Chapter 9
"Can you feel it?! Can YOU feel it?!"
"Dustin scream one more time and I swear to god I am going to kick your ass!"
"No! No! I am not going to stop it, Max! It's freedom! You need to feel it!"
Lucas snorted, annoyed by the extreme enthusiasm of his friend. "Dustin, we know it's last day of school, but can you please calm down? Everybody is looking at us."
"No I won't! You guys need to stop being pains in the ass and be happy! It's our last day!"
"If you repeat it one more time, I swear, Dustin, I will kill you before Christmas!" Max told him, looking ready to actually choke him with her hands.
Mike, on the other side, was trying his best not to laugh, limiting himself to just smirk at the three people. The only one keeping him company was the poor Will, of course, who, instead of join the discussion was reading a book while drinking some water. They were all sat at their usual table, eating lunch and well… yelling at each other.
It was nice, Mike had to admit it, the group was so loud, so happy and so annoying all at the same time that he had no time or way to focus on something else.
"Oh wait a second!" Dustin yelled jumping in front of Mike, scaring him to death. "We forgot to tell you that we are having a party tonight!"
"A what?"
"A party! At Will's!"
"Oh" Mike started, as the only thought of a party was giving him a free tour to 'anxiety city'. "I don't do parties, guys, it's not my thing, sorry."
"What Dustin was trying to say" Will intervened putting down the book. "It's that we are going to meet at my house, eat pizza and watch a movie to celebrate…"
"To celebrate our freedom!" Dustin yelled interrupting Will.
"O my God! Stop it!"
"It's really nothing." Will said while Max and Dustin kept yelling at each other. "It's just an excuse to spend some time together."
"And it's going to be just the four of us, five if you come." Lucas told him, looking hopeful.
"Uhm…" of course it was something different, but it sounded way more interesting than staying at home all night hiding from his parents and pretending to be happy about the holidays. "Ok, sure, I'll come."
"Yes!" Dustin exclaimed excited. "It's going to be AMAZING!"
"Dustin, holy shit, calm down!"
"Do you want me to pick you up?" Lucas asked Mike. "It's not ideal to ride a bike where Will lives, roads are pretty messy and very dark at night."
"Oh, no, I can actually drive." Mike shrugged. "I got my license last year."
His freaking dad had wanted to take him on the street, so he could 'understand how dangerous the world could be' but after learning how to drive and getting that little piece of plastic, he had never used the car, or the license, again. There was no point of going around one of the smallest town on earth with a car when he could easily move with his bike and enjoy the freedom of going wherever he wanted.
"That's great! Then I'll text you my address and you can meet us there!" Will was so happy that Mike couldn't help but smile at the usual quiet guy sat by his side. "They are going to go there around 6, but you can come whenever you want."
Before anyone had the change to say something else, Dustin started to talk about all the good things they were going to do, eat and see at the so called 'party'. All the movies were already chosen by him, of course, and nobody, except maybe Max, tried to argue with him. They were good movies, though, and they were going to enjoy the night no matter what.
Mike zoomed out for a second, looking around the cafeteria and feeling slightly disappointed when, again, he couldn't find El sitting there. She had left him her usual note that morning, it was a simple 'Last day! :)' but it had made him smile.
"You can also sleep at my house, if you want, the others are already staying, it's not a problem." He heard Will and quickly recovered from the flashback.
"Oh, uhm, I don't know, I… sort of never had a sleepover."
"WHAT?!" Dustin screamed again his voice piercing and loud. "Ok, that's not something good, we have to fix this! You are going to stay at Will's tonight and that's it."
"My god, Dustin shut the hell up! Leave him alone!" Max told him hitting his arm.
"Why are they always fighting?" Mike asked looking at Lucas and Will.
"Well," Lucas answered immediately, a mischievous grin on his face. "They have some kind of… tension that they haven't solved… yet."
"Oh my god, Lucas!" Max yelled again.
"What kind of tension?" Mike ignored the girl and kept talking.
"You know, a tension that it can be solved only if… you are alone, in a room."
"Lucas, stop it!"
"So they like each other?" the three boys kept ignoring Max and Dustin.
"We really don't know! It's a thing that has been going on since middle school." Will smiled.
Mike nodded, keeping himself from laughing as their poor victims were slowly becoming redder and redder. "Now everything makes sense!"
"I know, right! Maybe by the time we turn eighty they will actually have a talk." Lucas joked.
