𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛; byler

t h i r t e e n

▪ ▪ ▪ 

luckily, jane and max didn't ask any questions. they didn't even seem surprised by his mind changing- just happy. they honestly seemed happy to be spending the evening with will, and that made him even more certain.

he didn't need mike. he had already made friends with the best girls he could ask for.

so he helped them finish the cleanup and followed to them into town. all the while the two girls laughed and chatted, telling will every gossip and every funny story they could think of. they were both upbeat and cheery, same as always.

every building in the town seemed to be a staple of their relationship- well, according to max at least. jane seemed to disagree:

"this is where we went on our first date-"

"no you idiot! it was over there, in the coffee shop!"

"no! that was where i kissed you for the first time!"

"are you kidding? i kissed you! and it was on the beach, after a shift!"

"you're the idiot! that's where you asked me to move in and i remember for a fact because you were wearing that cute pink blouse i like!"

"i only got that blouse like a month ago, dummy. i asked you to move in in the movie theater after we watched bohemian rhapsody-"

"it was rocketman, and that was when i told you i loved you!" 

and so on, and so on. will had no idea what was true, but the bickering was adorable nevertheless. problem was, every building in town reminded him of mike too. just a little.

like how that coffee shop was where will spilled a little of his tea on the white tablecloth and got so embarrassed that the waitress will see and everyone will stare- so mike took the whole teapot and poured it on the table.

and when will turned completely red and furiously whisper-yelled at him asking why he did that, mike just shrugged with a smile, and said: "now it's my fault, not yours."

he had only been there with mike, and therefore everything was mike. 

again, he had to remind himself to get the boy out of his head. mike didn't matter anymore. he just didn't. but he really couldn't stop thinking about him...

"so where are we going?" will asked, forcing himself to tare his eyes away from that one tree where he had found mike waiting for him, reading perks...

"well, it's up to you. there's this cute bar we go to sometimes, but i don't know if you're a drinker and of course there's no pressure-" jane started, but will cut her off.

"actually, a drink sounds really great."

▪ ▪ ▪ 

the bar really was cute, just like everything else in the town. it was accessed through a small staircase inside a local restaurant, and was barely larger than a basement.

it was dim lighted, with a few small tables scattered around the bar. there were tiny twinkle lights hanging everywhere, and they really were the only lights in the place. there were no more than ten people sitting around, and the light jazz music playing made the whole place feel... sleepy. calm.

"cute, huh?" max said, "we go here a lot. there are a lot of parties here and even when there aren't it's super chill." she grabbed jane's hand and then will's, and guided them towards an open table. 

"yeah, but- umm, it's not exactly legal," jane added, fidgeting in the barstool slightly, "like they don't exactly check ID's at all... so no comment about it to the wheeler's please."

she had to mention the wheeler's. just as will was maybe starting to forget- 

no, he hadn't been. nevermind. 

"so what do you drink here?" will asked. he picked up one of the menus and opened it, like he had any idea what he was talking about.

you see, will had never exactly drunk before. not like he had many opportunities- but tonight it seemed perfect. wouldn't alcohol make him feel better? forget about mike? isn't that why people drink it?

"they have really good tom collins!'" max responded.

"oh, tim collins!" will said, trying to sound like he had any idea what that was, besides a guy from his biology class.

max and jane laughed, obviously not fooled. 
"a tom collins," jane corrected with a smile, "is this really good cocktail made of gin, lemon and carbonated water-"

"it's like sparkling lemonade only it gets you wasted!" max interjected. will laughed.

"sounds good." 

"great! i'll go get them,"  jane said, getting up. she left towards the bar, and a minute after she was gone max wrapped will in a tight bear hug.

"i'm really glad you came here, will. and i'm so glad we can be friends. seriously." she said, her hair tickling will's cheek. he let out another awkward chuckle, turning bright red.

"thanks, max. and thanks for being so nice and welcoming," he said. max seemed like she was about to say something else, but before she could jane came back, arms full of tall glasses full of a lemonadey- looking substance. she put them on the table, pushing a glass towards each of them.

"do i need to be jealous?" she joked, gesturing at the two teens still enveloped in the hug. 
"yes. i'm cheating on you with will. it's serious, we're in love" max said, completely deadpan, and will hurried to nod.

"yeah. she got me pregnant." somehow he managed to get it out without breaking a serious face, and that made the two girls explode with laughter. 

"well, in that case, i think you shouldn't have this..." jane said in between snorts of laughter, slowly pushing the glass away from him.

he hurried to stop her, taking the glass with the both of his hands as if it was a mug. 
"fine, i lied. it was all a ploy to get max to leave you and marry me. now, shall we?" he raised the glass and for a second the two girls were so overcome with laughter they couldn't do the same. max almost actually fell out of the chair.

finally, however, the laughter eased enough for them to follow his direction.

"here's to a fant-abulous summer," jane said, and right as they clanked the glasses max added, "and to my new husband!"

and they laughed and drank and it tasted exactly like lemonade only somehow better, and for one second will actually managed to get his mind off of the dark-haired boy.

he didn't need him. he really didn't.

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟒𝐭𝐡. 𝟏𝟏𝟑𝟔 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬: i can't belive its been a year since season 3 like it feels like it's been a minute and at the same time it's been years lol