I HATE THAT I LOVE YOU ! ( byler )

viii. I'll Protect You

Look at my bbs I lOVE THEM!

"Here," Nancy whispered, placing the pack of ice on Mike's head. He hissed at the touch and flinched.

"Mike, I know it hurts but you need to get better!" She groaned. Mike stayed still this time, but it was very difficult when every time the ice pack brushed against his skin in brought pain.

"This is useless," Nancy sighed, already tired and frustrated. Mike looked down, his mouth quivered and throat tightened.

It was all his fault.

He suddenly burst. Sobbing and trembling, trying desperately to get a hold of himself. Nancy gasped and embraced him carefully. He cried even more. He was the one who had to get in a stupid fight. He was the one who had to skip school. The one who didn't know when to stop, how to act, how to be normal like everybody else. He was a freak! A freak who cried for attention because he didn't get it. He tried so hard and all he did was fail, because nobody cared about him. Now he put everyone in this position, now he and Holly had to stay with Nancy in her college. Just great.

"I'm-sorry," he said between sobs and gasps. Nancy whispered and rubbed Mike's back in an attempt to help. Safe to say it didn't.

"Shh, what are you sorry for? It wasn't your fault-" She started. However, she was interrupted by Mike.

"Yes it was! I-if I didn't leave I would've been fine, you too, a-and Holly. I caused this!" He sobbed harder. Nancy told him to do breathing exercises. Breathe in, breathe out, slowly. Calm down. The same words reapeted over and over until he was finally calm.

"Look at me Mike, look at me." Said Nancy, softly grabbing his face and tilting it up so he'd meet her gaze.

"This was not your fault. And it never will be!" She cried too. "Those bastards chose to treat us like animals, like objects, they didn't care. And it is all on them." She stated, caressing her brother's hair and crying too. Mike nodded, wiping away his tears.

"Nancy?" Holly said quietly, watching as her siblings cried. She ran up to them and joined them in a hug. They all bawled in each other's arms.

●●●

Will walked to school, visibly stressed. Mike hadn't picked up the phone last night or this morning, he promised he would. Will always worried too much and too fast. It was one of his worst traits, one of many.

He walked to his locker, and then sat down on the group's table. Lucas noticed his grumpy expression and decided to ask.

"What's up with you?" He asked. Will groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Have you talked to Mike?"

"Not a valid answer, but I'll take it." Lucas said, then added on. "No I haven't. I thought you did, after you two skipped school?" Lucas said in a "duh" tone. Will looked away, face red from embarrassment.

"Don't remind me, it was a dumb decision and now I'm grounded because of it." He scoffed. After Joyce got the call that he was gone from school with Mike, he got yelled at the and was grounded for a week. Max and El sat down, clearly fustrated.

"Okay, what's up with you two?" Dustin asked, eating his chocolate pudding he managed to sneak from the lunch lady. Max groaned.

"That douchebag Troy." El said. "He spilled my juice. On the floor, then threw the rest at us." El looked at her and Max's stained clothes. Will ran a hand through his hair.

"Can he just, like, jump off a cliff?" Will huffed, rolling his eyes. Max chuckled.

"I think you're not the only one wishing that." She mentioned, watching the people around the room. "It's probably everyone." Max added on. Will watched as Troy shoved another student and laughed at them.