𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚, mike wheeler

ZOMBIE BOY.

         "I would've laughed if it was." Grace grinned at Mike, shaking her head. She had to admit, his newfound height made her feel particularly small.

          An idea popped into Mike's head. The boy reached forward, tickling Grace. When the girl let out a few breathless laughs, he stopped. They ignored the looks from other students in the halls.

          "You laughed," Mike smirked, tilting his head. "I only laughed because you caught me by surprise!" The girl quickly defended, hitting him.

         "I made 'The Grace Baker' laugh! I feel so accomplished." The boy continued to tease. It was no secret that she was popular at their school.

         Everyone knew Grace Baker. Her name would be brought up among students all the time. She had a lot of friends, though, she didn't hang out with them nearly as much as she did the party. It was strange, almost.

         The friendly smiles and kind gestures she sent everyone's way made her all the more likable. It was honestly refreshing to anyone around her.

         At first glance, the blonde gave out the impression that she was a super stuck up, rich girl, but her looks couldn't have been any more deceiving.

         "You always make me laugh, Mike." Grace told him. The teasing smile left his face, being replaced by a blush that he tried his best to hide from her.

Before he could respond to her sweet comment, Will slammed his locker open behind them. The pair watched as he balled up a piece of paper, grabbed his textbook and slammed his locker back shut.

         "Hey, Will!" Grace called out, waving the boy towards her and Mike with a smile. Mike knew that if anyone could brighten Will's mood, it would be Grace. She never failed to make people feel better.

         "Hey, guys!" The boy smiled brightly, making his way towards them. He held open his arms, both of his friends taking turns hugging him.

          "You okay? Do I have to kick someone's ass? I won't hesitate to go from classy to━━" The blonde was cut off by Will, a scared look on his face.

"I'm fine. Everyone's still calling me zombie boy, that's all. It's not a big deal." Will stated with a frown, turning to look away from the pair.

"That's totally a big deal. Are you kidding me? People can't just get away with stuff like that." Mike seethed in anger, wanting to protect him.

"It doesn't matter. Just forget it." Will shook his head, remaining calm. That's one thing Grace admired about him. Despite being made fun of, and even despite everything he went through, he was still calm.

"Fine, but if anyone is ever bothering you, let me know. I got your back." The blonde shook Will's hand firmly. He nodded with a huge grin.

"Correction, we got your back." Mike rephrased, as they all headed into their next class.

The trio took their seats next to Lucas and Dustin, waving and greeting the two boys.

Everyone settled down into their seats. Mr. Clarke started the day's lesson after that.

"Meet the human brain. I know it doesn't look like much. A little gross even, right? But there are a hundred billion cells inside of this miracle of evolution." The man began to explain to his students. Will, Lucas, Mike, and Dustin were the only ones listening.