A/N: Hey all. Thanks for the feedback from last chapter. I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my stories and share their thoughts. I hope you like this one! Also, I made an account on AO3 yesterday because two or three of you have asked me about it over the past several months. I'm still kind of exploring it because its format is so much different and it is a lot bigger, but if you read stories over there, be aware that I will probably be posting my stories (not all of them… definitely HWN, TTWAS, and OOTW – I'll have to take a look at the shorter ones) on there. I'll still always post on here too, as this is the site I know and as of right now am most comfortable with. Anyway, enjoy chapter 13!
LovelyInLavender: Thank you! Mike and El are adorable, and I can only hope for some wholesome Mileven content in S4.
Shrike176: I really like reading your thoughts on all the different things going on in the story. I like that you can see both Mike and El's points of view. There is definitely more to come on the Mike/El/Eric/Dani situation, and I hope you like it.
Longislandgirl88: Thank you for saying that. I promise I'm updating as often as I can! I hope each chapter is worth it!
NoDownSide: Oh, we all know some asshole like that, don't we lol. I hope you like this chapter.
Jbg: Don't worry; I will keep writing regardless of the amount of feedback that I get, but I love reading everyone's feedback! As for frequent postings, I promise I'm trying. I feel like I'll post three chapters in a week and then disappear for 2-3 weeks at a time. I'm trying to become more consistent, but work, life, and inspiration can be a struggle sometimes. But thank you for always being around when I come back! I'm glad you're liking the story. This chapter definitely digs more into Mike's fears. I hope you like it.
SmilingSarahAZ: We'll have to see where it goes! I hope you enjoy it.
Vmmi36: Thank you so much. I'm glad you like it, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its characters.
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Classes the next day went smoothly for the most part. El was cordial with Eric but still did her best to keep a partial wall up, not fully trusting him and wanting to be mindful of Mike who had seemed uncomfortable with the idea of El and Eric working together. Of course, El had done her best to reassure Mike that she just wanted to be able to get along with Eric well enough for the sake of her sanity and the campers in her classroom. She tried to be understanding of Mike's feelings, but if El were being honest, it was starting to bother her that Mike seemingly didn't trust her enough to stop worrying about her working with Eric a few hours each day.
El couldn't pretend not to notice that Eric was increasingly friendly with her. He greeted her with a smile when she entered the classroom in the morning and after lunch; he asked how her night was and how her day was going; this morning he even told her she looked nice. El had politely thanked him and begun the day. Her mind did toy with the possibility that Eric's previous rude behaviors could have actually been magnified by Jason and that now that that influence was gone, Eric was behaving milder as he normally would. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility; El had seen firsthand how poorly people at school were willing to treat her once Aaron decided she deserved it, and El knew those people had always been nice to her previously.
But still, El had no interest in Eric as anything more than an acquaintance, and if he ever made a move to try and become more than that, El knew she would put her foot down to stop it. She was happy with Mike. She loved Mike, even if the idea of admitting that to his face still made the swarm of butterflies in her stomach go crazy. El was not going to compromise her relationship with Mike, and she wanted to get through the rest of this week with as little conflict as possible. That included keeping Mike's mind at ease, so El had decided not to tell him every little thing about her interactions with Eric. Why should she risk upsetting him when she knew there was nothing going on?
That was what El reminded herself of in the cafeteria after classes had ended that day as she, Mike, Dustin, Suzie, Kayla, and Tom sat around their table discussing their day.
"This is literally the fastest week yet," Dustin said. "Day two is already done. We only have three more days together."
"I know," Suzie said sympathetically. "But we knew this would happen. Remember how Mike and El felt last week."
"Yeah, it's rough. It's like it was the best week, but every day I dreaded it ending even more," Mike explained, and El smiled next to him and placed her hand on his leg under the table.
"Are you sure you weren't just dreading having Dani up next?" Dustin smirked.
"No," Mike chuckled. "She actually hasn't been bad at all. I mean, all she talks about is Eric, so that can be nauseating. But overall, it's been okay."
El smiled and breathed out a small sigh of relief.
