Michael bounced up and down in his seat. His bowl cut brown hair bounced with it, and his dark brown eyes had shown the 14 year old's impatience. As much as he wanted to leave, he kind of liked Earth Science because it was one of the few classes that he and Chrissie got to be in together, because she had skipped 5th grade and all. He looked over at the girl and smiled.

Christine Booth was a sight at only 13. Her long golden brown bangs fell just above her bright blue eyes, and she had the prettiest smile. She and Michael had been best friends since they were born, and the reason he wanted to get out of their so quickly was the fact that they were hanging out after school.

When the bell rang two of his friends immediately bombarded him, Andy Grant who was a year older than him, and Jon Hyde. He had met Jon through Chrissie's hockey team. He wasn't too fond of the guy, but Chrissie seemed to like him so he dealt with it.

Andy flashed a smile. "So freshman, you wanna hang later?"

Michael laughed, pointing at Chrissie who had met up with her friends Laura and Shay. "Sorry, I got plans."

Jon looked back at her and flashed a smile, and she blushed. "Hey Andy, I'll catch up with you guys later. I have to do something."

Jon made his way over to the girls, stopping to talk to Chrissie, Michael got a hard feeling in his stomach one he did not like very much.

"Hey Chrissie." Jon smiled. Michael hated that he used that nickname.

"Well, hello there if it isn't school extraordinaire." Chrissie laughed.

"Do you mind if your friends give us a minute?" Jon flashed her a charming smile.

Chrissie looked to her friends, and they nodded in understanding. "So what's up Jonnyboy?"

He laughed. "You want go get some pizza with me later?"

Chrissie blushed. "You mean like a date?"

"Yeah. How about it?" He said, placing his hand in hers, as Michael squirmed.

"I'd love to, but I have plans with Michael." She said, and Michael didn't like that she looked disappointed.

"Well, that's cool. Maybe a rain check?" Jon said, turning to his friends winking.

"Definitely." She blushed, as he walked out, and Michael came up to her.

"What was all that about Steeny?" Michael asked even though he knew.

"Jon just wanted to get pizza, Michael. I told him I had plans with you." Chrissie said, looking down.

"Michael? What happened to Minvin?" Michael asked, confused at her sudden formality.

"I just thought we should use more age appropriate names for each other that's all." She said.

"No, that's not all." Michael said stopping.

"Mikey, we're gonna miss the bus." Chrissie stopped as well.

"No, just forget about it. Forget about everything. You just go have pizza with Jonny." Michael said, turning in the other direction from the busses.

"What are you doing?" Chrissie called after him.

"I'M WALKING!" He said angrily as he turned around for a second and then facing away from her again.

Chrissie was about to go after him but Shay called for her to get on the bus, and she ran to catch up, and sat next to Jon, who held her hand, and she watched Michael storm off, kicking stones as he walked home.

He didn't know why he reacted the way he did, it's just she made him so mad. The flirting with Jon, and then making it seem like he was this big wall in their way, and then calling him just Michael. He was about a mile from the school, when he realized he was walking the complete wrong direction.

He had been heading towards the elementary school, he shrugged pulling out his phone to call his mom. He got worried at first, but then she answered on the 4th ring.

"Michael? Katie and Alex are already home, and they get out ten minutes after you." His mother said into the phone.

His little sister was in 8th, and his brother was in 6th, their middle school was connected with the High School, so he'd suspect that they would have been home by now, as it was 3:30, and he'd gotten out at 2:40.

"Sorry mom, I decided to walk, I'm over by Lily's school. I will bring her home." Michael stated.

"Okay, we will talk when you get home." Angela said hanging up the phone.

Michael walked up to the school, he watched as the four children stepped out. Ashley and Zack were talking about science, the two dorky little 9 year olds. Meanwhile Mason and Lily were in depth conversation, the 8 year old chatting up his 7 year old sister.

"Alright, kids break it up." Michael laughed.

