THE NERD

WIN METAWIN, 21, CISGENDER MALE, HE/HIM. — is that MICHAEL HUANG? a SENIOR originally from FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, they decided to come to ogden college to study PRE-MED on an ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP. they’re THE NERD on campus, but even they could get blamed for greer’s disappearance.

graphic credit.

— FILE. — PINTEREST. — SPOTIFY. 

HI, LOVES !!! i’m so very uber excited to be here and get started. mikey is a new child of mine, based off an old child of mine, so hopefully everything doesn’t fall apart ??? i’m LENNY ( 23, est, they/them ) and you will simply never hear me shut up about horror and comic books. drop a LIKE and i’ll reach out to you through the server !! ♡ MORE UNDER THE CUT ...

mikey had only stepped outside for a minute, a quite, short, hasty minute to catch his breathe amongst the crowd of various smells and sounds. unfortunately, on return, mari was at the back door. he recalled the many times he shut down to her biting remarks at greek life parties, and so he took a final, long inhale of air to prepare. “hey, uh— hey, mari,” he attempted to interject among the chaotic noise. “can i just get by? look great, by the way. really nice...” his voice trailed off quietly, offering only a tight-lipped smile.

Dulce grew up asking for love, but the amount of love she’d received from her parents never fully satisfied her needs. A traumatic and forming experience such as this had left her wanting more, all the time no matter how. Mikey was the one to relieve her of the pain she’d kept hidden, to heal wounds her parents unknowingly inflicted – and Mikey’s and her radio silence was no one’s fault but her own. This time the pain originated from herself, had been a result of her own actions. 

Now she looked almost defeated while pressing her back against the nearest bookshelf just opposite of him. There was rarely a moment when Dulce didn’t known how to handle a situation, let alone another person. “I know, you don’t have to accept my reasoning for breaking up with you, it wasn’t the right thing to do.” 

She couldn’t help herself and moved closer, her body leaned against the table with her facing him and one hand closing his macbook. “You know that’s never how I wanted things to end,” she spoke too loudly and ended up whispering, “you know how much I cared for you, I’m not sabotaging this for no reason at all.” For a long time Dulce felt utterly powerless. “Mike, look at me,” she snapped, “please,” followed by her begging.

the brunette was close to laughing, to exhaling a puff of air through his nostrils because wasn’t it so ridiculous? mike went through so many moments of pain, of big, unexplainable feelings, all silently and privately. he couldn’t help it, because for such a smart guy, dulce made him act foolishly. the words wanted to explode from his mouth, about how small he felt, how embarrassing he knew he was, how many regrets he still had. but what would any of that change?

he remained quiet, until he heard a please. at least dulce remembered her manners. “then, what do you want? i don’t need all your excuses. you want your cake and to eat it, too, but i’m sorry. i’m not getting involved in it again.” mikey pulled open his macbook again, huffing air out through his nose.

for a moment, he was silent, staring at the computer screen, but he couldn’t stop himself. “you’re making me feel worse than i did before. i— you made your decision, dulce. and i made mine,” he voiced, tone soft and defeated. “just... leave it alone, okay? i’m not gonna blab to everyone, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

declan: ur rlly cool mikey...

declan: will u help me color coordinate my binders? 👀

declan: plz don't tell anyone i asked. school's like the last thing i take serious but maybe if i was organized like u i'd be better

mikey: oh, really? thanks, dec.

mikey: organization is important!! i can make up a list of supplies for you to buy. it's a good life skill too.

The weather is great. Not only was there a nice breeze, but as Diego wandered towards the library checking the weather app on his phone, it looked like it would be a completely clear night. Great news, the moon was nearly full tonight. Then while he was busy looking through his phone when he was smacked in the face with about ten photo copies, he stopped and looked around for whoever these papers may belong to. It didn’t take too long until he spotted Mike, and Diego organized the papers in his hands waving them a little as he approached. “It’s a little windy, maybe,” he joked, giving him an amused look. “What are you copying?” Diego asked, glancing at the papers as he handed them back. It looked like he’d lost a lot more, however, so he didn’t know how useful these would be… Any little bit counted, right?

mike can’t hold back the embarrassment he felt, about, well... everything. anxiety constantly pushed on his head, but something about diego changed that. maybe it was the news of a changed major, or the sincerity that oozed from the younger students every word, but mikey felt comfort around him. to be fair, he historically found meaning in places where there wasn’t any, placing kind intentions in people’s mouths when they weren’t there before. that wasn’t diego, though; he was sure of it. “anatomy diagrams. hitting the copier before classes start to avoid the lines.” he flicked through the papers, counting them. three short. not bad. “thank you, by the way. for...” he awkwardly motioned to the ground where the copies were just rustling. “are you excited to be back?”