"Well, maybe Eric is going to surprise us all and not break her heart. Then you won't have to deal with the aftermath," Dustin said.
"Maybe he will," El added. "He really does seem a lot nicer now that he doesn't have Jason around. Maybe Tom was right, and he's still a good guy on the inside."
As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't. El heard the deep breath that Mike took and saw his jaw clench as he looked down at the table. She rubbed her hand up and down where it was rested on his leg, but he did not look over at her.
Dustin must have noticed what was going on because he changed the subject to how Tom and Kayla's day went.
Mike had stopped listening. He was focusing on keeping his cool. He didn't want to appear as the jealous, controlling boyfriend, but he knew Eric was up to something, and it seemed like El was buying into the "nice guy" bullshit. How was he supposed to make it through the rest of the week without going crazy or screwing things up with El?
"Can we go outside and talk?" El said quietly against his ear, and Mike simply nodded.
They stood and walked outside the cafeteria. Mike took a deep breath the second the fresh warm air hit his face. He saw El watching him from the corner of his eye, and he knew what was coming. He also knew he only had a matter of seconds to figure out what he was going to tell her.
"Mike," El said gently, but Mike heard the firm undertone. "I don't want this tension between us all week every time I talk about my day."
"I know," Mike sighed. "Neither do I… I'm just worried."
"About what?" El asked.
"About…" Mike paused to think, his head was spinning with jumbled words and he was trying to pick the best ones. "Obviously about Eric. I just feel like he's going to try something. I don't buy that he's suddenly a great guy now that Jason's gone. I think he knows how to act like a nice guy, and that's what he's doing with you, and it looks like you're-"
El's eyes widened when Mike abruptly stopped himself.
"It looks like I'm what, Mike? Falling for it?" El asked, a harshness coming into her tone that Mike had never heard directed toward himself before.
"Look, El, Eric isn't stupid. He knows how sweet you are. I just think he might be trying to appeal to that," Mike explained. "He's got you to himself every day, and I mean, look at you. You're beautiful and smart and just… any guy would want you."
"But I don't want them, Mike," El said, exasperatedly emphasizing every word. "I don't want to be with Eric or anyone else. I want to be with you. Don't you realize that by now? Haven't I told you that – shown you that – enough by now?"
Mike closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair while he took in a deep breath to try and calm his heartrate.
"You have," he said quietly, opening his eyes to see El looking up at him with almost a pained look her on face. "You really have. He just… I let him get to me last night."
"What happened?" El asked, furrowing her brow in concern.
"He was asking me if you and I were still together and how serious we were," Mike said. "I told him yes, we're still together, and that it doesn't matter how serious we are because you're not available. He acted innocent and claimed he was just making conversation."
"Maybe he was," El suggested.
"That's not the type of conversation guys just have," Mike said. "I can't really explain it, but it just felt like he was up to something. Like he was trying to get in my head."
"Well, whether he was trying to or not, it looks like he did," El said gently. "Mike, I am not interested in Eric, okay?"
"I know that you say that, and I believe that you mean it, but how can I just trust that he doesn't try anything?" Mike asked.
"You can't," El replied honestly. "But you need to trust that if he does try anything, I will turn him down."
Mike thought about what El said, and eventually he nodded his head.
"Mike, this isn't going to work if we aren't able to trust each other, and I really want this to work," El said.
"So do I," Mike agreed. "I'm sorry, El."
"It's okay," El said with a small smile before stepping up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Since we're being honest, I was relieved when you said all Dani talks about is Eric."
"Why?" Mike asked, confused.
"Well, I kept remembering how she was trying to get your attention during the first week and she said she thought you were cute," El explained. "It was just a relief to hear that she's focusing on Eric and not you."
"Seriously? You were worried about me and Dani?" Mike asked in surprise. "El, you don't ever have to worry about me being interested in someone else when I have you. You're perfect."
"And that's exactly how I feel, too. So can we please just make it through the rest of this week?" El asked.
"Yes," Mike smiled and kissed her forehead, hugging her tightly.
The next morning, Mike walked with El all the way to her classroom. Before leaving, he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a kiss on the lips. When El turned to enter the classroom, she met Eric's eyes, and Eric quickly looked down at the table in front of him. El walked swiftly to the front to join him.
