from each other. "I'm gonna cry right now, just ignore me." Her voice came out more fragile than ever.

A wave of honks from cars behind our car sobered us. They honked and a man yelled out his window. Miri stuck her head out of the window yelled back in a cracking voice, "Shut up, bastards!"

That's my girl.