Secrets revealed
"I've got something to tell you," he smirked at her.
"spit it out!" she grumbled impatiently,
"it's about your boyfriend," he emphasizes the word 'boyfriend'
"what about him?"
"well, let's say he isn't what you think he is..." she crossed her arms, waiting for him to finish his sentence. "i caught him and Max talking, he was telling her to give him more time to break up with you. he is cheating on you with Maxine."
Elven couldnt believe what she was hearing, "w-what? I don't believe you! What makes you think that?" Eleven barked at his face.
"I know that, and I'll prove it you." He states before leaving her alone to her thoughts.
"You are lying!" She shouts after him, her face soaked with tears. 'No, Mike hates Max. He wouldn't do this to me, right?' She never doubted Mike's feelings for her, but now, she doesn't know.
□■□■□
Max was heading to her tent that she shared with Eleven when she felt someone walking behind her, she turned around and found Mike. Her face instantly broke into a huge grin,
"Mike! Is there something wrong?" Max asked.
"No, I- i just wanted to make sure you are ok." He explained.
"I'm fine, really." She assured him, and reached and stroked her finger across his cheek, and he leaned into her touch.
"How about we go and talk a bit before we go to sleep?" He offers.
"Sure," Max agrees, and he takes her hand in his. They start walking together.
"And now, I can prove it to Eleven. You two just wait." A third voice came from behind a Bush, where Ethan had been hiding during their conversation.
It was almost dawn, everyone seemed to be asleep, except for three. Max, Mike, and Ethan, who was planning on doing the most evil thing. He was crouching in front of Eleven's tent, his mind already going over the scene that he is to create. "Psssst, Eleven! Eleven! Eleven! Wake up!!" He tried to open the tent but failed.
"Eleven!!" He half whispered-half screamed, when he finally heard a movement inside the tent.
The tent was opened slowly, revealing El's face, that showed how surprised she was to see her visitor.
"What happened?" She groaned, clearly annoyed that someone interrupted her sleep.
"Your boyfriend is with Max right now, they are standing behind that tree. Don't think he is faithful now, do you?" He smirked at the confusion that was written all over her face.
"Mike is not cheating on me, I'm sure they are just talking," she didn't believe her own words, but she didn't want to distrust Mike.
"Yeah, sure they are, Come and see for yourself."
"No, I, uh- I trust Mike." She looks as if she is trying to convince herself.
"You shouldn't." Ethan shakes his head at her.
"Fine, I'll come, just to prove you wrong." She told him, and he sneered at her.
When they arrived at where Max and Mike were standing, they watched and listened to them carefully, with Eleven afraid that she might witness the most hurtful thing ever.
"You know, I liked living in California," Max begins.
"Oh, really? Then why did you move away?" Mike asks.
"I didn't really want to leave, my mom and my step-dad wanted to leave California though, in order to avoid my Dad." Max explained,
It was then, when Eleven started to exclude the thought of Mike and Max being more than just friends from her mind, before the shift in the atmosphere, where everything suddenly became clearer.
"Mike?" Max called for his attention,
"Yes?" He responded, moving closer to her.
"I know you don't like this topic, but I have to bring it up."
"Okay? I'm listening."
"When will you tell Eleven?"
"Max, I don't know," he huffed, his hand going through his hair anxiously,
"You should tell her soon," Max insisted.
"You said you'd give me time."
"And I did, Mike. I don't like this, it's like we are cheating on her!" Eleven had to cover her mouth with her hands to mute her gasp.
"I know, I know. But-"
"Just tell her, Mike. Tell her or I will." Mike whose head was down, apparently having a battle in his own mind, looked up at Max in shock when she said these words.
"You have to tell her Mike, you have to." She squeezes his hand gently to erase the tension, but the kind gesture doesn't do anything to calm him down. "Good night,"
And with her heart beating rapidly against her chest and tears in her eyes threatening to spill free, she headed to her tent, leaving a very uncomfortable and sad Mike.
Maybe the fact that it's their first fight since they got together was what made Max this sad, to the point where she was crying.
"See? I told you." Ethan whispered beside El. As they watched Mike struggle to keep a straight face.
"I'm sure he doesn't love her. He only loves me. Only me. And I'll make sure she knows that." Eleven kind of told herself rather than Ethan, fighting the urge to punch Max and kick her out of the tent. She has got a plan, and she will make Max regret ever getting between her and Mike.