"Morning," she greeted shortly.
"Good morning," Eric replied as cheerful as ever. "How was your night?"
"It was good," El replied offhandedly, picking up the packets for the first lesson.
"You look great today," Eric said, glancing up and down.
El pursed her lips but did not respond. She began passing out the material to begin the day's lesson, and she told herself she only had to get through a couple more days.
In Mike and Dani's classroom, Mike watched as Dani talked with one of the campers about his ideas for building his car. Dani seemed so happy and genuine, and Mike couldn't help but feel a pit of guilt start to grow in his stomach. He knew how much Dani liked Eric; she was head over heels for the jerk. He also knew how little Eric cared about her.
Mike weighed the options in his head. He could stay out of it, let things play out, let Eric show her what an ass he is himself. Or, he could be honest with her and tell her what he knows. Either way, Mike knew he would likely find himself in new drama that he did not ask for. But, he really did think Dani was a good person who did not deserve what Eric was doing and saying behind her back. Especially after the conversation that Mike and Eric had in the bathroom where Eric referred to his seeing Dani as just having a nice time together, Mike was certain Dani's feelings were not reciprocated.
Was it his place to get involved? Probably not. But Mike knew that the last month of his relationship with Stephanie, she was seeing someone else behind his back, which made him feel even worse when things actually ended. He wished someone would have told him what they knew.
Mike let out a long, frustrated sigh and said goodbye to the idea of having a peaceful remainder of the week.
The minutes seemed to drag on while Mike thought about the talk he was going to have with Dani. But eventually, the campers were cleaning up after the frog dissection, and it was almost time for break. After the campers all left the classroom, Mike knew it was time.
"Have a good lunch, Mike. I'm going to go meet up with Eric," Dani said through her smile with a wave.
"Uh, Dani, hang on a second," Mike called her back.
"What's up?" she asked, furrowing her brow and walking back to the front of the classroom where Mike was.
"Look, there's something that I think I should tell you," Mike started. "I know it might not be my place to get involved, but I just think you deserve to know."
"Know what?" Dani asked curiously, and Mike let out a long sigh.
"I wasn't completely honest with you on Monday when you asked me if Eric ever talks about you in the cabin," Mike said.
"Really? What does he say?" Dani asked, perking up.
"He…" Mike let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "There's really no good way to say it."
"Say what?" Dani asked, fear entering her voice as she picked up on Mike's body language.
"Look, I know you really like him, but I just don't think he feels the same way," Mike blurted out. Dani stared at him, her mouth dropped open at a loss for words.
"W-what? No, of course he does," Dani said. "Why would you say that?"
"He and Jason talked a lot about hooking up with all of you girls," Mike said. "Jason's goal was to have sex with Nikki by the end of the first week, and he did. He kept asking Eric how far he was getting with you… and Eric kept saying he was getting close and that you would be giving it up soon."
Mike studied Dani's face. It looked like she had been hit in the stomach. Her eyes lost their shine as she looked down at the floor, and short rapid breaths started coming out of her open mouth.
"Was there anything else?" she asked.
Mike didn't answer. Of course there was, but could she handle it?
"Mike," Dani snapped.
"He told Jason that after he had sex with you, Jason could have his turn. But Jason started going after Kayla and then got kicked out," Mike said. "Eric talked to me on Monday night. He said that you and him have been having a nice time together when I asked if he was still seeing you… I'm sorry, Dani. I just don't think he likes you the way you like him… And I felt bad about keeping it from you, but I wanted to tell you now because I think he's going to try and make a move on El-"
"Wait, aren't you dating El?" Dani asked.
"Yeah," Mike nodded.
Dani was quiet as she processed what Mike told her. He watched as the shock slowly became anger, and she immediately turned on her heel and stormed toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Mike asked.
"To see for myself," Dani replied. "Someone's lying to me, and I need to see if it's you or him."
Before Mike could say another word, Dani was gone.
Over in El and Eric's classroom, they had just dismissed their campers and were cleaning up the last bits of their area before heading to lunch.
