The next morning, Will and El went to Hawkins High School.
Mike was standing in the doorway, waiting for them, leaning on a wall to escape the sunlight.
He was even wearing sunglasses.
Will and El got out of Jonathan’s car and approached Mike, who didn’t even move until they reached the main door.
- Hello, Mike. - El said.
- Hi, El. - Mike grinned.
- Hey - Will said too.
- Hey…- Mike replied, hesitant.
Will noticed the awkward tension between them, but didn’t say anything.
Then, El, Mike and Will entered the school's main hall.
- There are so many things to do here. - El said.
- Yeah, totally. What do you want to do first? - Mike asked
- There are some kids reading books there. – El said, pointing to a group of kids and teenagers reading some books together while the adults were working. - Maybe I can help.
- Do you wanna join them? - Mike asked.
El nodded, with a little smile.
- Alright then, good luck El. We’ll be there, at the donations’ section. - Mike said, pointing to some boxes across the hall.
- Wait, El, aren’t you coming with us? - Will asked.
- Nope. I’ll be fine here. - El said, with a little smile.
- Uh… okay. Good luck. - Will replied, unsure, following Mike to the donations section.
Mike was still silent and wearing his sunglasses, and Will was really hesitant to say anything. He could see an annoyed expression on Mike’s face now.
- Whoa, you’re really afraid of being alone with me, aren’t you? - Mike suddenly asked.
Will panicked. He did not expect that question.
- Wh-What? No, no. Of course not. - He replied, nervous.
- Yeah, whatever. - Mike said, moving forward and leaving Will behind, who was really confused.
Will followed Mike, and, by the time he got to the mentioned section, Mike was already opening a box full of clothes.
- Are you just gonna stand there? - Mike asked.
- No, I was just wondering…. - Will said, opening another box.
“The ten-second rule. Think about what you're gonna say for ten seconds before giving an answer. That's how you'll be sure about it.”
Mike stood there, arms folded, waiting for an answer.
There was really nothing to think about, because things between them were already messed up.
- …Why did you say that? Will asked.
- Because it’s the truth. - Mike replied, rolling his eyes.
- It’s not. - Will confronted him.
- Then why do you always need company when I’m with you? - Mike asked, raising his voice.
- I just thought you would want to be with El. It’s not that deep. - Will answered, confused and upset.
- Well, you should’ve asked instead of thinking. - Mike said.
- Fine then, I'm sorry. - Will said.
Silence was audible at this point, as Mike kept folding some t-shirts.
- Are you mad at me? - Will asked.
- No, I’m not. - Mike muttered.
- Then what’s the problem now? - Will inquired.
Mike stopped folding the clothes and took a deep breath before giving an answer.
- I just thought that you… that you really… it doesn’t matter. - Mike said.
- Of course it matters. Tell me. - Will said, concerned.
- It doesn’t. - Mike said, serious, cutting off the conversation. - It really doesn’t, Will.
A few more seconds passed until Will found the strength to keep talking to Mike in that mood.
- I guess you never meant it. - He said.
Mike’s eyes widened as he removed his sunglasses.
- What? - He asked, outraged.
- Nothing. - Will muttered.
- Don’t you trust me? - Mike asked.
- Should I? - Will replied, now serious.
Well, he had a point. He spent the entire last year just watching Mike and El being the perfect couple (from his point of view) and now that they were over, Mike was looking for him.
- I- I don’t know. - Mike said. - Can’t you try, at least?
Will did not answer.
- I don’t see the problem anyway. Seems like you didn’t mean it either. - Mike added. His voice cracked.
-.That’s not tru-
- Friends don’t lie, Will. - Mike said.
Those last words from Mike shattered Will’s heart.
The expression on his face showed how hurt he was, and his eyes were now teary.
- Are we? - Will asked, almost inaudible.
- Yes. We are. That’s all we are. - Mike answered, seriously. Then, he put his sunglasses back on.
Will was shocked. All he wanted to do was cry and scream, because he knew it was partly his fault. Or, probably, everything.
But the impotence was stronger, and even more the tension.
Both Mike and Will remained silent the rest of the afternoon, and, at some times, anyone could tell they were holding back some tears, without even looking at each other.
Almost two hours later, when El finally appeared again, they decided to get back home.
The three of them walked through the empty road, as the sun was hiding.
El was so excited about the storytelling session that she talked about it the whole way. That was actually good for breaking the tension between Mike and Will.
- It was so funny. I never knew about that story before. Imagine going through the woods and finding a dwarf house. Wouldn’t that be amazing? - She exclaimed.
- If you’re alone in the woods you should never enter a stranger’s house, El. - Will said.
- I know, but it would be fun anyway. - She replied.
-.She has powers, so what could some dwarfs do to her? Nothing. - Mike said. - She can defend herself.
El laughed.
Will rolled his eyes and stopped paying attention to the conversation, because, apparently, Mike was willing to argue with him even about a fairy tale.
Will just looked around and watched the apocalyptic Hawkins around him, until a familiar car caught his attention.
- The bad thing is that, as far as I know, there are no dwarf houses at Hawkins. But there’s a Snow White movie, if you want to watch it. - Mike added.
- Really? - El asked, excited.
- Silence. - Will said.
- What? - El asked.
The three of them stopped walking, as Will kept looking at the car until he saw a familiar man inside of it. The general. The government.
- And, again, Mr. Killjoy shows up. - Mike said.
- I said silence. - Will repeated, serious.
El saw the mysterious man and immediately recognized him.
- Oh no. - she said.
- Let’s get out of here, now. - Will said and walked towards the forest.
El followed him quickly.
- What?! What the heck is going on? - Mike asked, confused.
- Now! - Will exclaimed, grabbing Mike’s hand and leading him into the woods.
Once they were lost among the trees, the three of them hid behind the plants and looked at the empty streets.
- Wasn’t he the man who tried to kill us? - Mike muttered
- Yes. - El replied. - He tried to kill me too.
- I know - Will comforted El. - I… I think they’re looking for you.
- Yes. I think so. - El muttered.
A few seconds later, Mike realized that Will was still holding his hand. He blushed a little, it was a nice feeling.
He held Will’s hand tighter and gently caressed it, almost imperceptibly. Now, it was probably the closest contact he could have with Will after their argument at school.
It took a few more seconds for Will to realize that he was still holding Mike’s hand, and then, he gently released it.
Mike felt like part of his heart was going away with Will’s touch.
- Are you okay? - Will asked.
- Ye-Yeah, sure. We have to warn the rest. - Mike replied.