[The reviews are a little not there lately. And what's this I hear about another story saying this story sucks? That's a little low, amigos. Thanks for all those who have reviewed. Y'all rock.]

Chapter Thirteen...

I feel so bad. So damn guilty. Michael hasn't even spoken to me since Saturday night, when I so wrongly, and so embarrassingly tried to seduce him.

What was I even thinking? He's so obviously gay! I mean, he told me he's gay, and yet I still went after him. What is wrong with me???

I know. I think about myself too much. I wanted Michael, so I went after him. I'm selfish. And hypocritical. I'm always going on about people like Lana, who only care about themselves and what they want, and here I go and do something that is way more heinous than the things Lana does.

So when I see him at school today, I'm going to make it up to him. I have to. I can't live with this guilt, and I don't want Michael to be lonely. He already lost Felix over it, and since I'm his only other friend, we have to make up. I just have to control my urges to make out with him.

When he hopped in the limo, I greeted him as if everything was normal. Lilly is still in the dark about everything that's been happening (although knowing Lilly, she's probably already worked it out and is leaving it up to us to work things out. That's the kind of thing I know Lilly would get a kick out of) so I didn't want to alarm her that anything has actually happened. He muttered a hello back, but spent the rest of the trip looking out the window.

"Michael!" I called to him when I got out of the limo, he's already speed walking into the building.

"What, Thermopolis?" he said harshly when I caught up to him.

"I...I want to talk. Can we talk?"

"Just talk?" He lowered his voice, "Because I don't want you getting it into your little head that we can do anything else."

"No," I said, looking him in the eyes. "I know that. And I want to apologize for it."

"You already apologized."

"Well, did you forgive me? Because I get the feeling that you're still mad at me. And you have every right to be, I stuffed up, and I get it. But I really am sorry."

He sighed and took his time answering. Then he put his arm around my shoulders (in an only friend way, of course) and said, "I know you are. And I forgive you. But...You just have to understand that we're friends, and that's all we can ever be. Okay?"

I nodded sadly. I totally get it now. I won't be making that mistake again anytime soon. "Okay. I get it."

Phew. If things weren't right with Michael, I don't know what I'd do with myself.

Later

"Oof!" I came out of my Algebra class and ran into someone. I hadn't been looking where I was going because I was, as usual, just trying to get far away from all things math related. "Sorry," I apologized, picking up my things from the ground.

"That's cool. Where you off to in such a hurry anyway?"

I looked up to see the guy I'd knocked into was helping me pick up the pens that had flown all over the hall. "Uh, I just want to get out of math quick."

"I know the feeling," he laughed and looked at me, piercing his pale blue gaze into my own. "I'm Leaves, by the way. Leaves Broderick. I'm new here."

Leaves? Weird name. But cute, cute guy. Not in a totally obvious way like Josh, but still cute. Maybe all's not lost for the attainable guys at Albert Einstein. I'd previously been thinking they were all gay or taken, or just not right for me, like the guy who doesn't like corn in his chili or Kenny, my Bio partner.

"Mia," I said, standing back up.

"Nice to meet you. I'd better get going, I'll see you around." He winked and walked away, leaving me staring after him.

"Rude, much?" Lana said from behind me. "Not only should you get out of my way, but you shouldn't look at relatively good looking guys like that when it should be people like me who get the looking pleasure. And don't go thinking that was anything special, that wink he gave you. I'd wager he has a lazy eye before I'd say it was supposed to be a wink at you. Or else he saw me standing here behind you and directed it to me."

I was about to say something back, but she just shoved me aside and walked off. And she says I'm rude.

Later

I was telling Michael about Leaves when we were walking to the G&T room. I left out that theory of Lana's though. It's weird talking to Michael about another hot guy. But I suppose this is what he wants; to just be like a gal-pal.

He is, of course, not making it seem like he is interested in just how hot Leaves is. At least not to other people. But I can tell he's going to drill me for a full description as soon as no one else is around.

"I saw another new guy hanging around," Michael said. "Maybe they're related? It would be a pretty big coincidence if there were two new guys at the same time otherwise."

"Maybe," I said, though I haven't seen anyone new but Leaves this morning. Maybe it's the same person.

"Move, fag," Josh said to Michael, who was trying to get through the packed hallway.

"What did you say?" Michael asked, turning as white as a ghost.

"I said move. Have you got a hearing problem, fudge-packer?"

Uh oh.

Michael was lost for words.

"Josh, don't be so rude," I told him. The fact that I have swapped saliva with this asshole has somehow given me the strength to stand up to him.

"What? He is gay. I heard him talking about it with Felix. Or is it supposed to be a secret?"

I quickly turned to Michael, panicking. "Don't be an ass, Josh. Just get out of the way."

"Can't he stand up for himself now? He needs to get his fag-hag to stand up for him?"

"Just get out of the way!" I cried, pushing Josh and pulling Michael through the crowd of people who'd stopped in the hall to see what the commotion was about.

"Whatever," Josh called back out. "Make sure you tell him to keep his fag hands away from me. I don't swing that way."

Michael was shaking as I dragged him up the stairwell that leads to the roof. The one that is locked, so no one ever comes up here.

He sat down against the door and just looked at me. "Oh, God, Thermopolis. Now everyone's going to know!"

"Shh..." I told him. "It's okay. Maybe everyone will just take it as a joke."

"A joke?" He looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. "No, not after the way I reacted. I should have denied it, I should have said something!"

"But then Josh would have called you on your denial. If he really did over-hear you talking to Felix about it, then he knows. He can't have made a lucky guess like that."

Michael shook his head. "I'm not ready," he muttered. "I'm just not ready for everyone to know. I was happy in the closet. It was safe."

"I'm sorry," I told him. "I guess you just have to come out a little sooner than you wanted."

He nodded. He looks so sad. He really is like a little puppy dog. A gay puppy dog.

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