School Bus [m. clifford]

89

By the time Christmas came around, and Laura actually came home, Michael had felt that maybe she was pulling away from him. He was fucking terrified.

She spent almost every moment with him, so he wasn't sure why he felt so unsure. But he did.

Laura was happy to be around Michael too. She was so happy to be home and finally be in his arms again. Though, she felt like something was off with Michael.

They were both happy to be together though. It was a strange time for both of them.

During the break they hung out with their friends as well. Most of the time in Calum's garage. Nothing felt different with them. Yeah, they all had new friends now, but that didn't change anything. They all loved each other.

Laura and Michael had a hard time a couple weeks after the break was over. They didn't classify it as a break up, though it essentially was. They had a long talk about how they should try seeing other people to see what it was like.

It was hard on both of them. Though, they had both done what they said. Laura had somebody in the same dorm as her. Michael had somebody he met in his classes.

That only lasted about a month though, because they both hated it. They hated not being together. They both hated the thought of the other with somebody else. Neither of them wanted to say anything. They were both worried about the same thing. What if the other liked being apart? That's why it took so long. Michael finally caved and told her he fucking hated it. She told him after that she hated it even more.

They needed the time apart. They needed to see other people. After that, there was no uncertainty. There weren't and weird feelings. Nothing felt off.

Everybody was back for spring break. At that point they were all talking to each other less. They were all so busy with school. But during the break they were able to catch up. It was like nothing changed.

As the end of the school year was coming to a close, both Laura and Michael had some big things going on, but they hadn't told each other yet.

"Laura, babe, I miss you so much. I can't wait for you to come home." Michael tells her over FaceTime, curling up in his bed.

"Michael, listen, we need to talk."

"Uh, okay..." Michael trails off, quickly beginning to panic. Was it finally happening? Did she finally snap? He was so scared. He just wanted her back in his arms. Thinking about her leaving him already had him tearing up.

"Babe, are you crying?"

"I don't want you to break up with me." He sniffles, blinking away his tears.

"I'm not! Oh my god, I have to get better with how I say things. I'm sorry."

"Fuck, Laur."

"But... I don't think you'll be too happy with what I'm going to say."

"Oh my god. Please just say it. I can't do this."

"I'm not coming home this summer."

Michael felt his heart drop. The tears immediately filled his eyes again.

"Sabrina, and I and two other girls we met recently are going to move into a house together. I'll be starting to pay rent right as schools ending. I have an amazing job lined up for after exams are done and I just... I have to stay." She continues, trying to explain her situation to Michael.

"Laur-"

"I really am sorry, I just can't give this job up. I want to be home with you so bad."

"Laur, it's okay. I understand. Please stop feeling bad about doing things that are good for yourself."

"I just love you so much. It fucking sucks."

"I can come help you move, if you'd like. My last exam is tomorrow."

"Are you going to miss any shifts at work?"

He sighs, "Oh, that. I quit. It was so awful, babe. Fuck. I know I shouldn't have until I found something else, but-"

"Michael, that's okay."

"I have something to tell you." Michael says, taking a deep breath.

"Fuck, you're not breaking up with me, right?"

"No, Laur, I just cried thinking you were dumping me. You'll probably be disappointed, though."

"What's going on?"

"So I have my last final tomorrow."

"Yeah..."

"But, it's my last. I'm dropping out. I'm finishing exams just to have the credits."

"Oh?" She says, surprised, "I know you wanted to."

"Yeah. Now I am. I can't do it. That's also why I'm looking for a different job. I need something with more hours. I need a full-time job now."

Laura pauses for a few moments, Michael could see her thinking intensely about something.

"Move in with us." She finally speaks up.

"What?"

"Lindsay's boyfriend is living with us. She's one of the other girls. Move in with me." Laura says, trying to hold back a smile, but failing. 

"Laur..." Michael trails off, unable to form a thought.

"I know it's sudden but... I mean, what's keeping you there now? You're not going to be in school anymore, you quit your job. We can find you something here. You talked about moving here, maybe this is it?"

"I- uh, yeah, I-"

"I'm sorry. You don't need an answer right now. I just thought... I don't know. I thought maybe it was a good idea, since, you know, you've mentioned it before." 

"I'd love that, Laur. Really. You know the reason why I've been having a hard time when thinking about moving."

"Your mom will be okay, Michael." Laura speaks softly, giving him a sad smile. 

He just sighs, not knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry. If you don't want to, I get it."

"I want to." He insists immediately.

They both sit in silence for a while. Neither of them really know what to say.

All Michael could think for months was how badly he wanted to be there with Laura. He had many conversations with Chloe about it. He's even talked to his mom about it. Laura was right, there's really not much holding him back. 

"I will." He speaks up.

"What?"

"I'll move in with you." Michael tells her, a smile across his lips.

Laura's whole face lights up, "Really?"

Michael nods, "Yeah. Not right away, though. I can still come help you move. Maybe I'll move there in a couple months. I obviously can't just leave right away."

"Really?"

He chuckles, "Laur, I've been saying since university started I wanted to move to be closer to you."

"I love you." She smiles, "I'm so happy."

"I love you, so much, Laur."

"You really want to move here?"

"Yes, Laur. You know that. We'll figure it out. We've got this."

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sorry it took me so long. I was trying to figure out how to write this in a way I didn't hate it. I couldn't figure it out. this is the last chapter. there's going to be two epilogues, I'll explain why after u read them u know??