After the whole… the incident, it took a while to get things back on track, but they were the best of buds again. They worked on their dependency on each other and branched out to more people. Or… people branched out to them. And that's why Michael sits with the 'popular kids', instead of the small table in the corner that the couples often take.
It was strange having more than one friend. You suddenly had 6 other people to talk to or avoid being talked to.
For, when he said friends, they weren't his friends.
They were Jeremy's.
He was just the tag along. The Buy One Get One Free. The Extra.
Which sucked because he knew he should 'have more friends' and 'be more social' as his mom keeps telling him. But they were scary? And now? And he was bound to mess up.
He had a routine though. To get him through each lunch.
Eyes down, headphones on, hoodie up. Eat the joke that the cafeteria calls 'food' until complete. Don't look at anyone. Maybe sneak some texts to his parents. Talk when called upon. Never talk out of turn unless everyone has finished speaking, but if they move onto a new topic don't, you'll look desperate.
Simple.
It changed a little when they started talking about the SQUIP.
He always felt a little uncomfortable and out of place when they started talking about it? Since he was smart and strong enough to avoid getting one, he has the suffer?
What kind of cruel joke was this?
He just kind of zones out of the conversations until Jeremy starts talking about how bad he is. Then he reassures him that it wasn't his fault, and anyone would have done it. After that, he zones out again. He had no say in the matter.
They were nice though. After the years of bullying, he would have never had thought they were decent people. It turns out Rich was a huge book nerd and is determined to read more books now that the SQUIP is gone and Jake can't ice skate in the slightest, no matter how hard he tries. Brooke has an orchid garden. Michael saw it once, and he almost died, it was that beautiful. Chloe apparently loved gaming and once made Jeremy verse her, and he lost. Christine was just a beautiful as Jeremy kept describing her as, just minus the in-love part. And Jenna is a huge animal lover. She only has two rabbits, but she loves them with all her life.
He never thought that they could be real, feeling, human beings.
It was nice.
But goddamn, they could be annoying.
Because sometimes, he just wants to get his work done during class. He doesn't want to sit next to Rich who will talk loudly in his ear. Or Jake who will be subtler but will try to engage him into conversation and if he responds he doesn't quite understand what he's saying, and it makes him feel even more of a loser. He doesn't want to hear about the latest gossip, the latest trends, the latest news about MADELEINE or about the latest musicals.
He wants to complete his work, so he doesn't have that much to do later.
But he thought, that if Jeremy were there, he would be fine. Jeremy would be his safety net. Just for now. Everything would be fine.
Until it wasn't.
Jeremy had always had a poor immune system, so Michael wasn't very surprised when he found out Jeremy was sick. It still sucked, but it was understandable.
He told a frantic Jeremy that he would be fine and that he had the others so calm down before you get even sicker.
And he was fine.
Until the first lunch of Jeremy's sickness.
Does he sit with them? Would they go back to how they use to and make him sit alone? Sitting alone was scary, as you were a bigger target for bullying.
His knuckles turned white as he surveyed the cafeteria.
He was pulled from his thoughts when Jake placed his hand on his shoulder, "Are you joining us for lunch Michael?"
What?
"Y-yeah! 'Course!"
Did….
"C'mon then!" Jake, walking to 'their' table. Michael followed.
Did they care?
Michael decided he didn't need to hide inside his hood.
"Oh my god! You have a face!" Chloe remarked before being shushed politely by Brooke. How anyone could do, that was a mystery.
It was at this moment that Michael had a realisation.
He realised that they weren't so bad.
And that slowly, (Slowly! People! Are still! Scary!), he could be himself around these strange people. And he could make friends other than Jeremy.
It filled him with….
Not determination.
Hope.
(and maybe a bit of Determination. Undertale was a good game, sue him)