Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:29:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: Matt Wess <cow91387@yahoo.com>
Subject: Michael: Part Four

      Michael was awakened by short raps on his bedroom door.  He could
hear Joseph getting ready for school, and sun shone through the windows.
Rosa's head poked into the room, awakening him from a deep slumber as she
announced breakfast.  Michael was left to dress in privacy, and the smell
of toast became stronger as he headed down the hall.  Aunt Maude and
Joseph were talking at the kitchen table, and Carlos turned over the
newspaper with a heavy cough as Michael entered the room.  Michael served
himself two eggs and link sausages, hastily eating, trying to avoid
conversation.
      "Slow down, chico," Aunt Maude demanded, watching him from across
the table.  "Or else you'll end up in the nurse's office at school."
Michael obeyed.  Lately Aunt Maude had garnered some of his respect,
especially after their talk last night.  Even though he hadn't said much,
he listened to every word and he had a feeling she knew she got the
message across to him.
      The cracking of the doorbell unexpectedly chimed through the
apartment.  Everyone froze for a second.  It was abnormal for anybody to
visit them.  Rosa and Carlos had this thing about not allowing their
address to go public primarily for the fact that they were living
illegally in the country.  For a few more seconds nobody moved, until the
doorbell rang again.  Finally, Michael scuttled out of his seat and made
for the door, but Carlos large frame blocked his path and he cautiously
opened the door.
      A familiar girl's voice fluttered into the apartment, "Is Michael
around?"  Macy Danish, a friend of his, asked.  Before Carlos could
respond, Michael pushed in front of him to greet Macy.  She beamed ear to
ear when he appeared.  In one arm she was holding her school books.  "Is
this a bad time," she asked in a low voice, glancing over Michael's
shoulder and into the kitchen.
      He shook his head, dashed back inside, grabbed his school bag and
without saying goodbye to the others he joined Macy.  They walked to
school together.  A somewhat bitter wind came from the east, and Macy
prophesied rain.  One moment the sun was in their eyes, the next they
were almost blown over by the wind.
      "You probably don't remember agreeing to walk to school with me,"
she laughed, pushing her brown hair out of her eyes, but the wind blew it
right back.  "At the party we got on the subject of your family and where
you lived.  To refresh your memory, I live a block down."
      Michael glanced down at his feet, grinning.  "I can honestly I do
not remember any of that."  They both had a good laugh.  "But I'll tell
you what, it was a pleasant surprise to actually have someone walk me to
school.  Adam lives in the opposite direction so we can never walk
together."
      They got on the conversation about Adam and that carried them all
the way to school.  It was Monday, probably one of the worst days of the
week, next to Tuesday.  Michael could name several hundred other places
he would rather be right now and he started naming them to Macy as they
pushed through the front doors.
      "At a party getting plastered," came Adam's voice from behind
them.  "You haven't named that one, yet."  He was dressed in jeans and a
hooded NYU sweatshirt.  His hands were shoved deep into his pockets and
he smiled brilliantly at Michael and then to Macy.  For some reason
neither of them mentioned to Adam that they walked to school together.
It was really no secret that Adam had some kind of infatuation for Macy.
      "While completely disowning your family," she added.
      "Non-biological family," Michael corrected her.  "Please do not
associate me with them.  I only live with them because I need a place to
stay and besides they're the ones that do the disowning," he winked.
      The three of them meandered their way through the crowded hallways
of their school and stopped at their lockers.  Adam leaned up against
them; his one leg perched up like a flamingo.  "By the way, Michael, I
should tell you that my mother was concerned about you yesterday.
Thought you were deadly ill 'and that scar on his face!'" he mimicked in
a high pitch tone.
      Michael kicked his locker shut.  "Yeah, well, everyone seems to
worry about me recently.  According to Aunt Maude it's because I give
them reasons to worry.  I can't deny that, either."  It seemed that his
whole life was this-a round of mooching, drinking and lay-ups.  He
laughed as he talked of it, taking it all for a tremendous joke.
      "Dude, each weekend you consume an incredible amount of alcohol and
then walk home.  I'm not siding with them," he said quickly, noting the
look on Michael's face.  "I'm just saying that starting Friday night and
probably ending this morning you practically swim in a pool of beer."
      "I actually read a study that says binge drinking is healthier than
drinking every other weekend," Macy chimed in holding the classroom door
open for them.  "You can accept that theory or not, I'm just saying."
      The three of them had physic as their first class and they always
shared the same lab table in the back of the room.  Michael liked this
table for one particular reason; Dylan sat at the table a few ahead of
him.  Today, however, he couldn't help but to wonder if it would be
awkward between him Dylan.
      "Oh Jesus, he's still hung over," Adam said, punching Michael's
shoulder.  "Oye! Were you even paying attention?  Please don't tell me
that you are still not coherent, because the other night was the first
and last time I carry you anywhere."
