MIA
"Well what did he want?"Maya gently shoved her locker shut, leaving most of her books inside. I hadn't gotten to mine and my back starting to hurt."What does that even mean? Did you listen to a word of what I said?"She bit her lips, acting thoughtful for a few seconds."So let's get a few things straight. I drove here nearly getting a speeding ticket.""Oh that's all on you babes."We were moving towards my locker instead. The bell for AP Maths would go off any second. Maya wasn't in it which meant seperate directions."I storm in visibly pissed off yet calmly explain what happened."We reach mine and I toss in the combination, pulling the locker open, stuffing a few books inside and grabbing the others which I needed."He blackmailed me.""Nope. That would assume a threat was made in return.""It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.""Wait whose side are you on?""Yours. If he comes down here any day, I'm prepared to fight. But in here with just the two of us, I have to at least try to talk it out.""Why would he want something?""You'd never know because you turned yourself into a miscommunicator. Walked out before he had the chance.""I'd rather not speak to him at all. It's pointless.""It doesn't matter what you want. It happened. He's in your father's life which extends to yours, you need to deal with it."The bell sounded. "It seems as though you're doing it for the plot.""Obviously."She giggled striding towards her class."He's fucked up. If I ignore it long enough, it'll go away. That's how I fixed all my problems so far and it hasn't failed me.""Until it does."That was the last thing we said to each other before dispersing in seperate directions.****A few of my classes were AP so I spent time apart from Maya and everyone I knew. Maya could be here if she wanted to, but in her wise words "Why bother when I'll get accepted regardless?"After debating for a few hours, I did a deep dive. Not my finest moments, but my best friend was right. This man was in my life. The more I knew about him, the better.Logan Jackson. Graduated from Crestwood High when I was a junior. He's Twenty-One. The boring stuff. His height which I could've guessed. Eye and haif colour, both I've seen. I added another element to the search.Logan Jackson history. Then I scrolled over to the news section and I noticed articles after articles.These date back to two years ago, it seemed heated but they've all died down.One of them stands out amongst the others. The title is what catches me, prompting a quick navigation towards the whole article."Star Quarterback loses scholarship."Some key words inside the report matches Logan. It's also football news which stuns me because I didn't know he played football. Granted I don't know him at all, but that felt like a buried secret.Which would remain buried it seemed because the article was gone. The main link to it remained in the search engine, but when I tried to open it and see what it said, it popped an error.Class was over and I assumed that was my sign to stop digging. Clearly there's drama and secrets, both of which I should run far away from. But then if I had leverage, he couldn't blackmail me. Yet using his past and possible mistakes against him would make us the same."Hey baby. It feels like forever. What are you thinking about?"Nick ambushes me in the hallway. Yes I know what I said. There's people around, but his arms are roaming from my waist, thighs, nearly settling on my ass.He's hardly like this in public."Yeah, I sort of had a long day.""You were at your dad's hospital yesterday."He says it more to himself than me. Like fitting a puzzle and a tiny piece just clicked in."Yeah I was. Why?"I'm dredging what's next knowing Logan and Nick had already spoken. What if I say something that contradicts it? He'll know I lied."My brother is interning there."If you listen close enough, you could've heard the sigh of relief escaping my lips. That's good, he knows."What's his name.""Logan. He claimed you didn't run into each other. We had a family dinner yesterday.""How is if possible that I never knew you had a brother? He wasn't in any of the photos either.""He wasn't a secret. Logan is just reserved. I doubt you'd cross paths. I don't see any reason to, and if you do, it's best you don't engage so much."He pressed me further to himself, reaching the too of my forehead, then placing a gentle kiss."Why shouldn't I? He's your brother.""It's complicated. Just trust me on this one.""I can't if you find give me a reason."We're both in the cafeteria, and Nick tries to embrace his usual powerful aura, but I'm irritated and my demeanor shows it."I think I'll eat inside."I slide out and take the nearest exit out of there. A few people will gossip but Nick will turn all the rumours down. He's great at it."Wait for us!"Two cheesy voices