Chapter 14 - "I'm going to need your muscles."

"You will have all week as well as the weekend to complete this history project," Mr. Helmich said. "That means you will have no excuse for it not to be done come Monday." He smiled, a grin that stretched across his broad face. "This is an easy project, viewing history through something that you love. It's a piece of cake."

Definitely was. Though Courtney was still on the fence about cake right then. Maybe one day she would make peace with cake again.

The bell rang.

"Okay, have a good day. Tomorrow your essays are due."

The class rose and gathered up their stuff, streaming towards the door. Courtney hung back, the stream too strong to handle with crutches. As she finally exited, she found Aubrey waiting for her.

"Are you coming to practice?" she asked. "It's really not the same without you."

Behind Courtney, someone snorted and a second later Max walked by. Aubrey stared at her retreating back.

"What's her problem?" she asked.

"She has some cliché hatred of me that I'm hoping will eventually fade."

"Seriously?"

Yup and it's getting a bit annoying.

"It's whatever. Lynn's doing a good job with the squad, right?"

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "She's amazing and knows so much. But, I don't know. It just feels different when you're there. Brighter."

She laughed at how silly that sounded even though Courtney held onto the words.

"Well, Coach said I should be back on my foot...feet, come Friday so I'll at least sit in for Friday practice."

Aubrey clapped in excitement. "Good! I should head to practice. I'm glad you'll be back."

That makes two of us. Friday can not come fast enough.

Courtney headed towards the parking lot, scanning the mass of fleeing students for Micah. Fleeing might be dramatic but from the look of it, some of these people looked like prisoners set free.

Courtney didn't find Micah but Aiden found her. They stood before each other in some strange limbo of not talking and having too much to say.

"Look," Aiden said. "I'm sorry about Saturday, I shouldn't have kissed you."

Courtney relaxed a bit even though Aiden looked agitated.

"This whole thing is confusing."

Confusing when you were the one to dump me? Not sure that makes sense.

"I really miss you, Cory. And I made a mistake by breaking up with you."

"But you did it for football because it was the best thing for your future."

He dragged a hand through his hair and looked around him. "It's complicated."

Oh yay, exactly what my life needs more of, complication. She did not have the energy for this. Not after dealing with Lynn and her friendship still dangling over a cliff edge. Man, she hated cliffhangers.

"Aiden," she said. "I need time and I think you do too."

No organizing or charts for us. Time is apparently the solution. Which Courtney still felt like was a crap solution. Charts sounded easier.

Aiden let out a heavy breathe and nodded. He took a few steps away from her but turned back.

"Did I screw this up? I mean us. Did I screw it up beyond fixing?"

Yes. No. I don't know. She might have played a part. But what part was still unclear.

"I don't know."

With a nod, Aiden walked away. It's complicated. His original reason hadn't been. So either something had changed or his original reason hadn't been all there was to it. Fan-flipping-tastic. Courtney stood there, watching Aiden feeling like an elephant had demanded a piggyback ride. Considering her current condition it was a very rude elephant.

"Are you all right?"

It took Courtney a second to work up the strength to smile and turn to Micah. Though if she was being honest she wasn't sure the smile was at all convincing.

I'm fine. Too common of a lie.

"I've had better days. Better Mondays to be exact."

He looked at her with kind eyes. She'd never thought eyes could look kind but his did. Not pitying, but caring. Not sure she deserved such warm attention but hey, she wasn't going complain.

"I might have something to fix that. Come on."

Fixing a problem! Lead the way, good sir, lead the way!

"Where are we going today?" Micah asked.

"You know that shopping center with the thrift store and fabric shop?"

"At the other end of town?"

"That's the one."

By the time they made it out to the parking lot, half the spots were empty, all the cars now locked in a single line trying to escape. Micah took Courtney's crutches as she climbed into the passenger seat. The leather burned the back of her legs and it felt like sitting in a mini oven. Micah hurriedly cranked the car and blasted the A/C.

"Only downside to a Jeep," Micah said. "It gets really hot."

Courtney bumped something with her foot and noticed a plastic bag. Micah blushed and grabbed the bag, starting to collect all the bits of trash strewn on the floor. Without saying anything, Courtney gathered up wrappers, strays, and scraps of paper, adding them to their makeshift trash bag.

"Uh...sorry about that... Um... here." Micah pulled out a ziplock bag from his backpack with three cookies in it. "It doesn't fix everything...but it could help."

"Thanks. You didn't feel like eating them?"

Micah backed out of the parking spot and attached the car to the end of the choo-choo train line.

"That bag was nearly full at lunchtime," he said. "That's all that's left."

"Are you serious? Did you make these?"

Courtney knew the sight of a homemade cookie. Heather took after their aunt in that regard, she baked when codes were doing their own coding thing or whatever.

"No. My mom did."

Courtney took a bite of one of the cookies. It was soft and the chocolate gooey from spending the day in a hot backpack. It was heaven in a bite!

"What does your mom do? Baker?"

Micah played with his curls, hesitate. "Uh, she's a stay-at-home mom."

"No way, that's awesome."

