I noticed that Mike wasn't at school for the past couple of days, and I tried not to zero in on it, but it was impossible. At first, I thought he was sick or something. Then, I figured otherwise. I had asked the teachers if I could bring home his work, but they said they were holding onto it; that he'd catch up when he returned to school. He was barely there when he was in class, how could he do all the work he needed in order to be in the same place as the rest of us after being gone so long?

I missed him like crazy. It wasn't like Toby, because he was my best friend…but with Mike…the kind of hurt I got when he wasn't there was the same, but also a total world away from being near to the same. It definitely wasn't how it felt to be away from my parents, Jason, and Ali…but I couldn't place my finger on it. Only time would tell what my subconscious was trying to say.

I bumped into Aria one day, and she just looked at me like I was a ghost.

"Mads." She gasped.

"Aria? What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. What about you? You look…" she didn't want to say it, but the word she was looking for was depressed. Of course, not in that way. Just upset, a little down on my mood.

Jason had told me Aria was acting weird around him, and now me…was she frightened of us- the DiLaurentis kids? Or was it one of us specifically, and the other reminded her of the other sibling?

"How's Mike?" I asked, worried. Her grim face told me it wasn't good.

"He's in his room all the time. Lights off, blinds closed…he's in bed…just laying there. He never talks, eats…he's like a statue…we're considering a therapist of some kind for him. He's been diagnosed with chronic depression Mads." This last sentence was the nail in the coffin for me. It felt like she was a doctor, telling me Mike had died or something. I'd known it was true, but I didn't want it to actually be true, if you understand what I'm getting at.

"Is he allowed visitors?" I asked.

"He hasn't gotten any…and judging by how he talks to us, I don't think he wants any. I'm sorry…but he's not ready."

I sighed. "Alright." My throat suddenly felt tight and constricted. I bobbed my head around stupidly. "Thanks." And I hurried away.

But as class was already over for the day, and I had no homework for once, I turned the corner from her sight, and walked out of the school, and in the direction of her house. I smirked, as if she could tell me what to do. Ali was in charge before, well, maybe it was time for me to step up to the royal throne. After all, royalty and the people in line for the throne runs in the family line.

I thought that even if school hadn't let out yet, I still would've left. It's not like there was bars and chains keeping you there. It wasn't as if an alarm would sound if you walked out the doors.

I had no idea what I was going to do once I was in front of the actual place. It wasn't like I could ring the doorbell, have his dad answer the door and go on up. That wouldn't be allowed. Mr. Montgomery would tell me Mike wasn't feeling well and to come back another time. So, I looked up and saw Mike's bedroom window. That sparked an idea. I looked around, and saw that the gutter, pipe drain, and a small area that went into the house (an area that had three walls like an E without the middle line) made the perfect climbing space. I could climb up the pipe…but that could break, so it'd be safer to slowly wedge myself up the wall, putting my hands and legs on either side so I wouldn't slide down. When I was almost to the roof just under Mike's window, I sighed, and paused in my climbing. My muscles ached. I was strong, but I wasn't a professional. But I reached the roof tiles, and threw myself onto it, somehow it was noiselessly.

I sat up, then crawled to the window and pulled. It was open, and I was in. They needed a better security system. I climbed through the gap left by the open window, and then closed the window behind me. Mike stirred and sat up, and looked at me as if I could not possibly be standing there in his room, in my low cut blue jeans and Abercrombie top, with my dark brown hair wild from the wind outside.

I lifted a finger to my lips and pointed to the floor. He got the idea. I'd snuck in…and not in a fashion any normal person would do. I looked around, being in his room for the first time in forever. His lacrosse stick seemed abandoned in the corner, his room was very him, but seemed…outgrown or dirty, even the flag on the back of his door seemed to be grimy…it must've been lack of sunlight and life and movement in here.

He threw the covers off. "What're you doing here?" he asked.

"I had to see you." I admitted.

"So you couldn't knock on the door?" he tried to joke, but all light was gone from his eyes.

"Not exactly." I smiled.

I suddenly had an impulse looking at him, and I finally understood why I'd risked danger in scaling the wall to get onto the roof and in his room, why I got this feeling different from any other when I thought he was in trouble or when I missed him. I liked him, a lot. And not in the friend way. I marched over to his bed and pushed him down, and threw myself on top of the bed too, and flipped my hair out of the way, then leaned in and kissed him. It turned into a makeout session…in his bedroom…on his bed.

I was enjoying every second of it. The way his lips felt on mine, how luscious his hair felt as I tangled my hands in them, the feeling of how he pulled me against him…it felt so…right.

Maybe we went too fast, but this had been building for a while now, and all the passion exploded at one moment. The only moodbreaker was when Mr. Montgomery came upstairs and knocked on the door, asking why it was locked again. Mike threw me off of him, and I fell onto his pillows softly. He pulled me up and pushed me into his connected bathroom.

"What're-?"

He silenced me and the doorknob jiggled again.

"Mike, open this door!"

Mike looked once at me and smiled, as if I made his world, then closed the door and let his father in.

I knew I had to leave now. That was too close, and unless I wanted to leave through the way in which I came, I better go out the other door, and out into the hall, down past his dad, out the door and be scot-free. But, how could I confirm something with Mike about what had just happened unless I stayed? So, curiosity overruling self-preservation, I stayed still. No wonder the cat got killed in that old saying- it's a stupid move to make!

Eventually, his dad left, and the door opened.

"I thought you'd make your escape." He said, shocked.

"I couldn't go…not without knowing where we now stand."

He paused. "I need you Mads. More than anyone else right now…you're the only person who makes me actually want to be normal again."

"So…are we doing this?" I gestured between the two of us.

"Yeah… I don't get how I'd make a great boyfriend right now…but if that's what you want, yeah. I want it too."

"Perfect." I kissed him on the cheek, leaving him wanting more. "I'll see you soon." I climbed out his window and looked down to the grass on the ground, looked back at Mike watching, then turned my focus back to the jump. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened my eyes just in time as I jumped off the roof of the house.

I landed on the ground with a thud and I groaned for a moment, but I got up, not in any way injured, then ran off.

Boyfriend. Mike was mine. Victory was in sight.

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