Art is by @gayradwhitedad on Instagram
~Jeremy's POV~
"Dude, you've got slushie all over your face!" Rich guffawed, doubling over with laughter. After going on a few more (and less crazy) rides near the Sky Rocket, we made the decision to stop for a brief snack break. All of us had souvenir cups of slushie, each with a different flavor. I couldn't figure out how to close the lid for the life of me, so I was left with drinking straight from the cup. I guess I'd tipped it back a little too far.
"You need some napkins there?" Jake asked between laughs, slapping the table. Michael reached over to the napkin dispenser in the center and snatched up a few. Before he could hand them to me, I felt someone tug on my sleeve.
"I'll help you get it off," Christine offered, wiping my face off with a paper towel. I felt my face grow warm as she cupped my cheek with her hand and guided the towel across my mouth.
After she seemed to have gotten all of the spilled slushie off of my face, she gave me a little peck on the cheek and wiped her hands off. Continuing to slurp down our slushies, we started to discuss what we should do next.
"I think games might be kinda fun," Khloe suggested. I nodded and scanned the group. We seemed to be missing someone.
"Hey guys," I asked, "where's Michael?"
"I think he went to the bathroom," Jenna muttered, tapping away on her iPhone.
"We should probably wait, don't you think?" I didn't want to abandon my best friend and leave for something else. We all agreed with slight nods and "mhm"s. My gaze wandered over to Christine, who looked as if she just had an epiphany.
"I'm going to, uh, go throw these away," she rambled quickly, snatching up the dirty napkins from the table. I watched as she leaped from her seat and took off towards a distant trash can, even though there was one right next to us.
That was odd, I thought, perplexed.
~Michael's POV~
I splashed some water into my face, instantly feeling better. When Christine started to get all fluffy and cute-couple-ish with Jeremy, I'd instantly bolted for the bathroom. It pained my already aching heart to watch Jeremy with someone else, especially since I knew he was happier with them.
I'd had a major boy crush on Jeremy ever since we met in 1st grade. Everything about him was just perfect. His sandy hair, his cute stutter, his beautiful azure eyes, everything. I often stared at him during class or at lunch, just admiring his glory and grace. The way he blushed anytime anyone complimented him made my heart swoon, and his enthusiasm for video games and things of that sort made me melt. I always went weak in the knees whenever he flashed that adorable grin of his. When we rode the Sky Rocket, I purposely made sure I was sitting next to him so that he would hold onto me the entire time.
I adjusted my glasses and stared at my lonely reflection, the only one in the deserted bathroom.
"Get ahold of yourself, Michael," I muttered, flicking myself on the forehead. "He's with Christine, and he's happy." I felt a tear ooze out of my eye and roll down my cheek that I didn't even bother to wipe away. I knew that I would always be longing for Jeremy, and that he would never accept my feelings. He was a straight as a ruler.
More tears wormed their way out of my eyes and, before I knew it, I was crying. Jeremy would never be mine. I'd never get to hold him in my arms and cuddle him to sleep. I'd never get the chance to feel his ever-so-soft lips pressed against mine.
"Come on, Michael, man up," I whispered to myself after a while, wiping away the salty droplets resting on my cheeks. "Face the facts."
I ran more cold water and dumped it over my face, washing away the remaining tears. I ran my hands through my hair and let out a sigh.
"You know that Jeremy loves Christine, and you know he'll never return any feelings for you. You'll never have the chance to tell him you love him. Why can't you accept that?" I asked my reflection, choking back any more tears from falling. Sniffing quietly, I shook off the tap water from my face and made my way out of the bathroom. As I exited, I noticed someone standing quite close to the entrance in a position that very much represented someone spying on another.
To my horrified surprise, I recognized the face of the figure almost immediately, my heart dropping. The short, jet black hair that fell just above the chin. The spunky leggings and patterned dress. The blue jean jacket.
Christine had been spying on me. And she'd heard every word that left my mouth.
~Christine's POV~
"You know that Jeremy loves Christine, and you know that he'll never return any feelings for you. You'll never have the chance to tell him you love him. Why can't you accept that?"
My jaw dropped. I knew there was something more to Jeremy and Michael's relationship, but I never knew it was this bad. As I listened to the agonizing sniffles and sobs of Michael in the bathroom, it all came together like a puzzle. Anytime Jeremy was talking to Michael, there were stars in both boys' eyes. But, whenever I joined in the conversation, Michael always looked away or fumbled with his hoodie strings. Michael would always be by Jeremy's side, and whenever I would come up to walk with them, he'd find some excuse to run off. Jeremy talked about Michael way more than he ever talked about me, and Michael just couldn't keep quiet when it came to the topic of Jeremy.
I knew that Jeremy'd had a crush on me since he met me, but he knew Michael way before that, which meant Michael had been crushing on Jeremy for over a decade.
I pressed my ear to the wall again, straining to hear any more information. I heard footsteps threateningly close and, before I could step away and hide, saw Michael trudging out of the bathroom doors. He noticed me and gasped, his chocolate eyes widening.
"C-Christine?!" He exclaimed, taking a step back. I gave a sheepish wave and gulped. How was I supposed to explain this? There was no way to hide it; the position I stood in was a dead giveaway of my intentions.
"Uh, hey Michael," I mumbled, focusing intently on the concrete below my shoes. He understood exactly what was going on.
"Did you---you heard--I didn't---I'm sorry--I just--please don't tell Jeremy!" Michael pleaded, struggling to form words. "He's really happy with you and I understand if you're mad at me but--"
"Calm down, Michael. I'm not mad," I assured him, resting my hand on his shoulder. He winced, not expecting me to be so kind to him after the things he just said. I noticed tears bubbling in his already puffy eyes and realized how important this secret was to him.
"Y-You're not?" He asked, cocking his head slightly. I shook my head and smiled.
"I always kind of guessed as much, although I never knew for how long it had been going on. I can't believe you've liked him for 10 years," I admitted, feeling somewhat sympathetic.
"You promise you won't tell him, right?" Michael questioned, his longing gaze piercing my eyes. I nodded, giving him a patient smile. What he didn't know, however, was that I was going to do whatever I could to get the two of them together, even if that meant telling Jeremy. Nobody deserved to go through what Michael experienced, and it just broke my heart to hear his woeful sorrows. Besides, I never really felt intimate with Jeremy, so this was the perfect thing to do.
"We should probably head back. I think we're moving on to games next," I mentioned, gathering myself together. Michael nodded and began heading back. I followed suit, studying the odd-looking back of his sweatshirt.
Once we got to the table again, the group set off for the games area. I watched as Michael ran up to Jeremy's side, a wide grin on his face. I smiled and sidled up to Jenna, who was typing furiously on her phone.
"What rumors are you spreading this time?" I asked, chuckling quietly. She immediately shut it off and slipped it into her pocket, shrugging. I made a mental note to check her Instagram later.
Once we arrived at the games section of the park, there was another fuss of where to go. We decided to split up (even though it wasn't allowed) and meet again in an hour and a half at the entrance to the 4D movie. Jeremy, Michael, and I were in one group, Khloe, Brooke, and Jenna in another, and Jake and Rich in the last one.
Of course I had to be put with the guys who play video games for a living.
I hope you enjoyed this part! Lame ending, I know, but the next chapter will be better! Feel free to leave any comments for what you think should happen. I'm always open to suggestions!
~1583 words~