The Mickelson
1294 Words
BANG!!
The classroom door burst open with a loud bang, startling everyone-including their Literature teacher, Mr. Mark.
The room instantly fell silent.
"Oh my God..."
"Is that..."
"The new guy?"
"Oh my God, it's him!" Agatha exclaimed, her voice breaking the silence.
Whispers spread across the classroom like wildfire. The girls giggled excitedly while the boys tried their best to act uninterested.
Jessie, who was seated in the second-to-last row, looked up in surprise. The moment she saw the person standing at the doorway, she rolled her eyes.
The third guy from earlier...
He stood at the entrance with a blank expression, his hands tucked into his pockets. His sharp gaze swept across the classroom without a hint of emotion. His tall figure alone was enough to make Mr. Mark unconsciously take a small step back.
"You must be one of the new students," Mr. Mark said with a polite smile.
No response.
Jessie frowned.
Who does he think he is?
Mr. Mark cleared his throat.
"Right... Why don't you introduce yourself?"
"William."
His voice was cold and emotionless.
Mr. Mark adjusted his glasses.
"Is that all?"
William slowly turned his eyes toward him. The icy stare sent a chill down Mr. Mark's spine.
He forced an awkward smile.
"I mean... everyone's dad has a name, right?"
A few students chuckled akwardly
William remained expressionless.
"...Mickelson."
Silence.
A pen dropped somewhere in the classroom.
Then...
"What?"
"No way..."
"He's a Mickelson?"
"I can't believe it!"
"So that's where he got those good looks from."
"Wait!" Agatha suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned toward her.
"You're a Mickelson..."
She looked back at William.
"Does that mean... Fred is your brother?"
Every eye shifted back to William.
He simply furrowed his brow.
The classroom exploded into loud chatter once again.
William glanced around the noisy room before looking at Mr. Mark.
"You're a teacher, yet you can't even control your class."
Without another word, he walked past him.
Mr. Mark stood frozen.
No one seemed to hear what William had said...
Except Jessie.
She watched him silently as he walked past her desk.
There's something strange about him...
She couldn't explain it.
William found an empty seat at the back of the classroom and sat down.
As if sensing someone watching him, he slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Jessie quickly looked away, pretending to be busy with her notebook.
Why was I staring?
***
"No way... you too?"
Jessie exclaimed after Claire finished telling her what had happened in her class.
"It's crazy that both jerks are in our classes. I wonder where the other guy ended up."
She sighed dreamily.
"The humble one..."
Claire smirked.
"Don't tell me you have a crush on him."
Jessie laughed.
"I think I do."
Claire rolled her eyes.
Just then, someone called out.
"Hi, Claire."
Claire turned around.
"Oh... hey, Fred."
"How's your palm?"
"It's much better now. Thanks."
"That's good to hear."
Fred rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
An awkward silence followed.
"Well..."
Claire smiled politely.
"See you later."
Fred turned to leave but suddenly stopped.
"Um... are you free this weekend?"
Claire glanced at Jessie before looking back at him.
"Yeah. Why?"
"I was thinking... maybe we could grab something to eat."
He smiled shyly.
"My treat."
Claire hesitated for a second.
"...Sure."
Fred's face instantly lit up.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Yeah."
"Great! I'll text you the time."
With that, he hurried away.
The moment he disappeared, Jessie clutched her chest dramatically.
"Oh. My. God."
Claire looked at her.
"What now?"
"Did Fred Mickelson just ask you out?"
Claire sighed.
"It's not a date."
Jessie blinked.
"It's not?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
Claire opened her mouth...
...then closed it again.
Jessie folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.
Jessie ignore her. Realising something.
"Jessie..."
"Hm?"
"Do you know Fred and William are brothers?"
Jessie frowned.
"Who's William?"
Claire stared at her.
"The mysterious guy in my class."
Jessie's eyes widened.
"No way... that jerk?"
Claire nodded.
"But how can they be brothers? They don't even look alike."
She paused for a moment before adding,
"Well... except that they're both ridiculously handsome."
Jessie shook her head.
"But how do you know they're brothers?"
"They have the same surname."
"Mickelson."
Jessie blinked.
"Oh..."
She shrugged.
"Then again, they might not be related. Lots of people share the same surname."
Claire nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah... maybe."
Jessie glanced sideways at Claire before a mischievous smile spread across her face.
"What?"
"What are you wearing for your not-a-date this Saturday?"
Claire rubbed her temple.
"I seriously can't deal with you right now."
She turned and walked away.
Jessie laughed as she hurried after her.
"Come on, bestie! Give me the details!"
***
Claire and Fred sat at a fancy restaurant waiting for their order
Claire glance around the restaurant suprise
She didn't expect Fred to be this wealthy.
"U like it."
Fred cut her attention off
"Um...yeah. I mean I wasn't expecting this."
"Huh. It's the little I can afford." He said
Claire eyes widen. "Little?"
He nodded
What do U mean by little. This is huge.
"So how have you been?"
"Am gud. Just fine" Claire smiled
Their order arrived
"Oh thank you" Claire said
"So.. tell me about yourself."
"Hm? Is this like an interview or what?"
Fred laughed
"Just want to get to know you more."
Claire didn't answer but was focus on her food
"I heard you're working part-time job."
Claire nodded
"What about Ur parents...
Claire hand stiff.
"Aren't you living with them?"
Her mood shifted
"No.."
"Who do U stay with then?"
"No one. I live by myself."
Fred frowned slightly.
"I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions."
Claire shook her head.
"It's okay."
He gave her a small smile.
"I was just curious."
Claire poked at her food with her fork.
Another silence settled between them.
"So..." Fred spoke carefully.
"Your parents..."
"Are they busy with work? Is that why you live alone?"
Claire's hand froze.
The smile on her face slowly disappeared.
She lowered her eyes to her plate.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Fred immediately realized he'd touched a sensitive topic.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Claire let out a slow breath.
"No..."
She forced a faint smile.
"It's fine."
She tightened her grip on the fork.
"They're..."
Her voice caught in her throat.
"They're dead."
Fred's eyes widened.
"I'm so sorry, Claire."
She nodded, trying to smile through the sudden sting in her eyes.
"It happened a few years ago."
She swallowed hard.
"I've been living on my own ever since."
Fred didn't know what to say.
For the first time that evening, the cheerful atmosphere between them disappeared.
"I can't imagine how hard that must have been."
Claire let out a shaky laugh.
"You don't have to."
She quickly brushed away a tear before another one escaped.
"I thought I was over it..."
Her voice trembled.
"But talking about them still hurts."
More tears rolled down her cheeks.
Embarrassed, she stood up so suddenly that her chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"I'm sorry..."
She grabbed her bag.
"I need some air."
Before Fred could stop her, she hurried out of the restaurant.
"Claire!"
Fred threw a few bills onto the table and rushed after her.
He pushed the door open..
..and froze.
Someone was standing a few feet away.
Tall.
Hands tucked into his pockets.
His expression unreadable.
William.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
They simply stared at each other.
Fred's jaw tightened.
Without saying a word, he tore his gaze away and ran after Claire.
William remained where he was.
His cold eyes followed them until they disappeared into the night.
- Writer
