THE NIGHT OF GRADUATION
IT WAS THE NIGHT of graduation and 18-year-old mikey howard was making her way through the big house party, her long brown hair flowing down her back and a soda in her palm, saying high to everyone and smiling at people who smiled at her.
one person was on her mind, sharky. the sentence she so badly needed to tell him before the party ended but he seemed to be occupied somewhere unknown.
"sharky!" she screamed over the loud music trying to find his head through the crowd, "sharks!" another loud chant from the girl.
squinting her eyes to focus more when suddenly she caught him leaning on the wall talking it up with a blonde girl she knew as lacy cole.
she sighed with relief running up to him, her smile not evident keeping the news to herself with fear. "hi mikes." he smiled lacing his arm around her waist, "hi sharky, hi lacy." michelle waved to the both of them.
"sharky can i talk to you for a second," she asked shakily and he could tell the nerves she was having, he quickly nodded and excused himself from lacy.
the two silently walked out to the garden and into a quiet corner.
"what's wrong blue."
ah yes, blue. the nickname sharky gave her when they first met, since she had a bright blue tongue at the lollipop she had in her mouth. by the time your reading this the pair had grown out of that nickname and this night was the last time he called her by that name.
"i need to tell you something." she fiddled with the ends of her hair a huge lump already growing in her throat.
"what is it?" his hand touches her shoulder in comfort but she gently shuffles away from it.
sharkys eyes grow confused and suddenly he too was filled with fear at what would come out of her mouth.
"are you gonna tell me you're moving across the world." he laughed making the joke but the girl just looked up taking a huge gulp.
his eyes softened and he stood up straighter "come on mikey you're scaring me."
she pushed the hair behind her ears and finally made eye contact with him.
"there's no easy way to say this." she sucks in her bottom lip trying to stop her crying.
to say sharky was now shaking with fear would be correct, he was filled with the fear of any word that would be said in just a second.
it was a painfully long silence until mikey cleared her throat.
"i got.. i got into duke." she huffed out almost inaudible.
sharkys eyes widen with happiness a loud noise comes from his mouth and like that michelle was lifted from the floor being twirled around with his big arms wrapping around her.
mikey's eyes watered as most of the news was still in her mind.
she patted his shoulder softly as he set her down she looked right into his big brown eyes that held so much pride and excitement for her, and she broke knowing what's gonna happen now.
"no sharky.." she trails off.
"i got into duke university.... in america."
with her words sharkys world had come undone, every wall he built had been demolished, every friendship he earned was broken apart, and every smile he'd had in his 18 years of living was soon covered with frowns.
"What?" sharkys voice was small, his eyes beginning to water and his head going light.
"im moving to the us, i leave next week." she holds her chest delicately trying to contain the sob.
"no," he mumbles.
"no, no don't." he looked back up to her eyes that used to make him smile and now made him cry.
"your joking, right?" his voice brought the tears streaming down mikey's face in a second.
"im sorry sharky, i love you-" her arms wrapped around his neck but quickly being pushed away from him by him.
"no! you don't get to say that!" he yells loudly pointing at her.
mikey's breath was caught in her throat, never in her life did sharky ever speak to her like that.
"dont take it, please." she was shocked by his words, she didn't expect him to be like this.
"please, stay here, stay with me. please." his hands hold her hands with agony.
she couldn't help but let a low sob, while he begged into her palms as he placed kisses onto them.
"don't go," he told.
"sharky, i have to." she pulls her hands away from his.
"It's my future." the girl told truthfully pain lacing her voice.
and all of a sudden sharky felt tired, like the world had drained him for everything that he had.
"you don't see me in your future?" he asks sadly.
she was gobsmacked.
"of course, i do how could you ask me that?" her voice came out in a whimper and all she heard was the loud music from the party.
"then why are you leaving me?" his question smacked her in the face and she felt it hard and painfully.
"sharky don't make this harder than it already is." it was her turn to beg him now.
"then don't do it," he told her with now a straight serious face.
"i can't do that, you know i can't." she gulps down harshly.
sharkys face stayed put, his heartbeat moving rapidly and his eyes searching for a hint of regret in hers.
"so you're just gonna throw away our friendship, just like that." his hands held his chest now and she stared at him for a while to try to even just comprehend what he was saying and how he was saying it.
"we have Facetime, holidays, and messages, it's gonna be fine!" she replied in the same tone.
"no, it won't be fine! your gonna forget all about me, you know you will," he exclaimed loudly, his arms flaring around.
"your my best friend i could never forget you."
there it was, those two words, best friend. because mikey was losing her best friend that night but sharky was losing his best friend and the girl he's been in love with for years.
"sharky please don't let me leave when we're fighting." she holds out her shaky hand for him to take.
"maybe it's better like this, then it'll be easier for you to forget me." he spat out harshly, turning around and walking away from her.
