Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jeremy: hey Michael, are you going to Brooke’s party tonight?

Michael: i don't know, maybe

Michael: it depends on how many people will be there. don’t want a repeat of last halloween.

Jeremy: it’s supposed to be a pretty lowkey party. it’ll just be Brooke, Chloe, Rich, Jake, Jenna, Christine, me, and hopefully you.

Jeremy: I really think you should come, it’ll be fun! there won’t be any drugs or alcohol involved.

Michael: alright then, i’ll come.

Michael: i’ll pick you up at 7.

Jeremy: okay, I’ll be ready :)

Chapter Text

Michael: i’m here, you ready?

Michael put his phone in his pocket and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. Tonight, he would be going to a party with Jeremy. Jeremy, his best friend of twelve years. Jeremy, who he almost lost forever to the SQUIP.

Michael hadn’t gone to a party since last Halloween. It had been six months now, since the big party and since his big panic attack.

He started going to therapy about a month after the events of the party. He realized that there were some things that he just couldn’t handle on his own, and his moms told him that they would support him every step of the way. In hindsight, he definitely should have started sooner, but he was afraid to admit that he needed help.

Michael also hadn’t smoked weed or drank any alcohol for over three months. That was a quarter of a year that he had remained completely sober, and he was feeling great. Every now and then, his anxiety would creep up on him, and the voices in his head would begin to drive him mad.

As Michael felt himself start to reminisce on things that he would have rather kept out of his head, his phone dinged. A text from Jeremy.

Jeremy: yeah, I’m almost ready. my dad wanted me to clean my room first.

Michael: okay, i’m in the driveway whenever you're ready.

Twelve years, Michael thought, is a long ass time to be friends with someone. That’s longer than most bands stay together. As if on cue, a song by My Chemical Romance came on the radio. “Oh hell yeah!” Michael turned up the volume, and felt his spirits rising. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Text

“He caught you doing what ?” Michael stopped at the red light before looking over at Jeremy, incredulity painted on his face.

“Don’t make me say it again!” Jeremy replied, his hands covering his face due to his embarrassment. “I told him to knock for a reason!”

“You gotta stop jerking off when your dad’s home, dude.” The light turned green and Michael turned left.

“I thought he was asleep! Besides, he never leaves the house anymore, except for work.” Jeremy tossed his hands up in protest. It was the little things, the conversations like these, that Michael absolutely lived for.

“Exactly.” Michael teased, and Jeremy stuck his tongue out at him as if he were a five-year-old boy. Michael pulled into Brooke’s neighborhood and asked, “What’s the house number again?”

“Let me check.” Jeremy pulled up Brooke’s address on his phone. “It’s 1817, so it should only be a couple more houses down. On the left, probably.”

Jeremy and Michael scanned the houses until they found Brooke’s house, which was on the left, just as Jeremy had predicted. Michael parked by the mailbox since the driveway was already full. He could see Chloe’s car, Rich’s car, and another one that he didn’t recognize.

He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side and opened Jeremy’s door for him. “Why thank you,” Jeremy said in reply. The boys walked up to the front door, which Brooke had left unlocked for them. Michael opened the door for Jeremy and closed it behind them.

A voice that could only be Rich’s was heard from the kitchen. “Yo, dudes, Jeremy and Michael are here!” Everyone cheered and came into the hallway where Jeremy and Michael were standing. Hugs and greetings were exchanged between the group and eventually Brooke led everyone to the basement.

The basement was set up with a table, refreshments, and a horde of snacks which included but wasn’t limited to oreos, popcorn, an assortment of chips and cookies, brownies, pretzels, goldfish, and fruit roll-ups.

“Daaaaamn, Brooke!” Rich said, approaching the table. “You’ve got the fucking mother lode!”

“What else would you expect from me?” Brooke replied, her signature smile on her face. Half of her hair was tied up in a cute messy bun, the other half of it cascading down her back. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she gave what she called “the grand tour.”

