Chapter2

#Chapter2

Challenge accepted

Lyric

I awoke to someone staring at me.

/"Ack!/" I fell out of bed.

/"Aww, that’s so sweet you fell for me. Although, it’s way too soon./" Michael leaned over the bed.

I glared at him and got up in a huff. /"Why are you here?/"

/"Well, it’s your bedroom./"

/"I know, you dolt! Why are you standing in my bedroom?/" I stomped my foot.

/"Because you need to get up, although you look cute when you drool and your face is all contorted, but I digress. Get dressed./"

/"What if I don’t want to get dressed?/"

/"Oh, it’s not a request. Either you dress, or I’ll dress you./" Michael smirked, crossing his arms.

/"You wouldn’t?/"

/"Do you want to find out?/" He arched an eyebrow.

/"Nope

/"Excellent choice./" He turned and left my room, closing the door behind him. What is wrong with this guy?

I got dressed and walked out of my bedroom. Then I made my way downstairs. He was waiting for me as Ma and Dad watched us. I walked over to him with my arms crossed. /"Okay, I got dressed now. Can I go back to my room?/"

/"Why? So, you can mope all day? I don’t think so./" He grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the house. We started arguing as he closed the door.

/"Why do I have a feeling I’ll have to talk to him?/" Dad asked Ma.

/"Because you will./" She giggled.

/"Isn’t he too old for her?/"

/"Nash, there is no age limit with love./" She shrugged, walking away.

*****

I got into Michael’s car. I didn’t want to be here and tried to stay locked away, not wanting to go out. I wanted people to leave me alone.

He got in and pulled out as I crossed my arms and sat there. I didn’t know where we were going and didn’t care. I didn’t want to be here.

Michael drove until he pulled into a parking spot.

/"Where are we?/" I looked around.

/"You’ll see. Come on./" He got out of the car and started walking up a path. Great. He left me here to die. Fine, so be it. I sat there and stewed until I heard a noise. Screw that. I refuse to have a bear eat me. Not today, Yogi, not today.

I ran up the path until I found Michael. He was sitting on a rock, looking out over the city. I took a seat next to him.

/"I came here after my parents died, and Uncle Mike came and got us. I couldn’t stand the hovering, but I also knew I had to take care of my sister and cousins. I couldn’t let them go to foster care. My parents would have hated it, and so would have my aunt and uncle./"

/"Didn’t you grieve?/"

/"When I was alone, I grieved. I couldn’t do it in front of my family while they were grieving. Mia would cry herself to sleep every night. Major and Maverick were on a downward spiral. None of us managed our grief well, so I remembered what my dad said./"

/"What was that? Live./"

/"No, grieve./" Michael looked at me. /"Grieve, cry, get angry, but grieve. Allow yourself to feel pain, then when you do, remember that you still have to live./"

I stared at him.

/"Lyric, get angry, cry, let it all out, but don’t jump into that grave with him./"

/"I can’t./"

/"Why not?/"

/"Because I can’t! Then it means he is dead! He’s never coming back! I hate him so much! Why did he leave? Why Michael? What did I do to make him leave? Why?/" I started sobbing. I was so angry, yet so lost.

He pulled me to him. /"You did nothing. It wasn’t your fault./"

/"But he said he loved me. If he loved me, then why did he leave me?/" I sobbed.

/"Because he was sick. Daniel had problems no one could stop. Even if you tried, it would still have happened. Lyric, you’re suffering from a broken heart. It’s okay. We all deal with a broken heart in our lives./" He stroked my hair as I cried.

That’s all I could do.

Michael was right. I needed to grieve, and that’s what I did. I grieved.

*****

Over the next few weeks, I cried. Michael sat with me as I cried. He offered comfort in a way I never expected. When you suffer a loss like us, it bonds you together.

I hope one day, I’ll stop crying.

*****

I woke up, rubbed my eyes, and sighed. I rolled over and hugged my pillow as my door opened, and in walked Michael. He walked over and took a seat on the bed next to me.

/"Good morning, sunshine,/" Michael said.

/"You are way too chipper in the morning. Do you know that?/"

/"Well, someone has to be since you’re a gloomy Gus./" He grinned.

I laughed at his ridiculous grin.

/"Ha! I got you to laugh!/"

I buried my head into my pillow and groaned. /"I don’t want to laugh./"

/"It’s too late. You already did./" Michael smirked. Ugh, I wanted to kill him for making me laugh, but I accepted defeat. I rolled onto my back.

/"Fine, you win. What do you have planned for today?/"

/"The beach. Get dressed./" He got off the bed. /"Oh, and wear a nice bikini./" He closed the door.

Okay, so Michael’s a perve. Fantastic.

I threw off the covers and crawled out of bed. I changed and realized I had lost weight. I ate a little because I hadn’t been hungry. I secured my bathing suit so it didn’t fall off, then I put on a top and shorts.

I grabbed my bag and walked out of my room. I didn’t know why my family felt the need to go to the beach. The last time I was at the beach was with Daniel. I refused to go back. It was too hard. I didn’t even know why I was going today.

*****

We pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. My siblings and cousins were already there, along with Michael’s family.

He looked at me. /"Ready?/"

/"No, but I don’t have a choice./" I didn’t want to be here.

/"Nope./" He smiled, walking towards them.

We walked up, and everyone was having fun.

/"It looks fun,/" he said.

I stood there.

/"But then again, if you prefer not to have fun, I can’t make you./" He shrugged.

I furrowed my brows at him.

/"But you’re more fun out of your siblings, or was that Lakin. Eh, I can’t keep you, girls, straight./" He walked away.

/"Wait. What?/" I ran after him. /"Hold up!/" I ran over and grabbed his arm, stopping him. /"I am way more fun than Lakin or the others./"

/"Oh, yeah?/"

/"Yeah!/"

/"Then prove it./" He walked away.

Ugh, I will prove to him I am way more fun than my siblings.

/"What is he doing?/" Larkin asked Maverick.

/"What Michael does best. Proving someone wrong./" He smirked.

I ran and jumped on Michael’s back. He stumbled forward before regaining his balance.

/"Excuse me, but I didn’t order a monkey on my back./"

/"Too bad, now give me a piggyback ride./"

/"Well, if you insist./" He shrugged.

Ha! Take that!

Then he hooked my legs with his arms and took off running. He ran into the water and jumped in with me still on his back. While we were in the water, he let go of me.

He popped his head, as did I.

/"Michael!/"

/"You said piggyback ride. You didn’t specify where./" Michael smiled. Damn it.

Then he started splashing me.

/"Stop it!/"

/"Nope./" He swam over to me and picked me up, tossing me into the water.

/"Michael!/"

That was it. I got tired of Michael’s shit, so I swam after him. We played in the water as the others watched us. Then they heard laughter.

/"It’s good to hear her laugh again,/" Marshall said.

/"Yeah, it is,/" Lex said.

I couldn’t help but laugh as we tried to outdo each other. It felt good to laugh again.

*****

I sat on the beach, watching the sunset, when Michael took a seat next to me.

/"Thank you,/" I said, glancing at him.

/"For what?/"

/"For this, it felt good to laugh./" I moved my hand through the sand.

/"I’m glad./" He smiled. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before he said, /"You have a beautiful smile. You should show it more often./" He stood up and walked away.

My eyes widened as my jaw dropped, watching him walk away. Oh, boy.