𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 • (byler)

039

"i wish i were..."

mike shuffled into hawkins high school, not wanting to be there one bit.

he went to his locker and started opening it.

"hey, mike, what's up?" dustin came up next to him.

"hi, dustin." mike replied in a monotone voice.

"are you okay? did something happen?" dustin asked.

"yeah, i—."

mike got interrupted by max walking up to them.

"you're back already?" dustin asked.

"yeah, it's just a sprained wrist, the doctor said i only had to miss one day." max shrugged.

"i can't believe you fell of your skateboard and did that."

"well, it's billy's fault, anyways. he was distracting me and i told him if he didn't shut the hell up i was going to kick him where the sun doesn't shine and then the next thing i knew i was on the ground and he was laughing at me."

"piece of shit." dustin whispered.

"hey, guys." lucas greeted as he walked up to them.

mike started to zone out as they started to talk about max and skateboarding and whatever else they were talking about.

he couldn't help but think about will and why he would cheat on him. mike was so hurt, he didn't even know what to think when he got the phone call.

"mike, are you okay? you're crying." max pointed out.

"what?" mike sniffled.

he quickly wiped his face.

"i need to use the bathroom." he mumbled.

mike ran to the bathroom and found the nearest stall. he locked himself inside and started crying.

he thought will loved him, he thought will wanted him, and only him, but clearly, he was wrong.

mike spent the rest of the day going through school on autopilot. it was like he wasn't there, even though he really was.

after school, max immediately found mike at the bike rack. she got there before lucas and dustin arrived so she could maybe talk to him in private.

"hey, wheeler!" she called.

"what, max?" mike sighed.

"can i bike home with you?" max asked.

"i guess so, but how can you bike with a sprained wrist?" mike furrowed his eyebrows.

"i figured out a way, it's not that hard." max answered and got on her bike.

"okay, then." mike shrugged and got on his.

at first, it was silent, until max spoke up.

"i know what happened with will." max confessed.

mike bit down on his tongue.

"you don't have to say anything, just listen. he called me to tell me—."

"max, i don't want to talk about this." mike interrupted.

"just listen! i know you didn't take it well, but that's because he didn't tell you the whole story." max finished.

mike stopped dead i'm his tracks.

"max," he started. "what do you mean, 'the rest of the story?'"

max stoped riding as well.

"there's more to the story than you know, so let me tell you."

mike sighed, hoping the rest of the story would do him some good.

word count: 498