For Better or Worse- {2}

Chapter Four- Beef jerky Nougat

Mike sighed deeply as the rest of the party followed.

For the remainder of the night, Dustin was glued to Max's side, the two of them talking like long-lost best friends. Lucas and Caroline hung back a bit to give them their space, grinning at Dustin's happiness.

"Another full-size. Like, seriously, rich people are such suckers." Dustin looked at Max in horror. "Wait. You're not rich, right?"

Max shook her head. "No, I live up Old Cherry Road."

"Oh."

"No, it's fine. I mean, the street's good for skating."

"Hmm. Yeah, totally tubular. What? Did I say that right? Or is it, like, tubular."

Caroline reached forward and flat tired Dustin, making him stop. "No, Dusty. It's, like, totally tubular."

Dustin mimicked her surfer dude voice. "Totally tubular."

"What a gnarly wave, dude," Lucas joined in.

"Totally brodacious, bro!"

Max was laughing. "Stop! My ears are hurting."

Behind the laughing party, Mike leaned over to Will, looking bitter. "Did you agree to this?"

"What?"

Mike was glaring at Max. "To her joining our party."

"It's just for Halloween," Will pointed out.

Mike still looked angry. "You should have checked with me."

Caroline sighed and made Lucas hang back with her. She turned to her curly haired friend. "Mike, first of all, you aren't in charge of the party, okay? Second, leave Will alone, I invited her. Dustin wanted me to talk to her, and she helped me out in the locker room. She even saw my scar, and she didn't care."

Mike looked at her incredulously. "You let her see your scar? Callie, what the hell?"

"Mike, calm down," Will lay a hand on his friends shoulder, pulling him back from his sister protectively.

"Why do you care?" Caroline asked, ignoring her twin. "It's my body. And besides, it was an accident. It's not like she knows anything."

"You can't tell people about it, Caroline!" Mike hissed. "That shit is top secret, you could get us arrested! You could get us killed!"

"You think I don't know that, Michael?" Caroline said angrily. "I was the one who got shot in the stomach and died."

"Yeah, well you didn't watch the only girl you ever liked turn into dust," Mike was up in Caroline's face now, "by some inter-dimensional monster, right after promising her things would get better!"

Miked got dangerously close to Caroline, who stared up at him with gritted teeth. He jutted a finger out and started pressing her shoulder, hard. "You were reckless and selfish like always, and it was your blood that got her killed."

That was enough for Lucas. He shoved his Mike backward, making his friend stumble. "Shut up, man!"

"Lucas," Caroline said warningly. She watched as her boy's fists trembled with anger.

MIke's face screwed up in rage, but instead of lunging at Lucas, he started shouting. "You know I'm right! It's her fault! El is gone, forever, and it's her fault!"

Caroline's eyes were burning with tears. Mike was only saying the truth, which made it that more painful. It was her fault. No matter how many times she tried to fight it, it just was.