called out as I strolled back into the hallways.Chloe and Zoe. Most people call them the twins, and they are. They look almost identical. The only reason I can tell a huge difference between both of them is we've been friends for so long.Chloe has a lighter tone than Zoe. The shade of her dark hair is much thicker than Zoe, and in some cases, they tend to have different reactions. But they're pretty much the exact same person."We saw you bolt and pretty boy smiled like nothing was happening. Gracie is probably coming up with a tweet now, twisting the story through her myopia eyes.""Chloe!"Zoe cautioned, offering me a sympathetic look instead."But yeah she's definitely burning you at the stakes.""I don't care guys. I couldn't go in there and play out another day of all of that.""We've graduated to faking now."Chloe whispered, knowing I could hear every word."I'm okay guys. Really. It's just one of those days where you want to stay alone.""Figured. Maya is out with some jock.""Expected."All three of echoed."Go have lunch. I'll get a meal to go later.""You sure?""Yeah."They both embraced me, pulled away then retreated in the direction they emerged from.I preferred the halls like this, everyone is either in the cafeteria or sneaking around to hook up in bleachers.There's a few teachers in their offices and of course the principal whose office I stroll past by, it's at that time the door pushes open and the voice I hear inside is his."Thank you Mrs Peters."The laugh is the same as the previous day. Soft and smooth. A sound you could have on repeat and not get pissed.The reality knocks me over as soon as his face comes into view.Logan is at Crestwood. Why the fuck was he at Crestwood?****"Don't run."He reads my mind in ease. I had every intention of skipping past the office, then hiding out in the nearest classroom."Run? I'm walking past an office. Why should I feel the need to run?"His upper lip tugs. He's hiding a smile."A few hours ago you flipped me off. Now you're running off at the sight of me.""I flipped you off because you were being an asshole."I snorted. "Rude."He cautioned. I blinked in horror. See what I meant by possible insanity somewhere in there?"I'm being a great friend —""We're not friends."I affirmed, looking around."We're not?"He clicked his teeth, seemingly thoughtful."Regardless, I asked for a favour in exchange for helping you out. A harmless one even."I crossed my arms. "Right.""And you came nonetheless so all that drama this morning seems very pointless.""I'm confused."That seems like a reoccurring feeling around him."I needed you to get a reference from Crestwood. It would've saved me a trip.""That's all you wanted?"He tucked his hands in, stepping away from the door and towards to me."Why? What were you thinking?"He drawls at each word. "I don't know."I hardly meant to stutter, but it's something about the way he towers over me, biting back an obvious smirk."You intended it. If that's all you wanted, you would've spat it out.""I hardly had the time. You were flipping me off.""Fuck you.""Ask me nicely and maybe I will."I push back a few steps, utterly stunned."I'm convinced you're insane.""I can think of several ways to change your mind."I can't breathe. He's sucking the air out."You've gotten what you want. Leave.""Since I'm on campus, I think I'd have a look around. Check what's changed.""Logan.""I like that.""You say my name with just the right amount of rage but if you listen closely, you can hear the longing. The angst is everything."He closes the gap and tips my chin so my eyes are on his."Tell me I'm wrong."I should. I truly should. Scream maybe. Run off like I intended.I don't know what's mesmerising about this? The thrill of knowing how wrong it is? Or his sultry voice as he gazes at me?"Mia."There's a thick accent beneath his usual tone. If he kisses me in the hallway with his brother at the other side of the building, there's no explanation, no going back.So why can't I shrug him off? There's a battle raging inside me. It's not my mind and heart. Fuck that. It's my mind and my mind.He dove into my life and divided it in half. The recently developed part wants me to taste his bottom lip, pull it into mine and see if the taste is familiar.That would be insane?"You're sick. Whatever game this is, it's sick.""Enlighten me."His fingers curl the edge of my shirt."You made it up. You didn't need me to get references. You're only using that as an excuse to continue playing whatever twisted game this is.""Or it's all in your head.""It's not."We're almost touching, our lips are nearly grazing. Just a little closer."Logan.""Maybe you're right."His fingers sunk into my hips and I gasp, folding into his touch."I'm a mastermind. Tricking you in thought and action. Everything is all part of my plan to get what I want.""And what is it that you