inde navarrette as...
Theo Waters

faly rakotohavana as...
Locke Birchfield

october 1985
The Beginning of Theo Waters and Mike Wheeler.

"Hailey Rilen and Justine Balisse." Mrs. Belladon read from her sheet of paper, picking partners for the project. "Lockelen Birchfield and Hannah Bollywell."

Theo turned her head, flashing Locke a sarcastically thumbs up and a wink to go on with it. He subtly flipped her off and turned back to a very overjoyed Hannah, who seemed to already have a million ideas for the project. Theo leaned on her elbow, twisting her pencil and eyeing the bite marks at the end. A bad, and rather gross, habit she wished to break one of these days.

"Let's have Theodora Waters and Michael Wheeler." Mrs.Belladon went on, making her look up before slowly looking over her shoulder. Mike was at the back of the class, slummed back in his chair. His eyes flickered to hers with a sigh, shutting them a second later. Michael Wheeler. Better known as the Frogface her friends made fun of. She never did, not because he was special, but because Theo learned to mind her own business after getting her nose broke by the wrong girl she picked on.

As class came to an end, Theo left the classroom. Her and Mike would talk at lunch about the project, she knew they had it together. Or she'd find him during gym, when he hid under the bleachers after the whistle blew. They had that together too.

"Jesus, slow down." Locke ran to catch up with her. "Not an athlete."

"How's Hannah?" Theo gave a snort as she turned to look back, he finally caught up with her. "Get an earful of ideas yet? Or is this gonna be another unsolved murder?"

"Think she has the entire thing planned to the T." Locke nodded. "Mike Wheeler, huh?"

Theo shrugged. "At least i'm promised a good great."

"Very true." he gave a small point of his finger. "Incoming."

Theo looked to the end of the hallway as Chad Taylor walked down the hallway with his basketball friends. Her face reddened, every single kiss they shared the previous year replaying in her head. Yet, he walked right past her. As if he didn't know her, as if they didn't date for an entire year. As if he didn't break her heart and leave her struggling every day to get over him. Theos face fell, embarrassed more so as she stopped at her locker. Locke knew by now not to say anything, because it made things worse on her part.

"Hey, party people." Thomas walked to the pair with a grin. Thomas, school athlete that was apart of the pairs friend group. He never knew when to shut the hell up. "Coming tonight?"

"You're having a party?" Locke blinked quickly. Like Theo, he struggled to move on from having a crush on an arrogant asshole, too. Only difference was they never dated, Locke just struggled in silence.

"Halloween party, babies." he pulled out a flyer. "Parents will be out. All you gotta do is pay two bucks or flash the guy at the door."

Theo wacked him in the chest as Thomas continued to laugh. "Joking, of course. Just, wear a costume."

"It'll be fun, you know." Riley walked over, under Jacksons arm. "Theo and I haven't had any girl time."

"Sorry my grades suck." she turned to give her a small grin.

"I told you to let me tutor you." Jackson gave a knowing nod.

"My parents don't believe in tutors. Just study harder." Theo hummed, her back to her locker as the cold made her feel rather welcomed. "They're stupid."

"Don't call your parents stupid, stupid." Brayden pulled his letterman jacket on with a grin at the pair. "Halloween party, I hear?"

"Word travels fast." Theo handed him her flyer, knowing she'd share with Locke.

"Should we match?" Locke rose his eyebrows in her direction.

"Should we?" she faked a gasp to mock his excitement, getting a smack in the arm.

"I think i'll go as a frog." Thomas' words were dedicated down the hallway, making the entire group turn to see Mike. "Halloween isn't until tonight, Wheeler!"

Theo watched him try to avoid and ignore, as he always did. Jackson let Riley go as he hurried to stand infront of Mike. He wasn't nearly as tall, but had muscles the size of Mikes entire face. He grabbed his books. "Let me carry those for you, man. You're arms are looking a little tired."

He dropped all his books at his feet, papers flying everywhere. Riley laughed. Mike huffed, standing still as be stared at him in annoyance.

