Micha
I've slept in my own bed for the past week, even though my body itched to do another maneuver up the tree and into Ella's window. She's been avoiding me ever since we made out in my car. I'm guessing she needs some time to sort through her thoughts; that I was overwhelming her.
Ella has always had issues with intimacy and pushed people away, including me if I try to cross the friend line. I actually had to work to become her friend. We've always lived next door, but it took me bribing her with a juice box and a toy car to even get her to let me climb over the fence into her yard.
But it was worth the time. Fifteen years later, we're still friends. I can't imagine my life without her, something I grasped that night when I found her on the bridge. Even though I knew she wasn't going to jump, seeing her standing on the ledge made me realize that I want and need her in my life forever. She challenges me, pushes me, and pisses me off, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
It's late in the afternoon when I wake up. Blinking against the bright sun, I drag my butt out of bed and throw on an old tee and some jeans. Ethan and I are still working on fixing the blown head gasket on my car, so I send him a text that I'm up and ready to go. I head into the kitchen and drink the orange juice straight out of the jug.
My mom walks in combing her hair, and scolds me. "Micha Scott, how many times have I told you not to do that crap?" She snatches the juice away and sets it back in the fridge.
I wipe away the juice from my chin. "I think it's called selective hearing."
She does up the buttons on her jacket, dressed to head off to her day job as a secretary at the dealership. She also has a night job as a hostess at a cafe. "You are such a smart ass." She holds up a red lacy bra. "Okay, so I know I've always been the cool mom, but finding this in my bed is crossing the line."
"Isn't it yours?" I grab a box of cereal out of the cupboard.
She scowls at me as she tosses the bra into the trash behind her. "I have much more class than that."
Thinking of her trashy dress the other night, I can't help but laugh. "That's breaking news to me."
She gently slaps the back of my head and I laugh, rubbing it like it hurts. "If you must know, I had a date that night with a really nice guy, but he's a little younger than me and I was trying to make a good first impression."
"So that's why you had that trashy dress on." I scoop a handful of cereal out of the box and stuff it into my mouth. "I was wondering about that."
"I didn't look that bad," she protests, grabbing her keys from the hook on the wall. "Did I?"
I hate it when she asks questions like these; ones that don't have a right answer. I shrug and put the cereal back into the cupboard.
She grabs a granola bar out of the cupboard. "So Ella's back for good I'm guessing?"
I crunch slowly on the cereal. "Yeah, until summer's over."
She waits for me to embellish. "Are you going to tell me where she was for the last eight or nine months?"
"College," I say. "In Vegas."
"Wow, I'm actually impressed with that answer." She peels the wrapper off the granola bar. "Good for her."
I frown. "Why? She bailed on everyone."
"I'm not saying how she did it was right, but it's good she's going somewhere in her life."
"I told you I have plans. I just need to figure out a way to make them happen."
She sighs and pats my head like I'm still a child. "I worry about you spending too much time chasing her. You might have to realize that maybe she doesn't want to get caught, sweetie. Trust me. It was something I had to learn with your dad." She hangs her bag over her shoulder and drums her fingernails on the counter. "Micha, did you think about what I told you the other night?"