A/N: Welcome to the final chapter. Thank you for reaching 200 reviews on this story. I really hope you all love the finale. Please remember to leave me a review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!
Jbg: I'm glad Mileven was able to get back together before Mike needed slapped! I hope you like how it ends.
Longislandgirl88: I'm so glad!
Quest: Thank you so much.
Grievesforyou: Absolutely. Mileven should always be together.
FavStarngerthings: With this being an AU, I've tried to sprinkle in references to the actual show throughout the story, but last chapter I did manage a reference to each of the three seasons. S1 was most obviously them finding each other in the storm. S2 was El's "I need to talk to you," which paralleled the "I need to see him." And S3 was obviously "Mike… I love you too." Were those the three you counted, or did you see something else? I also hope you enjoy the finale of this story!
Nighting Ryder: They really are!
Wolfgp: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.
Shrike176: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the reconciliation. And if you noticed, even if they weren't forced in there, it did take place in the equipment shed lol. Yes, I have considered a sequel to this (actually, I kicked myself because I could've called this one Into The Woods and the next one Out Of The Woods, but here we are). I don't know if or when it will happen, but it is definitely a strong possibility for the future because there is so much to explore with these two post-camp. But, I feel like this story ends in a way that can be satisfying enough if a sequel does not happen as well. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think!
Betazoid4: Thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its characters.
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Mike was on cloud nine. It was like the greatest weight in the world had been lifted. He and El were back together – not only that, but he had told her he loved her, and she loved him too. Somehow, just knowing that El felt the same way that he did helped keep his insecurities away. This wasn't just a girlfriend who liked him or cared about him a lot. She loved him, and he believed her.
After they made up in the equipment shed, they had spent a good portion of the evening making up for the week they had been without each other. By the time they realized they should head back to their cabins, the rainstorm had passed, and it was nearly midnight.
Dustin and Suzie had both been waiting in their respective cabins that night, and when Mike and El each walked in to their own cabin carrying damp clothes and wearing green Camp Know Where sweats and uncontrollable smiles, Dustin and Suzie were each able to let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad you guys are back together," Suzie gushed at breakfast the next day.
El smiled and squeezed Mike's hand under the table. She was sitting so close to him that their legs were touching, not wanting to lose the feel of his touch again.
"So am I," Dustin agreed. "I would not have been able to deal with you being that sad back home."
"Wow, thanks," Mike chuckled.
"You and Max would've been more snippy with each other than normal. It's really for the greater good of the party that you and El are back together," Dustin said, and Mike laughed.
"I can't argue with that," he admitted. "Max would not have put up with my shit for as long as you did."
"You're welcome," Dustin nodded, and Mike rolled his eyes.
"I have an idea," Suzie said suddenly, and the other three turned to face her. "We talked a couple weeks ago about facetiming your Hawkins friends. Why don't we go down by the lake and give them a call and then play some volleyball for old times' sake?"
"You say 'old times' sake' as if we didn't play volleyball with you just a few weeks ago," Dustin chuckled.
"I think it's a great plan," El chimed in. "I'd love to meet everyone else."
When they finished breakfast, the four of them followed the path down toward the lake and gathered around one of the picnic tables. Dustin had texted Lucas right after Suzie made the suggestion and made sure that he, Max, and Will would all be together. Moments later, Dustin was waiting for Lucas to answer the call, and when he finally did, Lucas's face filled the screen with a big smile.
"Hey guys!" he exclaimed when the call had connected.
"Lucas!" Dustin responded excitedly. "Are Max and Will there with you?"
"Yep," Lucas replied, shifting his phone to show the other two.
"Hey Dusty-bun! How's science camp?" asked the redheaded girl who El assumed was Max.
"I told you not to call me that," Dustin scolded her. "That is for Suzie, and Suzie only."
"I give Max permission to keep the nickname going strong when I'm not around," Suzie said through an amused smile.
Dustin immediately snapped his head to look at Suzie, a look of feigned betrayal on his face. He turned slowly back to his phone.
"You all remember Suzie," he said as Suzie waved over his shoulder at the phone screen.
"Hi guys!" she exclaimed.
"Hi Suzie! How have you been? It's been forever since Dustin facetimed you with all of us," Max said.
"I know. But I've been great! Dustin and I actually talked about me coming to Hawkins over the holidays this winter, so hopefully I'll get to meet you all in person soon instead of just getting to see you over facetime, like, once a year," Suzie said.