want?"I suck my lower lip, his eyes dart across, a low groan escaping his lips, almost like this was tormenting him. A mixture of pleasure and torture."No games. This might be the only time you get the truth out of me. So listen carefully, Red."He caresses the hair against my face, bridging his nose to my ear. It's embarrassing how badly I tremble."All I want is you."His hands fall. His face escapes the side of mine and he's gone from reach."This is the part where you tell me to stay away. Snap. Run.""Is that the part you scripted out?"I smirk. "Maybe. But I learned from this morning that you tend to go out of character.""Uh huh."I wet my bottom lip as the look crosses his eyes again. The one from before.Fight or flight."It'll be a shame to disappoint you then."I snort. The next couple of sentences were aimed at flipping him off, but I have my lips parted in one second Logan's arms grab mine and tug in another, this time he doesn't stop his lips from brushing mine, he still taste like strawberries.On impulse, I squeal. His other arm covers my lips at the same time and in the last few seconds, I'm shoved against the nearest classroom with the food closed behind us.That's when my other senses materialize and I hear the shuffles in the hallway.Someone was coming. Logan backed me against the wall, both hands still pressed on my body, and I can't help but wonder how damning it would be to bury my face in the crook of his neck.I've already committed so many sins today, why not add one more? But I don't, his voice halts those intrusive thoughts."One more thing you owe me for."He groans into my hair. His grip on my arm falling to the curve of my waist. Another strained grunt leaving his lips. It would appear I'm not the only one with intrusive thoughts.****MIAMain character moment? It's this one for certain. There's a nagging voice that reminds me how many times Nick has lifted and kissed me against the wall or desk, yet I'm counting this as part of it. There's usually a term for people like me. Hypocrite. Yeah, that's the one. Do I have my brain on lock? "You're doing that thing again."I forced my eyes not to look at him, but as he spoke they found their way back. "What?"I murmur. "That thing where your mind takes control and you can't shut it off."What is it with the psychoanalysis? "I told you not to do that.""Can't help it.""Everything feels like bliss when you finally get it to quiet down. Like —""Don't finish that sentence."I caution. The first time the lesson came up, we were in a different position. Lesser clothes on."I was going to say ocean sounds, Mia.""Sure."I drawl, my voice high-pitched as I batted my lashes. "I'm not stupid.""I'd be dumb to assume that.""Let me go. I'd like to get out of here.""I'll be rig
LOGAN "I'm starting to think we were best friends because of school.""I'm the one with the 4.0, so that wouldn't make any sense."I peel the jacket off my skin, tucking it in my closet before lying on the bed. "Subtle flex."Peter grumbled. "But seriously, you disappeared. Your flight landed in New Orleans and you turned into Ethan Hunt with a new mission. Not cool.""I didn't realize this was Mission Impossible, but either way you're putting your abandonment issues on me because I recalled texting at least twice. Plus, I've only been gone two weeks. Peter.""Psychoanalysis does not extend to your best friend."He scolded. I bit my lips "Good thing you're not my best friend."He gasped then went silent. I figured he would drop the line, just for fun, but judging by his raspy breaths, he was simply quiet."Take it back.""Now." I chuckled, throwing one leg over the other."Fine. How's Southern California.""Ugh. Hot.""I'm still pissed you couldn't wait four mouths so we could escape
MIA "What did you do?"Maya is in the process of pulling Tony's hair as he leans over a table. The jock she was hooking up with isn't near, so I assume Tony scared him off. I made a silent bet as to how long it takes him to fess up those feelings for her because we both knew it was a matter of time, or how much alcohol he's had. So far, he's been able to hide it. But the only ones who didn't know how much Maya and Tony were made for each other were Maya and Tony. He's spent a handful of time suppressing feelings and she's been roaming around for a guy just like him.Someone who lets her pull his hair even though he could have her pinned against the wall..I've decided to act as the neutral party, for now. "Mia! I asked a question.""I didn't do anything.""You're smirking.""Am I?""You are. I'll let you off. For now."She releases his hair and the hint of victory plays on his lips before he frowns."You're a menace."She sticks her tongue out, straightens her dress then walks tow