The basement was home to a pool table (which doubled as a ping pong table), a foosball machine, an air hockey table, and a pinball machine. Her basement brought the best forms of entertainment to Michael and Jeremy’s fingertips.

There was also a large, flatscreen TV with a variety of gaming systems such as an Xbox, a PlayStation, and even a Wii. Their options for the night were endless.

“What do you guys wanna do first?” Brooke asked the group.

“I say we eat first,” This, of course, came from Rich, who was practically foaming at the mouth from the sight of all the food Brooke had set out. “No objections.”

Everyone else seemed to agree, so they all grabbed whatever snacks they were craving and sat down on the huge couch which was parked between the TV and the various tables.

Chloe hooked up her phone to a wireless speaker that she had brought and turned on her “Party Jams” playlist. The group ate their snacks and sang along to various mainstream songs that even Michael knew.

After a bit, when everyone had finished eating, Chloe dramatically flopped on the couch after throwing her paper plate away. “ Guuuuyssss ,” she whined, “I'm booooored .”

“Maybe we should play a game,” Christine suggested. She had been unusually quiet that night, and everyone hoped that she was doing okay.

Rich, on the other hand, simply burped loudly in response, causing the entire group to laugh. It was obvious that Christine was faking it, her laugh never sounded so high pitched.

“Real talk, though,” Jenna put on a malicious smile and rubbed her hands together. “We should play Spin the Bottle .” Chloe and Brooke looked at each other and then away awkwardly. That was weird. Michael thought to himself. I’ll never understand girls.

Brooke fetched an empty bottle of Strawberry Fanta, still seeming awkward. “Who’s going to start us off?” She asked the group.

“I will!” Rich smiled suavely and reached over to grab the bottle. It spun and spun until finally landing on Jenna. “Come here, bitch!” She yelled at him and he planted a kiss on her lips. “Love you, bitch!” He told her before moving onto the next person.

Brooke spun the bottle tentatively and bit her lip as it went round and round before it slowed to a stop. Brooke looked to see who the bottle ended up pointing at and saw that it had landed on Chloe, whose cheeks reddened faster than the speed of light. “We don’t have to do this, you know.” She leaned in and whispered to Chloe.

“No, no, it’s okay.” Chloe blushed and pushed a strand of hair behind Brooke's ear, who then blushed as well.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Rich whispered to Jeremy.

“If you’re seeing Brooke and Chloe looking like they’re about to make out, then yeah.” Jeremy replied, wide eyed. In that moment, it was like everyone was collectively holding their breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

Chapter Text

“We don’t have to do this, you know.” Brooke whispered to Chloe.

“No, no, it’s okay.” Chloe smiled at Brooke. “I think it’s time we told them.” She said so softly that even Brooke could barely hear her. Chloe blushed and pushed a fallen strand of hair behind Brooke's ear, causing her to blush as well.

“I think you’re right.” Brooke agreed, and Chloe decided that the blush on her cheeks was her new favorite shade of pink. The two could hear the rest of the group whispering around them, but they decided not to care.

Finally, Brooke placed her hand on Chloe’s cheek and kissed her. This wasn’t just any kiss, this kiss was deep and loving. It was clear to everyone that Brooke and Chloe weren’t just best friends anymore.

When the two pulled apart, hearts pounding and smiles wide, the group was looking at them with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Jenna was the one to break the silence. “Do you two care to explain what the fuck just happened here?”

Chloe chuckled in response. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“How long?” Jake asked.

“Almost two months now.” Brooke looked at Chloe and took her hand, intertwining their fingers.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Christine inquired. “You two are so cute, by the way.”

“Aw, thank you!” Brooke’s blush deepened, and she responded with, “We just didn’t know how you guys would react. You guys know that I’m pan, but Chloe wasn’t ready to come out yet, so we kept it to ourselves.”

“I may—or may not—have known.” Rich had a slight look of guilt on his face.

“You what? How? Since when?” Chloe let go of Brooke’s hand to point an accusatory finger at Rich, confusion all over her face.

