lifeboat

45.

two weeks after the incident, pete was back at school.

mikey was so overwhelmingly relieved that he cried when he saw the other boy walk through the door to the english classroom and miss jackson had to pull him aside to ask if he was alright. he was great, of course he was, because now he could finally rest easy. pete wasn't going to die anytime soon, especially not on mikey's watch.

when mikey sat back down after refusing to go to the guidance counselor after three minutes of miss jackson trying to force him to, pete looked at him and smiled. his eyes still looked dead, but he smiled and that was what mattered.

mikey reached for pete's hand underneath the table, just for reassurance, just to make sure that he was, in fact, there.

(he didn't plan on letting go.)