"Hey Brit, have you seen your best friend?" Michael Hodgins asks Brittney whose going through her locker.
Brittney turned around and rolled her eyes.
"Hi Mike. Is that all you came over here to ask me?"
Mike laughs at Brittney. She was going to act indifferent because she was loyal to a fault to her best friend of twelve years.
"I wanted to ask her out. Come on," Mikey says to her, nudging her side while wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "You know you would rather have her with me than anyone else. You're Team Mike."
Brittney laughs, closing the door. She turns around making Mikey drop his arms to his side.
"You know I love you Mike. You're like a brother to me … but you hurt my sister. Booth has to make the decision of whoever team she's on. … And yea, Chrissy is right there. Word to the wise, step it up."
Mikey turns around as Brittney steps to his side to see Christine walking down the hall with Eli Anderson. Mike tries not to clench his hands into fists. Eli has books in his hands that aren't his.
"What's going on with them?" Brittney's friend, Summer asks.
"I have no idea." Brittney says laughing.
She nudges Mike in the side.
"Calm down Hodgins. It's purely platonic at best. We both know that."
"She told me she wasn't dating anyone." Mike says to Brittney.
"Well she's not, but that doesn't mean she won't start. Come on. We've got to get to class." Brittney says grabbing Mike's arm.
The pair continue down the hall.
"You're her best friend. How come you don't know?" Michael asks.
"Look Mike. I'm very judgmental. I try not to be but sometimes I am. I know how Booth feels about you so she doesn't tend to tell me if she's dating new guys, especially because she knows I'll have something to say about it. She's my best friend ever but believe or not I'm rooting for you. I know for fact all she will do is attempt to get over you if she dates him. So can we go into AP Micro or are you too heated to learn?"
Mikey rolls his eyes at his friend.
"And by the way, I am still royally pissed at you for what happened between you and Chrissy. I still want Zach to beat you up." Brittney says.
Mikey pushes her into the classroom as they both continue to laugh. Meanwhile in the hallway, Eli leans over Chrissy whose smiling.
"So are you going to let me take you out this weekend?"
"Sorry, I've got plans." Christine lies.
"With Michael?"
Christine rolls her eyes. Why did everyone constantly need to lump her and Mikey together? They were not together.
"Why would you think I have plans with Mike?" Christine asks with an eyebrow raised.
"I just heard you guys were sort of a thing."
"Well if you heard that, why would you be asking me out right now?"
Her reply solicited a laugh from Eli. Eli just smiled down at Chrissy. She would never give the normal girl response to anything.
"I just prayed that I was wrong. … Am I?"
"I guess we'll find out." Christine says, walking away.
Eli shakes his head. That girl could seduce a priest to get the keys to heaven.
/
Mikey lifted weights to release his frustration and sexual tension. He hadn't touched another girl since December when he was with Christine. It was March.
"So Eli, what's with you and Christine Booth?"
Mike's ears zoned into the other guys' in the locker room conversation. He could see Eli, Kale and another guy's name he couldn't remember.
"None of your business Kale."
"I'm just curious man."
"Well since I know you had a thing for Chrissy and you're with Jess, why would I tell you?"
"We're friends. I tell you about my latest conquests."
Mike could feel his anger boiling to the surface. When would people learn to stop talking about Christine?
"Well Christine's not a conquest. I like her and that's more than I can say for all the girls you've cheated on Jess with."
Kale and the other guy laugh. Mike lifts the weights trying to not say anything. His teeth gritted together.
"Well are you going out with her?" The other guy asks.
"She never gave me a straight forward answer."
"You've been pining after her since you saw the girl. Why didn't you ask her out a long time ago?"
"Because she was Hodgins' girl."
"Mike Hodgins?" The other guy exclaims.
Mike can feel their eyes on him now. He pretends to be oblivious to it to continue on his listening.
"Yea, and then everyone thought she was dating Tyler." Eli tells his friend.
"Except he's gay." The friend says.
"Exactly. He asked her out when he knew she was free. Except for the fact that she's still Mike's girl."
"Why would you think that?"
"Come on man. She won't go out with you. Plus I was at her house when everyone was there. He went into the kitchen right after her and she walked out looking too happy."
"Well she never told me anything about them dating."
Mike couldn't take it anymore. His anger was about to boil over and cause a fight. He got up from the bench and walked toward the three guys.
"Hey Mike." Kale says.
"Hey Kale."
"You ready for baseball season?"
"Yea." He said eyeing Eli the entire time.
"Your girl going to wear your old jersey again?" Kale asks to get the response he knew Eli needed.
"She always does. Excuse me, I've got to meet someone." Mike said just to mess with Eli's mind.
He walked out of the weight room without seeing the look on Eli's face.
/
Christine walked into the Hodgins residence with Cathy by her side.
"What's that music?" She asked her best friend.
"Mikey's mad. That's his anger work out music. He's probably lifting."
Christine nodded trying to get the image out of her mind.
"Would you know why he's mad?"
Catherine smiled at her best friend. Still in love with her brother.
"Brittney wouldn't tell me. All I know are the rumors."
"And those would be?"
Cathy looked at Chrissy with steel eyes. Christine had her answer.
"Where is he?"
"The farthest room in the back. First floor."
Christine follows her friend's instructions. She approaches the door smiling. She can hear Cigarettes and Valentines by Green Day blaring from the speakers. Chrissy pushes open the door and can see Mikey lifting more than she had ever seen him. His back is to her so she turns off the music.
"Hey, Cathy what the hell do you thin-"
Mikey sees Christine and puts the bar down. He turns around, his face still in a grimace.
"Do you want something?" Mike asks.
"Whoa!" Christine says with her hands up in mock surrender. Christine sits down next Mike on the bench. He refuses to look at her.
"Mike, what's wrong?"
Mike puts his hands in his head trying not to let his anger get the best of him. He finally looks up moments later.
"I need you to be honest with me. What's going on with you and Eli Anderson?"
Christine fights the urge she has to laugh in his face.
"Nothing. We're lab partners in Chem. He … he uh … he asked me out."
"I know you don't owe me this but what did you say?"
"That I'd think about it. … I uh … He heard something about you and me. I sidestepped his question though."
Mike nods his head. He had to remind himself that the anger he felt rising to the surface was at the guys who wanted Christine and not to much at her.
"I uh … wanted to make sure you were alright."
"I know we're not together. It's just … hard to watch you with other guys. I spent two months trying to convince myself that I shouldn't care about you and Tyler until he came out. Now I have to watch everyone try to get you again. It's painful."
Christine let them to sit in silence for a couple of minutes before responding-
"I know how you feel. I'm not doing it on purpose, I swear. When I used to see Sammy … I wanted to punch her like I would if I had a boxing match. I had to practice so much restraint. Until Cathy got the entire story from you, I struggled with it everyday."
"Cathy told you?"
"Not me. I heard it from Brittney." Christine reveals.
Mike looks up at her, the anger draining from him.
"I love you." He tells her with no hint of amusement on his face.
Christine could see the love in his face and hear it in his tone. She leans on his shoulder with a solemn expression on her face. She kisses his cheek and moves toward the door. She looks back at him, wishing she could tell him she loved him too. It was just too painful to give him that power again.
"I miss you." She tells him before leaving out the door.