"sharky!" the girl calls out from him, from her spot, her heart hurting every time he takes a step away.
he didn't turn to her, he kept walking drowning in the sound of her voice and the sound of his rapid breath.
mikey howard turned around to look back at the party, only to see that everyone watched her, staring at her with pity most with their heads tilted and the rest whispering to their friends.
she couldn't help but make a scene by shoving past people with frantic sobs and tears marching down her face.
mikey and sharky never talked after.
I'm just kidding!
it's been a week since the fight and michelle howard was outside holding her luggage in her hands.
"ready?" louis howard walks up beside her his hand on her shoulder.
she looks to her brother with a glint of sadness.
eyes now focused on the house in front of theirs, it was sharkys house.
her mind was begging for him to walk out and run to her with a hug.
but he didn't.
so she didn't even bother, louis putting her luggage in the trunk of the car.
mikey's eyes only staring at the ground when suddenly,
she heard sharkys front door open.
it was sharky.
he stared at mikey for a solid minute making her so hopeful that her dream was gonna come true.
but of course, he shook his head lightly and walked to the garbage can to put his bag in.
she couldn't help but let out a tear.
while he walked back inside without a single word to say.
"fuck you," she mumbles under her breath.
"allez mikey." louis spoke to her.
( come on mikey )
she nods walking into the car and closing the door.
week two michelle howard had walked into her dorm, her eyes searching for her hair curler and her shoes by the door.
university wasn't fun, honestly she hated it she never even wanted to go to college but her mom forced her.
laying down on her bed with a loud huff of air.
suddenly her phone rang loudly, snatching it only to see a notification from instagram.
ohnosharky posted a photo.
pressing on the notification and waiting to see the picture that was loading.
her phone fell onto her face when it loaded, a loud gasp leaving her mouth and her body sitting up straight
lacy cole was planting a kiss right onto his cheek.
she was shocked.
her eyes grew with water and her face flushed.
how was he over there having the time of his life with his new girlfriend while she's over here crying everytime someone even talks about sharks?
sharky wasn't having the time of his life.
in fact, he was actually seeing mikey in everyone he saw.
the other day he tackled the delivery man into a hug because he thought it was mikey.
the boy even wanted to buy a plane ticket just to see her.
but he didn't.
it's been 3 months now and michelle howard has come to the decision that she was dropping out.
embarrassing? maybe. worth it? of course.
her mom argued and argued but mikey made up her decision.
it was three months with no contact with sharky but the boy knew she was back.
the way the sun shone brighter a little and the way the flowers smelt fresher.
and also the fact that everyone was talking about it.
he walked his small neighborhood every day since she came back just to run into her for a second.
one time he was walking out of a
small supermarket when suddenly he saw her brown long hair, wearing a sweater she used to always wear, her back to him and talking to some old man.
sharky stared for a while when all of a sudden his thoughts were cut off.
"that's not her." he hears behind him.
the boy turns around to see who it is and it is that one old lady they helped cross the street once.
"she cut her hair." the woman informed him.
making sharky nod while gulping down his spit.
mikey was home but she didn't feel it.
her heart was just physically hurting at how she couldn't see him.
the one person she wanted to see didn't want to see her.
it was mikey's 19th birthday and sharky had his eyes staring outside his window at her house all day, watching as people walked into the home with gifts in their hands and smiles on their faces.
michelle was waiting for sharky to show up with his hands out for a hug.
it was almost like he could read her mind, because at five o'clock he had stood up absentmindedly and ran down the stairs of his house, slipping into his shoes and running across the street without even checking for cars.
quickly finding himself outside on her doorstep, the big thing he's been planning for weeks now but it seems to finally be sinking in.
taking in a deep breath of chilly air, he rang the doorbell.
staring at his shoes the whole time when hearing the sound of footsteps from inside the house approaching.
"i think the pizza came-" he hears being said when the door is swung open.
it was mikey, she urgently didn't finish her sentence when seeing who it was.
her mouth went dry and the hair on the back of her neck stood with goosebumps.
she stares at him while he smiles softly.
"hi." he waves softly.
the girl closed the door behind her as she walked out onto the front step making him move back a bit.
"hi." she nods her head.
it was quiet while they just stared at each other, sharkys shaky fingers going to his pockets
"im sorry." he splurged out.
mikey stared not flinching at his words.
"for how i acted and how i talked i just couldn't," his words felt like they hugged her with comfort.
"i was afraid of losing you and i wasn't ready to-"
he was cut off when he stumbled back a little at the sudden arms wrapping around his neck quickly, his nose being filled with her smell once again.
her hand holding the back of his head as he eased into the hug and wrapped his arms around her waist.
it felt like the hug was long overdue like they both needed it.
"i missed you," she whispers into the skin of his neck.
he smiles softly like he couldn't contain himself.
"i missed you more."
authors note!!!
omg i love flashbacks!
i hope u all enjoyed this chap sorry if it was overdueeee
love u all 💗