“I kinda sorta saw you two making out behind Pinkberry.” Rich admitted. “Also, haven’t you guys seen the way they look at each other? It’s pretty obvious.”

“How did I never notice that before?” Jeremy questioned. “My gaydar must be out of practice.”

“I kind of had a feeling,” Michael stuffed his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. “I saw the looks, too. It’s the way Christine and Jeremy look at each other.”

Christine’s expression turned from one of happiness for Chloe and Brooke to one of sad nostalgia. She wiped her nose before asking Brooke where the bathroom was and taking her leave as soon as she got an answer.

“Is it what I said?” Michael asked the group, a frown on his face. He didn't mean to upset Christine like this, but it seemed like he did anyway. No matter what his intentions, Michael always seemed to be able to mess things up.

“Probably. You said ‘look’ as in present tense, instead of ‘looked’ like past tense.” Jeremy supplied an answer. “Don’t feel bad though. It isn’t your fault, dude.” Jeremy put a reassuring hand on Michael’s back. His touch lingered for a moment too long before he awkwardly put his hands in his lap.

“Man, I feel really bad now. Should I go and apologize?”

“No, I’ll go check on her. I think I know what this is about.” Brooke assured Michael before leaving the room to find Christine.

“Who would have thought that the two of you would get together?” Jake smiled at Chloe.

“It took us a while, but I think that after dating so many different guys we both just came to realize that what we really wanted was right in front of us.” Chloe holds her face up with her hands. “Shit, this girl makes me so sappy.”

“Happens to the best of us, Chlo.” Rich patted her on the back, jokingly reassuring. “I was wondering which of us you would seduce next.” Rich added before dodging a punch from Chloe.

“Rude! You know I’ve only dated Jake!” Chloe barked defensively, crossing her arms.

“Sorry, Chlo. You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I wonder what Christine’s so upset about.” Jeremy changed the subject.

“I hope it isn’t what I said.” Michael frowned, looking down at the floor.

“No, Christine has been acting weird for a while. Something is definitely up.” Jenna shook her head. “And for once, I have no idea what's happening.”

“I’m sure she’ll be okay.” Jeremy had the pretense of reassuring the others, but it was really him who needed to be reassured. What if Christine was mad at him for breaking up with her? They had made a mutual decision to break up, but he was the one who initiated it. Even though the two were broken up, he still wanted to be a part of Christine’s life and be her friend. Sinking into the couch, Jeremy sighed, hoping that he hadn’t royally fucked up.

Chapter Text

Jeremy: is everything ok, Chris?

Jeremy: please don’t be mad at me.

Jeremy:  I never meant to hurt you.

Jeremy: I hope you know that.

Jeremy wasn’t usually one to spam somebody with messages, but he was worried about Christine, and she wasn’t responding to him. He was trying not to panic, and Michael noticed his breathing quicken.

“Jeremy, is everything okay?” Michael leaned over, bumping Jeremy with his shoulder to catch his attention.

“Huh?” Jeremy looked up from his phone and over at Michael. “Oh. Yeah, I’m okay. Just worried about Christine, is all. I think she’s mad at me.”

Michael furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Why would she be mad at you? For breaking up with her?” Jeremy just nodded in response. “That was a long time ago, Jer. I’m sure she’s moved on already.”

“That’s what I thought, too. But she’s been weird lately, and I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault somehow.”

“Not trying to be rude here, dude, but it isn’t always about you, or any of us for that matter. Something could be happening with her family.” In comforting Jeremy, Michael was able to comfort himself as well. Surely Christine’s sadness wasn’t his fault. Something could have been happening at home.

“Yeah, you’re right, Michael. Thanks for straightening me out.” Jeremy shut off his phone and let himself relax a bit.

“What am I here for if not to drag you out of your existential crises by the ear?” Michael pointed out, poking Jeremy's arm playfully.

“Shut up.” Jeremy punched Michael's shoulder lightly. The two of them continued to talk between themselves, and they didn't notice the others watching them from the other side of the room.

“So,” Rich whispered to the group, “how much longer until they get together?”