The sound of the bell saved Max and Dustin from the rest of the conversation and they quickly run away without even looking at each other or at the rest of the boys.
"That was fun." Lucas commented while packing his things.
"I agree." Mike smirked.
"So, are we going to see you tonight?" Will asked as they walked out of the cafeteria and started heading to their classes.
"I guess, yes, it sounds fun."
"Awesome!" both Lucas and Will exclaimed.
Mike quickly wrote his new number on a piece of paper and handed it to Will, who promised to send him the address as soon as possible.
The rest of his day passed smoothly, both students and teachers were already in 'vacation mood' so none of them had any intentions of doing something productive.
Nobody was paying attention and Mike was beyond gone into his own world to even worry about anything else.
It was only thirty minutes before school day was done that something caught his attention though, dragging him out of his thoughts.
"From what I've heard, it's going to be huge!" a girl sat behind him whispered.
"Oh yes! Usually the Harrington are the best at throwing parties!" said another one giggling excited.
"And Troy is going to buy tons of alcohol! We are going to be wasted!"
"You know who else is going to be there? That Brenner girl!"
"What?!" some other girl exclaimed.
"God, she really needs to stop going around him like puppy, it's ridiculous."
"No, what she needs to do is to stop being his whore!"
Mike could feel the bile rising up in his throat and without even noticing, he curled his hand into a fist.
"I bet Troy is just too good and she just can't stop, I would get it!"
"I think it's really sad what she is doing she is such a slu…"
"Would you please stop it?" Mike turned suddenly, anger in his voice. "It's really annoying, so please shut up."
The three girls looked at him like he was crazy, well, of course he wasn't even supposed to talk to them, but to tell them to shut up like that? He definitely had a death wish. But there was no way he could let them talk about El like that. No way.
Mike turned his back before they could tell him anything, and inside he hoped they would seriously stop.
They did stop talking about El, but started to talk about him. Thank god he didn't care about their crap.
Thirty-five minutes later, Mike was on his bike ready to ride home and forget about school for two entire weeks. Although he knew it was going to be the most insane winter break ever.
The house was quiet and he noticed that both his parents' cars were gone; Nancy was probably at one of her friends' house and Holly must have been with his mom.
Relief run through his body as he could enjoy some peace. Mike dropped his backpack in a corner, drank some orange juice and then walked upstairs.
First thing he did as he got into his room was taking the phone out of the drawer and immediately checking it, there were two messages: one from Will and one from El.
He opened El's first. 'Happy Winter break! Can I see you tomorrow?'
'Happy Winter break to you too! Of course we can see each other tomorrow!'
Will's message was his address and a smiling emoji. He typed a thank you and then took some clothes as he went for a shower.
The hot water on his skin helped Mike to calm down a little as the idea of going to spend time with the group was slowly becoming more real, he wasn't panicking, he was just a little nervous.
He knew somehow he was always going to be stuck, there were too many things that had happened, but this was his chance to start taking back some of his life.
Back in his room, finally dry and dressed, he immediately checked for a message on his phone, but there was nothing new. El had been very quiet that day, which was very unusual, but she probably had stuff to do. Also, it was the first time he had ever heard someone talking about her and making awful comments, she usually was untouchable; for a second he wondered if her plan had already started, maybe she had talked to someone or did something that changed the way people used to see her. The only way he was going to find it out, was seeing her the next day and ask her himself.
Mike quickly glanced at the time, he hoped that, at least, one of his parents would show up in time so he could tell them where he was going and most important, use the car.
Despite the fact that he disliked both his parents, he realized that he maybe he was supposed to tell them where he was going. They were going to be surprised by the fact that he was actually going to a friend's house, well, they were going to be amazed only by the fact that he had real friends. While waiting, he packed a pajama and some new clothes, he wasn't sure if he was going to stay overnight, but it wouldn't hurt to have something to use just in case. As he quickly checked if he had everything, his eyes fell on the little thing still on the bed. Deciding that there was no imminent risk, Mike took the phone and stuffed it in the front pocket of his backpack.
Ten minutes later, almost not believing his own luck, he saw his mom getting out of the car with Holly and two plastic bags from the grocery store. Mike run downstairs with his bag and waited for them in the kitchen. He knew his mom was going to say yes, it wasn't like she really cared, but he was a little worried that maybe she wouldn't agree.
