Mad World // Muke ( REVISING )

Chapter Two.

"Luke!" The tanned girl by my side groaned in frustration. Her potent glare burned into my skull, impatiently waiting for me to direct my attention toward. I nervously drummed my fingers against my thighs, making eye contact reluctantly. Bella's throat cleared with a sense of authority over me.

Her arms immediately crossed against her chest, her one brow raising in expectation. "What?" I snapped, shooting her a dirty look. The teenage girl's mood seemed to change within a matter of seconds, going from talkative and bubbly to irritated and pushy. She narrowed her chocolate brown eyes at me, expecting me to read her mind and tell her exactly what she wants to hear.

"What is distracting you, man? I've literally been asking you the same question over and over and you can't even muster a halfway intelligent answer." She frowned, her eyes shining with concern. I sighed in response, laying my head down on the cool table. I wasn't aware of the fact that I had been acting different or even the fact that Bella had been talking to me. Without meaning to, I just keep thinking about Michael and wondering what he meant when he said he knew a lot about me. I have never seen or spoke to him before today, so it was completely impossible for him to even know who I am.

I tried to conjure a small, but big enough, fake smile to get Bella to drop the subject and continue to babble on about some senior who asked for her number during study hall. "Nothing, I promise. Just stressed about school." I reply to put her at ease. In a way, I'm not actually lying, so if she ever finds out differently I cannot be held fully accountable.

She gave me a look that told me she wasn't fully convinced, but she still shrugged it off. "Well, anyway as I was saying---" Bella went back to her rambling about all of the guys she found attractive at the school, but I checked out mentally again, my mind drifting back to trying to decipher what the mysterious character, Michael, from earlier. But right before I was fully lost in my daze, I partially began to hear her describe one of the many boys who had flirted with her throughout the day.

"...and God, I cannot get his perfect blue eyes out of my mind. They're like the sea, and I want to go skinny dipping in them." She giggled to herself, obviously humored with the line she just spoke. I managed to bark a laugh nervously, biting the pink flesh inside my mouth. "He said his name is Michael Clifford and he just moved here from Heaven, Ohio."

I couldn't help but snort as a reaction. Heaven, Ohio? And he introduced himself as the Michael? Maybe this kid is just a serious bible thumper, or it's just a case of major irony, or even a little bit of both.

"Yeah, I met him. He is my partner in Sex 101." I say nonchalantly, flipping the page in my worn out copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. It was given to me by my old piano teacher, Miss Abney. She was the most kind hearted woman I have ever met, and picked up most of my habits from her.

Bella sighed dramatically, resting her chin on her folded hands with her eyes glazed over. "He asked me if I was going to the football game. I said yeah, but I was going with you." She said, giving me an unavoidable stare.

"Okay?"

"And I said it was okay for him to tag along." She added before I could even say anything more about the subject. I furrow my eyebrows, my lips pursing into a thin line.

"Bells--"

"I know, I know. I should've seen if it was okay with you first, but you hate everybody-- so you would've said no. So, yeah." She explained her way of thinking, and she did have a point. I'm the complete opposite of a people person, and Bella talks to anyone and everyone. Except for our old best friend, Jamie. He did some things that no heartfelt apology can fix.

"It's fine." I sigh, not feeling up to arguing with her until I get my way which wouldn't include Michael, even though I am interested in him. I glance down at my dimly lit phone with some shock. It was nearly midnight and I was supposed to be home an hour earlier. My grandparents were probably sitting up in the living room worried sick, that's just in their nature. "Dammit, I'm late!"