      Michael shook his head.  "It's just a Monday morning, that's all."
He shifted position on his stool, glancing around the room.  There was no
sign of Dylan, yet, still he was becoming anxious.  Their teacher,
Professor Gordis, an ancient man who was about to bite the dust any
moment, sauntered into the room, placed his briefcase on the front desk
and smiling feebly around the class room gave a good morning in his
habitual soft tone.
      Next to Michael, Adam slouched on his stool and placed his head on
the table.  "Everyday I pray to the lord that he won't show up for class
and it will be canceled," he muttered in a helpless tone.  He began to
bang his head off the table.  "And every single day he has to show up.
When will he die?"
      Macy smacked Adam and gave him and Michael, who had smirked at
Adam's crudeness, a disapproving look.  "I think he is an intelligent
teacher, filled with wisdom and a lot of insight to life."  She sat up
right in here chair, but Michael knew she felt this way because she was
getting an A in the course, while Adam was juggling between a D and a C.
      "Mr. Liebowitz," a soft voice said from behind them.  All three of
them jump, especially Adam.  Sure enough their teacher was standing
behind them, squinting through his bifocals at Adam.  "Do you feel ill?"
Unable to find his tongue, Adam shook his head from side to side.
Smiling only with his thin lips, Professor Gordis patted Adam's shoulder,
"good, because it would be a shame if you missed today's lesson."  With
that said and done they watched as he proceeded to the front of the
classroom.
      Adam resumed his position.  "Great," he muttered, "he probably
heard the death threat.  Sneaky son-of-a-bitch."  Macy hit him again, as
they began bickering Michael's eyes wandered the room.
      His eyes stopped scanning when the classroom door opened once more
and Dylan strolled into the room with two of his buddies.  Michael felt a
funny fluttering feeling inside of him.  Dylan's eyes reached the back of
the room for just a second, but that was long enough.  Michael could tell
that Dylan's eyes smiled slightly at the sight of Michael.  He watched as
Dylan slid onto his normal stool.  His tight Ron Jon shirt slid up a
little as he leaned forward on the lab table, revealing his white boxer
briefs and the waistband that read, "Jockey" across them.  Michael took a
mental image and saved it for later.
      Either on purpose or unknowingly, Michael did not know, Dylan
stayed that way for the majority of class, which completely distracted
Michael from the lecture.  He kept on gazing at Dylan's underwear for a
lengthy period of time until Adam would let out a groan that signified he
did not understand anything that was being said.
      At one point he leaned in closer to Michael.  "What the hell is
Gordis trying to tell us?" he asked in a harsh whisper.  Michael shrugged
his shoulders and looked down at his own notes.  There was the word
"Inertia" written on the top with a few bulleted notes and random
drawings.
      Suddenly Macy shoved a page of her notes under Adam's nose while
demanding that he shut up.  This seemed to satisfy him, as he stayed
quiet until the bell rang.  "I just can't do morning classes," he
explained as they left class.  Half listening, half not, Michael watched
Dylan's retreating back disappear down the hallway.  "Maybe I should just
drop and replace it with a study hall."
      "You could do it if you actually listened," Macy retorted hotly.
"I mean Michael and I listen and we're doing fine."
      "Yeah and along with listening, you have to stop making death
threats towards the teacher," Michael added, elbowing Adam.  Dylan was
now out of sight, but not out of mind.  Still he wondered how long he
could play this charade with him.  Get drunk, have sex, and then not
speak until they're drunk again.
      Michael mused over this as they wandered through the school.  Macy
went her own way once they got near the library.
      "What has she got to study for?"  Adam said in a near outraged
tone.  Unable to answer this question, Michael remained silent and just
agreed with whatever complaints his friend was rattling off.
      Then the luck changed as though by a miracle.  They were walking
towards their study hall through the now deserted hallways, as the late
bell had already rung, when suddenly, they rounded the corner and
collided harshly with an oncoming student late for class.
      Before any three of them knew it books were airborne.  Adam cursed
as he was sent reeling back against the wall.  Michael scrambled to pick
up the fallen books and realized when he looked up that his head was
directly at the zipper of someone's jeans.  His vision followed up the
person's body and met eyes with Dylan.  Michael's eyes dropped directly
down to the zipper and could have sworn there was some kind of stiffness
forming, but he never got a chance to finalize it.
      "Oh, dude, I am so sorry," Adam said, joining Michael in picking up
the books.
      Dylan waved away his apology and bent slowly down to the ground and
picked up the last of his books.  "I'm always late for this class in any
case.  It's my fault for being so hasty.  Take care, guys," without
looking back he hurried off down the hallway.
      "You know," Adam started slowly, "I always thought he was a jerk,
but I guess that's why they say you shouldn't judge people without
knowing them."
      But Michael's mind was elsewhere.  He was almost positive that
Dylan's jeans had tented slightly.  He kept on playing that scene over
and over again wishing it would happen one more time.