Flames | Madwheeler |✗|

12 | The Sixth Sense

"Heart made of glass, my mind of stone. Tear me to pieces, skin and bone. Hello, welcome home."

[ chapter twelve ] → the sixth sense

If Mike Wheeler could use one word to describe the last few weeks of his life it would simply be awkward. He felt like anytime he was near Max, the tension was thick, like an invisible fog that surrounded them, not to mention the cold stares Lucas would randomly give him. He couldn't understand why Lucas was mad at him, he didn't remember doing anything wrong to piss him off, and he couldn't understand why the party seemed to be acting so off, almost like everyone was keeping secrets from one another. He just wanted things to go back to normal, but what was normal?

Max had started to detach herself from the party, always hanging around Annika, and as much as he wanted to, he just couldn't bring himself to be happy about it. When he would walk past them in the halls, their voices would go from loud shouts to quiet whispers. He felt like he was being replaced, and he didn't like it one bit. Who was she to decide that she was done with him, with the party, and just leave them in the dust like that?

Before he did something stupid that would probably piss of the red-haired girl, he wanted answers, and that would come from none other than Lucas Sinclair, her boyfriend.

Walking into the lunchroom, felt more like a confrontation than a conversation, sliding into the empty seat next to Lucas, Mike didn't miss the slightly annoyed look that the boy gave him before he went back to drinking his water.

"I need to talk to you."

Lucas slightly turned and faced him, Mike continued,

"About Max."

Lucas let out a bitter laugh, "Of course you would ask about Max. What, no Maxine?"

Mike looked at him confused as to why he was being so snappy, "Lucas, if you have a problem with me, then just tell me."

Lucas shook his head, "Oh, no never, I have absolutely no problems with the king himself Mike Wheeler."

Mike rolled his eyes, this conversation was getting old, and real fast, he had no desire to argue with Lucas, he came here for answers and that was what he was going to get.

"Are you guys okay?" Mike questioned.

Lucas looked at him questioningly, "Why do you care?"

"Because you're my friend and I care about you."

Lucas looked at the boy sitting next to him for a solid ten seconds before he demeanor relaxed, this wasn't his competition, this was Mike, his best friend, and acting like a douchebag towards him was going to get him nowhere, besides he was sure Mike was head over heels for Eleven, 

"It's complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"Well we are having a bit of a disagreement, but it's going to be all over soon, Max and I love each other, I just know it."

Mike felt an uneasy feeling wash over him as Lucas said those words, they loved each other, Max loved Lucas, he knew that, so why did it feel like his heart was being squeezed in the most painful way? Maybe it was because he knew what it felt like to be cared for by her, and he didn't want anyone else to feel that way, or maybe it was just because anytime Max and Lucas were mentioned in a conversation it gave him a slight headache. He chose the latter.

Max Mayfield skated next to Annika Green as the two of them made their way outside the double doors of the middle school, she heard her name being mentioned and whipped her head towards the courtyard, her eyes landing on Troy and his goons. The second her ice-cold gaze met Troy's, he immediately shut his mouth, turning around and quickly walking away. Max smirked to herself, ever since the night of the snowball, Troy had been scared shitless and wouldn't even come five feet within her, much to her pleasure.