"Yeah, Dusty-bun, what's up with that? Suzie's great, and you only let us meet her once," Max said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I don't know," Dustin shrugged. "Time zones, school and work schedules, me not wanting you to corrupt my girlfriend."
Max flipped off the camera as her mouth curled into a grin.
"Well, Suzie, I hope you are able to come to Hawkins this year. It would be great to meet you in person," Will finally chimed in.
"Absolutely," Max agreed as Lucas nodded.
"So, is Mike there with you?" Lucas asked.
"He sure is," Dustin replied and tilted his phone so Mike was on the screen.
"Wheeler! How was camp? Do you regret letting Dusty-bun talk you into going?" Max asked, and next to Mike Dustin rolled his eyes again.
"Not at all. It's been amazing, actually," Mike replied.
"Wow. I didn't realize you were so passionate about Camp Know Where," Max chuckled.
"I'm not," Mike said. "But I want you guys to meet someone."
Mike scooted over so El could squeeze into the frame, and she smiled and waved at the three people looking back at her.
"Guys, this is my girlfriend, El," Mike introduced them, and El's smile naturally brightened when he said the word 'girlfriend.'
"Girlfriend?!" Max, Lucas, and Will couldn't help but repeating, and El laughed.
"Yes," Mike replied.
"You've only been there for, like, five weeks, Wheeler. Good job," Max nodded, and Mike rolled his eyes.
"Ignore her," Lucas said. "El, I'm Lucas. It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too," El smiled.
"And I'm Will," said the other boy on the screen. "Are you from anywhere near Hawkins?"
"No, I'm actually from Chicago," El replied.
"But she's going to come down to visit sometimes, hopefully," Mike added.
"I will," El confirmed with a smile.
"It would be great to meet you in person," Will said.
"Yeah, so I could have another girl around and not spend all my time with the four of you," Max quipped.
"Hey!" Dustin exclaimed, turning his phone back to his own face.
"Oh, calm down, you know I'm kidding, Dusty-bun," Max grinned. "But seriously – oooh I just got an idea! El and Suzie should both come down during the holidays, and we could get to know both of them!"
"That's actually a great idea," Lucas said.
"Yeah," Will agreed.
Everyone seemed to notice the look that Mike and El exchanged with each other.
"We had kind of talked about me going up to Chicago for Christmas," Mike explained.
"So what I'm hearing is we're all roadtripping to Chicago this Christmas," Max said.
"Absolutely not," Mike replied.
"Aww, come on, it would be fun," Max continued.
"No," Mike repeated.
"We'll figure something out," Will interjected, wanting to stop Mike and Max's back-and-forth.
"Definitely," El smiled, feeling like she would fit in just fine with the rest of Mike's friends.
They talked for a while longer and caught up with Lucas, Max, and Will, and by the time Dustin hung up, El felt like she would have no problem calling Mike's friends her friends too. Max seemed to have a strong personality, but El felt like they would mesh well together. She was even more excited about going to Hawkins than she had been all summer.
After hanging up with their Hawkins friends, the four of them moved over to the volleyball court and played until the sun started to set. By then, they had completely lost count of the score and were laughing and having fun together that they had not had in so long.
Mike and Dustin walked with El and Suzie back to the female counselors' cabin after dinner that night. El cupped the side of Mike's face and leaned up to kiss him.
"Good night," she said when she pulled back. "I love you."
El automatically smiled as she said those words, which made Mike's heart skip a beat as he immediately smiled back.
"I love you, too," he said. "Good night."
The remaining week passed by quicker than any week that summer. During the days, the counselors were responsible for assisting by removing all remaining camp materials from the classrooms and returning them to storage and then thoroughly cleaning the classrooms. They did have more free time than normal, and Mike and El took full advantage of that. The closer they got to the last day, the clingier they became, and by the end of the week, Mike and El were practically attached.
They both awoke on the second-to-last day with a sadness in their hearts. Neither of them had felt gloomy since making up the week before, but this morning it was weighing heavily on both Mike and El that they had only twenty-four hours left together before they each had to go home.
The last of their tasks were completed by noon, and after lunch, the director had a closing presentation in the admin building for the nine remaining counselors. Mike and El filed in with Dustin and Suzie along with their other fellow counselors, and they all took a seat around the tables like they had for the welcome presentation six weeks prior.
"On behalf of all of us at Camp Know Where, I want to thank each of you for choosing to spend your summer here with us, instilling a deeper love of science in the minds of dozens of children," Katherine began.