"Mike, what are you doing here?"
He turned and saw his mom standing just a few feet from him. "Oh, hey, I… uhm… Wanted to ask you if I could borrow the car?"
She frowned. "The car? Why? Where do you have to go?"
"Well, I was invited to a party…" and he immediately clarified when her expression changed. "Not an actual party! It's more a movie night with some friends, I might sleep there too."
"What friends? Who are they?"
Please make her stop. "It's just a group from school, we are like… hanging out sometimes."
Mike saw that her mom was about to ask more things but was interrupted by his little sister who came into the kitchen asking for a snack.
"Give me a second, Holls, I am talking to Mike."
"But I am hungry now." The girl complained pouting.
The woman sighed, giving up. "Ok, take the car Mike, but let me know what time you are coming back tomorrow."
"Sure, thank you, bye!" he exclaimed picking up the keys and running out if the house.
"Bye!" his mom yelled from the kitchen.
Getting into the car was easy, driving it, well that was something he needed to work on.
Thank god for the automatic transmission! Mike thought as he placed his foot on the break and started the engine. It took a few minutes to be sure of what he was doing, but with some fake confidence he started to drive. The address that Will had sent him wasn't really familiar, but he was sure he would find a way to arrive.
Twenty-five minutes later and three wrong roads, Mike finally managed to pull into, what it looked like, the right street. It was a long and unpaved street with trees on the side with long and falling branches.
Mike slowed down and drove until he saw a little house at the end of the road and parked in front of it, there was Lucas' familiar car. Sighing in relief, Mike parked his own car and turned off the engine.
Everything is going to be fine, he thought as he opened the door, he could feel the excitement growing as a little smile appeared on his lips.
"Wheeler!" Mike turned his head to see where the scream came from and saw Dustin right by the window waving and smiling. "Will! Can you open the door?! Mike is here!"
He heard footsteps and by the time he reached the door, it was already opened and Will was there. "Hey, so glad you could make it!"
"Yeah, thank you for inviting me!"
"No problem, come on in, we are playing this new board game that Lucas bought and eating chips."
As he walked in, he looked around: it was a very nice house, maybe not too big but he didn't care. There were a lot of pictures of Will and of another kid and a lady that Mike thought was Will's mom.
"My mom loves putting pictures everywhere," Will explained scratching the back of his neck. "It's quiet embarrassing, but yeah. Oh and the other boy is my brother, Jonathan, he is in college now."
"Oh, cool, I didn't know you had a brother."
"Mike!" Lucas yelled from the kitchen. "Come here! You have to try this new game, it's awesome!"
There was no time to be embarrassed or feel like he didn't belong there, Max, Lucas Will and Dustin were just great and Mike was so wrapped into whatever they had planned to even focus on anything else.
It was all laughs and yells and jokes that it seemed more like a dream rather than real life. At one point, during the game, they ordered three pizzas and played until the doorbell rang.
"This pizza is delicious!" Max said while eating a slice with pepperoni and sausage on it.
"I agree, it's like heaven!" Lucas muttered while chewing.
"Should we finish the game or watch a movie after?" Dustin asked taking another slice.
"We could do both, it's just eight, we have time." Will answered.
Silence fell again as everybody was too busy eating to worry about any other activity.
"Where's your mom?" Lucas turned to stare at Will.
"She's out, she wanted to give us some privacy."
"Will's mom is an angel." Dustin commented. "She is the sweetest thing on earth."
"Absolutely!" Lucas nodded enthusiastically. "You have to meet her, Mike!"
"Sure." Mike smiled.
"You are sleeping here, right?" Will intervened.
"If it's not a problem, yes."
"Of course not!" Dustin screamed startling everyone. "You have to stay!"
"You are such a pain!" Max said with an annoyed snort.
It was so easy to be part of that group, they were all so close to each other but at the same time so open to welcome whoever wanted to stay there.
Mike felt like it was worth it to get out of his safe bubble, they deserved it and he would be grateful forever for what those guys were doing for him.
A little bit past nine, after they had finished the game, and Mike had won surprising everyone, they made pop corns and moved into the living room ready to watch a movie.
"So, Ghostbusters is ok with everyone?" Max asked before putting the DVD.
"Yep!" the whole group agreed taking seats.
"You guys ready for the best movie ever?!" Dustin exclaimed excitedly.
"Dustin, man, calm down, we know it's the best movie ever." Will told him with a kind smile.
