Page 7 of Saving Micah

Why am I sobbing?

I know Zant kisses and messes around with girls. He’s been doing it for years. Every girl in our class has kissed him, I think. Except for me, Kelly, and Macy. Well I hope Kelly and Macy haven’t kissed him but, what do I know? He could have been making out with them when I wasn’t around. My sobbing only gets worse at the thoughts of my best friends making out with the only guy that I’ve ever wanted.

The mind plays serious tricks on you when your heart is breaking. Everyone becomes your enemy.

I hear the door open and quickly try to control my sobs.Please don’t be either one of my friends.I really don’t want to talk to them about this. I grab tissue and wipe my face. The person steps into another stall so I breathe a little better. It isn’t Macy or Kelly. The sudden intrusion helped break my crying though.

I can’t go back into the movie. But I’ve got to if I don’t want to have to explain why I couldn’t. I’m not ready to do that now. If ever.

I slowly walk back to the room that our movie is playing in and make my way to my seat.

Oddly enough the chick isn’t there. Zant is sitting alone, with the other two guys, eating his candy and watching the movie. He doesn’t look over at me and everything looks like nothing even happened.

I feel another set of eyes on me and when I shift my gaze, Levi is looking at me again. I quickly look away before he has the chance to wink at me again. What in the world is going on?

After the movie is over, we all get up and make our way outside. I’m in the back of the group while my friends are all chatting about how great the movie was. I feel someone next to me but I don’t look up. I quickly assume it’s another movie goer. Then I’m quickly proven wrong when an arm drapes itself over my shoulders. I look up and I’m face to face with Levi.

“You scared me!” I breath out.

“I’m sorry.” Levi says while still looking at me. His face is somber.

“It’s ok. I should be used to it. It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve scared me before.” He usually lights up when he knows he has caught me off guard. He isn’t looking like that right now though.

“Not for that.” He says in a whisper.

I’m confused now. “For what then?”

“For hurting you. I should have known better but I thought you would have reacted different and I’m sorry that I made you cry instead.”

I freeze at his words. What is he talking about? I know what he is talking about but, how does he know what he’s talking about?

I open my mouth to speak and nothing comes out. How does he know? I finally, after looking like a fish out of water, get my voice to work. “Levi, what are you talking about and what have you done?”

Our friends have moved on. I doubt they even know that we have stopped in the lobby of the movie theater.

Levi takes a deep breath and I hold mine. “Micah, Zant and I made a bet. I dared him to kiss another girl in front of you to see if you would lose your mind on either one of them. Zant doesn’t think that you like him, much less love him. We both know he is wrong.” Levi says all of this while looking at the floor. I’m looking at the top of his head trying to absorb his words into my screaming brain.I was set up. I was a bet between two of my best friends. What exactly did they expect me to do.

“What exactly did you expect me to do?” I ask him. I know that I didn’t dispute anything he said. He catches that too and his eyes get a little brighter.

“I don’t really know exactly.” He hesitates before continuing. “I guess I wanted you to come out a little and prove me right, in front of everybody.” He looks down “But I saw you come back with puffy eyes and I knew that I had pushed too hard and mishandled things. I’m sorry Mi. Really sorry.”

I decide to put him out of his misery. “Levi. It’s fine. You didn’t do anything wrong. I know you were messing with me and I don’t expect anything else from you. I know now why you were winking at me. Let me tell you – that freaked me out a little.” I giggle and he lets out a little chuckle. I look around to make sure that we are still alone. I’m going to come clean to Levi but, I don’t want anyone else to know. “I’m not going to push things with Zant. He told me this week that he wants me to go to college and everything like that after graduation. I can’t date him and do that. I don’t know if I want to date him anyway. I don’t ever want to mess up our friendship. If us taking a step forward causes me to lose one of my best friends…” I don’t finish and Levi just pulls me into a great hug of his.

“It’s ok.” He tells me as he smooths my hair out. “I understand and I won’t push him or you anymore. I respect you both and you’re right. Right now, our friendships are everything and enough.”

Levi stops rubbing my hair and has frozen. I look at him but he is staring over my shoulder. I turn my head to see what or who he is looking at and I see a look that quickly sends my nerves to fire mode.

It’s Zant and the look on his face says that he feels cheated.

But why?

Chapter 4

Zant

She talks to angels.

They call her out by her name.

---