"Butterfingers, Jackson?" Brayden put an arm around him. "Too bad you don't have sticky ones like a frog. What about you, Wheeler? How are your hands?"

Mike yanked his hands away when he tried to grab them. Thomas laughed. "Jumpy?"

"Bells about to ring." Theo spoke up to get their attention. "No halloween party if we get detention with Finagin again."

"Ugh, Finagin." Jackson rolled his eyes.

"Hellfire, huh?" Riley picked the flyer up and shoved it into Mikes chest, making him stumble just slightly. "Makes sense."

"See you around, Wheeler." Jackson patted his face with a loud laugh, as if it was the funniest thing. The four backed off, walking back to Locke and Theo. Mike looked at them go, his eyes locked with Theos for two seconds before Brayden put a violent arm around her and pulled her away. He kneeled down, picking up his fallen books.

"What's that?" Locke looked over Theos shoulder at PE, outside as the October air felt rather good after being trapped in the hot school.

"I think one of Mikes papers accidentally flew into my bag earlier." she held up a homework sheet, his name at the top.

Locke had to laugh. "Let's hope he hasn't had that class yet."

Theo stood up, looking toward the bleachers. She could see a figure behind them, but too far away to make out who they were. Only, there was just one person that ever hid out. She adjusted her gym shorts, leaving her bag with Locke as she walked over. Theo got closer to the bleachers, rounding them. She was right, it was Mike.

"What do you want?" he asked her, leaning against them with a comic book in hand.

"Here." she held out the paper. "Think it flew into my bag in the hallway."

Mike quickly took it. "I thought I left it at home."

"Nope, just in my bag." she sucked her lips in with an exhale. "Do you want to do the project or..."

"You want me to do all the work, Theodora?" he asked her in disbelief with an annoyed look.

"First off, Theo is fine." she rose her eyebrows. "And second, I figured you'd want to."

"I'd rather that then have to spend any time with you." he said back bitterly, shoving the paper into his bag.

"Good, me too." she said back with a roll of her eyes. "Don't fail us."

"You should be use to failing by now." he argued. The thing with Theo was she wasn't like her friends were. She'd argue and insult him, they'd go back and forth if you let them, but she'd never hurt him like how they did. She'd never knock his books from his hands, or smack him in the face. He could handle words, he often resulted to words most of the time too. They were alike in that sense.

"At least i'm not a nerd in a cult." she shot back.

"It's not a cult!" he defended himself.

"You're a cult!" she shoved a finger in his direction before turning to walk away.

"That doesn't even make since!" he yelled as she walked off. Theo continued to walk for a few more seconds before looking over her shoulder at him with her jaw dropped.

"Are you staring at my butt!?" she yelled in disbelief.

"What!?" Mike yelled back with an insane look.

"You're watching me walk away!" she turned back to face him. "Perv!"

"I wasn't-" Mike started, but she flipped him off over her shoulder and walked away. He huffed, looking away, looking back. She was too far to hear him now. "Well, now I am."

Theo liked cul de sac's a lot. She thought they were homey feeling, almost comforting. Never did she think she'd puke her guts up in the grass of one, dressed as a feminine, flirty, Frankenstein. Halloween punch, spiked with alcohol, was not her friend.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" a dreadful voice rung from behind her. Theo groaned, standing up and wipping her mouth, feeling weak. She turned to see Mike on his bike, right behind her. "In my yard?"

"I'm sorry!" she ranted, more in annoyance then sincere. "I didn't know it was your yard."

Mike realized his neighbors were throwing a halloween party, the music loud, and it was easy to mistake when their yard stopped and his started. "Are you Frankenstein?"

"No, i'm Theo." she mumbled, sitting down as she held her head. "I'm never drinking again."

Mike looked down at her. "The hard stuff?"

"The hard stuff." she started to violently sob. Mike gave a panicked look, more scared then anything. "And Chad is here with another girlllllll."

"Oh god. Oh my god." Mike panicked at her drunken tears. "Yeah, never drink again. You need to go home."

"Locke's Mom brought me but I don't know where Locke is!" she continued to cry, her makeup smeared as she stumbled onto her feet. Mike reached over to steady her. "Chad use to drive me around."

