"Can we go now?" Michael said, turning with an angry face to his mother.
Laura looked at us, confused, before Michael stormed past her towards her office. She turned to us. "What happened?"
I'm tempted to tell her what happened, but I know it won't help and will only make her feel worse.
"Nothing," I said. "He just got here."
She crossed her arms. "I feel there is more that I'm missing. Did he say something?"
I shook my head. "Nope, we're all good. You're pretty much done for today, aren't you?"
"Yeah, why don't you head home," Ayden added. "Don't forget about Poppy's birthday this weekend. She's excited to have Michael coming."
Laura looked at us, silent for a moment before she sighed. "All right, well then, I'll head home." She turned and headed into her office.
"You aren't going to tell her?" Owen said, standing next to me.
I shook my head. "No, it's just going to make her feel worse than she already does. This is just going to take time."
Laura and Michael stepped out of her office a few moments later, and Laura waved as they headed. All the guys looked at me.
"You okay?"
I wasn't. But whatever emotions I was feeling, Michael was feeling ten times more. I just needed to be patient.
Chapter 23 - Laura
I set Michael's cereal down and watch him take a bite. He was extra quiet this morning, and I'm unsure why. When I left my office, I knew I could hear Michael saying something to the guy, but I wasn't sure what it was, and it seemed neither he nor Miles wanted to tell me.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked, taking a sip of my coffee. I clutched the mug tightly, letting the mug warm my fingers.
Michael nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "I did."
I gave him a soft smile, leaning back against the counter. I held my coffee close and swallowed. "Are you mad at me, Michael?"
He paused and slowly chewed the bite in his mouth. He shrugged. "I'm not sure."
I thought about the other day when he ran off when he caught Miles and me kissing. I had caught up to him, but he refused to talk to me.
I chewed on my cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head, taking another bite of his cereal.
I looked at the fridge, thinking of something to change the subject. I then spotted his school calendar.
"You guys have a field trip today," I pushed off the counter, looking closer at the date. "At the museum? That must be exciting. You love field trips."
Michael nodded. "Yeah."
I turned, expecting him to be excited. Michael had always loved school and everything included. "Why don't you sound like you want to go?"
Michael shrugged, and I scowled. My worry over everything was only beginning to grow. "Michael, tell me what's on your mind. You love field trips and learning. You would normally be excited about this and be talking my ear off."
Michael looked up from his bowl. "Because I'm angry. That's all I am. And I can't be excited about it."
I walked over, placing my hands on the counter. I sighed. "At me? Are you angry at me?"
He looked away, which told me my answer. I leaned further down, being sure to get back in his eye view.