Chapter 16

Sorry for deleting some things. Mikikitty told me a major mistake I did so I fixed it! Thank you so much Mikikitty! So now hopefully I won't make this mistake again!^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan.

"Mom?" I whispered into the phone.

"My little Mickey…" she said in Japanese. I looked around to see if anyone was around me. I found myself alone on this floor. I can hear everyone's laughter downstairs.

"Mom, where are you? How did you get this number?" I whispered in Japanese just in case.

"I can't tell you that Mousey. I'm sorry I left you." She says sincerely.

"Don't call me that. Only one person can get away with that. I'll forgive you if you tell me why you left." I started to rub my locket in stress.

"I can't tell you. But just please, don't call the police." She pleads.

"Give me a reason not to." I said seriously to make her know that I am not messing around.

"I'll just tell you this; I'll come for you soon okay?" 'Come for me? What'

"What do you mean?"

"I'm taking care of some things right now but I promise to get you back." 'What? She thinks she can just take me back and we can go back to hat shithole and be 'happy'? Hell no. My life is actually better. I got to meet my family. A family I never knew. I am not going to ruin that. I love you but I can't go back with you.'

"I don't want to come back." I said to her with my voice wavering. She stays silent on the other line for awhile.

"Mickey, it is not the time to joke with me…" she said, sounding upset.

"I like it here. I'm actually happy for once. I don't want to go back to THAT place. I want to stay here." I pleaded to her, like a child who wants a new toy. She became silent again.

"What if I find a new place to live then? Will you come with me?" She finally says to me sounding determined. I was taken back a little but forced myself to continue to talk with a straight voice.

"I…I don't know." I replied not knowing how to respond to that statement.

"I'll give you time okay Mousey? I call again. I have to go now. Wait for me." She said.

"Wait!" I said. But it was too late; she already hung up on me. I looked at the caller ID to see a number but it was under unknown caller. I put the phone back in disappointment. 'I wonder what those things are that are so important.'

"Mickey." Erwin's voice calls out. I turned around and see him on the stair case. "You're missing the party. Is everything alright? You look like you have seen a ghost?" I swallowed and rubbed my locket, trying to ease so stress about telling him or not. 'I…I can't tell him about mom. For some reason I can't.'

"Oh… it's just a classmate asking about the homework." I lied and rubbed my locket even harder. Before he could say anything, I rushed past him and went back to the party.

"Mickey! You came back!" Connie shouted.

"What took you so long? Were you talking with your boyfriend?" Krista asks singly. I shook my head violently.

"N-No!" I shouted in embarrassment. I loosen my rubbing on my locket, feeling a little calmer.

"Is everything okay? You look pale." Armin points out.

"I'm fine. Everything is fine." I answered him as I got to my seat. Then I spot Mikasa in the seat I was sitting, glaring at me. I took a step back and sat in front of her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Eren asks. He looks extremely worried for some reason.

"Like I said I'm fine." I said, trying to sound fine. But the truth is… I'm not fine. I just got a call from my missing mother who said she'll come back and then lied to Erwin about saying it was a classmate. I felt horrible and scared of what will happen if they find out. She even said no police. Now I'm wondering if I can tell Pixis about this. My grip on my locket tightens and I start to rub it for the rest of the party.

The party ended and everyone was saying goodbye to Jean and Marco who was leaving first.

"Be careful on the way home." Reiner says to them. They nodded, said goodbye, and left the café.

"We better get you home Sasha." Connie says as he takes his girlfriend's hand. She smiles and lets him lead out the door.

"I'll take you home Krista." Reiner says to Krista. Krista seemed a little taken back but she agrees and takes his arm and they go out the door. I looked at Ymir who seemed bummed out for some reason. Then she says bye and leaves the café, hanging her head.

"Um…I'll see you later at school."Eren says awkwardly to me. I smiled at him and nod in agreement. He smiles at me and looks at me. I look back at his bluish-greenish eyes. His eyes remind me of gem stones; beautiful and makes me want to get lost in his eyes. I could stare at them for a long time. Then, someone coughs, interrupting. Mikasa was glaring at me again. I smiled awkwardly at her.

"See you at school…" I said sounding like a whisper. He nods his head and slowly walks out the door with Mikasa, still looking at me. Mikasa seems angry at me. I wonder what I did. Then Armin yawns, catching my attention.

"We better clean up. They made a big mess and we have school tomorrow." He said and heads toward the messy tables. I follow him and helped him with the mess. After a half an hour, we were down but exhausted.

"Man, we are animals." I said. Armin laughs and looks towards me.

"I guess we are." He agrees. "Hey, who was on the phone?" he asks suddenly.

