#when meg can't draw she writes a lot 👍

[moonmeg]

"Micah!"

His ears twitched up as his name echoed through the halls in the familiar voice of Vivian. He looked up from his notes and traced the sounds of jogging shoes back until he spotted her. Not that it was hard to spot her this time. The hallway was nearly empty. The only students still around were those taking extra classes specifically set up for graduees-to-be. He himself didn't attend those classes but a friend, whom he agreed to help out with here and there after school, was. Micah used the uncanny silence of the hour to go through his own notes and books once more so this evening he could enjoy his room without sitting behind the desk or on the floor desperately forcing knowledge into his brain.

It was odd, he thought. Robyn used to be the help-out guy in the friend group. He was the smart guy. And now as he wasn't a student anymore, those same friends came to Micah. They deemed him a sufficient enough replacement. Micah didn't mind much, he was just not used to it. Granted, he also didn't expect to be the new smart guy in the group. "Smart" was rarely one of the first adjectives people used to describe him. "Kind", "pretty" or "handsome", "fun", "good", "badmouthed", "reserved", "loyal"... those were more attributed to him by people who weren't his family or Robyn. "Smart" would come up sooner or later but it was barely ever people's immediate association. "Smart" was Robyn's adjective. Now it had been forced onto Micah as if everyone suddenly realized he didn't just have an intelligent heart but had an intelligent brain too.

It was odd.

"To what do I have the pleasure, Ms. Student Council President?" Micah placed his fist under his chin and smirked at the girl he never thought he'd call friend one day.

"I'm really sorry I'm catching you in your studies like this. I missed my opportunities earlier." Vivian began slowly calming her breath again from the physical activity. Micah ensured her it was alright. Vivian took a deep breath and looked up at Micah. She straightened her back and asked away:

"Where's Robyn? He wasn't in for the entire week. Is he sick? Did something happen? It's not like him to be gone for so long without a word! I'm starting to worry."

"Oh, did he not reach out to ye?" Micah's smile dropped.

"I haven't heard of him since last week."

Vivian's face was one of genuine concern. Missing classes so shortly before final examinations was a way to lose the participation allowance in the worst case. She was sure Robyn wouldn't risk that and perhaps she just missed the information that he was sick. She decided to ask Micah for closure. Surely he must know what the matter was. He was closest to Robyn on multiple levels.

"I'm sorry, I thought maybe as Student Council or Robyn's friend ye'd know already..." Micah closed the book in his hands carefully. "He decided to drop out."

"What?!" Vivian burst out. Her posture fell again as she leaned towards Micah with bent knees. Before she could say or ask anything more, Micah provided her with what he knew.

"There's no progress on the magic situation. He said he's not allowed to use glyphs but wi'out them or Snowball he has no magic at all. He couldn't participate in the practical exams. The theoretical part barely counts. He decided it's best if he left."

"And you let him?!" Vivian grabbed Micah by his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. Micah immediately fought her off. He jerked her hands off his shoulders and leaned back towards the window.

"What was I supposed to do? He had already signed the documents when he came to talk with me about it. Telling him to enroll again would only have led to a fight that I canna win. He's right isn't he? He's powerless wi'out glyphs but he's not allowed to use them. Is Robyn supposedta take theoretical exams that he knows willna get him to graduation anyways? What then?" he argued.

Vivian stared at Micah for a few seconds before she processed what he had said. Her lips thinned and her blue eyes started searching for something on the floor. She found that she had no answer to his question... What then? What could Robyn have done other than drop out?

Vivian sat down on the windowsill beside Micah. Her head hung low, a strand of her long green hair fell over her shoulder and her hands were clasped together in her lap.

Micah eyed her. He thought he understood what Vivian was thinking right now too well. Robyn's decision was a difficult one to accept, but neither had any counter arguments that would be convincing enough to make him reconsider. The alternatives were shit. This was a dilemma situation: No matter what path you choose, it ends badly.

He leaned his head back until the window hindered it at going any further.

"It hurts me to see him this miserable and speakin' of self-hatred. It hurts me immensely because that is the boy I love so deeply. I see the world in him and I want him to be nothing but happy. But had I tried to convince him otherwise, I would've only made him feel like he's made a mistake. That's the last thing he needs." Micah said quietly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right." Vivian sighed. "This is just so unfair! He's worked so hard and now all of it is to dissolve into nothing? We must do something!"