“I give them a couple of months.” Chloe whispered back with a shrug.

“You have too much faith in them. I give them until the end of the year, maybe during summer.” Jenna flipped her hair over to her other shoulder. “You’re with me, right Rich?”

“I actually have to side with Chloe on this one. They've known each other for their whole lives. They can only continue to be oblivious dumbasses for so long.” Rich high-fived Chloe, who said, “I told you!”

“No, you guys. I think you’re  overestimating those two. If they haven’t gotten together already, it’s unlikely that it’ll happen within the next few months. But by the end of the year, they’ll probably have to figure it out.” Jake argued his side of the debate.

“How about a bet, then?” Chloe suggested, rubbing her hands together. The group was distracted when Brooke and Christine came back into the room and rejoined the group. Christine’s eyes were red and a bit puffy, but she was smiling.

“What are we talking about?” She asked, taking her seat next to Brooke.

“We’re making bets on how long until Michael and Jeremy get together.” Rich explained. “Look at them over there. It’s bound to happen soon.” Christine followed Rich’s gaze to the two boys who were, ironically, sat on the love seat. In that moment, Christine felt so dumb.

“How did I never realize that before?” Christine couldn't believe herself. Usually she was so good at picking up on this kind of stuff. But then again, she didn’t think Jeremy liked her more than a friend until he asked her out at the Halloween party.

“You probably just didn’t want to believe it.” Jenna suggested. “Sorry, we keep bringing it up.”

“No, no, it’s okay.” Christine assured her. “I’m over him, I swear. We just weren’t right for each other. I can see now that Jeremy and Michael are.”

“So, do you want in on our bet?” Chloe asked. “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“What are the stakes?” Brooke questioned.

“We haven’t decided yet.” Jenna looked up at the ceiling, and the group could practically see the gears turning in her head. “Oh, I’ve got it! The losing group has to buy the winning group whatever they want from Pinkberry.”

“Perfect.” Rich looked over at Brooke and Christine. “So, whose side are you on? Chloe and I say they’ll get together within a few months, but Jenna and Jake say anytime between the end of the school year and summertime.”

“I’m definitely with Jenna and Jake.” Brooke announced. “Chloe and I just got together, and they aren’t gonna want to steal our cute couple thunder anytime soon.”

“I’m with Chloe and Rich. They’ll have to realize their feelings for each other sooner or later.” Christine guessed with a shrug.

Chloe smiled almost devilishly “It is on! May the best team win.”

Chapter Text

It was getting late, and Brooke had turned on the TV. Chloe manned the remote, and they had picked Heathers for the group to watch. The lights had been turned off long ago, and everyone was cuddled up in blankets on the couches.

Everyone seemed to be sucked into the movie, even Jake was rapt. “I can’t believe you’ve never seen this movie before!” Chloe gasped. “You’ve been so deprived. You’ll absolutely love Veronica.”

It was only Jeremy and Michael who weren’t paying attention, which was odd for them. They love old movies, especially 80s movies. But they had been talking all night, and they just couldn’t stop. Every now and then they would have nights like these, where their conversations would get deeper and deeper the longer they talked.

The movie was turned up loud, and the boys talked low enough that only they could hear themselves. They were sharing a blanket, and were closer to each other than either of them realized.

“Remember that time when we were twelve and I skinned my knee biking to 7-Eleven?” Michael and Jeremy had been reminiscing on their friendship for at least an hour. “You ditched your bike on the side of the road and ran over to check on me. I wasn’t bleeding, but it still hurt like hell and I was crying. You helped me up and wiped my tears away.” Michael smiled, remembering the moment.

“I remember thinking that there was no one else I would have rather been there with than you. You didn’t laugh at me, like the other neighbors would have done. You were genuinely concerned. You made me feel cared for, which I’d only ever felt from three other people in my life.” Michael's smile wavered, thinking of his family.

“You don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to, Michael.” Jeremy said softly, tracing circles into Michael’s hand with his thumb, which he had unintentionally taken. “I know that it’s hard for you, and I don’t want to make you upset.”