"It was…just a classmate asking about the homework." I lied to him. Now I feel ten times worse. 'Why can't I tell them? Is it because I can't trust them? None of their business? My feelings were mixed up about this. Maybe I should tell Pixis but…I can't for some reason. What's wrong with me?' Armin stares at me like he was studying me. Then he shrugs his shoulders and heads for the stairs.

"See you tomorrow. Goodnight." He said. I rubbed my locket again, stressing again.

It was the day before Marco leaves and he calls me out after school to hang out. We were at the park, drinking hot cocoa on the same bench as last time. It was silent for awhile. The only thing we can hear was the children skating on the ice.

"So…" I start to say to break the silence. "Why did you call me out?"He was silent for a few minutes.

"I…told Jean my feelings." He finally said to me, smiling at me.

"When? What did he say?" I said, straightening up.

"I told him after the party when we were walking home. I didn't want to regret not telling him so…I just told him…He didn't say anything but we went to a hotel…" He starts to fade out and becomes red. I run through to what he said, trying to figure what he meant. Then it clicks like a flashlight.

"Oh…you…did that thing when two people… love… each other…" I said, turning red myself. He nods, putting his head down in embarrassment.

"I mean we did it before; a couple times really but…this was the most amazing than the other times."

"Wait so, you were friend with benefits?"

"No, no, no I don't think we were like that…but…ugh…I don't know…I don't know if that meant anything…" He face palms his face.

"I think he was trying to answer you in the best way he could to tell you how he felt." He looks up at me, dumbfounded. "I mean Jean, to me, is not that honest about his feelings but when it comes to it, he shows it in his own way."

"I know but…it will be so much better if he told me how he feels about me."

"Then tell him that. Say what you truly feel; like we did with the principle. He won't know till you say something. He'll think that you know how he feels if you continue to guess. Tell him." Then it became silent for the rest of the time till we finished our hot cocoa.

It was the day that Marco was leaving and everyone showed up to say goodbye to him one last time. But the thing is…Jean isn't here. Marco seemed disappointed and kept looking down the street but got sadder and sadder.

First he hugged Connie and told him that he was funny, has a great girlfriend, and a good friend. Connie seems to hold back tears and pulls him into another hug. Sasha gives him a hug that made him get off the ground. She was crying and wailing, making Krista tear up. He goes to Krista and gives her a big hug. Reiner was next and he pulls Marco into a bear hug, making Marco's back crack. Ymir pulls him into a hug and fist bumps him. Bertholdt gives him a present. Marco opens it and holds up a picture frame with a picture of all of us. He thanks him and goes to Armin, Eren and Mikasa. They all gave him hugs and pat on his shoulder, telling to take care of himself. Finally, it was me.

"I told him." He says to me. "Maybe that's why he isn't here."

"He'll be here. I know it." I reassured him. He and I hugged. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Thank you for everything that you did for me. You gave me hope and courage to be free. It's like going over these walls; I can finally see the life ahead of me. Yeah, there will be obstacles but the advice and all of my friends love will help me get over them and truly be free." He said honestly. I started to cry. I haven't cried for so long it kind of burns. He pulls me into another hug. We all grouped hugged him then we let go and then he gets into the car. Car starts to drive away till someone was shouting Marco's name. We all looked over and see Jean running towards to car. The car stops and Marco quickly gets out.

"Jean?" Marco said. Then Jean jumps on Marco forcing him into a hug. Jean then puts his hand behind Marco's head and pulls him down, kissing him.

"I love you too. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I thought you knew already; that you understood. I feel like an idiot and an asshole, making you feel that way. I'm sorry."

"Jean…I love you." Marco's tears slide down his face. Jean wipes his tears away and kisses him again. Krista squeals a little before covering her mouth.

"I'll wait for you. When we graduate, we'll be together. I'll wait for you no matter what." Jean says earnestly, grabbing Marco's hand and raising it up to his lips. Marco nods and cries more. They slowly move apart but still holding hands. Their hands slowly let go and Marco goes back into the car. The car drives away down the street. We watched till the car disappeared from sight.

Jean walks up towards me with a serious look. He stops in front of me and stands there for a moment. Then he bows to me.

"Thank you for helping Marco to grow wings and letting him fly. Thank you." He said.

"That what friends do. They help each other." I said, smiling. Jean hugs me tightly. I rub his back. "It's okay to cry…" I said while I was about to cry. I felt his shutter. Then I felt my jacket become wet. I cry with him too. We all went into a group hug to calm each other.

After that, everything went back to normal. Next week will be winter break. Everything was fine but something was missing. Marco. There seemed to be more space at the table now. Jean doesn't talk as much but still gets into fights with Eren and has the craziest stories. Marco might be gone but we all know we will see him soon. He is not far. Maybe sometime we'll visit him. He may be gone but he will always be our friend no matter how far he is. And that's something to look up to.