"Please don't call my parents!" Mike pleaded.
"Mr. Wheeler can't you hear the sirens outside? Troy Walsh is being hospitalized because of you and you don't want me to call your parents?" Mike was silent.
"Ok.. Mr. Thomas, the principal started with a sigh. What did Mr. Walsh do that got you so worked up?" Mike continued his silence.
"Mr. Wheeler?"
"I can't say." Mike murmured.
He let out yet another sigh. "Does it have anything to do with Will Byers?"
Mike's face suddenly perked up. "H-how do you know?" "I saw you fighting at his locker with graffiti all over it." Mr. Thomas replied.
"It's just not fair that they call him all those names and say these disgusting things about him and nothing happens!" Mike cried out.
"Hey, I understand that you don't want to see your friend get hurt but you can't just go around lunging at people like that. You could have killed him Michael." He replied.
"But it's not just that. They've been terrorizing him since forever. And he's not just my friend. We're..." Mike hesitated. "We're together. And everybody hates us for it. But they bully Will about it more and it's just not fair. I'm so sick of it! And you all keep letting them get away with it!"
"Oh... Uhm." He was at a loss for words. "Hey, how about we talk about this later and get you cleaned up, yeah?" Mr. Thomas said uneasily.
Mike scoffed at his principal's obvious uncomfortableness. "K." He simply replied.
Mike was escorted back into the main office and saw Will again. Only this time he was talking to someone. Police Chief Hopper? Was he here for Mike? Mike sure didn't want to find out so he quickly slipped into the nurses office to get the blood off of his skin and his bruised knuckles wrapped up.
He also got a tshirt from the lost and found because his shirt too was covered in Troy's blood. Damn... how much damage did I do? Mike thought to himself as he discreetly went back into the principal's office. Chief Hopper was there with Mr. Thomas this time. Shit. He's gonna arrest me. "Michael Wheeler... take a seat." The chief started. "A-are you gonna arrest me?" Mike asked, trembling.
"Arrest you? No, I'm just here to tell you that The Walsh's aren't pressing charges. But just because they aren't doesn't mean you're off the hook. What you did was bad Wheeler. Like, really bad. Mr. Thomas here was filling me in on what happened and I just want to tell you that I understand that you were feeling a certain way but you seriously can't just go attacking people."
"NO! Mike started to yell, startling everyone. See that's where you're wrong. You don't understand. You don't understand anything. Not how I'm feeling and not how Will is feeling. We haven't done anything to anybody yet everyone is attacking us. They're targeting Will but he's not gonna do anything about it and obviously neither are you guys. You left me no choice but to take matters into my own hands so I don't wanna hear anything about you understanding what either of us have to go through." Mike let out a breath that apparently he'd been holding in for a while.
"Look, kid... I'm sorry. I really am. How about you just let me take you home for the day?" Hopper tried.
"I don't wanna go home." Mike asked, tears forming in his eyes again. "Where's Will? I'm staying the night there."
"Kid, I know that you know that your parents are looking for you. You gotta go home."
Mike sighed and headed toward the door in defeat.
...
Mike found himself at the familiar porch of his home. He dreaded every moment he inched his hand closed to the doorknob. God he just wanted to be at Will's. Why was that all he thought about now? Ever since they go together it's been like Mike found a new side of himself. It was so much happier but dependent. Really dependent. Mike shrugged it off again as he opened the door. Before he knew it, he was engulfed in a hug by his mother.
"Michael! Where have you been? Why haven't you called? I was so worried about you? What is wrong with you? I almost called the police! Are you ok?"
"Yeah mom, I'm fine. Sorry for not telling you where I was going but I'm fine. I've been to school and everything." Mike said trying to calm his mom's nerves.
"Honey, I'm so sorry for what your father said. It was way out of line. He's on a business trip right now so he's not here. I talked to him a bit before he left. He said he's going to have a conversation with you when he gets back."
"I don't have anything to say to him."
"Michael, come on. Just take some time to-" Karen was cut off by the phone ringing. She hurried to go answer the phone.
"Mhm, this is she. Yes. Oh. That's unfortunate, please send my dearest apologies to their family. I will let him know. Thank you. Bye-bye."
Karen took a deep breath in before turning her attention back to her son. Mike cocked his eyebrows pretending as if he had no idea what that call could possibly be about.
"Michael, why did I get a call saying that you're suspended for two weeks?"
"Look mom, they were writing really disgusting things on Will's locker and bullying him and I just couldn't let him get away with it like he does every single time!" Mike blurted out.