“No, it’s okay. I should talk about him more. I want to talk about him.” Michael took a deep breath. “Growing up with Nick was… it was so great.” Michael swallowed hard before continuing. “He used to chase me around the yard, and I would always end up in the grass with him tickling me. Other times we would hide things around for the other to find. One time he hid my glasses in the bushes, and I looked everywhere for them, but I couldn’t find them. The fact that they were my only pair definitely didn’t help.” Michael chuckled, and a wave of nostalgia passed over him.

“I looked and looked, but they were nowhere to be seen. Eventually, I went to my moms, crying, and they helped me find them. Nick thought it was funny, but I sure didn’t. I had only been wearing glasses for a couple of months, and I was terrified of losing them for good. Money was tight at the time, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get another pair for a while if we couldn’t find them.” Michael reached over for his glasses, which he had discarded a little while ago, and put them back on.

“That was after Mama quit her job, and things got really tough for us. There was a time where we thought we were going to lose the house.” Michael felt his throat caving in as he remembered how hard things were for a while.

“I remember that. I was so scared that you were going to move away and that I wouldn’t have my best friend anymore.” Jeremy sighed, looking up at Michael. He had been avoiding his eyes. “You called me that night, telling me that you might have to leave. I locked myself in my room and cried all night. The next morning my dad came in and I told him everything. He tried to comfort me, but he didn’t understand.” Jeremy cut himself off, almost as if he was keeping himself from saying too much.

“I meant it when I told you that you’re my favorite person, you know. I wasn’t kidding. You’ve always been my favorite person. You were then, and you are now, and you always will be. When I thought you were going to move away, I wasn’t just going to lose my best friend, but my person .” Jeremy shook his head and laughed a little. “That probably sounds so stupid.”

“No,” Michael replied. “That doesn’t sound stupid at all.” Michael was melting. “I know exactly what you mean.” He was too far gone. If he wasn’t before, he damn well was then. “Just so you know, you’re my favorite person too.”

Jeremy smiled at Michael, and Michael saw the light of the world in eyes. Jeremy and Christine had been broken up for a while now. Maybe now Michael would have a chance with him.

“Jeremy, I-“ Michael stopped himself. Was he really about to do this? At a party, in Brooke's basement, of all places? Michael was conflicted. Part of him just wanted to shoot his shot and get it over with, because there’s no time like the present, right? But the other part of him was yelling at him to stop before he ruined their friendship further. Maybe it just wasn’t the right time.

He probably should have waited. But he didn’t want to wait anymore. He had waited for twelve years already. He was tired of it.

“Yeah, Michael?” Jeremy raised his eyebrows in curiosity. A moment passed and Michael still hadn't spoken. In a desperate need to fill the silence, Jeremy blurted, “Michael, I… I think I’m bi.”

Michael's eyes shot back up to Jeremy’s. “W-what? Really?”

Jeremy chucked. “Heh. Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck, visibly nervous. “I gotta be honest, that’s not the reaction I was expecting.” What could a little more honesty hurt? Jeremy really needed to learn how to close that big mouth of his.

“Fuck, Jer, I’m sorry. I just didn’t see that coming.” Michael bit his lip, avoiding Jeremy’s eyes. “You probably already know this, but uh…” Just spit it out, Michael! His mind screamed at him. Get it over with! “I'm… gay.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “O-oh. Yeah. Wow.” His dumbfounded look turned to one of his goofy smiles.

“Yeah.” Michael smiled back stiffly. The air around them had become awkward. This hadn’t gone as smoothly as Michael had hoped, but at least he was able to come out to Jeremy this time.

“I, uh, I think I’m going to go and check on Christine. But uh, I’m glad we had this talk, Michael.” Jeremy squeezed Michael’s shoulder, Michael nodded at him, and he walked away. Michael watched him as he got up and walked over to Christine, who was parked on one of the other couches underneath a lime green blanket.

Fuck, Michael thought. That got awkward as hell. I really hope I didn’t just screw things up.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Christine, Brooke. How’s the movie?” Jeremy asked, sitting himself down next to Christine.

