I saw Mike weakly walking across the courtyard when one of his old sporty friends came over. He said hi, but it seemed forced, and sad when he did so.
It was wrong of me, but I spied from where I was sitting, watching them.
"So is it true? Smash and grabbing is now your sport?"
I felt something inside me want to hit this kid. He sauntered around with his varsity jacket and seemed cool, but he was pressuring Mike into confirming or denying something. It was really none of his business anyway.
I was such a hypocrite. There I was, thinking it wasn't his business while I eavesdropped on their conversation. But I ignored that, making myself believe it was because I cared way too much for Mike, because after all we've been through, that we were friends again…Which was true, but I still felt bad about being a hypocrite.
Mike tried to avoid trouble and walk away, but the guy blocked him. I stood up suddenly, sensing trouble.
"What's the deal man? It's like you're trying different personalities or something."
That struck a bell in my head…he'd changed so much…he was upset…oh god...was he depressed?
"This week you're gangster, next week crack head." Mike shoved past, but the guy pulled him back, and Mike turned and shoved the boy. Luckily, Mrs. Montgomery broke up the fight, and the guy left.
"Can I speak to you for a moment?" she asked her son.
"Later." He ignored her and left. She looked around, troubled by her family life.
This was where I needed to step in.
"Mike!" I threw everything I had out into my bag. "Mike!" I chased after him, and I saw his mom looking at me as if I were her only hope for a split second.
"Mike!" I threw myself in front of him.
"Mads, please go. I don't want you seeing me like this."
"I'm not leaving until I get some answers." I said persistently, just like how my entire family was. Each of us had that one character trait in common.
"I don't want to hurt you…I don't know what I may do next." He admitted.
"Mike, I'm here. You need at least one friend. Why not me?"
"Because I care too much. I like you way too much to let you in on this. You'll hate me." He shook my hands off his arms.
"Hey. Hey. Look at me." I put my hands on his face, and he gently looked into my eyes, but he seemed like he couldn't hold that connected look for too long, and I saw his eyes were filled to the brim with tears. "I promise you. I'll stay with you, no matter what. It may be cheesy and lame, but it's true. I'm willing to help. You have to be willing to let me in though."
Mike in class seemed so out of it, and he wasn't the same anymore. He was closed off from the world. T became clear to me he was depressed. Majorly. He may not be directing his energy at suicide, but he was breaking out in unacceptable ways, like breaking into a place.
Then, in the middle of everyone in the hall, he pulled me close and hugged me tightly to him, and I wrapped my arms around him too in a warm embrace, and while he cried, I rubbed his back.
I saw his mom standing behind him, and she mouthed to me a thank you, because this was progress. I just closed my eyes, and let the tears try to make their way out too.
Later, at the end of the school day, Aria came up to me and said her mom wanted to see me in her classroom.
"Oh. What about?" even though I had a faint idea of what she wanted to discuss.
"Mike…she told me what you did for him today…if he had to choose anyone to confide in right now, I'm glad it's you Maddy."
"Well…thanks I guess…I'll see you around."
"K, bye." She waved as she turned the corner out of sight. I went to where her mother taught and knocked.
"Come in Madeline." She said without looking up from some papers on his desk. "Take a seat." Then she looked up, gesturing to the front row desks in the room.
"You probably know why I want to talk to you- but I just want to thank you…Mike needs you right now. He won't talk to anyone else, but he talks to you. So thank you. Also, I know why he's upset. He doesn't like me very much right now, and thinks I'll just move out again."
"I…I wasn't aware of the situation." I sputtered. I'd never known there had been parental troubles with the Montgomery's.
"Well, you were away. But now that I'm back, Mike has changed…Just…try to help him out where and when you can? Okay?" she raked her hand through her hair, obviously frazzled.
"That sounds about right." I nodded. "I guess we're done here."
"Oh, and thank you for the flowers the other night. They're very nice." She added when I got to the door.
"They were Jason's doing. Not mine." I told her. "But I'll tell him you like them." With that being said, exited the room and headed to wherever my feet were carrying me.
