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Chapter 5

Friday Afternoon

Mike was relieved when he finally got home after school, Troy wouldn't stop bothering him during his last class and he was pissed at the world.

"I couldn't even finish my work so I'm like the only one in class that has homework." He grumbled to Nancy, who was trying to help him and the others with their homework.

"He's just a dick bag dude, ignore him." Dustin said.

"Dustin!" Nancy threw a balled up piece of paper at him. He grinned.

"Sorry Nancy."

"Idiot." She mumbled. The phone rang and Nancy got up to get it. "Mike! It's El!" She called. He got up quickly and went to the phone.

"Hey El!" He said excitedly, just the thought of her cheered him up.

"Hi Mike, guess what?"

"What?"

"Hopper finally said that I can go to the snowball with you."

"Really? That's awesome!"

"Yes. I have to go, Hopper is teaching me math. I wanted to tell you."

"Okay, well, if you need any extra help with it I can try and help. I'm okay at math."

"Okay! Bye Mike!"

"Bye!" The two hung up and Mike went back to the kitchen in a happy mood.

"What was that about?" Will asked.

"Hopper is letting her go to the snowball tomorrow night."

"Ooh, are you going as dates?" Dustin asked, fluttering his eyes. Mike felt his cheeks heat up as he blushed.

"Shut up." He ignored the question and went back to his work as Dustin and Lucas giggled. Max and Nancy just looked at each other and rolled their eyes while Will just continued his drawing, as he had finished his homework already.

"How come Will always has his homework done before us?" Dustin asked, giving Will the side eye.

"Because he doesn't joke around as much as the rest of you." Nancy said absentmindedly.

"Oh, true."

Saturday Night

"Hi Mrs. Byers!" El said excitedly as she saw Joyce walk in, with a dress, shoes, and another bag, which she didn't know what was in it.

"Hi Sweetie! Aren't you excited?" El nodded excitedly.

"Very!"

"Well, let's get to work, we have to be back in two hours to help Will get ready." El nodded and led Joyce to her room, where she got started on El's hair.

Two hours later

"Hey El, you excited for your little date with Mike?" Jonathan joked when she and Joyce arrived back at the Byers house. El raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Date?" She asked.

"Figures Hop wouldn't tell you about that." Joyce muttered to herself. "A date is basically when two people that like each other go out and have lunch, dinner or, anything really, including dances."

"Me and Mike are going on a date?" She asked. Joyce smiled.

"Yes ma'am you are." El smiled excitedly.

Meanwhile, at the Wheeler house...

"Mom!" Mike exclaimed.

"What? You look so handsome! Oh come on, don't look at me like that, this is your first dance!" Karen exclaimed as she took pictures of him. Nancy walked down the stairs, looking as beautiful as ever. "Oh my goodness, your turn!"

"Mom!" Nancy chuckled as she posed for the pictures.

"You two stand together. I want to take a couple before you two leave." They brother and sister stood next to each other while Karen took pictures of them. "Don't they both look great, Ted?"

"Uh huh." He didn't even look at them. Mike had to literally bite his tongue to keep from getting smart with him.

"Just ignore him, Mike." Nancy said quietly. He just grumbled to himself. They finally left after another million pictures, as Mike put it.

"I don't understand why he's such an ass. He doesn't even care." Mike rambled. As he did so, Nancy listened to him, commenting every once in awhile. Once he was finally done with his rant, she said,

"I know he hasn't been the best dad, Mike, but at least he's around. I know all his old ass really does is sleep and eat but we're lucky that we at least have him."

"Yeah, but he sure hasn't acted like a dad, to any of us. He's never taken me to a football or baseball or basketball game, or anything like that, and he's never taken you to those father daughter dances that you used to want to go to."

"You're right. Completely right." She said, glancing at him. "I hate the fact that he's never spent time with you like he was supposed to. I don't care that we never went to those dances, mom was the main reason I wanted to go and some of my friends told me that they weren't as awesome as mom said. You know how she likes to exaggerate stuff." She nudged him and he smiled a small smile. "But you're his only son, you'd think he'd go out and do stuff. You should get tickets to the next football game and see if he wants to go."

"What if he doesn't?"

"Hell, if the sorry ass doesn't go, ask Hopper. I'm sure he'd love to go to a football game." Mike bit his lip.

"I don't know about that, I think he wanted to kill me when El told him I asked her to the snowball."

"Nah, he likes you. He just wants to scare you a little bit."

"Oh, he's scared me more than a little bit, that's for sure."