Bracelets // Mgc

Forty Two (tw)

Michael's point of view

"Leigha?" I asked and she hummed. "Leigha," I asked, dragging her name out.

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?" I asked her and she told me that everything was fine. "You're lying." I said as she itched her right wrist.

"I'm not."

"Talk to me." I said, grabbing her hand and pulling it away from her wrist. "What's wrong? You can talk to me."

"I know I can. It's just, nothing. There's nothing to talk about." She said but I could see through her lies. "Really."

"I don't believe you, why don't I believe you?" I asked and she looked at me. "It's okay to talk about what's bothering you. What happened?"

"It's just, there was this guy who pushed himself on to me and it's bothering me." She said and I was silent. "I can't explain it. It's never happened to be before. I'm just... You don't know until it happens and it's just... degrading and... you won't understand."

Her hand itched up her wrist again and I held her hand away. "What are you doing?" I asked and she shrugged. "Why do you do that?"

I tried to push the sleeve of her leather jacket up but she yanked her arm from me. "Aleigha, are you sure you're okay?" I asked, my voice coming out soft and gentle over the sound of The 1975 playing out of my phone.

"I'm fine." She told me but I really couldn't bring myself to believe her words.

She held her wrist and I just watched as she rubbed it a bit. "Aleigha..." I said and she shook her head.

"I'm fine Michael. I'm okay."

"You're lying to me, stop lying to me." I said and sat beside her. I put an arm around her shoulders and held her hand away from her wrist. "Stop."

"Stop what?"

"Whatever you're doing... you're hurting yourself. Stop it." I said and she looked at me. "I thought we both agreed that we'd stop hurting ourselves?"

"It's not hurting myself... is it? I'm just scratching my wrist. It's not like I'm bleeding... it's not self harm... I don't think it is." She said but I shook my head.

"It is because you're damaging your skin." I told her and she shook her head, refusing to listen to me.

"It's harmless Mikey."

"It's not." I said and she looked at me in the eye. "Look at me Leigha." I said but she kept her gaze anywhere but on me.

"Michael, it's fine-"

"It's not." I said and she leaned into me. "It's not fine. What's wrong? Talk to me, I'm here for you. Don't to trust me?"

"I do, it's just... I don't wanna talk about it." She said and I sighed. "Please. I just wanna forget it."

"Talking about it helps." I told her and she shook her head as I pushed hair away from her face. "Are you sure? Promise me we'll talk about it soon though?"

"Positive. I just really, really don't wanna talk about it." She said, giving a breathless laugh. "I promise, please."

"Okay." I said and messed with the zipper of her jacket. "Take this off, it's really hot." I said and she nodded, slowly taking the leather off.

She set it on the floor by my bed and I looked at her wrist. It was an angry red color, puffy lines along the otherwise clear skin. I sighed and turned her wrist over, setting it on her lap.