25 Cents // mgc

prologue

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I panted heavily as I pushed my way into the crowded bar in anticipation. My eyes searched the room that had reeked of burnt cigarettes and alcohol, Rocky sitting at the edge of the bar table talking to the bartender.

I walked over to her quickly, my eyes seeming to already ask the question I had desperately wanted to get out.

"He's talking on the phone, Laine." She smiled sympathetically as I nodded once, choking the tears back.

I knew what was going to happen. Even way before he told me he loved me last night, I just knew.

Michael Clifford, wasn't one to stay. He didn't know what he wanted, never did in the first place.

I tucked the strand of short black hair behind my ear consciously, as I had made my way towards the back of the bar, weaving my way through the people.

My eyes caught a glimpse of Michael, one hand on top of the payphone. The look on his scruffy face had been unfamiliar, emotion pouring out of his glistening green eyes.

Though all I could see was the way his lips silently moved, I had a feeling in my gut that it wasn't good.

I crossed my arms over my chest, pursing my cherry red lips as I had stood beside him.

"Yeah.. Yeah, okay." Michael muttered, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked down at the floor. He ran his fingers through his bleached hair, hanging the telephone back up as he screwed his eyes closed.

"Hey," I muttered, attempting to search for his eyes but he didn't look up at me.

"Hi." He managed to get out, a frown settled on his face as he had glanced at me.

"Look, I know this isn't a surprise to you, seeing me here. Whatever happened last night, could we just talk about it?"

"We're talking, Lelaina." He smiled charmingly. "What could possibly be so important at this time of day that you had to come all the way here just to tell me?"

"What you said to me last night." I laughed dryly. "You said--"

"I said a lot of things, Laine. We both did. But it wasn't true. I was weak, caught up in vulnerability that you were the first girl staring at me the way you do. Like right now." Michael breathed out, glancing down at me.

My face fell, so did my heart. It fell, shattered, and I couldn't stop it. "Of course you'd pull off something like this. I should have known."

I looked away, tears helplessly welling in my eyes. "Wow, I'm such an idiot. Dammit." I laughed, scrunching my nose as the pain in my chest tightened.

His jaw tightened, tears welling up in his sad eyes before he covered it up with a cough as he glanced away from me cowardly.

Michael stepped forward, eyeing me before smiling wryly. "I'll call you later Laine."

A tear fell, streaming down my face as he pushed past me, his shoulder brushing mine.

"What happened Michael?" The words poured out helpessly, so did the tears.

I looked over my shoulder at the boy with the same cold look painting his face. The one that masked any emotion he's ever showed.

Just like the moon in plain sight; he was still hidden.

I was the sun, and for one single moment of bliss we crossed paths, but that was just it. We'd just inevitably fade into obilivion again.

"Laine I'm not leaving because of us. I would never leave because of us, I just want you to know that."

"Then why are you leaving New York?" I muttered, shaking my head.

He just sighed, staring down at the floor. "I can't tell you that."

"You know, you don't always have to fight your battles alone. You have all your life, and it doesn't have to fucking stay that way. You're only hurting yourself, Michael."

"Maybe I like the pain, and maybe I like the feeling of relying on no one but myself. I don't need you Laine, and that's just the truth. You.. You have this fantasy where you think you can fix everyone and everything when you haven't even fixed yourself." He motioned, my lip trembling as I had slapped him coldly across his cheek.

I was speechless, my lips parting. He avoided my eyes as he had jammed his hands into his pockets before turning his back on me.

I dig my fingers through my hair, my heart aching as he had walked away from me.

He had pushed the door open, pulling a cigarette out of the pocket of his blue denim jacket and putting it between his lips.

It was then when everything I thought I had built, came crashing down in chaos, and the pain of it all was that I couldn't do anything about it.

Who knew just 25 cents could change us? Everything?