AN/: So, lovely readers as your reward for enduring Mike, I'm posting everything I've got. That way you can move quickly around the story and not despair (even more, anyway…) at his behavior. Binge away!

And again, thanks for your interest in the story and your reviews :)


May

Things did get weird.

After the last essay was submitted in April, the remaining days of the month were dedicated to study for finals –all due in May– and the upcoming months for completing their dissertation and submit it on August 19th. That day would mark the final deadline of their master's program.

Mike had prompted the group to get together and do some study sessions, so a couple days a week the Party hung out in coffee shops or the library. He was adamant that they would get more benefits from studying together than by themselves. El disagreed. She loved libraries, but she found them distracting. She preferred the comfort of her own room, with her music and easy access to her fridge and coffee maker.

Plus, she really didn't want to be near Mike.

Things between them had been…tense lately. They were supposed to be ok, but a sort of awkwardness had settled between them, like a huge white elephant loitering around any room they were in.

After her fateful confession, El had tried her best to act normal around Mike. He on the other hand, appeared to be more careful, not cracking as many jokes as he used to and being quieter in her presence. Still, this situation of polite endurance seemed to be hanging by a thread.

El wasn't bitter about the whole matter, just a bit down. She just wanted to focus on her dissertation and get through her finals unscathed. And maybe to finally move past what she considered had been a complete and utter failure. She was proud of her act of bravery, but that didn't mean it wasn't disappointing. She had gambled, and she had lost.

That was the main reason why she didn't want to study with the group, because he would be there. And El was trying to spend as little time as possible with him. She still went out with the Party, but always tried to put some distance between them.

Mike seemed to be irritated by her negative to his invitation to join them at their study sessions, apparently not buying into her excuses for not going. Thankfully though, he didn't comment. At least not directly to her, because he often made furtive remarks alluding her, going on and on about how their sessions were super useful and gave them the opportunity to deeply examine some of the most difficult topics that would be on the tests.

She chose to ignore them.

Finally, it was time to take Moira's test. That day El noticed a change in their already frail relationship, a change for the worse. Mike was acting weird since he arrived to meet them at the hall's entrance where they were supposed to take the test, not really greeting them and just talking to the others as if she wasn't there. It wasn't that he was excluding her, but he wasn't talking to her directly, barely acknowledging her presence.

El immediately took notice of his distant behavior and decided to overlook it, concentrating all her efforts on the upcoming test. He could ignore her all he wanted.

Some days later, he was still being difficult and unpleasant. But what really pissed her off was his reaction to Max's honest mistake when she asked on their group chat if she and Mike were together at some party in Kensington.

El had declined to attend to some bash at the university and unbeknownst to her, Mike also had other planes, specifically the party in Kensington. So, when Max found out that neither of them would be attending to the university's party, she figured that maybe they were attending to the Kensington party together and decided to ask.

She hadn't told Max yet about her chat with Mike back in April and El hadn't really talked about their recent distance either, so Max's question was completely innocent and well-meant.

-Maxi:

Mike are you with El?

-Mike Wheeler:

What? For fuck's sake, no!

-Maxi:

God, Wheeler, chill out. It was just a question, seeing that she told me she wasn't going to the Uni's party either. I thought she might be with you that's all.

-Mike Wheeler:

Well, she's not.

-Maxi:

Clearly…

His quick dismissal of her and his crass reaction hurt her deeply. A simple 'no' would have sufficed. He didn't have to be an asshole about it.

It's not as if I have a contagious disease or something…asshole.

And that was the day she stopped trying. His disdain for her fractured any traces of resolve she may have left to fight for what remained of their friendship.

What is the point of trying to stay friends with him? He clearly doesn't care, so why should I?


The next time they saw each other was at Lucas' birthday party. She didn't even bother to say hi.

When she arrived at the club, the Party was already there, plus some of Lucas's friends from his dorm. She and Will had arrived early but had elected to grab a bite to eat outside the club before getting into party mood.

She greeted her friends coolly purposely ignoring Mike, taking advantage of the hustle of being introduced to Lucas' friends and the fact that the club was packed and loud. Nobody seemed no notice this and she didn't look at him to see if he even cared.

El ordered a cosmopolitan and sat between Max and Will. They were talking lively when Despacito came blaring through the club's speakers. Max and El let out a squeal and the three of them instantly stood up and hit the dancefloor. El moved around feeling the beat, happily shouting the lyrics of the song while singing along exaggeratedly with Max and Will.

One of Lucas' friends (she couldn't remember his name) joined them and smiling politely, gestured to El if they could dance. She nodded, and he took her hands to guide them around his neck, while his went around her waist. El smiled at him and kept dancing sensuously, now in the company of the handsome stranger; unaware that at the other side of the small dancefloor, Mike watched the whole exchange with a glowering face.

Not soon after that, he left the club, excusing himself with Lucas' on the pretense that he was tired and had an early day tomorrow.

El kept on having fun dancing, while trying to ignore the pang she felt as she slowly began to accept that their friendship was unequivocally over.


AN/: Somebody is having a hard time letting go…