~COMPLETED~
19 year old OC Rain Wheeler is stuck between a lot of things in life: their job or going to college, loving or hating Eddie Munson, wishing Billy was dead or wanting him to live and suffer, believing or disbelieving what people say abou...
On Sunday morning I pulled into the driveway after grocery shopping. I'd let my mom have a sleep in, but the door was unlocked and she was standing behind the TV with a screwdriver. "DAMN IT, work you bastard!" I heard her shout in frustration. Our TV had been flipping out for a while. "I don't think calling it a bastard is gonna make it any better mom" I laughed and set bags down in the kitchen. My mom wiped her forehead and met me in there, "well it makes me feel better. Mike's upstairs, came round a half hour ago looking for you, seems kinda desperate". I hurried up the stairs and found Mike standing against a wall in my room, eyes on the ceiling and arms folded.
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"'Sup Mike? you look tense" I touched his shoulder and he crumbled in on himself. I led him to my messy bed to sit down, "whatever it is, you can say". Mike looked at the window, then at the door, both were closed. "When did you know you were bi?" he slowly bit out. I wasn't expecting this at all. I felt both relieved that it wasn't anything bad, but also sad he was so worried about this. "uhh.. I think it was always there for me. I just didn't realise it until we moved to Arizona, the boys in my new school were gross but I had crushes on like three different girls." I smiled at the memory. "oh" was all Mike replied, looking devastated, clearly this wasn't the answer he was hoping for.
We sat on my bed, cross legged with a bag of chips between us, as I explained to my 16 year old cousin that sexuality and gender are different for everyone. "Some people know their whole lives, right from the get go. Others realise later in life, or experiment to figure themselves out" I told him. Hell, even though I figured my sexuality out at a young age, it took a few more years for me to accept myself being non-binary. This made him brighten up a little and he finally ate a chip. "Are you asking because you feel like you're bi?" I asked tentatively. Mike had only been in one relationship - El - her name was Jane but all the kids and even Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, and Jim called her El for some reason. That had ended last summer; they'd kind of broken up once before that though, when El 'dumped his ass'. But last summer it ended for real, they had both been struggling with the long distance thing, since she moved to California a couple months earlier with the Byers family after Hopper died. "I - yeah I think I might be. I'm not sure. It's just...confusing" Mike confessed.
It took a while, and a lot of chips, but Mike eventually told me everything, "I did love El, but now I know something important was missing, I think that's why I struggled saying 'I love you' to her sometimes". I lay back and hung my head off the side of my bed, "I get that feeling" I sympathised, remembering my first relationship. Charlotte was one of the girls in my grade that I was crushing on in freshman year of high school, she was outed as a lesbian by some bullies and I felt sad for her suffering alone so I'd told her my sexuality and we became friends, then more than friends. I had love for her, so much love, but that didn't mean I was in love with her. "Sometimes, you need a deeper connection with someone for a relationship to last" I said. Mike joined me, his bouncy hair swinging as his head hung upside down. "Well, that's the thing. I definitely have a deep connection with this guy. I never realised it until a few months ago though, and I feel so stupid for not realising sooner" he moaned. My heart ached for my cousin, dealing with all of those feelings alone for so long.
"You don't have to tell me who this guy is, if you don't want to. I promise anything you tell me stays strictly between us, Mike" I held out my pinky finger for him to take in his. "Thanks Rain, I knew you'd get it but, telling anyone scared the shit out of me, like saying it makes it real." he whispered. I knew what he meant - I was terrified to tell my mom - you always hear stories of kids being sent away or disowned for stuff like this. Thankfully my mom listened to me and wrapped her arms around me, all she said was "you're perfect as you are", and I'd cried. So, I put my arms around Mike and told him the same; he didn't cry but he did shout out "NO We're gonna fall!" as we fell onto the carpet, then we laughed together. "I don't wanna tell anyone who he is yet. It's complicated. I know he likes me now and we've been writing each other a lot recently too." Mike turned slightly pink as he said this.
I kept my promise and didn't pester him to give me any more details, I just felt honoured to be the one he trusted to talk to. Although, I had a fairly good idea who this guy was. After all, there was only one place Mike sent letters to...