"Everybody shut up! The movie is starting!" and then Max sat on the couch stealing the bowl of pop corns from Dustin's lap.
It took a couple of minute but finally everybody stopped talking as the movie started.
Buzz buzz buzz
Buzz buzz buzz
"What the heck is that?!" Lucas asked annoyed.
Buzz buzz buzz
Buzz buzz buzz
"Is that a phone?" Dustin said getting up.
Buzz buzz buzz
"Whose phone is that?!" Max stopped the movie and started to look around.
Buzz buzz buzz
"It's not mine." Will told the guys while checking it.
"Mine either." Lucas took his out of his pocket.
"Not even mine." Dustin said with a shrug.
Buzz buzz buzz
Buzz buzz buzz
"Mike?" Everybody turned to look at him, as he was the only one still sat on the couch.
"What? It can't be mine."
Buzz buzz buzz
They all went quiet, listening from where the noise was coming from.
Buzz buzz buzz
"It's definitely a phone." Max insisted.
"I think it comes from that chair." Said Will while walking away from the living room.
"Isn't it your backpack, Mike?" Lucas inquired as he followed his friend.
Buzz buzz buzz
Mike stood up and walked where the guys were. "It is mine." He whispered confused.
"Whoever is calling is not giving up." The girl stated looking at the backpack like it was a bomb.
Buzz buzz buzz
"You going to answer?" Will tried.
Mike nodded, more confused than before and opened the zip where the phone was.
El
"Who is 'El'?" Dustin asked spying Mike's phone.
But Mike didn't answer, why was El calling him? Why so late? "Where's the bathroom?"
"First door on your left." Will immediately answered.
Mike run and shut the door as he accepted the call.
"El?" there was some kind of fear in his voice.
"Miiiiickeyyyyyy!" Her voice was so loud that Mike had to pull away the phone from his ear.
"El? Are you ok?"
"Oh Mickey!" and he heard her laugh, a muffled and unhappy laugh. "Everything is spinniiiiing!"
Was she drunk? "El? Have you been drinking?"
"Maybe!" the girl laughed. "But don't tell Mike! He is going to be maaaad!"
What the… "El, where are you?" he was getting worried, she was drunk and sounded very weird.
"I don't know…" she murmured. "I was there and now here!"
"Is there someone who can help you?"
"Miiiickey! You so silly!"
"El, where are you?"
"Whaaaat?"
"El, please, I need to understand where are you, are you ok? Are you safe?"
A weird and very sad laugh came out from the speaker and Mike, without even thinking, was already out of the bathroom grabbing his car keys.
"If you tell where you are I'm coming to pick you up, but you have to tell me where you are, ok? Please, focus."
"I'm… I was where Troy was…" her voice muffled by a yawn.
"I'm coming, ok? Stay awake, El, please."
"Hurry." She whispered and hung up.
"Where's Troy's house?" Mike asked to the guys who were watching him with confused looks. "Guys, where's Troy's house?!"
"Uh… It's right by Loch Nora neighborhood, do you know it?"
"Yes, yes! I have to go guys, I'm sorry!"
He quickly run into the car and turned it on, reversing and leaving as fast as he could; his foot pressing hard on the pedal as he drove through Hawkins.
He couldn't push away the feeling that something really bad was going on, the way El had sounded, the way she had laughed without her usual happiness, the way she seemed so close to just crumble down. His heart was racing, he just needed to find her and make sure she was fine, everything else could wait.
As he got closer to the neighborhood, he slowed down; from what he had understood, El had walked away from the house, as drunk as she was she might have ended up in the middle of the road without even realizing it.
"Come on, come on." Mike repeated checking every corner and side of the road. He had never been so scared in his entire life. Just the idea of El being alone, no able to understand what was going on, he couldn't, he just couldn't.
His hands were shaking but he wasn't paying attention to it, he just needed her.
Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed a shadow on the right side of the road, it didn't look like an animal but he was too far away to be sure.
He sped up a little, please, tell me it's her, please.
Mike got a close as possible and thanked whatever god existed when he recognized her curly hair.
He braked so hard that the car bounced back and forth. "El!" he sighed getting out and running towards her. "EL!" he called.
El turned slowly, like she wasn't sure who was calling her or what was happening and that was when Mike noticed the look on her face: empty and broken.
"Mike…" she whispered.
