Moving On (boyxboy)

1. Without Micah

*Thayer POV*

I literally stumbled in the door to school. My backpack got snagged on the door and I fell. Not to mention my zipper must have been unzipped so all my books were now on the floor along with me. On top of all that, the bell just rang for first period making all the late people start rushing. People stepping on my books as I try to collect them off the dirt covered ground. Two more months of this high school life and then I'm out of here. Once I finally have all my stuff back together I head for my locker. I'm already late, so I might as well be extra late. Just like every other day this week.

I get to my locker and realize I still don't know the combo. Everyday this week I had to go into my note app on my phone and look at the combo. Two months left of school and I don't know the combo. I guess this is what I get for always having Micah here to unlock the locker. Oh Micah...I wish he would have only went for two days instead of the whole week...

"There's no point to try to memorize the combo now." Gabby startles me. I have just been staring at my phone screen. She looks at the combo and starts putting it in. "He'll be back later today, you know that." She opens the locker.

"I'm perfectly fine on my own." I say, putting my backpack and jacket in the locker. There's a note from Micah I tapped to the inside. He gave it to me right before he left. All it says is 'HI!' and a smiley face. "What are you doing out of class anyway?" I ask. I feel like she is babysitting me because Micah is away. I feel like they all are. Gabby, Nick, and Josh all keeping an eye on me. Even Olly texted me 'hey how are you?' A couple times. It angers me. Like I can't handle being without Micah.

"Somehow I knew you'd be late and trying to open your locker." Gabby broke my thought. She was looking at me, as I was staring at the smiley face note.

"It's only a week! I am fine." I slam the locker. So I've been late everyday this week. So what I can't remember the combo. So what I've been a little moody. So what.

"You have been a little moody." Gabby tries to catch up to me. "There's no reason to be mad at me." She gives up and turns to go her way. I wasn't in the mood to talk to her anyway.

I walk to Miss Pepin's class and knock on the door. I'm let in and take my seat. This is the only hour I have with Micah. Of course I sit with him so this whole week the seat next to me is empty. It's lonely.

"Fourth time this week Thayer. Better make sure Friday you're not late." Miss Pepin's called me out. I just nod my head. I'm now not really in the mood to be here at all. I look at the empty seat next to me. Then I'm surprised. Piper slips into that seat. I'm about to tell her to get out but she stopped me.

"Don't even. I'm sitting here so deal with it. I'm sick of seeing you walk in late and sit by yourself." She says as she brings her chair closer to the desk. She has become super bossy but it works for her. Last year I told her she should do something about it. She later told me she is going to college to be a disciplinary officer. That's not what I meant at all but I guess-

"Hey, can I ask a favor?" Piper snaps her fingers in my face.

"Yeah."

"I need a ride after school to my...thing." She whispers 'thing'. Only me and Micah know she goes to a counselor twice a week for her addiction. She went to rehab for a while last year for the drugs and hasn't done them since, but she still goes to therapy. We've kinda become hard friends. As in we don't need to talk, but still understand when someone needed something.

"Yeah, you're lucky I got my car. But I don't think I can pick you up. I'll be-"

"Yeah I know you'll be picking up your one and only. Blah blah blah. Gosh, you're too thick." She cut me off AGAIN.

"What?" I'm confused.

"I think you need to learn how to be your own person." She's looking at me concerned. "You're too dependent on Micah."

Great now her. Everyone thinks I'm a baby. I don't answer the rest of the period. When the bell rings I don't even say goodbye or where to meet me in the parking lot for her ride.

***
At lunch, I make sure I apologize to Gabby for being rude.

"Just chill, Thayer. Stop being so uptight." She replies with. Nick and Josh take their seats on each side of her.

"I got my full list of classes for State yesterday in the mail!" Nick says as he puts his tray on the table. "Now I just have to chose which ones I want which semester."

"That's cool. What about you two?" I ask looking between Gabby and Josh.

"I got accepted into my nursing college about a week ago and haven't had to do anything else since then." Gabby says, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"I am just going to the career school 10 miles from Gabby's nursing school. I've already applied for mechanics, and it's basically a 100 percent chance of acceptance." Josh answers.

"What about you, anything new?" Gabby adds.

"Just waiting on Micah to come back and tell me how Charles University was this week." I answer.

"No, like, have you looked at any colleges yourself?"

"Well, no, but..." I trial off. I don't know why I haven't. Micah has just been the one picking colleges out and looking at them.

"Maybe you should look more into it. High School is almost over." Gabby suggests.

"Yeah." Josh and Nick say in unison.

"What are you going for again?" Josh asks.

"Isn't it medical diagnostics or something like that?" Olly sits down next to me. Now our table is full except for Micah.

"Yeah exactly that. It's just a fancy word for being really good at what medication is the right one to take and all that." I answer. Olly smiles.

Olly came to our school at the end of sophomore year. She became fast friends with Nick, so she became fast friends with the rest of us. Then ended up dating Nick and has been ever since. She has long brown hair that curls only at the end, naturally. Brown eyes to go with. Plain and simple.

"How do you remember that?" Gabby asks.

"I just thought it sounded cool." Olly answers.

"Yeah, because medicine names are very cool." Nick mocks her.

"It is to me." I let in. "Oh and I have to give Piper a ride after school..." I added, hoping they wouldn't question me. Everyone nodded and forgot about it.

***
After school, I waited for Piper in the parking lot. Hopefully she finds me soon because I'm getting impatient. She comes finally and gets in.

"Thanks for telling me where you parked." She says sarcastically. I don't reply, I just drive her to her thing and then go to my own home.

Once I am home I go straight to my room. Today was a bum day, but I should be happy because Micah will be home soon. He'll tell me all about the college he picked out this time for us, and maybe it will be the one we apply to. I lay on my bed and look up to my ceiling. It's now a collage of all the pictures Micah has taken and given to me. Black and white pictures, blurry pictures, plain pictures. Pictures of me, him, Gabby and Josh, Nick and Olly. Everytime he gives me a new one it goes up on my ceiling. That's what Micah is looking for, a good college for photography. That's what he wants. I want to go for medicine names and he wants photography. He takes cute photos. A cute person taking cute photos.