“we haven’t seen each-other in months and the first thing you want to talk about is the weather?” parker gently teased, unsuccessfully suppressing a smile that made it clear she was holding back her own barrage of questions. how are yous and what have you been up tos and are you glad to be backs. instead, her smile lingered as she bent down and began picking up papers before the wind could scatter them any further. “just like you to beat me to the library, isn’t it?”

“meteorology was my first passion, i’ll have you know. i thought the clouds and wind were just fucking dandy.” mike’s smile mirrored parker’s, and god, he didn’t want to admit how much he missed his ‘friend.’ he hadn’t expected to see her so soon, and the nerves in his gut weren’t prepared either. he assumed she’d be surrounded by whatever festivities were happening before classes, but of course, he was never good at avoiding his own problems. there was a moment of apprehension before he offered a cohesive response. “now you owe me, or something, right? maybe the next round of coffee or a get-out-of-a-party-free card?”

everything looks the same, perhaps that’s the worst part of it all, how nothing’s changed even when her best friend seems to be missing. not even her, because what else does mabel have left save for maintaining her perfectly sculpted facade? so she approaches the other student with a brittle smile, taking a moment to collect the papers scattered across the ground like dandelion as she wonders if there’s still time to make a wish, and if she were to make it, well what would she wish for? “truly, it’s a beautiful day,” she extends the few sheets of paper in her hands towards him, still wreathed in smiles.  “it’s good to see you … ” she trails off for a moment as his name escapes her, remembering only that he used to be greer’s tutor. “pretty boy.” so instead she settles for a compliment, a method that’s always worked. “come on now, i’ll help you collect these.”

mikey’s surprised for a moment that someone from the mighty royalty of ogden’s finest is offering him help, but yet again, he’s only ever heard positives about mabel de santis. he wondered how fake the smiles were, and still, instead, he decided to return the smile to bury his own anxious thoughts. sometimes, he remembered, people are just kind. “pretty boy,” he repeated with a scoff, blush creeping across his ears against his best attempts. immediately, he looked down, picking up a few papers by his feet; though, a few already escaped across the campus grass. “you’re mabel, right? i don’t remember actually meeting before, but people talk, y’know.” there was another short pause. “i— i meant that in a good way, scout’s honor.” 

closed starter for @fallsblue· (Mikey) location: the library

She knew he’d be there, but she went, anyway. There were a few books within the library Dulce needed for her studies – mainly historical works describing the ups and downs of Hollywood and the eras, all explained in detail. Selecting the few books she needed, Dulce had to practically climb to the top with the help of a ladder, which could be slid from side to side. In order to take a few photos with good lighting so she could read the text parts better, Dulce walked all the way to the back, where row of bookshelves separated everything from the rest, where the sun was notoriously the brightest within the entire library. A place too familiar to her. 

Of course, she knew. “Hey,” Dulce murmured, her back pressed against the nearest bookshelf. For the first time in a long while Dulce had troubles standing firmly on her heels. “How was your Summer? Did you visit your parents in California?” a lousy attempt to start a conversation, but her mind was too foggy to think. Knowing no one would hear or see them, she relaxed slightly, but the tension still remained drastically. “I’ve been too busy to call.”

mikey saw the brunette coming from bookshelves away; well, how couldn’t he? he grew accustomed to seeking out the small moments, meet her eyes in a crowd with a silent understanding. and for that reason, he prayed to an unnamed god dulce let things lie, hoping his quiet corner of the library stayed that way. that’d be too simple, though. 

his eyes remained on the macbook that sat upon the wooden table, stubborn in their spot. he was almost... afraid to make eye contact, to look up and, well, something happening. the heartbreak brewed long enough to concoct anger, and after reflecting all summer, mike barely had the energy to respond.

“yeah, i did. it was fine,” he offered after a long pause. another moment passed, and he assumed, very wrongly, dulce would be on her way. instead, he finally looked up at her. “i don’t know if this is your attempt to make yourself feel better, but it’s not helping me one bit. you don’t have to talk to me. at all. in any context. actually, maybe we’re better off.”