"Mike, you can't just fight people like that. I know it's upsetting but you could get in serious trouble. You're just lucky your dad didn't hear about this." Karen said worryingly.
"Yeah... I know mom. I'm sorry, it won't happen again, I promise." Mike couldn't really promise this. He knew that he would do anything to defend his boyfriend.
"MIKEY!" Mike turned his direction to the stairs where he saw his little sister running towards him.
"Hey Holly! I missed you." He said, pulling her into a hug.
"You've been gone forever!" His sister replied. "It's only been like two days Hol." Mike laughed. "Where's Will? Is he ever going to come back too?" She asked, still latched onto her brother's arm.
"Actually I was thinking of visiting him now?" Mike said as a question, turning to his mother for permission.
"Oh, no. Mike, I understand this puppy love or whatever but you're still in trouble. I mean, that boy you hit was hospitalized! You can call him later to check on him." Karen quickly replied, knowing what Mike was insinuating.
"Mom, come on! I need to make sure he's ok. I saw him sitting by himself in the office. He's probably wondering what's going on." Mike tried to his mother.
"Well like I said, you can call him later. You can't just do these sorts of things and not except any consequences Michael. I'm sorry but you're going to be grounded while on suspension. That means you are to stay in this house until it's time for you to go back to school." Karen rebottled firmly.
"Mom! That's not even fair! He totally deserved it anyways."
"Mikey, we can go play with my Barbies together now!" Holly cut in. Mike sighed. "Ok. Yeah, sure we can go play." He answered in defeat as Holly dragged him upstairs.
Holly eventually switched from Barbies to dress up and went to her closet to find something pretty for her older brother to wear. That's just when Nancy appeared at the door frame. "Mike, are you ok? I heard what happened at school."
"How'd you hear about that?" Mike asked. Nancy was always at work nowadays for her new internship deal or whatever. It would help her get into a good college or something which is why she was gone most of the time.
"Doesn't matter. Why'd you beat that guy up like that? What did he do?" Nancy asked, ignoring the question.
"Why do you assume he did something?"
"Because Mike, I'm your sister and I know you. I know that you wouldn't go around putting people in the hospital for no reason. So what happened?" Nancy answered matter of factly.
"Basically they were all bullying Will and this one guy, Troy, was saying weird things about him that made me uncomfortable which is why I kinda just lost control and jumped at him. But Nancy, Will is probably so upset right now especially after he saw me walking into the office covered in blood. He's probably so confused which is why I need to go see him but mom won't let me." Mike explained calmly.
"Mikey! Wear this pink hat I found!" Holly interrupted the two. "Ok, I'll put it on when I get back. I'm gonna go talk to Nancy for a minute, alright?" Mike smiled down at his sister. "Alright." Holly said in a disappointed tone.
Mike ushered Nancy out of the door and into his room to continue the conversation. "Ok, Nancy started, So what do you want me to do about that?"
"Mom says I'm grounded until I'm off suspension which is two weeks. She's making me stay in the house until it's over which means I can't go check up on Will." Mike explained to his sister.
"Oh my gosh Mike, you're completely obsessed with him..."
"Nancy that's not the point. I need you to cover for me cause I'm gonna sneak out when mom goes to bed." "Sneak out!? Mike you can't just sneak out!" Nancy lectured her brother.
"Come on, I've done it before without any of you noticing. But I think mom is pretty serious this time which is why I need you to cover for me."
"Mike, can't you just call Will to see if he's ok?" Nancy asked. "No, I have to see with my own eyes that's he ok because even if he says that he's fine, he's more than likely not fine." Mike told his older sister. "You realllyyyy care about him, huh?" Nancy asked, dragging out the 'really'.
"Yeah, I do. Mike tried to hide a smile. So are you gonna do it or not? Mom usually goes out pretty early when dads not here. Like eight-thirty-ish." "Yeah, ok fine I'll do it. Just... just quickly make sure your little boyfriend is ok then come back, alright?" Nancy warned.
"Yeah, of course!" Mike jumped. "Thank you so so much Nancy! You are like the best sister ever." He hugged her.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever Mike just get off of me." She grinned.
Her little brother was in love.
a/n: Oooo another upload? That's pretty crazy...
anyways what do y'all think will happen when Mike goes to visit Will? I'm debating on finally creating some byler angst or waiting just a little longer. Probably gonna do it now since it's been too sweet for too long lmao. Anyways byeee
~Mo :P ❤️