This Is The Last Night You'll Spend Alone

I've mellowed out for the day. Thing with Mike are okay, but nothing special is sparking from the ashes of this morning.

Like I said I would, I approached him at the the end of the day, pouting while the anger and rejection filtered through my voice.

As if Mike didn't know, he instantly asked what was wrong.

I balked at him. "Nothing." I was back up to my old tricks. Hiding my feelings from him was what I used to do all the time, no matter what happened.

We bickered back and forth, his friend Brie hanging on his side, texting on her cell. "What's wrong? C'mon, don't lie." His eyes flashed, his usual way to get me to spill my guts to him.

I glanced at Brie. "I don't want to say it aloud."

Brie caught on before Mike could. Glancing to my eyes, she mumbled about something in the Guidance Office and bounded out of the empty Choir room before Mike could ask what she said.

"I need to know if it's a yes or no, Mike." I wasn't waisting time beating around the bush.

He slung his backpack onto his shoulder, stared, and frowned. "Between you and me, I hate mini-golf."

My jaw dropped. That was it? "Is that all?" The weight pressing against my chest lifted instantly. It wasn't me. It wasn't me! "Well, then how about bowling?"

He shook his head, frown still in place. "I only pretended to like bowling when we went before. I suck at it so much."

Even I was laughing now. He was right; last time he barely got a one hundred. I'd gotten one hundred and twenty-two.

"Okay..." I thought, trying to come up with something, anything to do with him. "I didn't want to do a movie, because sitting in the dark for two hours isn't my idea of fun." Plus, sitting in the dark for two hours next to Mike could potentially drive me insane enough to kiss him.

We were walking out of the classroom, hanging at the door. It looked like nither one of us wanted to leave. "I'm going to be late for my bus," I noted suddenly, recalling that if I missed my bus, I was screwed. "So I have to go. But I need to know; do you want to hang out with me or not? We'll think of something."

He smiled, laughing. "Yes! I do want to do something with you." He paused for a whole second, suddenly his eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. "What about Planet Trog?"

I gasped. Planet Trog, the laser tag arena I was known to kick massive butt at. Duh! "Mike, I love you!" I threw my arms around his neck, laughing as I lingered in the hug. It was the first time I'd said those three words to his face since we broke up. Ironically, it fit in the moment. We pulled back from each other, both of us grinning like jackals. "So you really want to do this?"

He nodded. "Yes, definitely."

I think my heart took off to Mars and never came back after that. My head spun as goose bumps littered my arms. I started to giggle, smiling like a loon.

Mike cut my happiness short, though. "Just don't take it the wrong way. I can see you already are."

I couldn't lie to him, but I couldn't tell him the truth, either. So I stuck out my tongue, making a face while the smile still lingered on my lips. He told me he had to go, so we hugged again. I hesitated too long on debating if I should kiss him on the cheek again. I'd tried my luck enough for one day, I didn't want to push it off the edge.

So now I'm lost. He said yes to just the two of us running around in the dark shooting people with lasers, but said not to take it the wrong way. Hmmm.

I think I'm gonna kiss him then, anyway. To hell with panicking that he'll shove me off. I don't care. I love like him, more than anything. I want this to work. And I will make it work.

I'm not looking for a miracle, I am the miracle.