"You think so?"

"Yeah! Most of the time I talk to my mom it's through a screen because she and my dad are traveling for work." She finished off the first cookie and took out a second. "When I was little my parents would take me with them on their trips. I grew up in the corners of conference rooms. When I got older, well I had school and summer camps... A positive, I learned to be very independent. Would've liked the cookies though."

Courtney felt Micah glancing at her but she continued to stare at the passing road and scenery. He said nothing and she dug into the third cookie.

"I always forget how funny it is to see a tiny girl eat food."

Ah! The cliché returns yet again!

"It's a common misconception that cheerleaders eat only a piece of kale. But we actually eat a lot of food. We need the calories and carbs to have enough strength to do our routines."

Micah chuckled. "I know that. Both my sisters are gymnasts and they eat more than me. Still, it's funny because you're all so small yet put away food like a football player."

"They are?"

That explained his mother saying something about Felicity hurting her ankle and how she discovered the magical ankle ice packs.

"Yeah, one of the reasons my mom is a stay-at-home mom," Micah said. "She takes them to practice and homeschools them because their main focus is gymnastics. Apparently, if they remain at the level they are now they could qualify for the next Olympics."

Olympics!

"Are you serious? That's amazing."

"Yup. She also helps out with my younger brother, Isiah. He goes to a school for gifted kids. He's a math genius. Which makes my mom extremely happy because, as she says it's stereotypical, she got her masters in advanced mathematics. So at least someone in our family has her love. The rest follow after my dad in the way of athletics. Well, everyone but me. I'm the odd man out."

No bitterness, simple facts. She admired him for that.

"That makes two of us!"

He shot her a curious glance. "What do you mean?"

"Both my older siblings are crazy smart. Heather created the school app during her junior year and Miles is starting his own design business and he's only a sophomore in college. And me...I'm a cheerleader."

The car slowed to a stop at a red light and Micah looked over at her. Courtney looked back. Not so different, Micah, we're not so different. His lips twitched. Coming to that same crazy realization?

"You have some chocolate on your face," he said, pointing to one side of her lips.

She also had chocolate smeared on her fingers as well. Grinning, she pressed her chocolate fingers to her face and smushed them around, leaving chocolate streaks.

"Did I get it?" she asked. Micah burst out laughing. "What about now? Is it all gone? I think I got it."

"Yeah, you got it."

"It seems you have a spot of chocolate on your face as well," Courtney said.

She lunged towards Micah, stretching out her stained fingers towards him. He shied away, still laughing. He caught hold of her wrists and she wiggled her fingers tauntingly. A car horn honked loudly behind them and they both looked to the light, which was green.

Courtney pulled back as Micah drove on.

"Do you have a napkin or something?" Courtney asked.

"Nope, you're going to have to walk around looking like that now."

"Cruel, cruel man."

Micah grinned then pointed to the glove compartment. "There's napkins in there."

When Courtney popped open the compartment, she found an army of napkins.

"So you're a napkin hoarder. I know you couldn't be as perfect as you appeared."

"It's a thing my family does. Whenever we get fast food we stuff the leftover napkins in glove compartments."

"In case of the napkin recession that is soon to occur?"

"No, in case of times like this or when one of us has an emotional breakdown or something."

Courtney wiped a napkin over her face and cleaned her fingers.

"Do the emotional breakdowns happen a lot?"

Micah shrugged. "My family is very intense about competitions. Losing doesn't ever go over well."

"Can't imagine Denzel crying, honestly."

"Yeah, not him more Felicity, Destiny, and Isiah. Do you ever face that with losing?"

Courtney stared out the window at the passing world, the lush trees splashing shifting shadows down on the sidewalks and storefronts. She felt the wind playing across her face as the sun bathed the car in warmth. But she wasn't in the car, but back in the gym losing parts of her world bit by bit.

"My father says losing is only a chance to learn in disguise," she said.

Though what she was supposed to learn from losing Aiden, possibly Lynn, and cheer, she didn't know yet.

"My mom says crying is a way of letting the loss go."

Courtney smiled. "Sounds like a wise woman."

Micah turned the car into a parking lot of a small outlet filled with a strange assortment of stores. Courtney always imagined it was the reject outlet, older stores that hadn't been updated with the rest of the town. Didn't change the fact that this is where she often came.

"Okay," Courtney said. "I'm going to need your muscles."

"I don't have muscles."

"Then I'll settle for your working limbs."

Micah grabbed Courtney's crutches and rounded the car. She opened her door and swung her legs over the edge of the seat. He laughed as he handed her the crutches.

"You still have chocolate on your face," he said.

She snatched a napkin and rubbed it all over her face.

"Did I get it?" she asked.

He shook his head. Taking the napkin he leaned it and efficiently scrubbed her chin.

Wow, not as romantic as you would think. And a little harsh. Sigh and no locked eyes afterwards. Jeez, if Teen Fiction keeps letting me down we're through, I can only be betrayed so many times.

"There you go," Micah said. "Where to?"

"Fabric store."

