Chapter seven has arrived. So without further ado, enjoy!
It's the first saturday of Spring Break and we've been sitting on Mitchie's bed all afternoon. We've done everything from watching movies to playing cards to spying on her hot next door neighbor. It's almost seven-thirty and I have a proposal for Mitchie. "Hey, Mitch?"
She looks up from the magazine currently holding her attention, "Huh?"
"I—I don't know if your foster parents would go for it, but, well, maybe they would. I don't know, I was thinking, maybe—"
"Spit it out already!" She exclaims, putting a hand on my knee. I peer at her hands. She has perfectly manicured nails. The tips of her fingers are calloused, hardened and worn from the friction of guitar and piano practice.
I gently entwine my fingers with hers. Quietly, I bid, "Stay over at my house with me?" She smiles, but doesn't speak. I add, "You don't have to stay here alone, and I'd feel better about going home if you were coming with me."
"Let's go ask." She replies pulling me up off the bed with her.
I stop abruptly, our hands still linked and causing her to stop too. "Let's as in contraction for let us? Me and you?"
She's skeptically staring, "Yeah... they'd say no if you didn't go with me. Now, c'mon, before Katherine starts Happy Hour in the living room."
I was here yesterday after school and I've been here all day today and I still haven't met her foster mother, Katherine. I assume she's just the bee's knees. Just like her pervy, sick, and demented husband. Fucking sick bas—oh, we're in the living room already.
We're standing awkwardly at the foot of the couch where her parents are sitting. They have a tray filled with bottles of hard-liquor and two shot glasses. Mitchie clears her throat and greets them, "Mom, Dad." They turn to look at us. "Mom, this is Mikayla. She—we, um—were wondering if I could stay at her place tonight?"
Her Botox-looking face scrunches up, looking at me. I remember Mitchie's advice and look her in the eyes. I see her eyes are bloodshot, she's already drunk. Her eyes move from my face to Mitchie and I's clasped hands. Mitchie let's go immediately. "Absolutely not." Katherine says then suddenly starts laughing hysterically.
Max joins in, "Oh, Kat! That was a good one!" They high-five. "Yeah, sure, Sweetie, you can go." Mitchie visibly twitches at the pet name.
"Thanks! I'll call to check in tomorrow!" She says before dragging me back to her room.
"Not too early!" We hear Katherine yell, "You know I don't get up before one on Sundays!"
Mitchie packs and overnight bag and we leave as soon as possible.
--
Mitchie and I have become a lot closer these past few months. Ever since we did the school project, we've basically been attached at the hip. My parents are already calling her 'a part of the family'. She's at my house all the time, but she's never stayed the night. Her foster parents don't seem like the type to say yes, so I never asked.
I still have this hunch that she likes me. The subtle glances, the wanting to snuggle and cuddle all the time, the small shy smile she gives me... this list goes on. And not to mention the hand-holding. There's been a lot of that lately. Not that I mind. I've always enjoyed my hands being warm.
We've been at my house for a total of six minutes. "I'm hungry." I state blankly. "You hungry? I'm hungry."
Mitchie chuckles softly, "Yeah, I'm hungry too."
I stand up, point to the front door, deepen my voice and say, "To Mickey D's!"
--
Good thing there's a McDonald's near my house, otherwise, Mitchie would've had to carry me there. The next closest one is a quite a few blocks away and I can't find my license to drive.
I open the door and let Mitchie walk in first. She smiles at me. It's pretty empty in here. There's a few people, scattered from table to table, unamused and lonely. We get in line there's two people in front of us. An elder lady, who's ordering, and a scruffy, mid-forties—just guessing—man. The lady gets her food and walks off to her table.
While the scruffy guy orders, Mitchie starts talking, "I'm glad Maxwell and Katherine were drunk enough to let me come with you tonight." She leans her head against my shoulder.
"Yeah, me too. Who gets drunk before nine o'clock? I mean, not that I know what time is too early—"
"Actually, no time is too early for them. Especially for Katherine. She even takes her aspirin with alcohol. She's definitely not the brightest bulb." I giggle with Mitchie as we step up to the counter.
Taking our order is a geeky guy. Glasses, acne, braces, the whole nine-yards. "Hi, ladies. I'm Earnest, what can I get for you?" Mitchie and I place our order, "That'll be eleven-eighty-three, ladies."
Simultaneously, Mitchie and I pull out money to pay. "I got it." I tell her, urging her to put her money away.
I give the bills to Earnest and Mitchie gives me that shy smile I've grown to love, "Thanks."
We step off to the side to wait for our food. The man who was in front of us is still waiting a few steps away. He's staring at Mitchie and I like we're pieces of meat ready to be devoured. Mitch didn't seem to notice, but I did and it made me slightly uncomfortable.
I caught his eye and protectively wrapped an arm around Mitchie's waist, pulling her body closer to mine. I left my arm there, hopefully to portray to him, Don't try anything funny. Mitchie just looked at me, her brown orbs full of wonder and curiosity. I just looked straight ahead, growing impatient for our food.
I get the gist that the man is impatient too, seeing as he demanded a refund and left in a hurry. Finally, I thought he would just continue to ogle us like a creeper. "What was that all about?"
I pull my arm from around her waist and grab our food. She picks a table and leads us to it. "What was what about?" I hand Mitchie her food and set the tray aside.
She raises an eyebrow, "The whole wrap-your-arm-around-me-and-stare-at-that-man ordeal."
"Oh, that." I take a sip of my drink, "That guy was a creep. I was just letting him know not to try anything."
"Oh, because a hundred and twenty-five pound, dainty, sixteen-year-old girl is threatening. I completely forgot."
"Ha-ha. Very funny."
She smirks and shakes her head, "I thought so."
--
Mitchie and I are now sitting in the den, having been back from our fast food run for a while now. She has my dad's guitar and is plucking random strings. "Play me something, yes? Yes."
"Well, I've been working on this song..."
"Ooh, I already like where this is going! What's it about?"
She places her fingers along the fretboard in precise places. "It's about falling in love and not wanting to at first—but then—you just can't help it, and you give in." She begins strumming and softly began.
"And I feel, I feel a deep connection.
And I think, that we might be onto somethin', no.
And I know it's somethin' special,
seein' you here, is not coincidental, mhmm.
Well, I've been walkin',
behind enemy lines.
And I've been fightin', fightin'
from the other side.
I've been sayin',
I won't fall this time.
But now I'm walkin'
within enemy lines.
See I was tryin' to be,
everything you weren't expectin'.
All I ever wanted was,
to try and keep you guessin'.
But I've fallen way too fast,
I just want this love to last,
forever."
I can't keep the grin from my lips as I watch her.
"And every time I feel this way,
Oh, somethin's changed,
for the better."
She repeats the chorus a few more times before coming to a finish. "Did you like it?" I take the guitar from her and carefully set it back on the stand next to me. "You didn't like it, huh? It's a work in progress. I just—"
Mitchie stops talking once I grab her by her v-neck and crash my lips into hers. I pulled away after a few seconds and gave her a light peck, "I loved it."
Did you like? Yes/Yes? Please, leave those thoughts (the ones that are floating around in your noggin right now) with me, whaddaya say? (:
Oh! And obviously, the song is Behind Enemy Lines by Demi Lovato herself.
