So many clothes.
That was all Michael could think as he and Jade walked around the mall.
It was a nice place, bright and modern, although he still didn't feel the most comfortable.
He rarely went shopping, so he was easily overwhelmed.
There weren't even many people, but he felt slightly claustrophobic.
The pair was strolling through Forever 21, Jade slightly ahead of Michael. She was slowly guiding him towards the men section.
"What exactly do you need clothes for again?" She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow while staring down the lilac haired boy.
He shrugged, trying not to be too obvious. He was afraid he would give away too much, share too much. Jade wasn't one to take things lightly, which basically meant she freaked over any slightly romantic thing Michael ever did.
"Oh come on, Mikey. You can tell me, you know that, right?" She offered, all while slowly picking stuff off of the racks.
Michael felt himself blush and he looked down, mumbling.
"Fine, there's this boy named Luke that I know, and we've been talking and hanging. I'm planning on asking him out."
Jade swooned teasingly, clapping her hands together excitedly. Instantly, she started looking at clothes once again, her attention temporarily diverted from Michael's embarrassment.
He soon spotted the pile that Jade was slowly starting. Olive, burgundy and navy blue clothes. A couple of short sleeve button ups.
"Hey Jade," She turned to face the tall boy. "Please nothing dressy. I wasn't meaning to get any clothes like that, just normal ones."
The brunette rolled her eyes, but returned some stuff from everything she was compiling.
"Or else Luke might think I'm trying too hard." He added, and soon regretted it as he saw the smirk on her face.
+
"I don't know about this one." Michael said in a wary tone from inside the dressing room.
"Just come out already." Jade retorted, Michael could almost hear her eyes rolling.
He opened the grey dressing room door, reluctantly coming out so that Jade could see the outfit fully.
He was wearing a slouchy grey long sleeve shirt, ripped black skinny jeans, and an olive green bomber jacket.
"Aw, you look so cute! That Luke of yours would love it!" She held her hands together, beaming at the boy.
"Are you sure? It doesn't look ugly or anything?" He asked, slightly unsure despite her encouragements.
She nodded eagerly.
Michael returned to the dressing room, slipping on his own black jeans and band tee once again.
Once he had finally paid for the outfit, he asked Jade about shoes.
"Well what do you have in mind?" She inquired as they walked past the stores.
"Maybe some Doc Martens? And a black baseball cap too?" He asked hopefully, wishing she would approve.
Soon enough, they pair had bought a pair of black Doc Martens and were heading towards some random hat store.
Michael quickly paid for a basic black baseball cap and they were on their way.
Jade insisted they have some snacks. so they headed to the food court.
Michael got fries while Jade got some pretzel bites. The two sat down at a table nearby a couple on a date.
They ate in silence for a while, until Michael felt the need to ask about Kalani.
"So, how are things going with you and Kalani?"
Jade frowned.
"Not too well. She keeps going out and not telling me where she is. It's starting to get a little suspicious if I'm being honest."
Michael felt sympathetic almost instantly. He knew how close Jade and Kalani were. If things were going as normal, she probably would've come to the mall trip they were on. Don't get him wrong, he loves spending time with Jade alone, but not when the reason was a rocky relationship.
He took Jade's hand.
"Everything's gonna be fine." He looked at her brown eyes. "I promise."
Jade smiled, it felt nice to have your best friend back after so long. They might have drifted apart but they could always rely on each other.
+
This always happened.
Michael would overthink like there was no tomorrow, and then his thoughts would get the best of him. It was one of his flaws, since he always ended up second-guessing himself.
Although Luke liking him was confirmed, he was still nervous. He had never asked anybody out before, and was not looking forward to doing so. In the movies, it was common for the guy to get rejected pretty horribly. Which made Michael all the more nervous. This being his first experience, his only expectations were the stereotypical ones made by society.
It was lunch time, and Michael was strolling along the school hallway.
Clad in his brand new outfit, he felt the stares of some girls who'd never taken notice of him before. He smiled to himself, knowing that Jade had given him some good advice.
Although he may have looked good, he definitely didn't feel that way. He had butterflies, and he felt like giggling and running away at the same time.
Fortunately, his locker was on the opposite side of the school from Luke, so he wouldn't have to face him before the fact.
Placing all his notebooks and textbooks back into his locker, he shut the metal door, securing the heavy lock.
Michael quickly glanced at his reflection on his phone, just to make sure he didn't look like trash.
Stop stalling, he thought to himself while reluctantly heading to the cafeteria.
He spotted Calum and Luke at a table, laughing at something on Luke's phone.
Whilst smirking to fake confidence, Michael walked over to the two boys.
"What's up?" Luke asked while giggling, Calum nodded at Michael.
"I need to talk to you. Alone." Michael winked at Calum, hopefully he would understand what he was trying to say.
The cheerful blonde stood up, as Michael grabbed his wrist, leading him out into the hallway.
Hands in the pockets of his skinny jeans, Luke leaned against a locker, facing Michael.
"You look really nice today." Luke shyly complimented, motioning towards Michael's outfit.
He blushed in response, then awkwardly cleared his throat.
"So I was wondering," Luke's gaze shifted from the floor to Michael. "Would you want to go out with me sometime?"
Eyes widened, the blonde look back down again.
Oh no, Michael though to himself. This was not how he was supposed to react.
Suddenly, the silence was broken as Luke erupted into a fit of giggles.
"The look on your face was priceless!" He exclaimed in between laughs, slightly out of breath.
"Huh?" Michael was not catching on.
Luke was hunched over, laughing so hard he was panting.
"It was just a prank bro."
Michael huffed, crossing his arms.
"Well, it wasn't very funny. It hurt my feelings."
Rolling his eyes, Luke replied.
"Of course, I'll go out with you, Mikey."