cool » l. hemmings

xxi.

"You haven't talked about Michael a lot lately, Michelle," my mother pointed out, passing breadsticks across the table to my brother.

I shrugged and played around with the food on my plate. I'm not entirely sure what this is - meatloaf, maybe. "We just haven't been talking."

Other than simple phone calls and text messages, I haven't really been in contact with my crazy hair colored best friend the past week, maybe more. This Friday would be our last movie night of the month, and we haven't even discussed what we were going to make fun of yet.

"Are you fighting?"

"No, Grady and I are always with Luke and Ethan, that's all." Now that I included Grady in the conversation, my hands began moving along with my words.

My mom nodded and left it at that, only for Grady to ask me a question and include her again.

'So, is he your boyfriend yet?' he signed, smirking at me from across the table.

"We don't like each other!"

"Wait, you and Luke are dating? Since when?" My mother grew wide-eyed but smiled a bit.

"We're not, mom," my groan caused my oncoming headache to worsen, and I slid down in my chair with another smaller one.

'Yes they are.'

Grady had a tendency to be a sarcastic little shithead, and most of the time it was hilarious, really, but today I was so confused with everything that had been happening between Luke and I that I couldn't take this talk about actually being with him.

Seriously, this feeling in my stomach made me want to puke.

"Well, he's a nice boy," my mom said, taking Grady's half-eaten plate and leaving me to put mine in the sink myself. "And thanks to him, you may pass the eleventh grade."

'Wait, Michelle? Passing? It's a Christmas miracle.'

"Ha-ha, Grady. And it's June." I pushed myself out of the dining chair, leaving Grady sat at the table alone. I hadn't eaten any of my food, I didn't really want to find out what was in the meatloaf and risk getting sick. Mom frowned at me but began wrapping it in tin foil anyway. As if I was going to actually consider eating it later.

"I'm going to the basement, night." I waved to my family before rushing across the wooden floors of our house and opening the door to the basement.

For the very bottom floor, it was always warm down here. I made my way to the couch positioned in front of the normally turned on television, and it felt weird without the noisiness that was Luke, Grady, and Ethan. Mostly Luke, for obvious reasons, other than the occasional laughter and shoving that Grady and Ethan emitted.

I needed entertainment. My hands reached toward my phone next to me on the couch and dialed probably the only person who could willingly entertain me.

"Hi, hey," I said quickly. "I'm coming over."

"What? Why?" Michael replied confused, I could imagine his hand messing with his hair and his eyebrows furrowed.

I turned the TV off. "A girl can't visit her best friend?"

"I thought that was Luke," he sounded bitter, but I was hoping it was sarcastic. Even if I already knew it wasn't.

"Michael," I let a sigh release from my chest. I didn't want to feel guilty for having more friends. This is the most I've ever had - and I only have two. I wanted to feel happy, and I wanted Michael to feel that way, too.