Crush Culture [M.Wheeler]

[07] HEARTBROKEN

After picking up El from the power lines, they all set off to the train tracks. While Lucas and Dustin walk behind, Mike, El, and Nori stay ahead, seeing as Eleven was leading the way.

"Why did they hurt you?" El speaks up, looking to Mike.

"What?" Mike curiously turns to look at the girl. She reaches her hand forward, pointing to his chin.

"Oh, that. Uh, I just fell at recess." He lies, looking to Nori, hoping she wouldn't say anything.

"Mike.." eleven shakes her head. 

"Yeah?"

"Friends tell the truth." She reminds him, earning a sigh.

"I was tripped by this mouth breather Troy, okay?" He admits.

"Mouth breather?" Eleven asks, not understanding Mike's confusing vocabulary.

"Yeah, you know.. a dumb person. A knucklehead." He explains, only earning more questioning looks.

"Knucklehead?" She squints her eyes.

"What Mike means to say is, someone who you don't like, who bothers you." Nori explains more simply.

"Yeah. That." Mike nods.

"I don't know why I just didn't tell you. Everyone at school knows. I just didn't want you to think I was such a wastoid, you know?" He confesses.

Nori turns to him, wrapping an arm around the boy. "You're not, Mike. Right, El?" She smiles to the girl, who nods in return.

"Oh. Okay, cool. Cool." Mike smiles as Nori continues to hand her arm around his shoulder.

***

Finally, they reach their destination, although it's not where they had expected Eleven to lead them to. "Here." Eleven says.

"Yeah, this is where Will lives." Mike responds.

"Hiding." She adds.

"No, no, this is where he lives. He's missing from here. Understand?" Mike intervenes.

"What are we doing here?" Lucas asks in disbelief.

"She said he's hiding here." Nori explains, looking to Mike, who shrugs.

"Um.. no!" Lucas glares.

"I swear, if we walked all the way out here for nothing—" Dustin speaks up.

"That's exactly what we did. I told you she didn't know what the hell she was talking about!" Lucas yells.

Mike rolls his eyes, then turns back to Eleven. "Why did you bring us here?"

She stammers, stumbling over her words, before Lucas cuts in. "Mike, don't waste your time with her."

"What do you want to do then?" He asks, annoyed.

"Call the cops, like we should have done yesterday." Lucas states.

"We are not calling the cops, Lucas!" Nori chimes in, not noticing that Dustin was attempting to get their attention.

"Guys!" He shouts again, finally causing their silence. The sound of blaring sirens fills the air, while a series of ambulances and police cars drive past.

"Will..." Mike utters. They all run to their bikes, following directly after the sirens with no time to waste.

They arrive at the quarry, hiding behind one of the trucks. Nori reaches for Mike's hand, holding it tightly while they peer over.

Nori gasps, watching the body of their friend be pulled out of the water.

"It's not Will. It can't be." Mike says.

Nori stares ahead with her mouth hanging open. Her face emotionless, her brain in full denial. This isn't real. It's impossible.

"It's Will. It's really Will." Lucas says.

Nori feels a sudden pain in her chest, her breath seemingly knocked out of existence. Mike looks to her in worry, knowing this must be the hardest for her.

Her and will had grown very close over the last year. She holds her hand on her chest, failing to breathe properly. She felt lost and alone, even if she was surrounded by everyone else.

It felt like the world had gone against her, like it was declaring war but only on her. It was selfish, she thought. This must be affecting the others the same way.

A singular tear rolls down. "Mike.." eleven reaches her hand out, yet he slaps it away.

"Mike? Mike, What?" He yells.

"You were supposed to help us find him alive. You said he was alive! Why did you lie to us?" He asks, his vision blurring. "What's wrong with you? What is wrong with you?"

"Mike.." She says softly, her lip trembling.

"What?" He cocks an eyebrow. She shakes her head, only to see mike begin to run off.

Nori stands beside Dustin in pure shock, her whole body shaking, her heart broken.

"Mike, come on." Lucas calls. "Don't do this, man."

"Mike..." he says, a tear slipping out.

"Mike, where are you going? Mike!" Dustin shouts after him.

"Mike, please don't leave." Nori cries out.

He sends her a sad look, before sighing, and biking away. Nori only sobs more, wrapping her arms around the closest boy to her, which was Dustin, in a hug, crying into his shoulder.

Soon enough, Lucas joins in, crying as well.

***

Nori finds herself home a little later than expected, finding both her parents and Steve standing worriedly at the entrance.

"Ellie, where were you? We were worr—" Steve is quickly cut off by her running up to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. Steve looks up from her to their parents, sighing.

"He's dead. He's really dead." She cries, feeling his hand rub against her back.

"Alright, Ellie, breathe, okay. Breathe." He says calmly, holding the girl close.