"Can't you find him?" Mike suggested.

Theo wipped her tears. "I think he was drinking the skeleton head."

Mike watched her go, watched her stumble away, drunk off her ass and back to a party. He sighed loudly. "Wait."

Theo turned back, tripping on her heels. "Ow."

"How far do you live?" Mike huffed as she removed her heels.

"Far." she rubbed her eyes with a sniffle. "Springfield."

"Seriously?" he gave a look of disbelief, rolling his eyes. "Okay, get on."

"Psh, i'm not going anywhere with you." Theo said in return with a glare.

"Fine." Mike shrugged. "Walk home on Halloween, not even being able to stand. See if I care."

He went to peddle up his driveway before she sighed. "Wait."

Mike rose his eyebrows. "I see you've changed your m-"

"Shh." she held his shoulders, getting on the back and placing her heels on his handle bars. She dropped her head on his shoulder in pure exhaustion. "Drive good, I still feel nauseous."

"Do not puke on me." Mike threatened her, kicking off the pavement and peddling the painfully far drive all the way to Springfield.

"Mike, door!" Nancy yelled the next morning, waking him up. Mike huffed, pressing his head into the bed. He hoped, staying there, she'd say he wasn't up yet and get to sleep in on Saturday. When he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, he assumed she'd been going back in her room.

"Hi." the painfully familiar voice scared him to death, rolling over quickly and yanking the blanket over his body. Theo stood in his doorway, red in the face and looking a lot better then she did last night. "I don't sleep with pants either."

"Why are you in my house?" he asked her in disbelief.

"Well, I was gonna just stay on your porch but you decided to ignore my rocks at your window." Theo rolled her eyes.

"I didn't get any rocks at my windows." Mike shook his head.

"I was throwing them for, like, three minutes." she gave him a dumb look. "Don't be an ass."

"I'm not being an ass, I got no rocks." Mike defended himself. "Jerk."

Theo walked to his window, looking out. "Oh, yup, I was throwing them at the other side of the porch."

"My parents room?" Mike gapped.

"What happened to the window!" Karen's voice echoed through the house.

Mike and Theo couldn't help but laugh. She stayed by the window, rocking on her heels. "I really am sorry, by the way. About last night. I promise i'm not always that...emotional."

Mike shrugged. "Happens."

"You drive a bunch of crying drunk girls home on the back of your bike?" she gave a snort.

Mike rolled his eyes at her. "You came all this way to say sorry?"

"Pretty much." she cleared her throat, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. "And, made a list of topics we could do for our project."

Mike took it, looking up at her as she walked to the door, looking over her shoulder with a little smirk. "See ya, Frogface."

november 1985
The Friendship of Theo Waters and Mike Wheeler

"Pleasure doing business with you, Wheleer." Theo gave a small bow when she met him under the bleachers at PE two weeks later, holding her A+ paper up.

"Mhm." he rolled his eyes, though they had became a little less attitude filled after the weeks with her. "What'd I tell you?"

"What are you gonna do with your life now that you don't spend after day after school with me?" she leaned against the bleachers with a cross of her arms.

Mike shrugged. "Just avoiding your friends now that they don't have to be nice because your grades are at stake."

Theo gave a small, guilty look. "I'll talk to them."

"Don't bother." Mike shrugged. "I don't get why you hang around those guys. I mean, you just sit back and do nothing while they act like assholes to everyone."

"Excuse me?" she scoffed.

"Letting bullying happen is just as bad as being a bully." Mike rolled his eyes at her. "If you don't want that label, don't hang around them."

"We've known each other forever." Theo avoided his eye as she shrugged.

"So what?" Mike gapped at her. "Did you cry to them about Chad?"

"Shut up, Mike." Theo threatened him with a glare. "You don't know anything about that."

"It's not hard to piece together that he broke up with you and now you can't move on." he said back with an eye roll.

"I'm not gonna sit here and let you judge me. That's why you get bullied!" she yelled as she turned away.

