charity project // mischa bachinski (ride the cyclone)

10 - kind of complicated, reasons aplenty

a/n: 3 updates in a day. wow. also i told you guys about this chapter!

Weeks passed. I had a few more movie nights with Noel and Mischa, and once with Ocean. Neither Mischa nor Noel appreciated that one. Every week I tutored Mischa, who was improving more and more in all subjects. Every week I also had coffee with Noel, and I'd eventually spilled about my tiny little crush on Mischa. Maybe it wasn't so tiny, fine. But it was a relief to finally admit it, despite Noel's continual 'I told you so!' once I said something about it.

It was mid-November, and the Christmas spirit had already taken its grasp on many. Particularly Ocean, who was planning a gift exchange for the choir.

"When I say to go, you're going to draw someone's name from the bowl. If it's yours, put it back and draw another one. Ready? Go!"

We scrambled to the bowl. I pulled out a piece of paper. With bated breath, I unfolded the paper. In Ocean's neat, scrawling handwriting, it read: Constance Blackwood.

It's not that I was disappointed, I was just hoping to get someone else. I sat back down next to Ocean.

"Who's yours?" she asked.

"You're not supposed to know. You said so yourself."

"I'll tell you who I got."

I sighed. "Alright, alright. I got Constance."

"I got Mischa."

I bit my lip and looked around to see if anyone was listening. "Could we maybe switch?"

"Only if you admit it."

"Admit what?" I looked around again.

"That you like him, duh," A sly smile crept onto her face.

I closed my eyes for a moment. "Okay. Fine. I do have a bit of a crush on him. Now give me the paper. Please."

"Ha! I knew it!" Ocean shot back as we traded papers.

"Don't flatter yourself. Noel did first."

...

I tapped my pencil on my paper, trying to brainstorm gift ideas in the middle of social sciences. Ocean tapped on my shoulder beside me. I looked up.

"Yeah?"

She looked more livewire than ever. "Did you hear?"

I furrowed my brows. "Hear what? The quiz got moved up? Because thank-"

"No! It's about Mischa!"

Admittedly, that did pique my interest. "What about him?"

"He punched a guy in the locker room today during gym!"

"Oh my god, really? But why?" I said, worried.

She just shrugged. "I dunno. But he's in big trouble."

"That's terrible! Did he get suspended? Expelled?"

She patted my shoulder. "Hold on there. It's not that bad. He's just doing in-school suspension for the rest of the day today and only got detention for the rest of the week. And it's Thursday. But if I were in administration, I'd..."

"Is he okay?" I interrupted.

"What?"

"Is he okay?"

Ocean just shrugged again. "No clue. He must not have been punched too hard if the punishment for Mischa was so light."

I made a disgusted face. "No, no. I didn't mean the other guy. I meant Mischa."