❝There's a thin line between love and hate.❞
You will fall in love with a beautiful girl with hair so rich it looks like red flaming embers, and a past so haunting you can see it in her eyes. She'll love you, you know, long before you ever love h...
"before you start a war, you better know what your fighting for."
[ chapter four ] → darkened shadows
Mike Wheeler had just escaped his mother grasp, and her fawning over his appearance when he heard what sounded like a muffled shout from the side of the school building. Mike slowly started walking towards the noise before he abruptly stopped, realizing that this was Hawkins and that could quite possibly be something related to the upside down.
Deciding he didn't want to risk it, he turned around when out of the corner of his eye he saw the unmistakable fiery red hair that only one person he knew sported. Mike whipped around so fast, he was surprised his neck didn't break. Feeling an uneasy pit start to form in his stomach, Mike stomped towards Max, turning the corner he was met with a sight that seemed to pinch at his heartstrings, his stomach to plummet and his vision to get clouded with anger. Before him stood Maxine Mayfield, auburn hair disheveled, silent tears falling down onto her porcelain cheeks, her body pressed against the wall with Troy's on top of hers.
His whole body froze and his next words cut through the silent night air like a deadly sharp knife,
"What the fuck is going on here?"
Her electric blue eyes met his chocolate ones and he snapped. He aggressively grabbed Troy by the shoulders, pulling him off Max and spinning him around punching him square in the face. Troy staggered backward, holding his bleeding nose, before rushing into the double doors of the school. Mike watched him with an odd satisfaction, glad to have finally stood up to Troy, in his opinion that punch was long overdue. He returned his attention to Max and took a sharp intake of breath as his eyes landed on her neck, where a purple hickey was starting to form.
Max looked down at herself to see what he was staring at, and was mortified to find a purple bruise engraving it's way onto her skin, no doubt from Troy's sloppy mouth. She felt her lip quicker slightly as she thought about what happened.
How far would Troy had gone if no one found her?
She hadn't even realized she began crying until Mike's shaking hand delicately touched her shoulder. She looked up at him, blue eyes twinkling with tears and sorrow, and that's when Mike truly realized just how broken she was on the inside. He had pushed her to her limits, teased her constantly, always trying to get a rise out of her, to piss her off, and he hadn't even realized how much she had going on, and that he was just adding to the pile of shit in her life. He hated himself at that moment, with every fiber in his being, he gave her such a hard time and all she had wanted from his was a friend, and he couldn't even give her that. He licked his dry lips, looking down at Max a feeling of something unknown stirring in his stomach,
"Max," he whispered her name, his voice soft and hushed.
Max looked at him, shaking her head to keep the tears that were threatening to spill at bay,
"Please...just..." she replied her voice shaky and breaking on the last word. Mike looked at her his milk chocolate eyes swimming with sadness, and she just broke. She let out a heart-wrenching sob, before collapsing into Mike.
He pulled her small body as close to his as possible, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist, her whole body wracking with sobs. He ran his hands through her hair, whispering sweet nothings into her ear as she cried into his chest. She cried about Troy, about Billy, about how what a shit of a step father she had, how her mother ignored all the abuse, how she had been forced to leave her home, all she had ever known and move across the country and had to start all over, how fucked up Hawkins was, how Eleven had dismissed her chance at a friendship, how Mike hated her, she cried about how here she was sobbing in the arms of Mike Wheeler, letting him see her weak, vulnerable, and hurt when all he wanted was to probably see her like that. Most of all she cried because Mike was taking pity on her, and the last thing she needed was Mike Wheeler's pity.
After another couple minutes her sobs had reduced to small whimpers until finally, she had stopped crying, her breathing shallow as she leaned her body against his, breathing him in. She finally pulled back, her arms still looped around his waist.
He smiled gingerly at her before running his hand carefully through her eyelashes collecting the excess water droplets. She gazed at him, struck by how breathtakingly gorgeous he looked. The light from the streetlights shined down on him, encasing him in an almost halo-like glow. His brown eyes were filled with emotion, a few freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks, his lips were a light pink and slightly parted.
She was just about to say something when she heard someone call their names,
"Mike? Max?"
Just like that the moment was ruined and Mike's hands quickly dropped from her sides, Max let go of Mike as well, instantly missing the feeling of his hands encompassing her and the warmth she felt from his body. She fixed her hair, so that it covered her exposed neck, hiding the bruise. She turned around to face Will, offering him a weak smile.
His eyes slightly widened when he saw her,
"Are you okay?"
She nodded her head, "Ya I'm fine, just came outside for some fresh air."
He stared at her skeptically, slowly nodding accepting her answer.
"Okay, well the guys are here so why don't we head inside."
Both Max and Mike nodded, Mike, walking alongside Will, as Max trailed behind them into the building where the dance was being held.
Max spotted the sign for the girl's bathroom and before either of the boys could protest, she quickly slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. Max walked over to the mirror, gripping the edges until her knuckles turned white. She looked at her reflection staring back at her, just like she had done at her house, yet she looked so different now. She looked less composed, less on guard, and she hated that. Max sprayed herself with some cool water hoping it would help reduce the puffiness of her face, before attempting to fix her hair. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror before she headed out, you got this, don't be weak, don't show emotion, and don't look at him, she silently chanted in her head, before marching out of the girl's bathroom, towards the snowball, head held high.
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HOLY GUACAMOLE GUYS 5OO+ READS!! I'M ABOUT TO PEE MY PANTS. THANK YOU! Next chapter will be the last one at the snowball I promise. I know that it's seems like I'm dragging it on but there's just so much to cover. Going to go back and edit this book later. Thanks for reading!
