✓ The Games We Play ⇔ Mileven {2nd - "Wake Up, Mike" Trilogy}

Seventy Seven

Mostly just added this picture because it's one of my favorites. Enjoy(:

Mike.

"Are you guys done?" I yelled impatiently, getting no response. I groaned, resting the back of my head on the front door.

"What's the rush?" Nancy's voice sounded as she emerged from around the corner, and I huffed a bit.

"There's no rush, I'm just impatient. Living with mostly girls is exhausting," I complained, making her laugh. She gave me an amused smile, starting to walk up the stairs.

"Well, looks like you'll be stuck with them the rest of your life." She chuckled, sounding almost sarcastic. My eyes squinted a bit, but I ignored her. It wasn't long before Max jogged down the stairs, in a very familiar outfit.

"Are you wearing my clothes?" I asked, and she nodded, not meeting my gaze. She pulled her sneakers on, and I didn't know how to react. Sure, they're my clothes, but that's not what surprised me. Why's she wearing boy clothes? "Well, why?" She smiled a bit, finally turning to look at me.

"I'm not a fan of girly clothes, so I just took yours. My dad, uh..." she hesitated, looking away. "He didn't let me wear this type of clothing, let's say. I had to wear skirts and stuff," she explained slowly, continuing to look around the room. She wouldn't look at me, and that bothered me. She should know she can tell me anything, and talk to me whenever she needs it.

My mind raced with possible reasons as to why she acted so weird. Lots of possibilities passed through, some serious and some mild. I was looking at the ground as I thought, but looked up quickly when Max turned to face me. She moved too fast, and her face was contorted.

"No. No, Mike, i-it's not like that," she seemed to force out, and I squinted my eyes at her.

"You sure?" She was nodding before I finished speaking, her eyes squeezing shut tightly.

"I'm sure, Mike. It was just him being harsh. He just said girls should wear girl clothes, and wouldn't let me buy the clothes I liked," she explained, her voice still a bit off. But I nodded, not wanting to push her.

"Ok, yeah, you can wear my clothes. I don't mind." I shrugged as I heard El coming down the stairs. On a different note, El was in a light pink sweater, partially covered by a pair of overalls. It was adorable, she looked younger than usual as she seemed to skip towards me. She was smiling wide, her hair wavy and pushed out of her face. I heard more movement on the stairs, looking up to see Nancy walking down with a grin. She met my eyes, winking quickly.

"Have fun, children." She laughed, walking into the living room, out of sight. I looked back over at El, who was looking over at Max. She had a straight face, but her eyes sparkled from the sunlight peaking in through the windows. I stared, I couldn't help it. I've never seen someone so beautiful in my life, and it confused me, in some weird way.

I've never really cared, or even paid attention to girls before. They didn't pay attention to me, so I stayed away. And if they did pay attention, it was usually to say something mean. I didn't care much, I knew I was a nerd and weirdly smart. I got quite used to the chorus of "ew"s that would come from some groups. It was the norm, and I didn't care, because I had no interest in anyone. But I have an interest in El, and it's some kind of miracle that she feels the same.

"You look pretty," El spoke up, smiling wide at Max. Max gave her a surprised expression, but a small smile appeared on her features.

"Really? I'm in boy clothes," she said simply, and El shrugged.

"They look nice on you," she confirmed, and my eyes squinted a bit.

"Uh, Max, do you wanna, like, cut your hair and stuff?" I asked slowly, and she laughed.