𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 ( 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫 )

3| looking at you has put me off my appetite.

mike stood there still after max shoved past him, brushing his shoulder doing so and as a result of this, mike still felt this weird feeling in his stomach, a tight twisted knot, i might be just hungry, he thought, not thinking much about it and slowly entering back into the basement.

"guys," mike called, catching everyone's attention - even max's which caught him off guard a tad bit, as she glared straight into his eyes, "um, my mom said dinner's ready in five."

"yeah, we know." lucas replied, i did ask mom to tell them, mike remembered.

"she already told us." eleven added.

"oh yeah, well, just reminding you," mike said, trying to gain his confidence back, "we should probably get up there already, or something.."

"yeah we should and we will." max said with an icy stare.

mike gulped and skipped up the stairs, sitting himself down at the table. mike's little sister, holly, and his dad were already sat down, holly was smacking her hands onto her high chair's tray, demanding for food, mike flinched overtime the cutlery on her tray crashed back onto the plastic base - making this undesirable sound to his ears.

eleven sat next to mike, no surprise there, shuffling her seat along more closer to him, mike wasn't in the mood to be all lovey-dovey to his girlfriend, he was more concerned - whether he acknowledged it or not - with max and her sudden quietness.

max, lucas, dustin and will soon came into the room with max sitting as far away as possible from michael, even if it meant sitting next to mr wheeler who would speak about the recent sports games without chewing his food first and chunks of it would go flying across the table and if you were really unlucky, it could land either on your face or your food.

max wasn't in the mood for talking at the dinner table or maybe she just got used to the system of only opening her mouth to eat at her family's dinner table. 'family?' max thought, 'more like strangers i have to live with, just because we share the same blood doesn't exactly mean we have to get along'.

she heard the boys around her speaking, laughing and enjoying their own company while they wait for food, there was a small part of her heart that lit up with warmth and welcome but her body was making her sit in the chair like max was a complete outcast, hiding her hands under her thighs, shoulders caving in as she leaned forward - causing her hair to fall in front her face.

max felt as though she shouldn't be here, she shouldn't be in mike wheeler's house, at his sleepover, with his friends, eating dinner with his family. she felt so out of place as if she was just another face at the table, max hated this feeling of misplacement and it was all because of mike wheeler. max used to think she was a stable person even with all that happens at home, she used to think she was able to make friends without them having to force themselves onto her because they took pity, but now she questioned herself if that's even true anymore.

"maxine, sweetheart?" max heard this voice call out to her, she looked up, it was mrs wheeler in the kitchen.

"yes, mrs wheeler?" max replied softly, exiting her seat at the table, darting past lucas who reach his hand out, and stood by the island that mrs wheeler stood by.

"please be a dear and help me hand out these plates, over wise by the time i hand them all out, everyone's dinner would be freezing!" she laughed, making max smile. the second max met mike's mom for the first time, she really started to admire her as her role as a mother and how she did so well at it - taking care of the kids, her husband and the house. maxine's mother never did that, nor could max dream of it ever happening.

"of course i can!" max replied, removing the small frown that was forming and replacing it with a toothy grin.

"okay, i'll take lucas', dustin's, ted's and holly's and you can, hand out your's, will's, jane's and michael's." the second max nodded her head, he mother of the wheeler's was already on her way to hand her dinners out, first handing them to ted and holly. max first grabbed her's and will's, putting them down with a chink and a thank you from zombie boy himself.