"You know, you're really good with them. The campers," Eric said while thumbing through the packets for lesson three. "Do you have any little brothers or sisters?"
"No," El answered simply.
"Hmm. Well, you just must be good with kids," Eric shrugged. "And they seem to get along great with you, too. But why wouldn't they? You're really smart and funny."
"What are you trying to accomplish here?" El asked, rounding on him and crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm not trying to accomplish anything," Eric said innocently. "I'm just paying you a compliment. It's not very often you meet a girl who is smart, has a great personality, and is as pretty as you are."
"Well, you've met Dani," El stated.
"I have," Eric nodded, stepping closer to El. "And she's so needy. What I like about you is how independent you are, like you wouldn't beg for a guy's attention. Girls who throw themselves at you, that's easy. But there's something attractive about a strong, confident girl like you."
"I'm dating Mike," El said firmly.
Eric was standing directly in front of El, and El was backed up against the table, unable to go any further.
"Dating? Don't you want to have some fun? Explore your options?" Eric asked lowly, placing his hands on the table on either side of El, encompassing her.
"I'm happy with Mike. I'm not interested," El said firmly, looking directly into Eric's eyes as he loomed over her.
"I'm sure he makes you as happy as he can," Eric was saying as he leaned in to whisper something in El's ear.
Outside, Dani was approaching El and Eric's classroom. A few feet from the front door, she looked through the window, and her stomach dropped. She saw Eric pressed closely against El, his arms on either side of her resting on the table, and his face was in her neck… was he kissing her? Whispering something to her? It didn't matter. Dani's chest tightened as she was hit with a whirlwind of emotions: rage, pain, confusion. She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, and she stormed back into the woods, determined not to let Eric or El see her break down.
Back inside the classroom, El placed her hands on Eric's shoulders and pushed him backward until he was an arm's length away from her.
"I said I'm not interested," she repeated herself firmly. "I'm happy with Mike. I want to be able to get along enough to work together for the next two days, and that's it. You would think after just seeing Jason get sent home for harassment, you'd be a little more careful."
"Hey, I'm not harassing anyone," Eric said, his tone of voice changing as he lifted his hands in surrender. "I'm just letting you know that if your situation changes, and you are interested in getting to know each other a little better, let me know."
"My situation won't be changing, and I won't be interested," El said.
"We'll see. Have a good lunch, El," Eric said with a grin as he walked by her and out of the classroom.
Less than ten minutes later, El was sitting in the cafeteria with her friends, eating lunch. Dustin and Suzie were talking about one of the campers' reactions to the frog dissection, but El was not paying attention. She was sitting closer to Mike than normal, so close that her leg was touching his, and she was bouncing her other leg anxiously while she stared at her food.
"El, are you okay?" Mike asked her softly, startling her, and El looked up at him.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, forcing a smile.
"So, looks like he may have finally dumped her," Dustin observed, gesturing across the room to where Eric sat alone at a table. Dani was nowhere to be seen.
"Is Dani even here?" Suzie asked, looking around the cafeteria and not seeing her.
"I know she was really upset when she left our classroom," Mike said.
"Why? What happened?" El asked, turning toward him.
"I told her that I wasn't completely honest with her the other day," Mike replied. "And I told her that I don't think Eric likes her as much as she likes him, and I told her some of the things he has said about her in the cabin."
"Oh, shit," Dustin muttered.
"She left the classroom really upset. I thought she was going to confront him," Mike said. "El, did she show up at your classroom?"
"Not that I saw," El shook her head.
"Have fun with that, Mike. I'm pretty sure you just ruined the rest of your week," Dustin said.
"I think you did the right thing in telling her," Suzie said.
"Yeah, she deserved to know," El agreed and chose to keep to herself that Eric had hit on her just before leaving for break.
Did he run into Dani afterward and end things with her? Is that why Dani was gone? Was he going to keep pushing El like he did today?