□■□■□
The next morning, the students were all gathered and ready to leave. Eleven was eager to start her revenge plan. "Max, can I talk to you for a second?" The shocked look on Max's face was the same as Mike's.
"Okay," Max agreed, unsure of Eleven's sudden friendly interaction. "You better hurry though, or we will miss the bus."
Once Max and El. were alone, and Eleven made sure that they were out of earshot, she begin talking. "I know what is going on between you and Mike."
Max's heart missed a few beats "w-what?"
"You heard me Max,"
Max tried not to panic, but she was sure that her face showed exactly what she was feeling.
"You know that he doesn't love you right? He only loves me. He might have a crush on you, a tiny little one, but he does not love you. He's just using you, for now." Eleven's words cut deep in Max's heart, El might be speaking some facts, right?
"You- you don't know that," Max's voice came out as a whisper.
"Oh, I know, honey. You might have the looks, but he will get bored of your nasty personality. He will get back to me!!" At this point, Eleven was shouting, not caring if anyone else heard.
"No he won't get back to you! He think of as his sister!!" Max started to shout back, making Eleven angrier if possible.
With her hands in front of her, and her eyes and mind focused on her target, Max was hovered high in the air, invisible hands strangling her, A force she came to know as Eleven's.
"I love him and you stole him from me!! You will pay for this!!"
Max was gasping for air, her hands holding her neck as if she was trying to remove the hands that were choking her, only they were not there.
"Unfortunately, I don't want you dead. I will just hurt you in a different way, not physically." Eleven gave a cruel chuckle, before releasing Max, who was thrown to the ground.
Max caught her breath finally, but her body ached from the fall. Her heart was a different matter though,
"Mouth breather," Eleven muttered before leaving Max, laying on the ground with tears streaming down her face.
Only it wasn't from the physical pain that she has gone through, it was her heart that was breaking into pieces, and she could hear it shutter at Eleven's cruel words, "He does not love you. He's just using you, for now."
□■□■□
"El, where is Max? Why didn't she come with you?" Mike asked as soon as he saw Eleven getting on the bus, which was about to leave.
"She will come." She answered coolly.
"There she is!" Lucas pointed out and they all looked in her direction.
Mike gave her a small smile, which she did not return. Making Mike confused but he dismissed it as if she didn't see him when she was clearly looking in his eyes. He wanted to ask her what Eleven wanted to talk to her about, but never got the chance to as El sat beside him on the bus.
When they got back home, Max really wanted to tell Mike what happened with Eleven, but she couldn't. as Eleven was them at the house, clinging to Mike all the time, which made Max jealous and furious at the same time.
Eleven didn't only make it hard for Max to talk with Mike, but she even got into his bedroom and now they were talking inside it. Max hoped that Mike would finally tell her, or at this point, Eleven tells Mike that she knows and they break up. She considered eavesdropping, but dismissed the thought immediately. She cared for Mike and respected his privacy.
Inside the room, Eleven made to step closer to Mike, but Mike stepped away, finally wanting to tell her. "Um..El i- I need to tell you something,"
"Sure what is it, Mike?" She smiled adorningly at him, and at that moment, he was afraid that he wasn't going to see her smile like that at him again.
But he decided to tell her anyway. Max was right, he can't keep doing this to Eleven. He was doing this for Max, Eleven, and himself.
"Uh, i- me and Max, um, we are-"
"I know what's going on between you and Maxine, Mike." She told him carefully, her plan being put into place.
"What? El-"
"Max told me. She said that she wanted to tell me because you weren't going to," she smiled secretly in her head.
"Max told you! So she couldn't have waited, huh!?" Mike was filled with so much rage and anger towards Max right now,
"She also told me that you hate me, and that she was with you to only hurt me. She said that she didn't love you." she faked crying.
"El, don't, dont cry. I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" He rushed the words, before gently wrapping Eleven in his arms, patting her back in order to comfort her and stop her from crying.
"How could she?" He wondered aloud, a single tear dropping from his eyes at the surprising betrayal from Max's side.
He was stupid. Stupid enough to have fallen in love with Max, but now, he will try to fix everything and get it back to normal. Max did not love him. She just hated Eleven and wanted to hurt her by stealing her boyfriend. He kept that thought in his head so at least he can persuade his heart into hating her.
She didn't love him. She was just using him.