Word Count: 1540
Millie swallowed the pills her mom had given her before leaving for work, holding the glass filled with water in her clammy hands. Her throat was burning and her head was aching, she'd gotten a cold. She'd been feeling a bit under the weather the last few days, but right now she just felt awful. Likely from the previous night. She'd sat out in the cool night air for hours with Finn, keeping him company. It was alright at the time but had clearly taken a toll on her body.
Her feet, which were covered in fluffy bed socks, carried her back into her bedroom where she repositioned herself on her bed. She was about to settle down and take a nap in an attempt to feel better when there was a soft knock on her bedroom door, before the sound of it opening.
"Millie?" A deep voice – that was definitely not her mothers – called, causing her to poke her head out of the covers. Her eyes met the tall, lanky boy in her doorway, who sported a concerned look on his freckled face. "If you want to sleep we can study another time?" He spoke softly, still standing in her doorway.
She'd completely forgotten that they'd organized a study session last night, and to be honest, she didn't think he'd remember or even feel up to it. She forced a small smile onto her lips before shaking her head, "no, it's fine. Come in, silly." Millie's voice was hoarse and croaky as she sat up and leaned against her headboard, patting the empty space next to her on her bed.
Finn cautiously walked over and sat down, the same dingy pair of converse on his feet. His lips were curved downwards, his forehead creased, "you sick?" Millie rolled her eyes and laughed slightly, "yeah, sorry. That was a dumb question," he cleared his throat as he scratched the back of his neck.
"It's fine, I'll be fine," Millie insisted, despite reaching for a tissue from her bedside table whilst shrugging her shoulders. "It's just a cold, but I completely understand if you don't want to be around me right now, I'm a mess." She laughed, motioning to her messy hair and pajamas she was wearing.
Finn smiled at the sound of her laugh, happy to hear her being her usual self. He felt bad, knowing she was probably sick from the night before. "No, no. I want to stay." He smiled and slipped his shoes off, although due to the nature of high top converse it wasn't as easy as simply 'slipping them off'. Once he'd gotten them off and got comfortable on Millie's bed, leaning against the headboard next to her. "But, we don't have to study if you don't feel up to it."
She really, really didn't feel like it and wasn't even sure if she could get herself out of bed, but he'd showed up and wouldn't she be a bad friend if she told him no? Probably, but she was going to anyway. "Maybe later," she lied, shrugging. "You okay, though?" She questioned, concerned about how panicked he was the night before. Finn seemed like his normal self today, but that doesn't erase the memories of him being hysterical from Millie's mind.
"Yes, of course. You're the one who's sick, idiot." He rolled his eyes, nudging her shoulder with his own. He was avoiding the real nature of the question, fully aware Millie was referencing to last night. She chuckled briefly before furrowing her eyebrows in concern. "Really, Millie. I'm fine, I swear." Truth was, he wasn't fine. He felt fine right now, but he didn't the night before that and maybe he wouldn't tomorrow. His moods were unpredictable in recent and he'd been feeling more anxious than usual.
Despite his efforts, Millie wasn't buying it, "I was just thinking," she started, pulling herself up a bit so she had her back straight against the headboard of her bed, "maybe you could, I don't know... talk to a professional?" She spoke through gritted teeth, knowing he was likely to shut the idea down.
She was right.
"Millie... I'm fine. I don't need to talk to someone." He reassured, laughing somewhat bitterly. He appreciated Millie's concern, but he didn't think this was that big of a deal. Millie still had a frown on her lips and creases in her forehead, "the wind will change and your face will stay that way. From my point of view, you don't want that, trust me." Finn smirked, causing her to grab a pillow and hit him in the face with it.
———
Mille had forced Finn to watch too many lame movies that he couldn't help but cringe at every five minutes, but it was all worth it due to how much Millie adored them. They'd been doing this all day, only moving positions from sitting upright to lying down with the laptop in between the two of them. Her mom had been at work all day, so realistically they could've watched them on the TV in the living room, but this was cozier.
The credits for one of the Bring It On movies were rolling and Millie grabbed the laptop, searching for a new one to put on. It was getting late but neither of them had even considered that being their last film. There was a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. However, it was broken by Millie whilst she searched through Netflix
"So," Millie croaked out, still sounding sick, "what does the famous Wolfhard want to do when we finish school?" Her eyes remained on her laptop screen, whilst Finn's shifted to his hands. The last time they had a conversation like this would've been a few years back when she had her heart set on being a lawyer, but that was just from watching Legally Blonde a few too many times.
"Well, probably going to end up with some lame desk job. But, photography or like, acting or music or something would be cool." His voice was filled with doubt and it pained the girl beside him.
"What? You're still interested in photography?" Millie broke her stare at the illuminated screen and to the boy beside her who had a small smile on his face as he fiddled with his hands.
"As long as I can remember," he mumbled, quietly. It was true, he'd always had an interest in photography and Millie admired his commitment to said interest. She'd always had phases of things she thought were cool, as did Finn, but this particular thing he'd enjoyed for such a long period of time. Millie thought it was cool.
"Wait," Millie put the laptop down and turned slightly towards him and paused to cough, "why are you so desperate to get back on the football team if you're not interested in it?" She was genuinely confused, she'd just assumed he'd wanted a football scholarship at some college.
Finn shrugged, taking a deep breath before beginning to talk, "I guess it just sucks being told you're not good enough at something. I also hate being told what to do in general, I guess. As you now." A small chuckle escaped his lips following the last part, "I just want to prove I can get my grades up, I guess." He finished with yet, another shrug.
Millie nodded slowly, somewhat understanding the point he was making. She just wished he didn't feel as though he had to prove himself to people. She decided against saying that aloud, to avoid unnecessarily continuing a conversation which seemed as though it was wrapping up. "Fair enough." She sighed as she turned back to the laptop screen.
"What's this, Millie?" Finn queried as he picked a book off of her bedside table; the scrapbook she was working on the other day. It was messy and all over the place, she'd just stuck photos on the pages and scribbled names, dates, and descriptions to go along with them. Finn's long, slim fingers were turning the pages covered in memories and a small smile tugged at his lips whilst he did so.
"It's just a... I don't know, a scrapbook maybe?" She chuckled nervously as he continued to flip through the pages. The book was about halfway done, the rest she was planning to do as the year went on. "It's stupid, really." Millie brushed it off as she returned to her search for the next movie to put on.
"I think it's awesome," Finn spoke quietly, seeming as though the sentence was more directed to himself than Millie. A wave of relief washed over her body, as she was slightly concerned he would think it was a waste of time. Millie had to remind herself to stop assuming the worst of him when it comes to this stuff.
"Thanks, Finn." She spoke nonchalantly as she put the laptop back between them, playing the film Girl Interrupted. She'd never admit this to him, but she chose this one as it was a long movie - which meant Finn would be by her side for a bit longer.
———
I HATE THIS so much. It's an awful filler but whatever.
lots of love