After fifteen minutes, they returned to the car, Micah laden with rolls of fabric.

"See, I knew you had muscles," she said.

"Why so much fabric?" he asked.

"Homecoming decorations. Next thrift store."

Leaving the fabric in Micah's car, they crossed to the thrift store that smelled strongly of air fresheners. It was an odd pleasant and nauseating smell. One of the many paradoxes of life so it seemed.

"Hey, Penny," Courtney said to the older woman behind the cashier. "Can I have a key to one of the motor scooter wheelchair type things?"

"Sweetie, what happened to your ankle?"

"Cheer."

"Again?"

"It was sprained wrist last time and that was months ago. It's what people call 'old news'."

Cheer causing pain and happiness, yet another paradox. Ah, the strangeness of life.

Penny handed over a key, shaking her head. Yes, Penny, sometimes I don't know why I put myself through things either. Courtney gratefully took the key and settled into the motorized scooter's seat. Now, this was living the high life!

"This is where we take them," Courtney said, dramatically reeving the engine.

"Did you just quote Speedracer?" Micah asked.

"You know that movie?"

"Yeah, I love it."

"It's beautiful, cinematically speaking."

"It is."

"Now on to business."

Courtney drove through the main aisle, Micah keeping pace next to her. She cut down a row of men's collared shirts and slowed.

"You can help," she said. "You won't be putting your muscles on display but I've already swooned over that earlier so you're good on that point."

Courtney glanced up at him in time to see his face flush and the edge of his lips curl. Looked good even from this angle.

"Right now I'm looking for shirts that are autumn colors. Reds and yellows."

"Uh...this isn't for me...is it?"

"No. Right now it's still for Homecoming."

Relieved, Micah took one side as Courtney took the other. They worked without talking and Courtney found she didn't have the inclination to talk. Silence usually meant awkwardness or uncertainty: two things that she knew how to handle with friendly chatting. But she didn't feel that with Micah. Instead, they got to enjoy the tunes of the 80s playing overhead.

Once the basket on the scooter was full, Courtney directed them to the jeans aisle.

"Now, this is about you," Courtney said. "You need better size jeans. The right pair of jeans might just make Max get all flustered."

Scanning the long row of jeans, Micah worked his hand through his hair, face scrunched. Okay...that doesn't look like a positive sign.

"Look, about Max...I wanted to tell you...I don't..."

Please no. Don't take away something else. I need you, Idiot Adventurer.

"Don't tell me you're giving up on your quest?" Courtney said, ignoring the twinge in her chest. "What's a Wise Ole Sage supposed to do on her own?"

Micah held her gaze then dropped his hand. "They're only jeans. Can jeans make a difference?"

Courtney let out a breath.

"Jeans can make all the difference," she said. "What size are you?"

Micah told her and she got the next size down. The guy was lanky after all and trying to deny the fact. She drove down the row, pulling out three pairs.

"Now you're going to try these on."

Making a face, he held them out from him. "You know other people have worn these right?"

"Is that what a thrift store means!?"

"Okay, but...I don't usually buy preowned clothes."

"Then this will only be to see what style and size work on you and you can go to the mall this weekend."

Micah ducked into the dressing room and Courtney patiently waited outside. A fashion montage would be convenient right about now. Though this 80s music isn't the right vibe.

"Why do you come here so much?" Micah called out to her.

"How do you know I come here so much?"

"Because the cashier lady knows you."

Right, duh!

"When I make a dress it's cheaper to buy old dresses than constantly buying the fabric for it."

"You make dresses?"

"Among other things, yes."

Micah stepped out of the dressing room, wearing an expression of surprise as well as a pair of jeans that fit him perfectly. Courtney wolf-whistled.

"That," he said, pointing at her, "is sexual harassment."

"Can I tell you those look good on you or will you report me?"

Micah turned towards the three mirrors in between the line of dressing stalls. After a second, he walked closer and made a slow turn then stared down at himself.

"I didn't actually believe you," he said.

"I know, that's why you're the Idiot and I'm the Wise one."

He laughed. "I'm going to try on the others."

They left the thrift store with all of the collared shirts and the three pairs of jeans. As they walked to the car, Courtney smiled at Micah and the bag of jeans he held.

Cookies, company, and clothes; a good day.

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🚨🚨DOUBLE UPDATE! I REPEAT DOUBLE UPDATE! THERE'S ONE MORE CHAPTER TO READ!🚨🚨

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Daring dunkin' donuts!

Dem thoughts, share dem thoughts if dem thoughts you have to share. 🗯💭💬

That's it. *holds up a hammer and nails* Time to see who is on my ship building team:

😄 Oh me! Definitely part of the team.

😒 Nope, you're building that ship on your own.

😑I'm burning the wood on the pier to show you how much I don't trust you.

🥺 Joy, I've come to distrust any ship you make and want you to know that you have damaged me. I will never be the same.

If you're in that last group... whoops!

To patch your heart go watch Speedracer. It's a brilliant movie and if you don't like it... well don't tell me. It's one of my favorites.

votez, commentez, suivez! Allez! Tu peux le faire! (French)