Sorry for the wait guys! With Thanksgiving and all it's been a mess- and I've just started helping take care of an older lady so I'm busy all the time as of now and it's only been two days XD. Hopefully the next one will be done quicker! 3 3

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

"Michael, Eleanor, we have a problem." Richie said, barging into Mike's room. El shrieked and grabbed Mike's shirt, covering herself with it and falling onto the bed. Mike sat up quickly.

"Richie!" Mike exclaimed, throwing a water bottle at him.

"Look, I'll make fun of you guys later, but we have a problem." He sat on the end of the bed. "I'll close my eyes until you have the shirt on." Mike and El looked at each other and she threw on the shirt.

"Christ, you can open your eyes. What's wrong?" Mike asked.

"I'm in love with Eddie."

"Okay, and?" Mike asked. "We already knew this."

"But I'm in love love, Mike!" Richie said, slapping the bed with both hands. "Like, he's so cute I want to cry type of love, you know?"

"Um, yes?" Mike made a face. "I don't see what the problem here is, dude." He looked at El, who shrugged.

"The problem is he's my best friend and we'll never be anything more than that."

"Okay, hold up, who said that?" El asked.

"Um, me? My conscience? My mother, mainly. I'm not good enough to her, you know? If I can't be good enough to my own mother, how will I be enough for the guy I love?" He shrugged, looking at his hands as he picked at his cuticles. Mike and El looked at each other and then back at Richie.

"Your mother can go suck Satan's asshole." Mike told him, snapping his fingers in front of Richie's face to get him to look at them. "You're good enough, Richie. You are. And if anyone isn't good enough for anyone, it's Maggie. She's not good enough to be married to Went, or to be your mom. I'm sorry, but in my honest opinion, she seems to just be a fucking egg donor rather than a mother."

"Not at all offensive- accurate. I'm just glad someone other than myself finally said it."

"Eddie loves you too, Richie." El told him softly. Richie snorted.

"As a friend, maybe."

"No, he loves you the way you love him." She said matter of factly. "And I'm one hundred percent positive on it. He looks at you the way you look at him, or the way Lucas looks at Max and Steve at Nancy."

"Good, I'm not the only one who noticed that." Mike said. El smiled at him.

"He watches you, Rich. Every time I look at him he's looking at you, with this... this look in his eyes. And when you fell down the stairs yesterday- again- he rushed to make sure you were okay." Richie shrugged.

"Richie." Mike said, standing on his knees and reaching for Richie, placing his hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Eddie loves you. You love Eddie. Be like El and say fuck it and tell him, or literally like El- and kiss him."

"I don't like how close you are to me."

"Richie." Mike rolled his eyes, and sat back on his knees. El giggled quietly.

"Sorry, sorry, continue." He pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"You never know what could happen, Richie. The worst he could say is no, but we know for a fact that he won't." Richie just shrugged again.

"Okay." El sat up straighter and pointed at Richie. "You are going to kiss him when the clock strikes twelve on New Years."

"Who said that-"

"I did." She deadpanned. "You're gonna kiss him, and you guys are gonna be the second best relationship."

"Who's the first?" Richie asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Me and Mike, duh, but that's not the point here, Richard."

"Oh shit, the full name."

"I want you to be happy, and I want Eddie to be happy. You two together means you're both happy, get it?" She poked his shoulder and he snorted.

"Fine, fine, get it. We'll see, okay? Gotta gather up the balls to do it."

"Not the right saying but you do you." Mike shrugged and Richie cackled.

"Thanks guys, for real. Like he was so happy when he saw those cars I got him, did you see?"

"I did!" El said, grinning. "He was adorable."

"He really was." Richie grinned. He and El continued going on about how cute Eddie was, so ignoring the two, he grabbed his phone and checked the group chat.

(6:37 PM) Dusty- random girl on Ig: do you have a girlfriend?

(6:37) Dusty- Me: I have anxiety.

(6:38) Noddle- me in middle school

(6:39) Zoomer- Mike no one asked if you had a girlfriend in middle school

(6:39) Noddle- i'm well aware of that you bitch

(6:40) Noddle- I meant the anxiety and anxiety ALONE.

(6:40) Zoomer- that's depressing

(6:41) Noddle- I was depression

(6:42) Dusty- Mike used to be the definition of depression

"Mike, why the hell were you the definition of depression?" El asked, giving him a look. He looked up and saw the two looking at him.

"Uh, well, Troy was beating my ass every other day and my dad who is not my dad is a dick so... depression."

"Mood." Richie nodded in agreement. "I get my ass beat all the time too, bro." Richie held a hand up for a high five and Mike just stared at him. "Ugh, rude. Anyways, I wonder why we're such bully magnets cause like- we're hot as fuck."

"Oh my God." Mike face palmed. "Get out." He pointed towards the door and Richie cackled.

"I love you too, Michelle."

"Dickard." Mike grumbled and with a wave, Richie strutted out of the room, closing the door behind him. Mike eyed El, who was staring at him, a small smile on her face. "What?" He asked.

"I just love you guys relationship." She told him, flicking a curl out of his face. He grinned at her and shrugged.

"He's an annoying little fucker but I love him."

"As you should." She nodded and lied on her back, motioning for him to come to her, holding her arms out. He chuckled and lied with her, letting her wrap him in her arms, his head on her chest.

"Your boobs are comfy." He muttered. She laughed and he grinned at her.

"Not gonna lie, I love all this making out and... such."

"You love it?" He asked, looking up at her. "It's the most obvious thing that I do." She giggled.

"By the tent in your pants every time, I'm well aware." He turned pink but nipped at her ear and she giggled again.

"Quit it, you turd. I wanna cuddle." He snorted and nuzzled his face into her chest. "Mike!"

"What? I'm just getting comfortable." He told her innocently.

"Mhm." She tapped his head and he laughed. After a few minutes, she said quietly, "I'm just curious- don't take offence to this or anything-"

"Uh oh." He moved his head to her upper arm and looked at her. She chuckled.

"Do you know if you'll be drinking on your birthday?" She asked. "I know how you're against yourself drinking, but if you don't, I won't."

"El, if I don't drink, and you want to, you can. It won't bother me."

"I know, but I want us to celebrate and have fun together, not me drunk as a skunk and you sober."

"I know... Steve told me he wanted me to drink, have fun with it, you know?" She nodded. "I know it wasn't my fault and that I wouldn't be driving at all, but it's still hard." She nodded again, combing a hand through his hair. "It's been a couple days since she popped up out of no-fucking-where and if it weren't for Steve noticing how weird I was apparently acting, and you guys, I'd still be... like, in my head or something like I was."

"I feel bad that I didn't notice... I guess it's because I haven't known you as long as them. The only difference was you were quieter than usual, and you're kinda quiet to begin with." He chuckled, nodding.

"It's okay, El. God, the start of February is the worst time of year for me, and you'll probably hate me."

"I highly doubt I could hate you- but why?"

"I'm just a moody asshole for the first couple days. All I do is lay on my ass and go to school and beat myself up about what I could have done that day. And I honestly don't remember what I do on the day," He sighed. "Max and the guys tell me I'm just an asshole or sleep all day, they know what happens. I just don't want to hurt you somehow."

"You won't." She told him. "I won't let you, for one, but I'll be there for you as long as you need me to be." He nodded.

"I love you."

"I love you too."