Painless

Chapter 9

It's been three days since I got into that fight with Luke and every day since we were forced to sit together in a room and try to make something work about singing. My swollen cheek is almost like nothing happened to it and that's good because I don't think I could hide it from my mum anymore.

I talked Hannia into letting me come over to her place today after school because she wasn't present today, she's sick. She said she'll take care of her parents.

I was at the end of my last period now and the bell rings just as I want to check the time on my phone. I collect my books and my backpack and am one of the first people to leave the classroom.

I walk through the hallway towards my detention room when I see Michael approaching me. His head is bowed down to the floor and he's frowning, something he'd always do when he was angry.

"Yo, Mike." I yell to bring his attention and he walks over to me. "What's up?"

"Stupid Coleman. He suspended me because he saw me giving him the finger." Michael groans and I can't help but chuckle slightly, getting serious quickly after or else Michael would get annoyed with me and leave.

"Why does that guy hate us?" I ask rhetorically. I don't think it's ever been a week without one of us having some sort of problems with him.

Michael shakes his head, still looking at the floor. His face is absolutely furious, his lips are pressed in a thin line and his eyes have never been darker. I can tell that he's getting sick of it.

"Are you upset because of your mum?" I ask, knowing that his mum gives him a lot of shit just as it is. God forbid Michael did something wrong, it would only be worse.

"I don't even want to go home." Michael groans. Michael always tells me everything about the situation with his mum and I'm glad he does. At one point she was yelling and if he hadn't run upstairs it could've gotten physical.

"You can stay at my place, but I'm going over to Hannia's so you'll be on your own." I suggest, knowing my mum wouldn't mind having Michael over. He's been my friend for as long as I can remember.

"Oh, Hannia?" Michael's head pops up from the floor and his mood seems the slightest bit enlightened. "Are you two a thing now or what?"

I inhale and exhale loudly, thinking about what I could tell him. "Not really. We're just hanging out." I shrug, purposely missing the part where I really like her.

"Yeah, right." Michael scoffs, laughing. I knew he wouldn't believe me, he knows me too well. "So, I can come over after school?"

"Yeah, totally. I'd stay but Hannia's sick and I kinda... want to go there." I scratch the back of my head, it not meaning anything though, slightly embarrassed. I'm probably blushing.

"No! No." Michael snaps suddenly. "No, go. Just go there, seriously." Michael talks a bit louder than before and I look at him confusedly.

"O-kay..." I smile, eyeing Michael and trying not to laugh at his reaction.

"Just make sure her dad isn't home." Michael smirks, probably remembering me telling him about the almost incident on Saturday.

"Got it. See you at my place then, alright? I don't want to be late to detention and get an extra hour with that jerk." I start walking past Michael and he nods, waving at me.

I get into the classroom and sit on a chair, Luke being on the opposite side, neither of us saying anything. It's been like this every day since we got this detention, we'd just sit here and glare at each other.

Mrs. Hemmings comes inside a few minutes after me to see if we're here. She writes our names down and leaves, making us have to tolerate each other for a whole hour.