She looked over at Mike. He hadn't acted insecure at all today, and she hadn't felt any tension between them since their talk yesterday. Surely, the only thing telling Mike would do was bring his insecurities back into the forefront, so El decided he didn't need to know. Not yet, anyway. After all, Eric had hit on her, and she turned him down. Just like she had promised Mike she would. If anything more happened, then sure, she could understand telling Mike. But right now, El didn't see the point in upsetting him.
After lunch was over, Mike walked with El back to her classroom, hand-in-hand. They stopped next to the front door, and El turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his lips down to hers.
"I'll see you in a couple hours," El said.
"Okay, babe. Have a good afternoon," Mike said before kissing her forehead.
"You too," El smiled up at him, and then added with concern, "I hope Dani's okay."
"Me too, for my sake," Mike chuckled.
El told him goodbye and walked into the classroom. Eric joined her a few minutes later, and she greeted him wordlessly with a nod, which Eric reciprocated. El took a deep breath, told herself that after today she would only be with him for two more days, and began passing out the materials for lesson three.
When Mike arrived back at his classroom, he was surprised to see Dani already inside, sitting at the front table. As Mike got closer, he noticed her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and he sat next to her, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Dani, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked with a sinking feeling that she had confronted Eric and he had told her that he didn't want anything serious, ending what Dani had thought could be something real.
"You were right," Dani croaked.
"You talked to Eric?" Mike asked sympathetically.
"No," Dani shook her head, and Mike scrunched his forehead in confusion.
"Then how do you know?" he asked, sure that Dani wouldn't have decided to simply believe what Mike had told her.
Dani looked up at him, and Mike swore he saw pity in her eyes. She offered him a small smile and shook her head.
"We need to start the next lesson," she sniffled. "But we can talk after class."
Mike agreed, and the two of them stood and began lesson three. Dani was able to keep herself together and focus on the material for the class, but Mike found himself distracted numerous times. There was something about the way Dani had looked at him when he had asked how Dani knew he was right about Eric. But what was it? How could he have seen pity in her eyes? Why would Dani be pitying him?
That afternoon drug on longer than any day of camp had thus far, but finally, the campers were leaving, and Mike and Dani were alone in the classroom. He felt nervous as she sat down and pulled out the chair next to her, waiting for him to join her.
"Okay, so what happened?" Mike asked.
"I know you were right because I saw him," Dani replied. "I saw him… with El."
"Wha-what do you… what do you mean you saw him with El? Like, saw them in their classroom? They're partners this week," Mike rambled as Dani was shaking her head.
"I went there, to their classroom, at the start of break. I saw them, but they didn't see me," Dani said. "He had her pressed up against the edge of one of the tables… and it looked like he was kissing her neck. I'm sorry, Mike."
Mike's ears started ringing, and he only distantly heard Dani say his name. He felt his stomach churning and his heart pounding in his chest, and Mike swallowed hard and started shaking his head.
"No, Dani, I don't know what you think you saw, but El wouldn't do that," he said. "She doesn't want to be with him."
"I saw it with my own eyes, Mike," Dani said. "I'm going to confront Eric about it tonight, and I thought you should know."
Dani waited another moment for Mike to process what she had said, but he continued staring blankly ahead, slightly shaking his head. Dani reached forward and placed her hand on his, startling him, and Mike turned to look at her.
"I really am sorry, Mike. But you deserved to know," she said.
Then, Dani got up and walked out of the classroom, leaving Mike alone.
His thoughts were racing. It couldn't be true; it just couldn't. Not after everything he and El had been through and shared with each other. Not after she promised him yesterday that he was the only one she wanted, that she had no interest in Eric or anyone else other than him.
But isn't that what someone says when they want to hide their real intentions? Didn't Stephanie laugh, shake her head, and tell him he was crazy when he said he didn't like how the guys on the football team were looking at her in her new cheerleading uniform? Didn't Stephanie tell him that she would be stupid to throw away their two-year relationship and that he was the only one she wanted to be with? Didn't Stephanie tell him that she loved him and he had nothing to worry about? Of course El wouldn't openly say she was interested in Eric.
Then again, Mike had just told Dani bad news about herself and Eric. Dani was pissed. Could Dani have imagined seeing something that didn't happen? Or worse, was Dani vindictive enough to make up a story to hurt Mike to get back at him for hurting her with what he told her? Could it all be a misunderstanding or a blatant lie?
