𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭; byler

- 22 -

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WORD COUNT: 1493

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IT WAS WEIRD, how life just casually went on.

For everyone else, even his friends, Will leaving wasn't such a big deal. They expressed their sadness for him- but again, for them it was like Mike and Will just shared a one week fling. They didn't understand-they couldn't understand- How much Mike loved him.

Jane was the only one who really understood.

She was there for him when he got so depressed he wanted to do nothing but lie in his bed and stare at the ceiling. She got it.

At first, Mike went to Will's house every single day. Talked to his mom, tried to get details. Tried to understand when Will would be back.

For two whole months, every single day, he got the same answer: 

I'm sorry sweetie.. Nothing new... probably still a while... I'll tell you when I know more...

After a while, he stopped coming. Now the only times he saw Joyce were when he visited Jane: She was now officially dating Jane's dad, Hopper.

Sometimes he'd interrogate Jane for any information she may have overheard from Joyce, but she didn't know anything at all. It was like Will had disappeared, fallen over the edge of the earth.

He knew it seemed like he was moving on, but really he still basically cried himself to sleep. He was still very much in love with Will, but he was growing used to living with that pain.  There was nothing else for him to do.

Still, every time he passed by Rick's he'd stop for a cup of coffee, and something in him always hoped he'd find Will there, smiling and drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

He himself hadn't drunk hot chocolate, or eaten any kind of chocolate since that day. 

It just didn't taste good anymore.

Life went on, and Mike had no choice but to go along with it. Seasons changed- and somehow it was summer vacation. He was officially having the last summer vacation of his life, the last vacation before senior year.

In many aspects, that summer was the best of his life. He went on a summer road trip with all his friends, a three week trip with his best friends payed for by his mother as a birthday present (If you still didn't believe he was rich..)

He even volunteered at HUG a little, and didn't completely hate it. He got to hang out with Robin, who was actually really nice. Through her he met Steve, Troy's older brother. Steve was in Nancy's year, and Mike always thought he was a douche, but he was actually a really cool guy. 

Once, Steve and Robin even hung out with the rest of Mike's friends. Dustin was suddenly best friends with Steve, and they saw each other almost every day. It was really weird, but kind of sweet. Robin teased Steve relentlessly for hanging out with him- called him "mama Steve". 

Mike suspected it was Dustin who told Steve about his little brother's bullying- because suddenly Troy didn't bother any of them anymore. Neither did James, for that matter.