Firecracker

-21-✔️

I paused. The distaste in Michael's tone wasn't hard to miss. But I always did assume that he didn't like her that much. But I never knew why.

But at his questioning of my friendship with Julia, I jumped to defend her.

"She started being there for me when you stopped" I quipped.

"Look, I'm not trying to start a fight or anything, I was just wondering why you're friends with her. I don't like her-"

"Well you don't have to. She's my friend-"

"But I don't think she's right for you," he slid off the counter as I finished tending his wounds, "I have doubts about her character. You know I'm just trying to look out for you. You always used to take my opinions into account-"

"That's before I grew my own spine and realized that you were always manipulating me" I snapped.

This wasn't how I wanted to be spending my birthday. I thought my fights with Michael would be over, but I guess not.

He had no right at all to question Julia and I's friendship or her character. That was for me to do. And seeing as I'm the one whose been friends with her for two years, that was my call to make, and I had already made it.

"How could you even say that? I've never tried to manipulate you" he defended, his eyes dark and hooded.

"That time I finished our school project by myself because you told me you were sick, remember that?" by the recognition on his face, it was easy to see that he did remember.

He called me, saying he was sick. And when I offered to come over to take care of him, he hastily declined, claiming that he didn't want to make me sick as well. I later discovered that he had lied to me and went to a party instead, being dumb enough to be in pictures that had been posted by the other people whom had went.

"Okay, so I lied"

"Looks like you lied alot when we were together"

Another jab at him cheating on me.

"I've already apologized! I told you that I don't do that anymore. I thought we were done with that" he groaned, and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Fine then. We're done" I turned I left the confines of the bathroom and high-tailed it up to my room, closing the door behind me with a resounding slam.

My words had somewhat of a double meaning to them, and I knew that he could tell.

Julia has always been there for me after Michael wasn't. Was he jealous of that or something? That's the only logical explanation that I could think about.

My phone buzzed and I sat on the edge of the bed and picked it up.

'Happy Birthday </3
;-)'

It'd been quite some time since the last message I had gotten from this stalker. A little under a week at the most, and I had honestly forgotten about it with everything going on.

Luke's face immediatly came to mind, and I forced myself to think otherwise. Evidence pointed to him. The noses on the faces, the texts coming from his neighbourhood. But he helped us. To throw us off? Maybe. But why would he tell us that they were coming from his area if it were him?