REJECTS\\M.C.

-53-

-mikey-

Mikey's head pounds when his alarm goes off, having stayed up far too late calling and text Hannah. No response. But he quickly gets out of bed, ready to meet Hannah at the corner and make sure she is alright. He showers and dresses, leaving without the toast his mum made and hurries to the road sign.

He taps his feet as he stares down the road, waiting for Hannah to leave her house but she never does. His stomach begins to churn as he takes out his phone, his hands shaking as he calls her. It goes to voicemail so he calls again, staring down the road as his eyes well.

"Pick up, Hannah, pick up," he whispers to himself as his jaw begins to tremble.

It goes to voicemail just as his phone pings in his hand, a text from Hannah there on his screen when he pulls his hand away.

H: sorry I'm not feeling well.

M: are you okay?
M:you didn't answer my last night
M Hannah tell me the truth
M: what happened?

H: I just don't feel good. Im sick. I love you Michael.

Mikey stares down the road, tempted to go to her, but he hears the bell ring for school and sighs before he continues his journey. He goes straight to his locker, already late to go to Zero Period. He runs his fingers over her books, so worried about her he thinks he might be sick.

School passes by in a blur; Calum feeling guilty for upsetting her as Tannar stresses about her safety. All of it putting Mikey on edge and he practically jumps out of his desk as the last bell rings. But before he makes it to the door, Ms. Meridan rushes to him.

"Michael," she blurts out, catching his arm.

"Ms. Meridan," Mikey sighs, willing to stop for her but really not wanting to.

"Is Hannah okay?"

The question guts him, not having the answer but also desperately wishing he could tell someone. But he replays Hannah's confession of telling him how a teacher didn't care. He knows Ms. Meridan isn't that teacher, but he can't tell her. Not after lying got him here already.

"She's sick," he says but he feels his eyes well and she nods, letting him go.

"Then go check on her," she whispers, her eyes beginning to brim as well and he nods before he takes off to Hannah's house.

His heart pounds in his chest as he runs to her house, stopping to walk when he reaches halfway down Willow. His chest heaves, from the running but also with concern. He notices her father's car in the driveway, his stomach tightening as he wonders if he is putting her at risk before he finds himself walking up the steps. He has to see she is physically okay. He has to know.

He knocks on the door and waits, his foot tapping nervously as he comes up with a plan when we realizes her dad could answer the door. He will just pretend he's there about tutoring; to ask what date they are rescheduling to. There is no answer as he thinks of his plan, so he knocks again. The door clicks, the bolt lock releasing, and he swallows, doing his best to prepare. But nothing prepares him for the battered state of the person he loves most on this planet.

The right side of Hannah's face is pink, irritated skin with two dark purple spots. The whole socket and tissue beneath her eye are also purple, the skin puffy and swollen. Mikey's eyes water as he stares into her gorgeous blue eyes, the right glowing the most from a bright red busted vein in the outer corner of her eye.

He blinks as she puts her finger to her lips and her eyes water, but she asks in a very steady but hoarse voice, not sounding like herself, "What do you want Michael?"