𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐲 | 𝐦. 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧

three.

the next morning you were up and going before even your parents woke up. you had the house to yourself while you were getting ready. as long as you were quiet. once you were dressed you were on your way out and walking to school. you stopped outside of the afton's house looking it up and down carefully in the same way you did with michael when you had first spoke with him. taking it in slowly and making observations. the house stuck out. all the other houses were lightly colored, grays or whites and pale colors while their house was a dark, worn-out brown color. there were big steps leading up to the front door and a porch that wrapped around the house. most of the other houses on the block had puny little trees in their lawn but the afton home was partially obscured by the tall pine trees in their front yard. the saying 'one of these things is not like the others' proved to be true.

just as you were about to turn away and continue on your way to school you saw the front door open. yours and michael's eyes met as he closed the door behind him. he looked surprised to see you. he awkwardly walked up to you, mumbling a quiet good morning to you.

"were you waiting for me?" he asked, looking around briefly. he crossed his arms over himself and rubbed his biceps as the breeze brushed by the both of you. it was a little chilly on this specific morning. it was late march so usually the mornings weren't so cold. michael could get away with just a single layer but he was starting to think he should have grabbed a jacket.

"not exactly. i just happened to be passing by when you stepped out. i was looking at your house. it stands out," you explained to him, sharing your observation with him. you looked up at him and watched him look over his shoulder to take a quick glance at his house.

he just shrugged. "i guess but i didn't pick it," he said and looked back forward. he wouldn't even look at you. he wasn't interested in talking right now. that was more than clear. you sighed softly, looking away from him and doing the same. you gave him the benefit of the doubt and decided it was too early in the morning for much conversation. not everyone could be a morning person like you.

you followed michael like a lost puppy after you got to school, wandering in the halls with him. he didn't stand in one place for too long. you heard people occasionally call out his name but he always ignored it and walked somewhere else. he was avoiding everyone. he was probably avoiding you too but you were stuck to him like glue. he didn't tell you off or anything so you had no reason not to. he didn't seem bothered by you so you assumed he didn't mind.

"hey michael," you spoke up as you and michael turned the same corner for the tenth time. he seemed to be really good at fleeing the people that were bothering him. "do you have any plans later today?" you asked, walking up next to his side rather than trailing behind him like you were before.

"not any that i know of. why do you ask?" he said and looked at you for the second time that morning. the confusion was written all over his face and was clear in his tone when he spoke again. "do you want to make plans?" he asked, his eyes lighting up. he hadn't gone out to do anything fun in forever.

"well, yeah. i just thought it would be fun. i never see you hanging out with anyone and i don't hang out with anyone either. i thought maybe we could go to the arcade," you suggested, flashing him a warm smile.

he nodded in agreement before looking back forward. "sounds like fun," he said, his eyes full of excitement. still no smile but the way his eyes smiled was a win for you.

"groovy, we can walk there since it's not that far. i'll come by your house after i do my homework. is that okay with you?" you asked, not wanting to come by at a bad time. he nodded and with that, it was a plan. you were both excited but played it off like a casual hangout. neither of you had done anything fun with friends in months. it was gonna be a blast. when the bell rang you parted ways and went to your classes.

the day could not go any slower. you found yourself checking the clock every few minutes and sighing to yourself when you realized hardly any time had passed. by the time lunch came around you swore it had already been a whole six hours. as you walked through the halls you felt all eyes on you. this was a feeling you were all too familiar with. you felt anxiety bubble in your chest and you kept your eyes glued to the floor. you tried to catch onto whispers as you walked by but you couldn't make any words out. you knew they were talking about you. word traveled around fast. you knew they were talking about you and michael. when you stepped outside onto the lawn you felt a rush of relief. there were fewer people outside. you went to the same tree you and michael had been sitting at together for the past week, your face lighting up at the sight of him.

"hello again. did you miss me for the few periods we were apart?" you asked with a playful tone. you sat next to him, giving him a smile as he looked at you with a rather surprised look. you were always here so quickly it surprised him. it almost seemed like you were excited to see him. he wasn't used to it.

he just rolled his eyes in response, sitting up and watching as you pulled out your lunch. he hoped you had a snack he could steal from you, he was starving. he didn't have money to buy lunch and he didn't have things at home to make lunch either. "where's my snack?" he asked, frowning a bit as he stared at the brown paper bag you had just pulled out of your backpack.

you peeked inside your bag, looking at the lunch you had packed for yourself the night before. you intentionally packed snacks for him and you cut your sandwich into triangles so he could have half of it. you took note of the way he had scarfed down the snacks you had been giving him so you figured he must not be eating enough. "i packed you more than just a snack today," you said as pulled out your lunch. you passed michael the snacks you had packed for him along with half of your sandwich.

he was pleasantly surprised as you split your food with him no questions asked. despite the fact that the two of you had just met only a little over a week ago, you were caring for him a lot. "thank you," he said softly and stabbed the straw into the caprisun you had given him. he took a sip and looked up at you. and you swore for just a second you saw him smile. a small, sweet smiling tugging at the corners of his lips.

you sat in comfortable silence in the same way you had been for the past week, eating your food and being perfectly content with each other's company. michael finished his food before you and put his trash in your bag. and then he started up a conversation. "i don't think i'll have a lot of quarters for the arcade," he said and fidgeted with the belt loops on his jeans.

"oh that's alright. i have rolls of quarters and plenty of bills we can cash in for quarters," you assured him, smiling like an idiot. "are you excited?" you asked, kicking your feet as you put your trash in the paper bag.

"of course i am," he said, the small smile returning to his face. "i haven't gone out to do anything fun in like twenty years," he said and let out an exasperated sigh.

"oh don't be so dramatic. you haven't even been alive twenty years. either way, it's gonna be so much fun. i'm gonna show off and you'll see how good i am at arcade games," you said, feeling a bit full of yourself. you considered yourself to be pretty good.

"yeah right, don't flatter yourself," he said and rolled his eyes. despite the fact that his expression was blank and his voice was monotone, you could tell he was joking.

you two argued about who would be better at what games and after not long the bell rang to announce the end of lunch. michael walked you to class. you two talked only focusing on each other. something about you made the whispers of people around him less deafening and it felt like it was just the two of you. it was such a nice feeling. he already loved spending his time with you. he was in denial, however. he figured it was just the excitement of having someone to talk to after all this time. he would get over it and you would stop talking to him anyways. he didn't want to let himself get too attached to you but he was still letting himself enjoy his time with you. even if it might all be for nothing.

you stopped outside of your classroom and sighed softly. "this is where we part ways, my friend. i'll see you in history, okay?" you said and he gave you a small nod in response. you flashed him a smile before turning away and walking into your class. he watched you take your seat before walking away to his own class. you two had history together after this class so you wouldn't be apart for that long.