“It’s... so… good!” Christine replied between bites of popcorn, spirits clearly lifted.

“How’s everything with Michael?” Brooke questioned, and Chloe paused the movie, clearly intrigued. “He was looking a little sad over there earlier.”

“He’s alright, he was just talking about his brother Nick.” Jeremy lowered his voice to make sure that Michael wouldn't be able to hear him before speaking again. “He committed suicide when Michael was ten.”

“Fuck,” Chloe frowned, her face scrunching up in sympathy. “That's terrible.”

“I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for him.” Christine added. “I bet you were there for him every step of the way, though. He’s lucky to have you by his side.”

“That’s a really nice thing to say, Chris, thank you.” Jeremy smiled at her before telling them the news. “Anyway, after that I told him that I’m bi, which, surprise by the way.” Jeremy chuckled and did jazz hands.

“Bitch, we been knew.” Chloe told him bluntly.

“Shut up!” Jeremy laughed. “That's not the biggest news. Michael told me that he’s-“ Jeremy stopped himself. It isn’t my place to tell them this. He thought. It’s one thing to tell them that I’m bi, but I can’t out Michael if he isn’t ready for them to know. He came out to me because he trusts me, and I can’t go breaking that trust now.

“That he’s-“ Jeremy struggled to come up with an alternate announcement and the group looked at him with confusion. “That he’s thinking about getting another tattoo! Awesome, right? Anyway, uh, I think I gotta head out, but it was great seeing you guys!”

“You’re leaving already?” Brooke asked, her mouth contorted into a frown. “But the movie isn’t over yet.” She gestured to the TV with her left hand.

“Come on, Brooke. He wasn’t even watching.” Chloe nodded her head in Michael’s direction to clarify.

“Ahh, right.” Brooke got up to give Jeremy a hug. “Well, thanks for coming! I had a lot of fun, and we should definitely hang soon.”

Jeremy made his way around the group, saying his goodbyes and giving hugs. He woke up Jake and Rich, who were fast asleep and (unintentionally) spooning under a striped blanket, and told them goodbye. He walked back over to Michael and said, “Michael, get up. We’re leaving, and I’m driving.”

Michael gave Jeremy a look of confusion, but stood up nonetheless. “We’re leaving already?”

“Yeah, I’m taking you somewhere.”

“Where?”

“Why don’t you come with me and find out?” Jeremy smiled, wiggling his eyebrows goofily.

Michael smiled back at Jeremy, who extended his hand. Michael gladly took it, dropping the keys in his other hand. Michael made his way around the group, saying his goodbyes.

Brooke walked Jeremy and Michael upstairs to the front door, and waved goodbye to them as they left. She smiled to herself as she locked the door behind them. I might just be buying Chloe frozen yogurt from Pinkberry soon if these two keep it up.

She rejoined the group, cuddled up to Chloe, and they finished the movie together. Jake and Rich had fallen back asleep, and Jenna was on her phone, probably scrolling through Instagram or Twitter.

Brooke looked over at Christine, who she could tell was feeling much better. When Brooke had gone to check on her, Christine was sobbing her eyes out in the bathroom. Brooke asked her what was wrong, and Christine told her everything.

Christine, who was the youngest of six kids, often felt unseen by her parents. She thought that she could win their affection by doing theater, which worked to a certain extent. They attended her first few shows before losing interest and asking her why she wouldn’t just sign up for sports instead like her older siblings did.

As you can imagine, this made Christine very upset. Being compared to her older siblings was something that she hated so much. Why should she have to be just like them because they’re related? What did it matter that she was the first of six kids not to do sports?

All of her brothers did football and baseball, and her sisters did soccer and track. Christine loved going to their games and meets, but never wanted to do it herself. Her passion was always in the arts, and nothing could ever change that for her. Lately, Christine had been feeling very insecure about her lack of athletic ability and had been questioning her worth.