"My god…" his heart broke in so many pieces.
Her make-up was all over her face, her hair was messy and her short t-shirt and short skirt were too light to be outside in the cold.
His arms reached for her and she let him wrap her in his embrace.
"It's ok, I got you now." Mike murmured. "It's over, you are ok."
Her arms, which were bare, were ice to his touch; he wondered for how long she had been outside before calling him.
"Let's go inside, it's hot and it will help you to get warmer." Mike leaded her to the car, she could barely stand. "I also have some water, you need to drink."
But El didn't answer or nodded, Mike had to sit her down and make sure she wouldn't fell down.
What had happened? Why was she like that?
When he got inside the car he turned the heater higher and grabbed a blanked and the bottle from the back seats. "Here, get a little sip, ok?" She didn't move. "El, you need to drink, please have a sip." He sounded desperate. "Get a sip and I'm going to take you home, so you can rest, ok?"
That seemed to get a reaction as El quickly turned to look at him, fear in her eyes.
"No, no, no, I can't go there, don't take me there!"
"What?"
"I can't, don't take me back, please, Mike."
"You don't want to go home?"
"No, no, don't take me there." She panicked and her hand reached for Mike's.
He really had no idea what was going on, she was like she was about to cry and pass out at the same time. "I…" he started but he had no idea how to continue it.
"Mike, please." She begged.
Her eyes were gazed by something that he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the sadness she was feeling.
"Ok," he agreed "But I need to know what happened, El, it doesn't have to be right now, but you need to tell me."
El nodded as gratitude appeared on her face for a brief moment.
"We are going to my house, we can stay in the basement, nobody will find you."
Before starting to drive again he made sure she was buckled up and that the blanket was on her.
Making sure nobody was coming he made a u-turn and drove away. He hadn't been able to see Troy's house and that scared him, how far was it? How long did she walk? Why did she run away?
He took a look at her, her head was on the window, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open and she her breathing was becoming slower.
Mike tried to drive gently, avoiding bumps and not speeding, he didn't want to wake her up or freak her out. His mind was everywhere but just the fact that she was finally by his side, safe and sound, it helped him a little bit.
Unfortunately, his house was only a few minutes apart, so they arrived pretty quickly. He knew both his parents were already sleeping, he could park the car on the driveway and tell them that he came back earlier.
He could sneak El out from the door in the basement and let her stay there for the night.
"El, we are here." Mike whispered gently, but she didn't move. "El, you have to wake up for a couple of minutes."
Crap.
He got out and walked to her side, opening the door, hoping the cold air would wake her up a little, but of course his plan failed.
There was no way he could carry her all the way down, not because she was heavy, but because he was too weak.
Giving up, Mike put his hand on her cheek and stroked it softly. "El, you have to wake." As he kept stroking, he saw her eyelashes opening a little. "El, wake up, please."
"Mike?" she croaked unsure.
"Yes, yes it's me!" Thank god! "Can you walk?"
"I think so…"
"Ok, there's not a lot to walk and then you can rest, I promise."
"Promise." She repeated, a small smile on her lips.
Slowly, Mike helped El to get out of the car and quickly picked her up as she stumbled almost falling. She held on to him as they made their way on the back of the house, his arm, around her waist, holding her up and helping her to walk.
"I feel dizzy." She said weakly.
"I know, but we are almost there, just few more steps."
When they finally made it to door, Mike opened it and pulled El inside, laying her on the couch as fast as he could. "Here, we are here."
She grumbled something senseless as she was finally down. Mike started to look for blankets, gathering as much as he could all around the room. He also looked for a bucket, just in case.
He took her shoes off and laid the covers on her body. She looked like she had fallen asleep again, so Mike put the last blanket on and started to walk away, but something grabbed his wrist; it was El, whose eyes where barely opened.
"Stay here." She whispered.
"What?"
"Lay here, please."
He knew he shouldn't do it, he knew she was tired, drunk and needed to rest, but the look in her eyes was pleading him and he just couldn't say no.
"Ok," he nodded taking his shoes off.
El moved a little so there was some space for him. He got under the blankets and he laid down so they were facing each other. She reached for his hands and wrapped them with hers.
"Thank you." She breathed before falling asleep.
And even if Mike wasn't really sure for what she was thanking him for, as he felt himself ready to sleep too, he was just glad that she was safe, maybe she wasn't ok, but at least he was there to take care of her.