While Katherine went on thanking them and discussing the importance of the role the counselors played, Mike could not help but be distracted by El rubbing her leg against his under the table. She was as close to him as she could be, and she reached over to link their fingers together while Katherine droned on.
"I hope you are all aware of the impact you have made on our campers, and I hope you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment for everything you've done," Katherine was saying. "I'm sure for many of you, it was your first time taking charge of a classroom full of students, and by all accounts from the campers I spoke with, you all did a phenomenal job."
Next to Mike, El sighed heavily, growing less patient as the director continued to eat up time during their final day.
"I urge all of you to consider coming back and joining us next year at Camp Know Where," Katherine offered. "Thank you for being a part of our summer. Have fun at the bonfire tonight, and have a safe trip home tomorrow."
After Katherine released them, Mike, El, Dustin, and Suzie agreed that it would be a good idea to return to their respective cabins and pack all of their belongings so they did not have to worry about packing after the bonfire or waking up early and packing before leaving in the morning. The four of them agreed to meet back up for the farewell bonfire.
It seemed that Tom had the same idea of packing during the afternoon, because when Mike and Dustin arrived to their cabin, Tom had his suitcase opened on his bed and his closed spread out on his sheets.
"Well, tonight is our last night," Dustin sighed as he pulled open his drawer in the dresser and tossed his clothes out of it and toward his bed.
"I know," Mike said sadly.
"And it wasn't as awful as you thought it was going to be, was it?" Dustin asked.
"I never thought it was going to be awful," Mike chuckled. "I was just upset about what happened with Stephanie."
"This is a great place to forget about life back home and just clear your head. And, of course, meet new people," Dustin smirked.
"Honestly, meeting El has made this the best six weeks of my life," Mike admitted. "Leaving tomorrow is really going to suck."
"Didn't I tell you on day one that by the time it was time to leave, we would have to pull you and El away from each other," Dustin reminded him with a grin.
"I guess you were right," Mike sighed.
"Of course I was right," Dustin said.
Just then, Tom crossed the cabin to join Mike and Dustin. It was just the three of them, as Eric was out somewhere with Nikki.
"It was cool getting to know you guys these past couple weeks," Tom said.
"You too," Dustin said. "Do you think you'll be a counselor again next year?"
"I don't know," Tom replied. "I love science, but the fact that there is mandatory P.E. pretty much means there will always be at least one Jason or Eric, and I just feel like I could find programs to do that incorporate science but don't require me to deal with that."
"That's fair," Dustin nodded.
"Will you two be back next year?" Tom asked.
"For sure," Dustin answered immediately. "I won't miss out of six weeks with Suzie."
"I don't think I'll be back," Mike replied. "It was fun, and I wouldn't trade meeting El for the world. But I'd rather spend my summer exploring Chicago with her."
"Guess I'll be a lone wolf again unless I can convince Lucas or Will to join me," Dustin sighed.
"Good luck with that," Mike laughed.
"Well, since I won't really be seeing you guys for much longer, why don't I give you my number for if you're ever near Indy," Tom suggested.
"Yeah, for sure," Mike said, pulling out his phone. "And if you're ever near Hawkins for whatever reason, feel free to let us know, too."
Tom exchanged phone numbers with both Mike and Dustin, and the three of them finished packing their bags for their final night.
In the female counselors' cabin, El, Suzie, Kayla, and Dani were all packing while Nikki was out with Eric.
"Packing things up really makes everything feel even sadder," El said.
"It does," Suzie agreed. "I was sad last year when I had to leave Dustin, but this year is even worse having to leave you, too."
El smiled and nodded. She and Suzie had become good friends over the summer, and El was certainly sad to be parting ways tomorrow.
"You're welcome to come to Chicago any time," El said.
"Thanks," Suzie smiled. "And you can come to Salt Lake City, too. It's not as exciting as Chicago, but you are more than welcome."
"We can definitely try to work something out," El smiled.
"I wanted to thank you guys for being so nice to me and helping me through everything this summer," Kayla chimed in as she walked over toward Suzie and El's bunks.
"You really don't have to thank us. We were happy to help," El said.
"Absolutely. I'm so glad you were able to stay, too," Suzie added.
"Me too," Kayla said. "I'm glad I got to know you two."
Kayla exchanged phone numbers with El and Suzie, and the three of them agreed to keep in touch.
A short while later, Nikki came into the cabin looking flushed. She rummaged through her drawer and pulled out clean clothes before walking wordlessly to the bathroom and turning on the shower. El, Suzie, and Kayla all noticed the hurt expression on Dani's face, as they all knew Nikki had been out with Eric.
