-Max's POV-
I set down a plate in front of El. It's been a week since I apologized to her (the first time). I still feel pretty guilty about it. She grabs her sandwich and takes a bite before looking up and nodding. "Yeah you are right. It's better with mustard," she says. I had made us sandwiches for lunch. My mom was working and covering for someone else today so she'd been gone all day.
"Alright El, you're in charge of movies for tonight," I say.
"Just Mike and Will, right?"
I nod.
The four of us were staying at Mike's house tonight, but El wanted to pick movies this time since it was always someone else. Mike of course was doing mostly everything else since he was hosting as normal. This time wasn't like normal though. Will and Mike insisted on it just being us four. "You don't even want to invite Lucas?" I had asked. Mike shook his head. "What about Dustin?" "Absolutely not," Will nearly snapped. It was incredibly weird. It was like they were avoiding them. Or Dustin at least, and they were forcing me and El to avoid him as well.
"What's the movie with the furry creatures you said we could watch?" El asks. "Gremlins," I answer. "Okay so, Gremlins because the cute furry creatures, Ghostbusters because Mike and Will love it, and Nightmare on Elm Street because you love it." I look up at El with a confused expression. "But you hate scary movies," I say. "Well you're going to protect me, so I'm not scared." I smile and blush. I can't help it, it's El.
-Later-
I pull up to Mike's house on my bike, with El on the pegs. I park by his basement door and head in with her. We were there before Will but he came in not that long later. When he did he gave me and El a hug. Then Mike walked over. The two shared an awkward greeting before they hug. To be honest they're shyness is so cute.
After watching Ghostbusters and eating pizza we settle down for a game of team Uno (we decided teams since Will sucked ass at Uno and El never played). "Suck it Wheeler" I say throwing down my yellow draw two. Mike squints at me before taking two cards off the deck. Will leans towards Mike and shows him hand, asking what he should do.
"Use this, then if they changes the color use this, okay?" Mike says pointing at a card. Will nods and puts down a draw four. "Blue." he says with a grin of pride on his face.
"Oh you asshole!", I say. El giggles and pulls four cards before I drop a reverse. El puts down a draw four of her own.
"YEAH! That's my girlfriend," I cheer, full of pride. "Get fucked Byers!" Mike's eyes go big and Will puts on a concerned look. "Sorry," I say. "Got carried away. I'm very competitive."
"I can tell", Mike says nodding. Him and Will make eye contact for a brief moment before they both look away. Mike scratches the back of his head and his face wears about five expressions in the span of a few seconds. Will gives me a worried look. "Sorry," I wince resuming the game.
The rest of the night goes normally. We watch Gremlins and start Nightmare on Elm Street, then El gets too scared so we turn it off and turn on Fox and the Hound, which El immediately loves (as she should, it's a great movie). Somewhere in the middle she falls asleep, so I take Mike's spare blanket and let her sleep on the couch. I take my sleeping bag and unroll it right next to the sofa and snuggle in. These past weeks have been incredibly tiring. It was like all the exhaustion suddenly caught up with me, because I don't even remember closing my eyes.
-Will's POV-
Me and Mike set up our stuff around the DnD table, even though Mike has his own room he prefers to sleep in the basement whenever we have sleepovers. Max and El were fast asleep, but I wasn't that tired.
"You up?" Mike whispers.
"Mhm" I respond
"Okay" Mike pauses for a moment. "Okay I'm like super bored so wanna play a game or something? Ooh-tell me something you've never told anyone, then I'll tell you something I've never told anyone then you again, then me again. You know?"
"Sure why not?" Something I've never told anyone... "I had a crush on He-Man when he first came out," I say.
"Bullshit," Mike claims.
"It's true!"
"No, I mean, Max knows that."
"No she doesn't!"
"Will, Max knows just about every crush you've ever had on anyone!"
"Okay you're right." I stop and think. What could I tell him? "I used to be so jealous," I say, my voice dropping a bit.
"Jealous of what?" I hear Mike shuffle in the dark as I stare at the dark ceiling. "Of El. Because when we were kids, you never really liked any of the girls in our grade. At that point I don't think I had a crush on you yet, I just admired you. I thought you were so cool and so cute and that I would always be your best friend. Then seventh grade year, I guess I fell for you. While yeah, it sucked because you didn't like me in the way I liked you. It was fine. You still treated me different then everyone else, because I was your best friend, and you were mine. Then El came back and suddenly it was like you didn't care about me anymore. I was going crazy alone again. And I would cry, every god damn night, Mike. Every one. I couldn't tell a soul what was wrong because if anyone knew I had a crush on you, then no one would want to be my friend." I feel tears begin to form and one falls down my face. I wipe it quickly. Even bringing it up made me want to just curl up into a ball and sob.
"Will, I'm so sorry." I sit up and look in Mike's direction. I can't see anything but I could hear the hitch in his throat. I could hear his loud and labored breathing that he muffled with his pillows. Mike was crying, and over me. After all the times I cried over him, he's crying over me now."I"m sorry I made you feel like that," he chokes out.
"Mike it's fine, I swear. You liked El, you can't change the past."
"But I didn't have to constantly rub it in your face. I was just-."
"A jerk?" I offer with a playful hint in my voice.
Mike lets out a laugh. "Yeah, a jerk. I feel like I'm constantly apologizing to people nowadays. Jeez when did I become such an asshole?"
I shrug even though I know he can't see it. "All right your turn," I say. "What is something you have never told anyone?"
Mike winces. "Okay this is a little embarrassing", he starts. "Whenever we were alone together, I got urges to randomly kiss you, then keep going with the conversation like nothing happened." He paused for a bit and I hear him sigh. "Now I'm trying to figure out how I thought I was straight for so long."
I feel my cheeks turn red. He used to get urges to kiss me. What makes even better is the fact that he actually does that now. He just stops what he's doing to kiss me then go back to his activity. I feel a small smile grow on my face.
"Remember that note you got in like 6th grade that said 'Please leave my school and die' in your locker?" I ask.
"Yeah. We tried to figure out who wrote it all week. WAIT DO YOU KNOW WHO WROTE THAT?!".
"Yep," I say. "I did. I had started developing real feelings for you and had no idea what it was or how to deal with it so I dealt with it by telling you to die".
![The Way She Makes Me Feel-Elmax [UNDER EDITING]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/272439775-64-k541645.jpg)