Andrew

“You!” Michaela cried, face paling.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“You-when, we-date-Murderer!” She muttered between choking sobs.

Suddenly, everything made sense. “Michaela,” I felt tears threaten to fall from my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know-”

Michaela closed her eyes. “Take me home.”

I stood. “Machy, it was-“

She stood, tears streaked down her angry face. She stared at me as evenly as her small shaking form could. “Do not call me Machy. You lost that right when I lost my parents. You killed them. You took them from me!”

Her innocent face looked up at me and I thought her pained, brown eyes looking at me was enough to make me want to shoot myself.

She continued. “I had to go live with my grandparents. Do you know what that was like? They didn’t want me! They- they hated me. I was just a burden. Finally, they couldn’t take it anymore and sent me back here, to my aunt. I bet she doesn’t even want me!”

My old best friend sat down. “No one wants me.”

I knelt down. How could she think that? I wrapped my arms my arms around her. For a moment, she clutched my shirt and we sat eyes closed. We were convinced if either of us let go, we’d fall apart.

After a moment, she pushed me away. “Don’t touch me.” She muttered. Her eyes looked up to meet mine. “Don’t want you to kill me too.” She snatched her jacket and ran out of the parlor. I sat back, as if she had physically slapped me.

The door opened and I heard the sound of a teenage guy laughing. I looked up. Machy stood, wiping tears from her face as Daniel spoke to her. “What, bitch? You want a ride from me now that you’re ‘bad boy’ made you cry? Poor baby!” He looked over her as if she were a slab of meat. It made me sick and I walked closer to the duo.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll give you a ride.” He moved closer and put a hand in her back pocket. “But what are you gonna’ give me?”

She cringed and my fist met his ear. Daniel fell to the floor. Machy’s foot connected with his stomach. “A nasty bruise.” She spat.

Machy looked up at me. “I’m sorry. You didn’t know.” She swallowed.

“Does that mean I can call you Machy?”

She glared playfully as we walked to my car. “We’ll talk.”

“Can we date?”

She stopped and looked at me. “I dunno.”