She was worried that her parents loved her less because of her passions. Brooke assured her that no good parent would ever treat their child in such a way, and told her that she should talk to them about how she was feeling. Christine and Brooke bonded that night, and Christine hoped that they would be able to hang out soon.

Growing up, Christine had a friend group consisting of three other girls, Louise, Dahlia, and Jenny. They all told each other everything, they had sleepovers, and helped each other with homework. They were best friends, and Christine loved them all dearly. The older they got, the more their group fell apart.

First, Dahlia moved to North Carolina, and then Jenny completely distanced herself from Christine and Louise, having decided that she was “too cool” for them. After that it was just Chris and Lou against the world. The girls were about thirteen at the time, and they were closer than ever. As time passed Christine started to notice Lou acting weirdly around her.

She interrogated Lou to find out what was wrong. She insisted that nothing was wrong, but Christine pressed. Either Lou had changed, or Christine didn’t actually know her best friend at all. Eventually, Lou came clean, admitting that she had a huge crush on Christine, and that she had for a while.

Christine felt the information hit her like a ton of bricks. This was the last thing that she had expected Louise to say. Scared and confused, Christine stayed away from Louise for a while. She didn’t know how to process her feelings, hell, she didn’t even know what she was feeling, just that whatever it was made her heart ache.

A couple months later, after they had started the eighth grade, Christine found out that Louise had been admitted into a mental hospital due to multiple occasions of self harm and suicide attempts. Christine went to visit Lou, but she refused to see her. Christine talked to her parents, who told her to stay away, and that she wasn’t good for Louise.

Christine hated herself for the longest time because of this. She had lost her best friend, and it was her own fault. She had ruined everything. Lou avoided her at every turn, and even reconnected with Jenny. The two became best friends again, and Christine was more alone than ever.

She stuffed her feelings down and decided that the only way to make herself feel better would be to step into the life of someone else. Acting became her saving grace, and she poured her heart and soul into it.

Christine had never dated anybody until Jake. She was naive and couldn’t see past Jake’s supposed affection towards her. When Jeremy started to show interest in her, she decided to ignore it and kept her guard up. She really liked Jeremy, and she wouldn’t dare ruin the great friendship they had going.

After the events of the play, she decided to give Jeremy a chance. What they had was great—much better than what she had with Jake, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was a second choice for Jeremy. It was at the party that she finally realized who she was second to. How didn’t I see it before? She thought, feeling dumb. Jeremy and Michael had been best friends for almost their whole lives, of course they would end up together.

Watching the two of them at the party, Christine could tell that the way they felt about each other transcended any other love Christine had ever seen before. It was only a matter of time for them. Christine couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever find someone like that.

Everyone around her seemed to be in a relationship. Brooke and Chloe were dating, Jeremy and Michael would get together in a matter of months, maybe even sooner, and Jake and Rich were all over each other. Christine had never felt more alone, despite her conversation with Brooke.

I’ll find my person one day. She told herself. And it’ll be super worth it. Christine frowned at herself. Not even she was convinced. She sighed, returning her gaze to the movie. The end credits rolled, and Chloe got up and stretched. It looked like the party was coming to an end, and she had to drive herself home.

Christine peeled herself off the couch, folding the blanket Brooke had lended her. She said goodbye to everyone, preparing to leave. Brooke gave her a tight hug and whispered in her ear, “It’s going to be okay, Chris. Call me if you need anything.” Christine smiled at her as they pulled apart.

“Thank you so much, Brooke. For this, for the party, everything. I’ll see you soon.” Maybe everything really would be okay for Christine. She just had to keep being her positive and optimistic self.

Chapter Text

“Can I open my eyes yet?” Michael asked from the passenger seat of his car, which was unusual for him. More often than not, he was the one driving. He had his fingers covering his eyes for extra measure.

“Almost,” Jeremy replied as they turned into the 7-Eleven parking lot. He pulled into a parking spot by the main doors of the building and pulled the key out of ignition. He admired the Pac-Man shaped key chain it was on before pocketing the keys and saying, “Not yet.”

