BYLER | I Dare You to Break a Heart

Ch 19: A Cheerful Drive to School

Mike sat, sulking as he stared out the window. He was really not in the mood to go to school today but his mom forced him to, claiming he didn't have a fever (which was true, but still). Nancy was giving him a ride. She gripped the steering wheel, completely aware of the stiffness of the air around them. Cheerful songs were playing on the radio before Mike got fed up, groaned in annoyance and turned it off, only to look back out the window again. He heard Nancy sigh from beside him but didn't bother to comment on it.

Eventually, the car came to a stop and Mike huffed before grabbing his backpack and pushing the door with force. When the door didn't open, he unlocked it and tried again, only to have it locked back up by his sister. Mike scowled and glared at his sister.

"What's it to you Nancy? Lemme out," again, Mike unlocked the doors to try again but Nancy wasn't backing down. This made Mike even angrier. His sister should know full and well that he wasn't in the mood to be fucked with right now. Mike whipped his head around to face Nancy, his face boiling with a anger, "YOU REALLY WANNA TEST ME RIGHT NOW?"

"Mike, sit down and listen, you need to calm down."

"NO, I WILL NOT CALM DOWN JUST" Mike pushed the door, "LET ME" he pushed it harder, "OUT OF" again, harder, "THE DAMN" Mike slammed his fist against the door handle, "CAR."

"I can't let you out when you're in this state, Micheal!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUT ME IN THIS STATE."

"Mike," Nancy place her hand gently on his brother's shoulder in attempt to calm his breathing, "everything is going to be okay... alright?..."

Mike shook his head, "it's not."

"It will be in the end... he'll come around, I know he will. That boy can't stay mad at you forever, he loves you, he said it himself-"

"Yeah well he doesn't anymore Nancy. I really don't think I'm gonna be able to get away with this one..."

The siblings sat quietly in the car in a sad silence, not knowing what to do next. The flow of kids walking into the school was beginning to increase. Finally Nancy broke the silence.

"Why did you do it?" She spoke matter-of-factly.

Mike turned to his left, a face of annoyed confusion, "why did I do what?"

Nancy shook her head, still gripping the steering wheel, "why did you even tell him you didn't love him?"

"Because I don't and I don't want to lead him on."

"That's bullshit and you an I both know it." Nancy spoke, almost sounding frustrated. When Mike didn't say anything she continued, "you told me yourself that you liked him. You had the perfect opportunity to be in the happiest and healthiest relationship you'll probably ever have in your life. I'll never understand why you threw that out the window to fit up to the likes of a few irrelevant people."

"Mom is not an irrelevant person."

Nancy looked to her brother in shock, "you're worried about what mom will think of you?"

Mike let out an annoyed yet tired sigh, "no that's not what I meant like... I dunno, she was just an example. There's a lot of people who won't be impressed if I... y'know... and I just don't wanna deal with that..."

"You're not here to impress anyone."

Mike looked at his sister through glassy eyes.

"You're here to live the life that you wanna lead. Think of it like this: your entire school calls you nerdy for your obsession over comic books and Star Wars and that right? But does that stop you from loving them?"

"That's completely different Nancy. If I tell people I'm-... whatever the hell I am... some people will not want to associate themselves with me anymore. And the thing is... I don't know who those people are. It's a gamble. But I'm not willing to loose any of them."

"Who cares Mike? That's their problem. Do you really just wanna keep pretending to be something you're not to impress them?"

"What I want is for me to just not be like this at all."

"Yeah but you can't have that can you?"

The car was yet again plunged into silence. Mike let out a long sigh and shook his head looking just exhausted.

In the smallest voice he could put the effort into making, he simply said: "please unlock the door Nancy."