Okay, so JJ and I are watching that new movie Fun Size, which is terrible and not funny. Suddenly, when we get seated, I see an afro and some blonde hair. I hear that familiar peppy voice and quiet tone. I roll my eyes and try not to think that it’s Michael and Rachel. I look at the screen and it asks me a question about Drew Barrymore. Somehow, the answer is Whip It. I love that movie, Ellen Page is awesome. Anyway, I hear that peppy voice giggling from the row in front of us. “Michael! That’s the third time they asked us that question!” She exclaims. Oh. My. Gosh. It’s Rachel. It’s Michael. And guess what? It’s OVER.
I stand up a little bit and tap Michael on the shoulder. He pretends that didn’t happen, which makes me mad. I do it AGAIN, and he still ignores me. My patience was running out quickly, by that time. I took our popcorn and dump it on Michael’s head. He screams like a little girl, shaking all over. He looks at me with wide eyes, popcorn in his hair and mouth, and his jaw hanging. “ARE YOU INSANE?!” He shouts. Everyone tells him to shut up. I want to giggle, but I’m sort of furious with Michael.
“Michael, I would like to speak to you.” He closes his mouth, calms his eyes, puts his hands on his lap, and gives me a look that says I-have-all-ears. I roll my eyes and thump him on the head. “Privately,” He groans, gets up, and follows me into the hallway. No one is here to hear us. So I can yell for a little bit. “Michael, what do you think you’re doing?!” It’s probably the dumbest questions I’ve ever asked. I knew what was going on. Michael IS using Rachel. But why, Peyton?! He’s trying to set an example of what what he calls ‘real’ relationship is. I’m not taking any of it.
“Watching Fun Size,” he says as he pops a piece of popcorn from his hair in his mouth, he gives me a smirk, “what about you?”
“Um… I’m spending some time with my about-to-be husband!” I say. I think it was supposed to come out sarcastically. Michael frowns at me and realizes, or at least pretends to realize that something’s wrong.
“What’s up with you?” He asks.
“Gas prices, the sky.”
“Ha-ha.”
“You know what I find funny, Michael? How Rachel and you are always where JJ and I are,” I cross my arms and raise my eyebrow, waiting for his response. He just stood there, speechless, and his mouth hanging open. “Don’t you find that hilarious, Michael?” Michael looked away from me for a few seconds, but looked back with an evil glare on his face. It was like the weirdest face transfer.
“Look, Peyton. I’m just here to spend time with Rachel. I’m sorry if we’re bothering you… Or if she’s bothering you.” An evil smirk that belonged to JJ years ago grew on Michael’s face. That smirk meant that he was trying to trick me because he thinks he knows everything that goes through my head. JJ had given me that smirk ever since the age of eight, I’m not going to take it from the friend who saved my life.
“Michael, what are you trying to say here?” I know he’s going to start explaining something about Rachel and I. It’s probably about how I isolate her or make her feel bad. Michael will most likely end up making me feel like crap. He’s the new old-JJ. In the sequel, Michael is the bad guy that no one likes.
“You’re jealous of Rachel and you know it!” He says and throws his hands up in the air. I smile and shake my head, making him feel like the dumb one. I’m not exactly jealous of Rachel; I just hate how she’s so perfect. I don’t want to be her. “I see the look in your eyes when you look at her. You want to stab her, rip her hair off, and make sure no one remembers her.”
“Michael! How did we get to this topic?! You’re jealous of JJ!” Wait, where did that come from? I take a few steps back, uncrossing my arms, and dropping my jaw a little bit. Michael looks down at his shoes and puts on a tiny grin.
“I’m not jealous of JJ,” he mumbles loud enough for me to hear.
“What if you are?” The Peyton that was trash talking Michael grew bigger inside of me, which became ugly. “You follow me around, seeing what JJ and I are doing! You are disappointed in yourself for not being him before you got the chance! You are probably in love with me!” I realize I’m raising my voice, he looks up with a little disappointment and a little hope on his face.
Maybe I like him too. I’ve always thought about him and what he thinks or what he’s doing. I used to think about us being a couple, and do that thing teenagers do. Denial. I wanted to stay in contact with him for the last four years. I only got in contact with JJ for a month and then he got bailed out of jail. I feel a lot of guilt building inside of me. Now the Peyton who had innocent thoughts began to show. I slowly embrace Michael, and he hugs me back. It seems like that hug he gave me when I was at my parents house, before he left to his own house. Memories began to come to my head. Not about any car crashes or family ones. Ones about Michael and I. The pictures, the letters, text messages, phone calls, the cellar, his brilliant ideas. Where have we gone wrong? What happened to us? I have the urge to kiss Michael, but I hear my name. I push Michael away and see JJ staring at us.
He knew what was going on. A romantic hug. I give him those eyes that say I-don’t-want-you-to-be-mad-at-me. He walks past us, to what seems to be angry. But he doesn’t seem angry. Something’s up, even Michael knows it; we both exchange glares.