You Ain't Bad || Michael Jackson

Chapter 4: The Eyes

Break time comes. I decide to show my face in the canteen, seeing as I didn't in class. Standing myself up from the floor by English class, I start to slowly walk down the corridor to the canteen.

As I go, I see a few faces I recognise, so I smile politely at them and walk on by.

"Girl, you're getting more and more rebellious!" a girl from my French class, Stacey giggles.

Casually, I shrug my shoulder. "Well, she don't have the right the ask about my personal life out of class," I reply, a smile coming to my face.

Whilst I continue to walk down the corridor, a few more faces smile and wave as I go. I eventually come to the canteen, and immediately see Emma.

"Emma my girl!" I greet her, high fiving her.

"Cozzy! I heard you walked outta French class," she replies.

I chuckle a little. "Yeah; Appleby got on my nerves. She was gonna take me to the principle's office. I ain't doing nothing like that. I'm 22 years old, not 12! Forget it," I reply, almost getting angry just thinking about it.

Emma giggles. "Yeah, and—" She points at The Jax members that are grouped together a few meters away from us, "—that one over there—" She points at Michael, who in that moment, decides to look our way, "—what's his thing with you? He seems to have got it in for you," she concludes.

My eyes avert to Michael, who is still looking my way. His stare is cold, but calm at the same time. His dark eyes are piercing through me ...

"Cozzy!" Emma shouts, clicking her finger in my ear loudly.

Playfully, I caress my ear and look her way. "What?" I ask.

Emma chuckles. "Why didn't you answer me?" she asks.

God, she spoke? I didn't hear her!

"What did you say?" I ask.

She rolls her eyes, folding her arms. "God! Anyone would think you got a crush on him!" she says.

My heart skips a beat. How could I have a crush on him? He attacked me verbally and physically, and he's a member of The Jax!

"Nah, you got that wrong. He attacked me after French class," I reply.

Emma widens her eyes. "You mean, a member of The Jax attacked you, and you lived? How is this possible?" she asks.

Chuckling, I shrug, before deciding that I would rather dismiss the subject quickly. "I dunno. But anyway, how could I like him? He's a jerk. Acting all cool and hard. Michael Jackson is not tough. He thinks he is. But he ain't. He ain't bad. He's just got very deep, dark eyes ... very deep eyes ... " I reply slowly, my voice trailing off at the thought of his eyes staring at me once more.

Emma chuckles. "Well, he seems to be bad ... and the eyes? Well ... " she murmurs.

Our conversation is interrupted. "Hey, baby," we hear a voice behind us.

I turn around to see Mark, Emma's boyfriend, hugging her from behind.

"Hey, I missed you!" Emma replies, kissing Mark's lips gently.

"Oh, stop it!" I protest, pulling them apart.

Mark pouts and does the old puppy dog eyes on me. "But, Becky, I need cuddles and snuggles from my baby," he replies.

Rolling my eyes, I slap his arm at his sickly words. "Anyway, I thought you two argued?" I ask.

Emma nods, to indicate that I'm correct. "Yeah, but we spoke in Science, and made up again," she tells me.

I nod in understanding, a little mind-blown. "Damn, girl. Why is your relationship so freaking perfect? I want my relationship, whenever I get one, to be like yours," I sigh, sitting down at the table.

Emma and Mark do the same.

"You'll get there soon, Becky; I can feel it and tell. Who knows? Maybe it'll come sooner than you think," Mark tells me.

It takes quick work for me to shrug the subject off. "Hmm, maybe, maybe ... " I sigh.

It's never going to happen, is it?

Glancing over at The Jax, I notice Michael is still looking at me intently. It's getting kinda freaky how much he's looking, actually. But his eyes ... his eyes! ... Oh, so deep! ...

Coming out of my trance at last, I turn to Emma. "I'll be back in a minute," I say, before getting up from the chair and leaving the table.

Walking past The Jax, I feel a pull on my arm. My head turns, only for me to be greeted by those deep, dark, chocolatey eyes ... stop it Becky! Get a hold of yourself!

"Let go of me," I say calmly.

"I'm not done with you for earlier, yet," Michael growls.

Angrily, I shake my arm, causing him to let go of it, then I brush myself down.

"I don't get what your problem is with me," I hiss.

Michael shrugs. "I don't get what your problem is with me," he says.

His voice is gentle, not angry for a change. It suits him so well ...

I mentally slap myself. Get a hold of yourself!

The rest of the members of The Jax are watching us now. Slightly anxiously, I take a breath. "Well, my problem with you is that you can't seem to leave innocent people alone," I reply.

As I start to walk away, he pulls me back again. "And my problem is that you get in my way, with everything," he growls, before letting me go.

Rage building within me, my head turns, and I storm off, thinking about what he had said.

I get in his way? Surely he just means with the bullying he does. That's all it can mean, right?

I walk back to the table I was sitting at, only to be greeted by Emma and Mark kissing.

Again.

"Get a room!" I giggle, rolling a tissue into a ball and throwing it at their faces.

They pull away from each other, then Mark grabs the tissue and throws it back at me.

"We have one, actually. It's called the canteen. It's a free country, Miss Costello," Mark chuckles, patting the seat.

Sitting down by the pair, I start to zone out a little. He's looking at me again. Those deep, dark, piercing eyes.

... They just won't escape my vision, or my mind.

~~

-Edited June 3, 2016-