Three days. She had not seen him for three days. She could not ask anyone if they had seen him, or what had happened. No one paid Michael the time of day.

She knocked on his door each morning, calling.

“Michael?” Silence. Like if he was not home at all. With a concerned frown and the hope he was in there, she would leave to class, feigning not being worried. “Please, call me later! I slipped my phone under the door! Just tell me if you have a fever, I’ll buy you something for it!”

Each evening, she would slip the notes she made in class as well.

It was not until the fourth morning that she saw the papers be pulled inwards from inside, finally gone from where she left them. She had gotten out of home determined to confront Kyle and get more details… but that left her mind when she saw him.

Like if it was any other morning, he stepped out. His movements were the same, and yet, something was off. His stare was… off.

“Michael!” She lowered her hand, nine one one still typed on her screen. “Thank goodness, I thought you had skipped town! Why didn’t you call me?! You had me worried sick!”

“No need.” His tone was all the same, but something made her stop her steps. Her relieved nervous smile dropped, when he kept talking, all ever blankly. “You should worry about yourself.”

“What? No, you were-”

“In fact, it is you who should leave. You should go back to your family.”

She opened her mouth, but managed to say nothing. Perplexed and confused, she laughed a little, not understanding the words at all.

“L-leave?” He nodded, baffling her even more when he walked past her. She called, never having seen him take such initiative. “Hold on, Michael. I-”

He did not wait for her to get into the lift with him. Still staring at her, his expression unreadable, he let the doors close between them.

“I can’t miss the bus.”

She stood there, still frozen near his door. Slowly, ever so slowly, she tensed. Part of her trembled at the thought that he saw her like others would.

But… Michael wouldn’t. She told herself that.

—————————

Piercing, constant, unflinching… his stare on her neck had never felt so wrong. He had not said a word to her since she saw him in class, and she kept telling herself that everything was fine…

But it was not fine. She could feel it, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. When classes ended, she finally had to admit it, come to terms with it. Her fears came to life when she tried to reach out to him, make sense of his past words.

“Hey, Michael.” She had been the one to follow behind him in the hallways, for the first time. When she touched his shoulder, and he turned to face her, his blank expression seemed cold, more unreadable than ever. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. Tell me what happened. You went away for three days.”

“My absence was necessary. There was much to debate, much to come to terms. It was needed.” He leaned his head, and she felt looked over like an animal. His gaze was different when on her, excluding all others around them. “My exchange with Kyle has made me realize many things. I made my mind.”

She groaned and raised her tone, hating to not hear a clear explanation. That got them a few glances from the other students, some uncaring, some curiously entertained.

“Michael, for the love of god, you can be so blunt sometimes, but I can’t understand you now!” She crossed her arms and scoffed in frustration, not realizing that his expression had changed. For once… he was frowning. “What the fuck-”

“Do not say that.”

The sharpness of his interruption made her stop. She trembled, because he got closer and grabbed one of her arms. It was uncomfortable, even if it would not have been three days ago. He stared her down, having always been taller. With a gleam look, he whispered, truly letting anger show in his gray eyes.

“You should not say that.”

“S-say what?” She glanced at his hand, wrapped around her wrist. With a yank, she freed herself, easily. It took her a moment to decipher what could it be. It could not be the cursing, he had never been bothered by it, just perplexed sometimes. Dark thoughts made her realize what he meant exactly. She asked with a shake of head, wishing it was not what she imagined. “God?”

“That.” He pointed at her, then, as he continued, he pointed at the surrounding people, indignantly. “Do not speak that word. It is not right for you to say it. Of all people, you should not use it.”

Frozen, Samantha saw something that made her shiver inside. At the far end of the hallway, past the crowd, she spotted Kyle. Watching with interest, whispering with his two friends. Eyeing Michael…

She understood. She snapped, yelled at him, believing she was turning her away. Somehow, it was him who made her hurt the most.

“I can say whatever I want!” She glared at Michael, like she had never done before. “Of all, I never thought you would be like this. How can you say these things? To me…?”

The final nail in coffin was laid, when he spoke next. His posture relaxed, his frown faded… And with a blank stare, he told her, something she had heard many times before, just less blunt, less direct, less concealed.

“I can, because you don’t belong here. Not with them. You are not like them.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed with confusion when a faint sound came out her lips. He showed honest surprise when she pushed him off and began running away. Kyle stopped leaning and listening in, when he saw Samantha run past him. Michael did not notice her dry her tears with her sleeve as she got away, while Kyle did.

Michael stood there, staring. After some seconds, he began to look over the crowd. He pierced them with his emotionless gaze, realizing everyone had been paying mind to their exchange. No one had said a word to it; when he returned their attention with a judging eye, all returned to their matters, easily forgetting what they heard.

Slowly, he looked over to the one who did not look away. He walked to him without hurry, both standing their ground. Michael was now inches away from Kyle, who crossed his arms and waited for him to speak first.

So Michael spoke, never once showing emotion on his face.

“You made me understand what matters.”

Kyle would have responded, he tried. But as soon as he opened his mouth, Michael walked off.

He went home alone, not following, or being followed.