"MIKEY!" Ashley and Mason shouted at the same time, the sibling synchronization was a little weird, but he didn't think about it much, just the fact he was in a bone-crushing hug.

"Alright I got to breathe so I can take Lily home." Michael laughed.

Zack peered around the older boy's shoulder. "Where's my sister?"

"On the bus, probably home by now." Michael rolled his eyes.

"I thought you and Chrissie were hanging out." Lily asked, puzzled.

"It's big kid stuff guys, you wouldn't understand." Michael snapped.

Booth pulled up to the teenager and the four kids, rolling down the window. "Hey, need a lift."

Michael nodded and they all got in the car, Zack and Ashley taking the third seat, and Lily and Mason sitting in the second seat, while Michael sat next to Booth in the passenger's seat.

"So kiddo, weren't you gonna take the bus back to our place with Chrissie. Your mom had arranged for me to pick up Lily." Booth said, noticing the otherwise perky boy was oddly quiet.

"Yeah, but Christine rode the bus with Jonathon Hyde." He dragged on his classmate's name.

"Oh, well Lily can play with Zack if you want to hang out now." Booth said, not particularly sure of why Michael had called his daughter Christine instead of Steeny.

"Thanks but no thanks. Told Mom we'd be home." Michael turned back towards the window.

Booth nodded and turned his attention back to the ride, after dropping off Mason and Ashley, he pulled up to the Hodgins' household. Michael and Lily got out of the car, Lily waving to Zack.

"Come on, Lil." Michael called, as the car pulled away and Lily turned running into the house.

Michael followed, and with a small slam of the door, he sighed. He threw his backpack on the chair, and went to the fridge to get a soda. He turned on the TV, kicking off his shoes, and he sat back in his dad's recliner.

About halfway through the show, he heard his sister's voice, he had slouched down into the leather chair by now, and could only get himself to sit up slightly, as she was talking to someone, she came into the room, on the phone, laughing, and then turned to him.

"What are you looking at?" He grouched at Katie.

"You're right Chrissie, he does seem a little cranky." Katie laughed.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Would you take it upstairs, I'm trying to watch something here."

"Yeah, okay bye Chrissie." Katie hung up the phone.

"Thank you." Michael sighed, turning his attention back to the TV.

Katie moved over, and stood next to her brother when he didn't budge, she stood directly in front of him. He looked up at her growling. "What the heck was that for?"

"You ignoring me." Katie stated plainly.

"What do you want?" Michael asked turning his head to see.

"You almost always jump when Chrissie's on the phone, all of a sudden you don't even make a point of saying hello." Katie crossed her arms.

"It's none of your business, Katherine." Michael stated, standing up.

"It is so my business, Staccato." Katie said, and Michael slammed his fists on the counter.

"I can get Alex to get it out of you." Katie said, starting to call upstairs.

Michael covered her mouth with his hand. "Alright. Jon asked Christine out on a date, she said no because of me, even though she really wanted to go. So I told her to go, and then walked home."

"You call her Christine now?" Katie asked.

"Only because she calls me Michael." He defended poorly.

Katie handed him the phone. "Call her, apologize."

Michael looked down at the phone and took it from his sister's hands. "Why?"

"Duh, you have a crush on her. Apologize and you can be best friends again, don't and take your chance." Katie smiled, turning around and heading back upstairs. Michael starred at the phone.

Dialing her number, he waited til he heard her pick up to speak. "Hey, uh Steeny."

He heard her laugh on the other line and sighed of relief. "Yeah Minvin."

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I yelled at you today. It's just you know I didn't want you to not go out with Jon, and I didn't not want you to hang out with me." He said, twisting a pencil.

"Apology accepted. Now do you understand the Earth Science homework?" Christine laughed.

"Yeah, you want help."Michael asked.

"Mikey, you're a god." Christine laughed.

Michael smiled, pulling out his homework, he was glad that they could go back to their normal selves and they could talk on the phone for hours, and he wouldn't go to bed til like 12:00. But something in him, told him that it wasn't going to snap back just as it used to be.