Mike didn't know, and he couldn't outright ask El about it. Not after yesterday when she had specifically said they would not work if they couldn't trust each other. Asking her about it was out of the question. He had to get her to tell him herself.
During dinner, Mike was unusually quiet. El noticed and wondered what could have happened in the couple short hours since she told him goodbye outside her classroom. When El asked about Dani, Mike simply said that she showed up but was still upset about what he had told her. El did not push the issue any further.
After dinner, Mike and El took a walk down to the lake and sat next to each other on a rock overlooking the rippling water below. El looked at him for a long time, wondering what was on his mind. She hoped he wasn't feeling self-conscious again for some reason; El wasn't sure what could have happened to make him feel that way, but she knew that it was something he constantly struggled with.
"Mike, is everything okay?" she asked carefully.
He sighed but didn't answer the question. He looked out over the water and decided that he needed to get her to tell him if anything had happened.
"How was the rest of your day?" Mike asked, but El could tell there was no happy emotion in his voice.
"It was okay," she replied. "How was yours? Did something happen?"
Mike shook his head.
"No, nothing happened," he replied softly. "Did something happen with you?"
When he turned to look at her, there was emotion in his eyes that El could not place, but she could tell he looked desperate.
"Nothing out of the ordinary," she replied. "We did the last two lessons, the kids were good, we cleaned up." She shrugged.
"How are you and Eric? Still getting along alright?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, I think we'll be okay for the rest of the week," El replied.
"That's good. I was just wondering because you hardly mentioned him today," Mike said, and El sensed suspicion on his tone.
"Did you want me to talk more about him?" she asked, furrowing her brow.
"It's just that all week you've kept mentioning how he's such a nice guy now-" Mike cut himself off, feeling his heart begin to rise into his throat.
"He's still being nice. He's being friendly," El said slowly.
"Too friendly?" Mike couldn't help himself.
"Mike, what is going on?" El asked. "Please, we just had this talk yesterday. He gets a little friendly, I remind him I'm not interested, and we move on."
"So he has gotten a little too friendly with you?" Mike asked. "What happened?"
"Mike, nothing happened," El insisted. "I told him no, just like I said I would."
Mike nodded and looked down at the lake again. He wanted to believe her. He wanted more than anything to believe what El was saying, that nothing happened, that she turned Eric down. But something was nagging inside Mike's mind telling him that there was more to the story.
"Mike, I need you to trust me," El said softly, scooting closer to him.
He looked at her, and she was looking up at him with her big doe eyes, pleading with him to believe her.
El was holding her breath, wishing with all her might that she could silence every insecurity in him and make him see himself the way she sees him. She didn't know what had triggered this self-conscious behavior today, but she wanted to fix it.
"I know," Mike replied softly.
"Hey, why don't we sneak out tonight? Meet at our spot, lay in each other's arms under the stars," El suggested gently, linking her arm through his and running her other hand through his hair.
Mike looked at her. She was as beautiful as ever. He felt his walls begin building up again, and he began to shake his head.
"Not tonight," he said. "I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm pretty tired."
"Oh. Okay," El said, unable to hide her disappointment. "Another time then."
Nothing felt right. When Mike walked to back to her cabin, when she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him, and even when their lips met, El felt like there was something between them all of a sudden, and she didn't know what it was.
That night, as she laid in her bed, she pulled out her phone and decided to text Mike.
Hey Mike. I really don't know what happened today, but I hope you're okay. You know you can talk to me about anything, and you have nothing to worry about. Like I told you yesterday, and like I'll tell you every day, you are the only person I want to be with. Please don't forget that. Good night, sleep well, and I'll see you tomorrow. El added three heart emojis to the end of her text and hit send.
She laid on her back, staring at the bottom of Suzie's bed above her, and waited for a reply from Mike. El was not sure how long she waited, but eventually, she fell asleep with her phone still in her hand.
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A/N: As you can see, the drama is stirring. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to leave me a review! And let me know in your review what you think is going to happen. I love reading your theories. Until next time!