"I'm not judging you because of Chad, i'm judging you because you're friends are mouth breathers and you're not a complete mouth breather." his words made her stop walking, her back still to him.

She looked over her shoulder. "Are you looking at my butt?"

"Theo." he huffed.

She turned around fully. "Chad did break up with me. And you're right, I can't move on."

Mike nodded. "I get it."

"Yeah?" Theo almost whispered as she walked back under the bleachers.

"My girlfriend broke up with me this summer and I haven't moved on either. She's all the way in California and we're friends still, you know? But, still..."

"Yeah." Theo agreed with a nod. "It sucks."

"Mega sucks." Mike nodded his head.

Theo shrugged. "None of my friends get it. They think i'm being obsessive and desperate."

"I think mine are really sick of hearing it." Mike said honestly.

She looked back at the track where her friends were. "Would you maybe want to talk another time about this...in private?"

Mike blinked. "Okay."

december 1985
The Using of Theo Waters and Mike Wheeler

"What an asshole." Mike said as him and Theo sat on his side walk the night of Christmas eve.

"Right?" she agree, holding her knees. "I mean, I go out of my way to bring him a Christmas card and he says he doesn't even want it? I mean, it's just a card."

"Chad is such an ass." Mike rolled his eyes.

"You talk to El?" she nodded her head.

"Yeah, kinda awkward." he shrugged, looking over at her. "Made me sad."

"I'm sad too." she admitted, their shoulders pushed together. "We're pathetic."

"So pathetic." Mike agreed. "I think I sometimes just miss feeling like someone actually likes me more then I miss our entire relationship."

"Really?" Theo turned her head, leaning on her knees some.

"Yeah." he shrugged. "Why do you think you miss Chad?"

"I don't know." she exhaled. "He watched a bunch of horror movies with me and always listened to my rants about true crime and unsolved murders."

"Is that what you're into?" Mike gave a look of disbelief. "And I didn't think you could get any worse."

"Shut up." Theo cracked a grin as she shoved him. "I guess I miss feeling like i'm in a relationship. Doing the couple thing more then I actually miss dating him."

"So then why not go date someone else? I know a lot of people like you." he shrugged.

"Why don't you?" she said in return.

"Because no one likes me." he gave a snort.

"Is that all?" she gave a look of disbelief.

Mike shrugged. "I guess i'm still held up on her."

"See." Theo pointed out. "That's how I am too."

Mike exhaled. "We're pathetic."

"So pathetic." she agreed, looking over at him with a faint look. "What if-"

She stopped, Mike turned his head. "No, say what you were gonna say."

"No." Theo shook her head. "It was freaking stupid."

Apart of Mike knew exactly what she was gonna say. "I sometimes just miss doing the couple thing too, like you said."

Theo turned her head to him again. "Like, who cares if they aren't the person you really want, you kinda just miss feeling appreciated and wanted?"

"Yeah." Mike cleared his throat. "Exactly."

He looked at her nervously, Theo did the same but with more confidence. He felt painfully small in her gaze, because of who she was. Theodora Waters, popular girl that hangs out with bully's. Him, Michael Wheeler, a loser that gets bullied. Theo scanned his face. "I feel like that too."

Mike sat completely still as his face reddened. Theo blinked as she broke their eye contact. "But, I wouldn't want to use anyone like that. I'd hate for them to feel, you know, like that."

"Yeah." Mike agreed, pulling his eyes away from her too. "Guess it's one of those things were you gotta find someone that understands."

"Someone that feels the same. So you can just...I can't think of a better word then use." she said honestly, eyes focused on the gravel on the road.

"Words are just words." Mike picked grass.

Theo turned her head, he did it too. Staring at each other, her hand touched his. Mike gave a squeeze, nodding his head. "It's okay with me."

"It's okay with me too." she said rather quickly before leaning in quickly and kissing him. They fell back on the grass as she held his face, pressing her lips harder into his as Mikes hands pushed on her lower back, pulling her closer to him. Theo pulled back. "Feel any better?"

"A little bit." Mike looked up at her. "You?"

"A little bit." she agreed, rolling off so they laid side by side and kissed again.