The Secret of Ella and Micha

same old.”
    “You know how these things go.” Ethan pats Micha’s shoulder sympathetically. “They’re never going to come to a decision.”
    My hand is sweating in Micha’s. He just cracked me open and my mind is racing with a billion thoughts. I can’t do this with him. I can’t crush him. I need to repaint the lines somehow.
    “We should just leave,” Micha says to me. “Let’s not even give them the benefit of our argument.”
    “You want to drive out of here all suave?” I ask. “And make a grand exit?”
    Micha smiles and squeezes my hand. “A grand statement.”
    “Which would be?”
    “That we don’t give a shit.”
    I let out a shaky breath and nod. “That sounds good to me.”
    “You want to meet up at the house?” he asks Ethan. “I’m sure we’re going to have to do some tuning up on The Beast after what I just did.”
    Lila scrunches her nose and pops her gum. “The beast? Do I even want to know what that is?”
    Micha taps the car door with his free hand. “Yep, that’s what I named it. Kind of like how you call your car your baby.”
    Lila laughs. “Oh, I get it. Although, I like my name better.”
    Micha traces his thumb along the palm of my hand. “Are you ready to go? Or do you want to go pick a fight with someone first.”
    I flash a panicked glance at Lila, who knits her eyebrows. “Maybe Lila and I should ride together. I haven’t spent any time with her today.”
    “You’ve spent time with me every day for the last eight months,” she replies. “I think we’re good for a few hours.”
    “I’ll take care of her.” Ethan chucks the empty bottle of soda across the parking lot and it lands in the back of his truck. “Really, really good care of her.”
    Lila lets her blonde hair fall into her face to hide her blush. I’ve never seen her blush like that. What exactly have the two of them been up to tonight?
    Micha shakes his head at Ethan. “Be good.”
    Ethan rolls his eyes and then walks off with Lila toward his truck. Micha and I get into his car and I prepare myself to make a speech.
    Micha squeezes his eyes shut and holds his hand up. “Don’t even say it. Just let it go for the night. Please. I need to just feel this.”
    The pain in his voice causes me to fasten my jaw shut. Opening his eyes, he starts up the car and we drive down the road. Micha waves to Benny as we pass and everyone’s eyes follow us. Then the darkness takes over as we pull out onto the main road and the headlights light up the night like a tunnel that leads to the unknown.

Chapter 9

    Micha
    I’ve slept in my own bed for the past week, even though my body itched to do another maneuver up the tree and into Ella’s window. She’s been avoiding me ever since we made out in my car. I’m guessing she needs some time to sort through her thoughts; that I was overwhelming her.
    Ella has always had issues with intimacy and pushed people away, including me if I try to cross the friend line. I actually had to work to become her friend. We’ve always lived next door, but it took me bribing her with a juice box and a toy car to even get her to let me climb over the fence into her yard.
    But it was worth the time. Fifteen years later, we’re still friends. I can’t imagine my life without her, something I grasped that night when I found her on the bridge. Even though I knew she wasn’t going to jump, seeing her standing on the ledge made me realize that I want and need her in my life forever. She challenges me, pushes me, and pisses me off, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
    It’s late in the afternoon when I wake up. Blinking against the bright sun, I drag my butt out of bed and throw on an old tee and some jeans. Ethan and I are still working on fixing the blown head gasket on my car, so I send him a text that I’m up and ready to go. I head into the kitchen and drink the orange juice straight out of the jug.
    My mom walks in combing her hair, and scolds me. “Micha Scott, how many times have I told you not to do that crap?” She snatches the juice away and sets it back in the fridge.
    I wipe away the juice from my chin. “I think it’s called selective hearing.”
    She does up the buttons on her jacket, dressed to head off to her day job as a secretary at the dealership. She also has a night job as a hostess at a café. “You are such a smart ass.” She holds up a red lacy bra. “Okay, so I know I’ve always been the cool mom, but finding this in my bed is