Graffiti Girl // Michael Clifford

|| 28 ||

Who says when you fall you have to fall down? 'Cause I'm falling up with you now. I'm falling up with you now.

«Falling Up» The Cab

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"So-so-so-so-how'd it go?!"

"Okay, Em, you need to calm down!" I laugh.

"Well, come on!" she giggles, tucking her legs up underneath her. She leans her elbows on the table, but pulls back with a grimace when she realizes the wet blue paint already on the surface, despite being the first class of the day.

"Ember, this is the most energized I have ever seen you at eight in the morning," Evan chuckles as he walks up to us, slinging his backpack over his chair.

"But she went on her date with Michael!" she laughs. "Where's Luke?! He'll know stuff!"

"It's too early for me to know stuff," the blonde bimbo grumbles, slinking down into his seat.

"Speak of the devil!" Evan laughs with arms held up theatrically in the air.

"Yeah, yeah. So, what's Ember bouncing about?"

"Andi and Michael's date."

"Oh, yeah!" Luke says, his tone perking up slightly. "How'd that go?"

"Shut up," I mumble. I fold my arms across the table rest my head against them. Monday mornings are my enemy.

"Just spill!" she squeals. I groan and lift up my head to glare at her. I look over to the guys who seem to have already lost interest and are busy discussing something that sounds like a game Hayden and Jax sometimes obsess over.

"Fine. You have three questions."

"Okay," she giggles, sitting forward in her seat. "Umm... well, what'd you do? And that means at least some details."

"Ugh," I moan, but comply. I'll have to eventually if I want this to stop, and it's not that big of a deal, anyways. "We walked to the diner and chatted and had a good time and... it was nice, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I mean, yeah." I shrug. "There was nothing huge."

"Okay, you do realize this is the same date you were practically terrified to even attempt, and now it was nice?"

"I'm just... taking it one thing at a time. I'm more trying to not think about it. I won't do it if I actually think about it, I guess," I sigh.

"Well, I mean, I'm proud of you. This is the first time I've ever seen you actually... I don't know... put yourself out there."

"Yeah, I guess," I sigh. I run my hands down my face in exasperation. I know Ember is always a good person to talk to for advice. For not having a lot of experience of her own in this particular area, she is always damn insightful. It's impressive, really.

"So what are you gonna do from here?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'm not thinking about it, but I also feel like by doing that isn't fair to him because I'm not actually... being in it, I guess. Like I'm not really doing it. It's just something that's happening. I'm too good at compartmentalizing, I guess."

"Well, yeah, but you know that," she says and briefly lifts her shoulder to her ear. "It's not something you're not used to. And you keep getting better at it. You're still taking your medicine, right?"

"Em!" I hiss, looking to make sure the guys are still distracted in their own world. Luckily, they are still fully engulfed in their separate conversation and paying no attention to anything we are saying.