"I can't wait to get out of here," Dani said.
"You really are a nice girl, Dani, and you deserve better friends than Nikki anyway," El said. "And you definitely deserve way better than Eric. You have a good heart, and you are too good for guys like that."
Dani responded with an appreciative smile but did not say anything.
Later that night, all nine counselors met up at the lake where the advisors were supervising a bonfire and preparing dinner like they had earlier in the summer. Mike, El, Dustin, and Suzie hung out on the rocks by the lake until one of the advisors called out that dinner was ready.
After dinner, they sat around the fire and made smores. As the sun lowered more and more until it disappeared, the pit in El's stomach continued to grow. She didn't want to say goodbye to Mike. She linked her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder as she stared ahead at the crackling flames. El smiled when she felt Mike lean in to kiss the top of her head.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her quietly.
"Tomorrow morning," El sighed. "I don't want to leave you."
"I don't want to leave you either," Mike said. "But we still have all night."
El lifted her head up and met Mike's eyes. She thought she knew where he was going with this, but she wanted to confirm.
"Do you want to sneak out to our spot one last time tonight?" she asked.
"Actually, I had a slightly different plan tonight," Mike grinned.
He took El's hand and pulled her up, and the two of them slipped out of view and started walking up the path away from the lake. El realized they were going toward the male counselors' cabin, and she looked up at Mike with a questioning expression. When they finally arrived at the cabin, they stopped outside the front door, and Mike turned to face her.
"This is our last night together until who knows when. I don't want to sneak out for a few hours and then sneak back in. I want to spend the night with you. The whole night," Mike explained. "So, I was thinking we could take our pillows and blankets and go to our spot now and stay there all night. What do you think?"
"I think I love that plan," El smiled.
The thought crossed her mind about getting in trouble with the advisors or director if they were caught breaking curfew for the whole night, but El reasoned that it was their last night anyway, so it wasn't like the director could kick them out or really even discipline them.
Mike grabbed his pillow and blanket from his bunk, and then he and El walked to the female counselors' cabin so El could get hers. Then, they made their way through the darkened woods to their spot one last time.
They laid one of the blankets down on the ground to cover the grass, and then they used the other blanket to cover themselves up. At first, Mike and El laid peacefully together, sandwiched between their blankets, looking up at the night sky. El's head was resting on Mike chest, and Mike was tracing his fingers up and down her back. She felt him kiss the top of her head again, and then El propped herself up on her elbow to connect her lips with his.
Mike slowly deepened the kiss, rolling onto his side and weaving his fingers into El's soft, wavy hair. Their kisses became more desperate, and soon everything faded away other than the feel, taste, and smell of each other.
It was not long before their clothes were tossed to the side and Mike and El were tangled together, wrapped up in their blankets. This would be their last night together until who knows when, and they were kissing like they never wanted to stop.
Mike was on top of her, one hand in her hair and the other gently tracing over her soft skin. El's fingers were pressing into the bare skin on Mike's back, and her legs were wrapped around his waist, holding him tightly against herself.
She didn't want this night to end. El wanted to memorize how every inch of him felt against her, how sweet his lips tasted, the soft sound of moans that would escape Mike's mouth into her own while they kissed. She knew they would not be able to be together like this again for weeks, maybe even months.
Mike's kisses trailed from El's lips down to her neck, and El sighed contentedly.
"I love you," Mike breathed against her neck in between sucking on the soft skin.
"I love you, too," El squeaked out.
She knew she loved him, and laying there underneath him, knowing they were as close together as they would be for a long time, made her realize that she wanted even more. She wanted him, all of him.
"Mike," El whimpered.
"Yeah?" Mike whispered.
"I want you," El said.
"I want you, too, El," Mike replied, going back to sucking on her neck.
"No, I… I want… I'm ready," El said.
Mike stopped at those words and lifted his head so his face hovered over hers. El was biting her bottom lip and looking up at him with the most vulnerable look on her face that Mike had ever seen. She was already driving him wild.
"You – you're ready? Like, you mean, you're ready?" Mike asked, and El nodded her head. "El, we don't have to do this just because it's our last night."
"I know we don't have to," El said. "I want to, Mike… Do you want to?"
"Y-yeah, absolutely," Mike said immediately, glancing up and down her body and landing back on her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," El said softly as she nodded.
Then she paused and bit her bottom lip again, almost looking bashful.
