✓ | MISERY → madwheeler

three

"So, what happened yesterday?"

Max sighed, looking at Dustin, who had a worried expression on his face.

"Look, don't make me feel any more guilty than I already am." Max said. "I just told him that I think we would be better off as friends, that's all."

"Yeah, well Mike is super pissed." Dustin said, and Max pursed her lips angrily. "When is he not ever pissed at me?"

She glanced at him sideways. "Is Lucas pissed?"

Dustin shook his head. "Nah. He gets it."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. And I'm sorry about what happened at Halloween. Mike was just being impossible."

"Well you shouldn't have brought up El." Dustin mumbled, and Max shot him a glare.

"I didn't bring up El! He was being a complete and total douche to me and made it up!"

Dustin hesitated, and then relented. "Yeah, I thought it was something like that. Mike won't budge though, and he still insists it was all you."

Max angrily shook her hair out of her face. "Of course he does. God, why does he hate me so much? I thought after the whole Dart-Demogorgon incident he would be cool with me, but it feels like he hates me even more!"

Dustin opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again, shaking his head. "I don't know."

Max's forehead creased. What had he been about to say?

"Look, just meet us in the AV room after school." Dustin said, shrugging. "It'll be fine. Besides, El's gonna be there."

Max brightened. "Okay, cool. I'll come."

Dustin waved as she took off towards her next class. "See ya, Mad Max!"

She made a face at him, and then had disappeared around the corner.

-

After school, Max headed into the AV room, opening the door and strolling inside without a second glance at Mike, who she could have sworn muttered, "Bitch."

"Asshole." She shot right back in an undertone, and he narrowed his eyes as El saw her and said brightly, "Max! Hi!"

Max hugged her tightly. "Hey! It's so good to see you! How are you and Hopper doing?"

"Oh, we're doing great." El said excitedly. "I might even get to come to school with you guys next year! And then we could hang out all the time!"

Max heard Mike grunt, and El shot him a look making Mike go silent, glaring sullenly at Max.

"No, it's fine. I'm used to it." Max murmured, and El said incredulously, "You mean he does this all the time?"

Max nodded, pressing her lips together. "Yep."

El's mouth dropped open, and Max shook her head again. "Seriously, it's fine. I don't know why he hates me, but it's okay."

El's eyebrows narrowed in concentration as she studied Max, and then caught Dustin's gaze.

They seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes, and then it was broken as they both nodded at each other, and Max watched them curiously.

As she opened her mouth to ask El what that had been about, she was cut off by Lucas and Will entering the room, laughing together.

"El!" They exclaimed catching sight of her, and she waved. "Hey, you guys!"

"Hey, Lucas." Max greeted him, and he smiled. "Hey, Max. Long time, no see."

She laughed, glad to know that Dustin had been telling the truth with how he was handling the breakup, and was glad it wasn't a big deal.

"Okay, okay," Mike said, interrupting them. "So, why are we all here? Because there are a million other things I would rather be doing than breathing the same air as,"

He paused, his eyes flicking to Max and back, who glowered at him. "Other people."

"We're here because I need your all's help." A voice sounded from the doorway, and they glanced up to see Steve Harrington.

"Yeah, see I wanted to tell you," Dustin began, smiling sheepishly. "But I was afraid you all wouldn't show up because Steve is sometimes a buzzkill."

"And he thinks everything revolves around a sports analogy." Mike mumbled, and looked up, surprised, when Max laughed.

Steve on the other hand, looked offended. "Hey! I helped out you all once, and now it's time for you all to return the favor. So shut up and listen."

They all groaned as Steve said, "Come on! We're going in the car. "

"Where are we going exactly?" Lucas asked, and Steve said, "We, my friend, are going to a place that I have chosen and that you don't get to know until we get there. So once again, shut up."

Lucas shook his head as they all filed out the door, hearing Will say distantly, "Are you sure whatever this is is legal?"

Max heard Steve respond with a scoff, "Of course it's legal! As long as no one knows that we're doing it, we'll be fine!"

She turned, and saw Mike, who was shoving things into his knapsack and said hesitantly, "Hey. So, um, about Halloween. I'm sorry about the things I said. That was kind of messed up to get in your face like that."

Mike taunted her, saying mockingly, "Good for you. What do you want, a medal?"

Max waited, watching him as he continued to throw things into his bag, and then he heaved a loud breath, throwing the bag on the table and looking up at her, snapping, "What, Mayfield?"

Max blinked. "I was- I mean, aren't-aren't you going to apologize too?"

He snorted. "Why should I? Unlike you, I meant what I said."

She stared disbelieving at him as he slung his bag over his shoulder and shoved past her and out the door, seeing him run his fingers through his messy black hair.

Then, he stopped, turning and meeting her eyes. He, like Dustin, opened his mouth to say something and then seemingly changed his mind.

"Just stay the hell away from me." Mike said sharply, and Max was getting ready to retort when he turned on his heel and vanished from her view.

i am done with the hiatus i had for this book! sorry i haven't updated for a bit, i literally had NO INSPIRATION and was suffering from a really big writer's block! but due to all the demands, i am back! please leave some feedback, i would really appreciate it! see you next chapter!!