Wearing Her Shoes

Mike's teenage years

"Tell me more about you and Mike," I said enthusiastically right after the waiter took our orders. "Yesterday, you were about to kill him when he called you honey, but today you were crying your heart out for him," I added.

She smiled shyly before saying, "Me and Mike? There's nothing much to be said."

"Really? I totally believe you. Now, tell me everything!" I demanded.

"Okay, Okay, I'll tell you. I knew Mike through Samantha," she started.

I interrupted. "You don't say?!"

"If you keep mocking me, I won't tell you anything!" she said angrily.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please continue."

"Before I tell you how I met Mike, I should explain how I met Sam herself. Samantha was my older sister's best friend. They always went out together, and I would usually join them. The first time I saw Mike was when Sam invited my sister and I for his sweet sixteen party. It wasn't something fancy. They couldn't afford to pay much at that time, especially that their parents died earlier that year. Mike himself didn't want a party, but Sam wanted to brighten the family's mood. She was always the ribbon that tied the family together even in the hardest times. Did they tell you that Sam had to drop out college and work different jobs including acting?" she rambled.

"I didn't ask about Samantha, did I?! Are you trying to escape my question?! I would love to hear more about her life, but now I'm interested to know more about you and Mike!" I complained.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Where did I stop with Mike? Oh, yeah, our first meeting. The people who were in the party were two of Mike's friends and all of his siblings except Dan who was already in Switzerland. Mike never uttered a word to anyone but his friends. He was very shy and reticent. At that time, I was shy too thus felt a common ground between us.  After blowing the candles and eating dinner, Sam suggested that we watch a horror movie she rented.  It was such a lovely night, in which the seeds of my crush started sprouting," she said her eyes sparkling.

"What happened after that? Did you meet again?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, we met in several birthdays and events. Being too reserved, we didn't get any chance to talk. Two years later, Mike went to college and met an outgoing jocular girl called Tess. After being friends for a year or more, he got the courage to ask her out. When I knew, I was hurt and decided to forget any feelings I've had towards him. After dating Tess, Mike turned three hundred sixty degrees. He became as outgoing as she is, went to more parties, became more popular, and unfortunately, caused Sam many troubles.  Once, he drove Tess's car and almost killed two women passing in the street. When Sam scolded him for driving without knowing how to, he said, "Driving isn't that hard. Besides, Tess was severely drunk and I wouldn't let her drive in that state." Another time he came back home after dawn, and looked like he was on drugs. Samantha fought with him a huge fight causing him to leave the house and sleep at his friend's house. After three days, Samillia went to him, convinced him to return to their home, and solved the problem by making Mike promise Samantha not to take drugs anymore," she said.

"Whoa! That's a huge change! All of this just for a girl?!" I exclaimed.

Natallie laughed. "You didn't hear the worst of it yet. When I saw Mike flipping into another person for a girl, I became insanely jealous, and my heart was burning. I mean he had me! I was only three years younger, and our personalities were a perfect match! From then on, I decided to be more outgoing and make new friends. I did, and by the time I was sixteen, I had a boyfriend, Zack. He was very funny and hyperactive. We became friends when he first asked me for help in mathematics since I was the class's genius. On my sweet sixteen, my best friends and Zack made me a surprise birthday. We danced a lot, and drank more. It was my first time to drink, so I was very nauseous and dizzy. I looked for Zack or any of my friends anywhere, but couldn't find them. When I finally found Zack, he was dancing with another girl, and seemed to enjoy his time well.