STATE OF GRACE. beta squad

027. surprises arent always fun

IN HIGH SCHOOL MIKEY was dating a boy named Connor molly.

he was kind, very sweet.. until he wasn't.

almost two weeks before graduation connor got this weird feeling that mikey was cheating on him with sharky.

of course, it wasn't true, mikey thought he was crazy.

so on her 16th birthday, she got a text from connor breaking up with her, a full paragraph of his suspicions and his insults to the girl.

she couldn't help but cry, her planned perfect day turning into a nightmare.

sharky could remember that day like it was an hour ago.

how she looked so red and all puffed up, the way he's never seen her so upset, like behind her brown eyes holding so much pain.

her words sinking deep into his skin to this day.

"you were the ugliest and most boring girl in school anyway." she read out the text from her phone with shivers in her voice.

her head tilting up to look at him, his eyes barely beginning to tear up.

"he's an asshole," young sharky mumbles.

she gulped.

"no he's right, i am ugly." mikey begins playing with her hair like something was wrong with it.

(note to self, madelyn cline is not the right person to cast when making this point.)

"you know that's not true." he grabs her shoulder tightly.

she scoffed out loudly.

"you don't understand, i am the most boring and ugliest girl in school!" she sobbed loudly her hands by her lap.

"do you get that!" her words almost not being understood at the cries.

"like to love me is the biggest insult." mikey spits out sadly.

sharky bit the inside of his cheek, his blinks becoming more aggressive and the sudden urge to beat the shit out of connor was coming closer.

but he didn't.

instead, he wraps his arms around her neck and puts her face into his chest, her own arms sliding around his waist weakly.

into her hair sharky replies softly and quietly.

"well, then i guess I've been insulted the most."

michelle howard still thinks about those words to this day.

how someone can say something effortlessly yet make her cry at them.

she's said it before, sharky always knew what to say, how to say it, and when to say it.

it makes her wonder if he does the same with others, does he talk to elle the way he talks to mikey?

"okay, guys the train leaves in 30 minutes we have to go!" mikey screams in the house waiting for everyone to get up.

"wait mikes." kenny mumbles to only her ability for hearing.

"we got a surprise for sharky coming in a few seconds."

the girl blinks harshly with confusion but it grows into a giddy smile.

"what is it!" she latched into kenny's arm with nosiness.

"you'll see in just a second." he wraps his arm around her shoulder softly.

"just know, it's gonna be so good."