Jeremy got out of the car and walked around to open the passenger door. “Jer, c’mon. Can’t I open them yet? It’s been like 10 minutes.” Jeremy takes Michael’s hand and helps him out of the car.

“Yeah, why not,” Jeremy replied, not wanting to torture Michael any further. “We’re here now, so sure.” He slammed the car door shut and Michael opened his eyes.

When he saw the lit up 7-Eleven sign, the biggest smile sprouted on his face. “C’mon, Michael. I’m buying.” Jeremy offered his hand, and Michael took it sheepishly.

The two boys waltzed into the store, hand in hand. Jeremy even held the door open for Michael. Michael took a deep breath, soaking up the atmosphere of the beloved building. He should have known Jeremy would bring him here. Why he hadn’t, he was still unsure, but he couldn’t complain.

“Lead the way.” Jeremy put his arm out as if to say, after you. “The store is your oyster.”

Michael furrowed his brows at that. “The fuck did you just say?”

“You know, like that saying, ‘the world is your oyster’?” Jeremy tried to explain, but Michael just looked at him with a blank expression. “Have you never heard that?”

“Nope,” Michael shook his head, and then the boys were silent for a moment. The next, they were doubled over, laughing at nothing and everything at the same time. “We’re so fucking weird.” Michael laughed as he pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

“Agreed,” Jeremy chuckled as the boys walked to the slushees. “So, what’ll it be, Sir Michael? You have the flavor options of cherry, Coca-Cola, blue raspberry, mango, and watermelon.” Jeremy said in his best presenter voice.

Michael furrowed his eyebrows and stroked his chin, as if this was a very difficult decision and he hadn’t bought dozens of slushees from that very store before. “I choose… you!” He pointed at the cherry slushee nozzle.

“Sir Michael has spoken! Tonight’s champion is cherry!” He grabbed a cup from the stack and filled it up for Michael. “As for me, it’ll have to be blue raspberry.” Michael grinned as Jeremy filled up his cup as well. Something about that boy made his heart dance like one of those ballerinas in the Nutcracker, which Christine had dragged their friend group to see last December.

“Do you want anything else? Any snacks?” Jeremy questioned as the two boys paced through the store.

“Hmm, I’m thinking maybe some Sour Patch Kids and Mike & Ike’s.” Michael picked up the candy boxes in question.

“Good choice.” Jeremy nodded and smiled in approval. “I’m going to grab Peanut M&Ms and an Almond Joy.” Jeremy’s breath caught as his hand grazed past a tin of Wintergreen Tic-Tacs. He stepped back, and the candy dropped from his hand.

“Woah, Jeremy, is everything okay?” Michael set his stuff down and turned to Jeremy, whose breath had quickened to a worrying pace.

“No, no no no no-“ was all Jeremy could say. Thoughts raced through his head, and he could have sworn he heard whispers of Keanu Reeves.

“Jeremy, hey, look at me. Look at me, please!” Michael grabbed Jeremy’s face with both hands and made him look at him. Jeremy looked taken aback. “Listen to me. The only voice in your head is yours. That thing is never coming back. It can’t hurt you. I won’t let it take you away from me ever again, I promise. You’re okay. You’re safe.

“Now, I want you to take some deep breaths with me, okay?” Jeremy nodded in response. “Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, and now breathe out for four.” Jeremy exhaled and shook his head, like he was shaking off the SQUIP. “Okay now?”

“Yeah, I am.” Jeremy swallowed. “Thank you, Michael. That helped a lot. I can’t believe that just happened.”

“It’s okay, Jeremy.” Michael replied, wrapping his arms around his best friend. “You’re safe with me, and I’ll be there for you if this happens again.”

Jeremy smiled softly, hugging Michael back. “Thank you.”

“Now,” Michael started as he let go, wrapping his arm around Jeremy’s shoulder, “whaddaya say we get out of here and go play video games at my house. Your pick.”

“That would be awesome.” The boys picked up their snacks and drinks, paid for them, and left, knowing that everything had changed, but yet, everything was just the same as it had always been.