CHAPTER SIX
GET ANOTHER BOYFRIEND
The shouting echoed down through the ceiling and Michael rolled over in bed, looked at the clock on his nightstand. He knew that Lana's ex had come over earlier that day, and he knew that Lana was most likely going to tell the guy she was pregnant. Not that Michael thought personally the guy deserved to know or anything, - in Michael's honest opinion, the guy honestly didn't - but Lana seemed to think that the truth was going to come out sooner or later and it'd be better if it came out now and things were over with, she could move on (if the ex in question let her move on, that is.) and start putting her life back together.
They talked a lot now, so Michael knew pretty much everything about Lana, her situation and what she intended to do about it. And still, for whatever reason, he hadn't told her about Kristina finding her journal back when they were in school, nor had he told her about his feelings for her then, or the way they were returning now. The simplest fact of the matter really, was that he didn't know how to deal with them himself. He wanted to tell her, but everytime he tried, he always backed out at the last minute.
He was just getting out of a relationship himself. And he was still dealing with the things that had happened to him while in Pentonville. The things that nobody really knew about. Which was another thing that he hadn't told her yet. He just didn't know how. She kept nothing from him, here he was keeping a few rather important things from her. It made him feel guilty.
The arguing reached a fever pitch and a door slammed above. He sat up and pulled on the white t shirt he'd taken off before getting into bed that night, and standing, he stretched. He slipped out of his apartment, careful to lock the door behind him and make sure he had his key, then he walked up the stairs, waiting at the end of the hallway for a few moments, out of sight, watching Lana's ex as the man paced the hallway, drunk, swearing at a closed door.
He stepped out, though he wasn't sure what he thought he was actually going to do or anything and said calmly, "She told you to leave. Take a hike." crossing his arms over his chest as he stared the other male down, challenging him silently. The guy laughed and then said calmly, in a deathly quiet voice, "Or what, Corinthos?"
"Or I'll kick your ass. Just leave. It's over and the sooner you accept that, man, the better off things will be." Michael said calmly as he wondered yet again what he was doing, even, getting in her business like this. Sure, she was his best female friend at the moment, and sure, he was falling for her, but she'd specifically begged him not to get in the middle of this. In fact, she seemed scared to death, which was a rare thing for her.
Of the man standing in front of him who was right now scratching his head and sneering. "That a threat? What are you gonna do, huh? Run and tell daddy, Jailbird?" the man said as Michael shook his head and then said quietly, "Nope, not at all."
The man raised his brow and Michael grabbed the collar of his t shirt then said calmly and deliberately, "But I will kick your ass." before letting him go, letting him fall in a crumpled heap on the hallway floor. The door to Lana's apartment opened and Lana stood in it, leaned casually, looking down at her ex. She looked at Michael, concern in her eyes as she said quietly, "You didn't have to do that, Michael."
"You're my friend, Lana, I wasn't going to let him hurt you." Michael said as Lana looked down at her ex and poked at him where he lie on the hallway floor with her foot before saying quietly, "And this.. It's exactly why you're not coming anywhere near me or my kid. Ever. This kid, as far as I am concerned, has nothing to do with you except the sperm you donated." and turning her attention back to Michael who said quietly, "And trust me, man.. I'm not gonna let you near her either."
Lana groaned internally, she hadn't meant for Michael and the whole damn apartment building to hear her going at it with her ex, she thought those kinds of things were trashy as hell, but he'd come over drunk and angry, trying to get mean with her. And even though she'd been afraid enough to throw up while it was happening, she'd had the presence of mind to know NOT to let the guy even think he smelled fear on her.
Her father had been just like her ex, and she knew perfectly well what her father was capable of when he'd smelled fear.
The thought, even now, was enough to make her wince and Michael walk over, stand closer to her. "What are you waiting on, man? If you're not gone in ten seconds.." he s tarted as the man got up, glaring, but waved his hands and stopped in front of Lana as he said "This ain't over, babe. Not by a long shot. You're not gonna get away with shoving me out of your life."
"Wanna bet?" Lana asked, a non amused scowl on her face as she looked at Michael and muttered quietly, "I'm sorry if all that woke you up. You didn't have to come down here though.. He's dangerous.."
"You don't know me that well." Michael pointed out as he helped her into her apartment and asked in concern, "He didn't touch you, right?" as Lana shook her head and paced, still scared and angry from the whole confrontation just now. Michael watched her and then said quietly, "I didn't have to come up here, Lana. I came up here because you're my friend and I wanted to." while holding her gaze, his fingertips tilting her chin up as he managed a smile. She bit her lower lip and nodded sleepily, she'd been sleeping before the ex from hell burst in and woke her, and she said quietly, "I know. I just.. I don't want everyone else paying for my big mistake. It's bad enough my kid will."
"No, they won't."
"You don't know that, Michael." Lana said quietly as Michael nodded and said with a smallish smile, "They won't, Lana, because you're my friend. I'm not gonna just turn my back on you."
"You don't know that. You really don't know me." Lana said as Michael smiled a little and admitted mysteriously, "I know you better than you actually think I do." which made her raise a brow. "Huh?"
"Nothing, I mean.. It's just.." Michael paced as he stopped, turned to look at her and admitted "When I first came to Madison Prep.. I'd just gotten out of that coma.. You and a few other people were pretty much the only ones who didn't look at me like I was a freak.. I mean you really didn't talk to me, but you did wave and smile, you didn't go out of your way to avoid me like pretty much half the other students did when I lost it on Kiefer."
"That asshole deserved his beating. I always thought you had every right to do that, Kristina was your half sister. I'd have done it.." Lana trailed off as she looked at him and then said quietly, "Sometimes I'd sort of watch you.. I mean I wanted to talk to you but I was fairly certain you wouldn't talk to me." which made him look at her with his brow raised and ask her in curiousity "Why though?"
"Just because. I mean a lot of things were going on then. A lot of stuff went around about me and I figured that you'd heard it or something. I don't know, really. Just shy I guess? Any thousand of other reasons that a teenage girl doesn't actually talk to the guy she... Nevermind." Lana laughed a little as she raked her hand through her hair and sat down in a white wooden chair at her small dining table, looking up at him.
'So she did really feel all that. The more important thing, Michael, is does she feel all that now?' he thought to himself as he looked at her and chuckled a little, his own face a little red. She laughed and then asked him "So.. Do you want a bottled water? Might as well sit up and talk a little bit, I mean you did pretty much save my ass just now."
"Sure. I'd like that." Michael admitted with a smile as he began to wonder why exactly he wasn't trying to progress things between them. They were already slowly crossing the threshold from friend to something else. He didn't want to rush her, and he didn't want to make her feel obligated to return his feelings, but it was getting a little hard to keep from telling her everything, the more time he spent with her.
Maybe soon he'd do that. The timing was almost perfect.. He just needed to be sure..