"Vi, I believe being there for Robyn is both of our priorities right now." he turned his head to her slightly.

"Obviously." Vivian mirrored his head turn in his direction. "I'll stop by his house right after the council meeting. But I can't sit around here and do nothing about his drop-out either!"

"Tell me 'bout it." Micah scoffed. He crossed his arms and turned his head back to face the hallway. "If only there was a way to let him graduate properly. Or an honorary something! Extraordinary Student Award or Student of the Year or some shite like that!"

Vivian slapped her hand on his thigh suddenly. It startled him for a second but he turned to look at her. Vivian was smiling at him with her lips but her eyes weren't smiling aswell. It looked a little off - almost had something creepy about it. Had he said something wrong? Was it because he said "shite"? Alright, it was against school rules to use vulgar language and that included swear words but Vivian wasn't that strict about it. She never cared about it before. Not even when he used harsher cuss words than a harmless "shite".

"Micah! You're a genius!" Vivian grabbed his shoulders again and shook him. Since Micah was clearly broader and heavier than her, she only managed to shake his torso lightly. It was more a sway than a shake and it looked quite silly.

"Glad ye finally noticed." Micah commented dryly.

"I'm not sure if we can have him graduate without him taking the exams but nowhere is it said that we can't hand out a Student of the Year title!!" Vivian leaned closer to him and beamed at him in her newly found confidence. She began seriously gripping his shoulders, digging her fingertips in, as if the thought would leave her if she let Micah go but flourish more the tighter she held him. It started to feel unpleasant. He was about to open his mouth to ask her to let loose a little but Vivian beat him to it and let him go. She jumped up from the windowsill and explained her plan further.

"I'll bring the idea up at Council meeting today! Then I'll talk to Principal Hand! If I can convince the council, we can present and defend Robyn's case together and proclaim him Student of the Year!"

"Ye'd do that?"

Vivian turned around and stared at Micah like he had offended her.

"Robyn is my friend. If I can use my position in school politics to give him the acknowledgement he deserves, I'll gladly do so!"

"Ye're not scared people will complain ye're abusing yer power?" Micah cocked his eyebrow with a smirk. He knew Vivian cared what others thought of her and he knew that she'd hate to be accused of abusing her position as Student Council President. It was a tease between friends. He knew she'd interpret it as such.

"They can complain and whine to their hearts content, I'm gone in a month anyway. Besides, that's Novell family tradition." Vivian tossed her hair back and rolled her eyes.

Micah was actually baffled at her response. It was no secret the Novell family played dirty and had a few cases of rumored power abuse but to hear Vivian, who despised being associated with her family, owning up to this family trait left him speechless. Even if if was only acted, which he assumed it was.

"That didn't sound as badass as I wanted it to, did it?

"Not at all."

"Nevermind that." Vivian clapped her hands together and beamed at Micah as she prepared to make her idea a reality. "I'll keep you updated!"

"Rad, thanks, Vi." he smiled.

"Keep this whole idea a secret though! I'm thinking we should make it a surprise on graduation day." she said over her shoulder with a wink.

"My lips are sealed." Micah mimed pulling a zipper over his mouth and locking it with a key, which he then burned in a flame on his palm.

Vivian gave him a nod of approval and then waved goodbye as she headed to the Council meeting room.

Micah waved back and followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight. He chuckled over how wrong he had been about her. He used to hate her guts and he had cursed Titan into oblivion when he was forced to work with her for the construction magic course but he had judged her way too fast. He understood why Robyn still kept in touch with her even after rejecting her. Vivian was a good friend. He really grew a liking to her over this last school year. And this whole Student of the Year thing was one of the reasons why. She'd pull every lever she can to get Robyn some kind of acknowledgement. As Robyn's boyfriend that made Micah happy. It was proof others cared too and that no one (safe for a few vain people) thought he didn't belong here.

He opened his book again and was about to continue his revision on advanced abomination magic when suddenly he heard his name being yelled again.

"Mike!! Thanks for waiting! Course ended earlier. You ready to help me with taming some beasts?"

Well, there goes his study-free evening at home.