MIAHave you ever wanted something so bad, worked extremely well, I'm talking on the verge of having the best thing happen to you, then watched it being stripped away, landing in the palms of someone else. At that moment, you keep asking yourself; where did I go wrong? That was me when Katie Monroe won class president in Grade 10..I handled it well. That's a lie. I started a fire while burning down campaign posters, and flyers. I wrote a diss track too. Then I let it haunt me becoming one of the many subjects of my overthinking. You're wondering why I made an elaborate story instead of just straight up saying I overthink shit, the honest answer was I had no clue.."I have to go pee."Nick squeezed my palm, then released his hold and let me free. "I need to pee."I whisper to Maya, she does her little head nod to show approval and I struggle not to get crushed as the game continues. That's right. We were on round nine with the tower going strong. So far, there have been lap dances
LOGANFollowing last night's shenanigans, I ended up back at my apartment at two am. It's one second on my bed and another bang in my head as my alarm tells me to wake the fuck up. I groggily stumble to the bathroom, barely opening my eyes. On day two on the job, lateness was not an option. I'd rather not get into last night. After Mia left, I may have broken the tower on purpose..One, the game was starting to piss me off. The Tigers showed up to crash the party and the last thing I needed was fist fights between grown men..Two, I was pissed off regardless. I really should have kissed her afterward so that bastard could taste her on his lips. I can't tell if the aggression was due to vodka or entirely something else. Either way, the proceeding events were completely unrehearsed and out of my hands. Carter masterminded the whole thing. He felt it'd be funny if we played against Nick and his team, diminishing their win against Lake View. Normally, I'd come up with an excuse to not
MIA "The guys are getting pizza later, do you want to tag along?"I have a sign encarved in my fore head, it reads guilty. I've been showing it for hours and Nick must be blind not to notice it. "Uhm, sure."He traces my gaze to no one in particular since we're outside the locker room and everyone else is either inside or had late classes."Is everything okay?"I nearly fall apart there. "Yeah, its great. Sorry I'm out of it. I guess I'm tired after yesterday.""Oh right. We can go to my place instead. I'll ditch the guys.""No. No. I'll come. They're down after the game and we need something to cheer them up so I can come."Nick kisses the top of my head, caressing my shoulders as my eyes keep wavering, searching for another person. I know what anyone must think of me now. A cheating slut. You'll be right.I had excuses the first time, it'll be plausible to justify the classroom, but at the party and in the lot, I could have backed off just fine, but I stood there and let him have
PAPA JOHN'SThe boys found an excuse to party over anything. The victory over the Tigers, now the defeat from Logan and the others. The owner was used to their regular antics such as taking control of the speaker for the night and playing loud trap music. The good thing was, we usually didn't show up until late at night, so it hardly affected his business. It seems like we had the entire store booked, and they were only handing out delivery orders.After the talk, I drove home and switched the skirt to leather pants and a jacket. I drove back here and stormed into the place, hearing their cheers from afar. As I said, we dominated the restaurant now. Maya preferred to stay absent, but some of the cheerleading squad would attend, Tony was here too, so I'm guessing her decision to not come was influenced by that.I'm halfway through the entrance when I notice Luke swaying on the table, moving his hips to the background music, then he takes off his shirt and swings it to the person in
LOGANFuck this. I'm starting to think Peter was right. In theory, the plan had a low chance of failure. As I thought of every loophole, I sorted out a solution, I got here being resolved to see it to the end. But now, I feel stressed out, it's the buzzing in my throat presumably from the whiskey I just started downing. Johnathan would be utterly disappointed at the sight. So much work, all for nothing. All because of her. Mia. Mia. Mia. I listened to the liquid pour into the glass, I lingered from the rest of the team and their antics. I shouldn't have come here. Mia is becoming an inconvenience. A spontaneous game piece and it's frustrating. Callous and hypocritical. I came here to exact revenge like a sixteen-year-old but fell into the same pit as my predecessor did. I can't justify what this was, but punishing Nick for something I find myself indulging in was insane. Abstinence shouldn't prickle my skin. Not licking hers shouldn't scorch my insides. But it does. I'm enjoy