BAREFACED

Chapter 19

You stand in the kitchen; water dripping from your clothes. Mikey stands in front of you, also drenched. You're staring at the ground as he stares directly into your eyes.

"Are you going to leave?" You ask slowly looking up at Mikey. Mikey sighs and moves his hair out of his face.

"You're always trying to get rid of me." He replies. You look back down at the ground watching the water drip from your clothes into the puddle on the ground. 

"I just want to be alone..." You quietly say.

"How long have you been outside?" Mikey asks looking down at your hands. 

"For a while..." You respond, moving your hands away and holding them close to your chest.

"Take off your clothes..." Mikey says walking into the bathroom.

"What? Why?" You ask following behind him. He turns on the water in the bath. He pulls the stool in the corner of the room and sits down on it, leaning his arm on the bathtub. You stare at him from the door. 

"Take your clothes off... You need to clean yourself before you get in the bath." He says dipping his hand in the hot water.

"Why do I need to take a bath?" You ask.

"To warm your body..." Mikey replies

"Oh... well I can do that myse-"

"Take your clothes off..." He says interrupting you, slowly looking at you. You stare him in the eyes feeling kind of weird. "Don't worry- I'm not looking. But hurry up... I'm not in the mood to wait."

You turn around facing the wall, slowly taking off your hoodie. You drop the soaking wet hoodie on the ground, then you start to take off your shirt but then you pause, turning to look at Mikey who's staring at the bath water. "Do you have to be in here with me?" You ask.

"Are you going to hurt yourself?" Mikey asks, slowly looking up at you. You look at him in confusion. "Honestly...earlier I wasn't looking for you after you had left. I went home and fell asleep, but Eli had called Baji telling Baji that you needed help... Baji couldn't find you, so he called me." Mikey sighs. You turn and stare at Mikey, feeling a pain in your chest.

"Eli called...? What do you mean?" You ask.

"He said he was worried about you and begged Baji for help..." Mikey looks up at you.  "I already know what happened to you... and your mother" he says quietly. "Eli mentioned you left your school crying and when he went after you, he couldn't find you. He was scared you would do something drastic." Mikey continued.

"But Eli wasn't there... so how-"

"I don't know... I don't care how he knows or why he knows... Answer my question..." Mikey says in a stern voice. You zone out looking down at the ground.

"What question?" You slowly ask. Mikey sighs again and looks back at the water.

"Take off your clothes... the water is going to get cold if you keep stalling." He says in a calm tone. He didn't ask the question again. You slowly turn back around, thinking about what he had asked earlier as you take off your clothes. You stand still, staring down at your feet. You hear the water to the bathtub turn off. Then you hear the stool move a bit. You feel an intense feeling in your arms and stomach. A feeling of nervousness. You feel something press against your back. Mikey putting his hands on your waist and pressing his face against the back of your neck. He sighs and pulls his face back a little. You don't know how to react, but you feel your heart racing. 

"I don't like when people are weak-" He slowly says. "Weakness show vulnerability and people can take advantage of that." Mikey slowly rubs his hands up and down your waist. "I will always protect you... So don't be stupid..." Mikey calmly sooths.