Chapter 6 The Glitch in the Routine

Studio 3B

The buzz of fluorescent lights and the muted hum of a printer were the only sounds in Studio 3B as Mikey walked in. His sketchpad clutched in one hand, a coffee in the other. The room smelled faintly of paint, turpentine, and stress the familiar perfume of finals creeping up.

Crizzle was already there. Not painting. Just sitting by the window, headphones in, staring out at the trees swaying beyond the glass.

He hesitated before approaching, watching the way her finger tapped against her thigh in sync with the unheard beat. She looked calm, but he'd learned to read between her silences.

She noticed him and pulled out one earbud. "You sleep?"

"Barely."

"Me too," she said, giving him a small smile. "Dreamt my teeth kept falling out. So that's fun."

Mikey chuckled and sat beside her. "Pretty sure that means stress. Or trauma. Or you're turning into a shark."

"Let's go with shark. Sounds cooler."

They sat like that for a while half-facing each other, half-lost in their own thoughts.

Mikey broke the silence first. "You ever feel like everything's moving too fast, and you're the only one stuck?"

Crizzle didn't answer right away. Then she nodded. "Yeah. Like I blink and everyone else has their lives figured out. And I'm still... here."

He looked down at his sketchpad, thumb grazing the edge. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting time. Like... what if this dream doesn't pan out?"

She turned to him. "Then we make a new dream. But don't you dare stop drawing."

He smiled faintly, but her words stuck. Not just because of what she said but how she said it. Like she knew how much it mattered to him.

Later That Day – Group Project Chaos

Studio 4C had become a war zone. Paint bottles tipped over, mood boards strewn across the floor, and two students arguing over color palettes like it was life or death. Mikey tried to stay out of it, quietly gluing textures to his presentation board.

Crizzle walked in ten minutes late, hair tied up with a pencil jammed through it. She looked flustered but radiant in that chaotic way that only she could pull off.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I was sketching and lost track of time."

She sat beside Mikey and leaned in close. "You okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but their professor clapped her hands. "Alright! Presentations are next week. Pair up. You'll be graded together."

A chorus of groans filled the room.

"Already know who I'm picking," Crizzle said, shooting Mikey a look.

He raised a brow. "Me?"

"Duh."

A few people exchanged glances. One even whispered, "Of course."

Mikey pretended not to hear. But his chest tightened.

Were they that obvious?

Evening – Rooftop

The wind was sharper tonight. The sky a navy blue canvas dotted with stars. Mikey stood alone on the rooftop, hoodie pulled tight, sketchpad open to a blank page.

He didn't hear her coming.

"Didn't think you'd be up here," Crizzle said, her voice soft.

He turned. "It's kind of our thing now, isn't it?"

She stepped closer, arms crossed. "Yeah. I guess it is."

Silence stretched between them. Not awkward. Just... full.

"I think people are starting to notice," Mikey said finally.

Crizzle tilted her head. "Notice what?"

"How close we are."

"And?"

He looked at her. "Doesn't that scare you?"

She didn't flinch. "A little."

He nodded. "Me too."

They stood side by side, their shoulders nearly brushing.

Then she asked, "Do you think if we weren't afraid, we'd already be... something else?"

Mikey closed his eyes for half a second. "Probably."

She exhaled slowly. "I don't know how to not be scared of losing you."

"You and me both."

She reached out, her pinky brushing his. It wasn't a promise this time. Just contact. Just warmth.

He didn't move.

"I think I want to know what this could be," she said quietly. "But maybe not yet."

"Not yet's okay," Mikey whispered.

Another pause.

Then Crizzle whispered, "Just... don't fall for anyone else in the meantime, okay?"

His heart caught.

He turned to her, eyes searching. "Wouldn't know how to."

They didn't kiss.

But they came closer than they ever had.

And for now, that was enough.

Somewhere in the back of Mikey's mind, a new sketch started forming one he wasn't ready to draw yet.

But it was there.

Waiting.