Byler- The Unwanted Return of Everything (And How It Finally Ends)

And Who is Who?

"You look like you've already been messed with, sir." It was true, the man wasn't pretty, but Mike bringing it to light seemed to be the final straw. The man looked like he was about to punch Mike again. Mike scrunched his face up and closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact, but it never came.

" Agh! What the hell?"

Mike opened his eyes and saw that the man was frozen in place, his fist seconds from Mike's face, but unable to go further. He tilted his head at the sight, unsure of how that was happening.

"What are you doing to me, you little creep?" the man hissed. "Let me go! LET ME GO!" He strained, trying to break free from his position.

Mike looked around and caught sight of Jane around the corner. She was grinning and nodded when she saw Mike make eye contact. Mike realized what she was doing.

"You're gonna regret it if you don't let me go right now, kid," the man growled.

Mike laughed, looking back at him. "I'll let you go, but only if you leave. You got it?" Mike stuck his hand out like he was going to do more crazy magic on him, making the guy's eyes widen, no longer holding the half-drunken confidence they had before.

"Okay, fine!" he yelled. "I'll leave!"

"I'd like an apology too." Mike leaned forward, trying to look mean.

"I'm sorry, okay? Let me go!" The man sounded frantic now.

"Fine." Mike pretended to do a little magical gesture and the man unfroze, coiling away from the terrifying wizard he'd met.

"Stay away from me, you little creep." He snuck along the wall, not taking his eyes off Mike. Mike made a sudden movement towards him, his hand outstretched. The man yelped and ran away, bursting out the doors. Mike laughed as he watched him leave, turning to Jane, who was grinning with pride.

"Thanks, Jane," he said. "How'd you know I was having trouble?"

Jane shrugged. "I've been waiting for you to come out of the bathroom... everyone else left." She looked down.

Mike raised an eyebrow. "They... left? All of them?" He felt slightly hurt by that, all his friends deciding to abandon him without a single warning. "Why?"

Jane sighed. "Will said you were being mean. He told us about all this horrible stuff you've been doing to him and everyone decided you deserved to be left behind, I guess."

Mike stared for a second. What had Will said? Obviously, something bad enough to make everyone leave him, but Mike could think of anything he'd done that was that bad. "Why didn't you leave?" he asked.

Jane frowned. "Well, you better prove me right, but I didn't believe him. Something seemed off, a feeling I had..."

Mike sighed in relief. "Thank you, Jane. He was telling me about how you might be evil earlier, actually. And based on how you just saved me back there, something is definitely wrong with him."

Jane's mouth opened. "He said I was bad? How?"

"He said you opened the Upside Down gate."

"He told you about that?" she said, raising her voice. Her eyes widened at Mike's shocked expression. "I- I didn't do it on purpose. I was hearing the voices of the lab kids... I thought they needed my help. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Mike shook his head. "You didn't need to. It's fine, I get it... Why is he trying to paint us as villains though? That's really weird."

"Will wouldn't," Jane insisted. Mike agreed with that, Will would never try to turn everyone on his favorite people for no good reason, and there wasn't a good reason that Mike could see.