"Just, um, go slow?" she added, and Mike could see her cheeks blush in the moonlight.
"Of course," Mike said. "And if it hurts or you want to stop, just tell me, and I'll stop."
El nodded, staring into his eyes with love, desire, and now gratitude for how delicately he was handling her feelings about this. She felt her heart begin to pound with anticipation, and those damn butterflies swarmed in her stomach as Mike began to position himself.
She took a deep breath and let it out before looking up at Mike who seemed to be awaiting her signal. El gave him a nod, and Mike smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly. Then, El began to fill with so much passion and pleasure that she thought she would burst. Her nerves faded almost immediately. It was ecstasy, it was beautiful, and it was perfect.
El woke up the next morning laying on her side with Mike spooning her from behind. She curled herself closer into him and gently ran her fingers up and down his forearm that was draped over her waist. The rays from the sun were beginning to shine through the trees above them, and El knew they would have to get up soon.
She rolled over to her other side to face Mike who was still sleeping, and El raised her hand to gently brush his hair away from his eyes. Cupping his cheek with one hand, she leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose. As Mike began to stir, El moved lower and gently kissed his lips. A moment later, she felt him return the kiss.
"Good morning," Mike murmured against her lips as his eyes opened.
"Good morning," El smiled back at him.
"What time is it?" Mike asked, stretching his arms while he rolled onto his back.
"7:30," El replied after checking her phone which was laying in the grass next to their makeshift bed.
Mike groaned and pulled El closer. She responded by wrapping her arm around his waist and squeezing him as she laid her head on his chest. They laid together for as long as they could before they had to get up and go back to their cabins.
An hour and a half later, all nine counselors were in the parking lot preparing to leave. Nikki wasted no time tossing her luggage in the back of her mom's car and leaving. Eric was careful to avoid Dani as he loaded his bags into his dad's truck and left.
Mike, El, Dustin, and Suzie said goodbye to Kayla and Tom as both of them loaded up their belongings and left with their families. Soon, it was just the four of them left to leave.
Mrs. Henderson was standing next to Suzie's Uber, talking with Suzie and Dustin about their summer. Mike and El could hear Dustin talking to his mom about Suzie coming to stay with them for Christmas. A few minutes later, Mrs. Henderson returned to her vehicle to wait patiently while her son said goodbye to his girlfriend.
"Here we are, saying goodbye again," Dustin sighed.
"It's harder this year than it was last year," Suzie pouted.
"I know," Dustin said. "But we will see each other for Christmas. We will."
"What if my parents don't let me go to Hawkins?" Suzie asked.
"Then I'll go to Utah and sneak through your window," Dustin replied.
"Dusty-bun," Suzie chuckled. "You can't sneak into my bedroom."
"I can if your parents try to keep you away from me for a whole year again," Dustin said. "But I bet you can convince them."
"I'll do my best," Suzie smiled.
Dustin leaned in to kiss her, and Suzie immediately wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen it.
While Dustin and Suzie were saying goodbye, El spotted her Aunt Becky's van and waved at her aunt who was sitting in the driver's seat. Then she turned to face Mike and looked up into his eyes.
"Will you walk over there with me? I want you to meet my aunt," El said.
"Yeah, okay," Mike replied, taken slightly off guard.
El and Mike walked over to where Becky was parked, and Becky stepped out of the van as they approached.
"Hi, sweetheart," Becky said as she wrapped her arms around El.
"Hi, Aunt Becky," El said against her aunt's shoulder.
"How was camp?" Becky asked when she had pulled back.
"It was incredible," El replied. "There's someone I want you to meet."
Mike had been standing behind El while she greeted her aunt, and then El suddenly took his hand and pulled him next to her.
"Mike, this is my Aunt Becky. Aunt Becky, this is my boyfriend Mike," El introduced them.
Mike noticed Becky's eyes widen slightly at the introduction, but he smiled politely at the woman.
"It's nice to meet you," Mike said.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Mike," Becky smiled.
Becky then turned to El and gave her a look which El knew meant that Becky wanted all the details as soon as they were in the van.
"I'll put your bags in the back while you two say goodbye," Becky said as she took El's luggage to the back of the van.
"There's one more person I want you to meet," El said to Mike when her aunt had stepped away.
El led Mike over to the side door of the van and opened it to reveal a woman with a blank expression on her face sitting in a wheelchair where there would normally be a second row of seating.
"Mama," El said gently, kneeling next to her mother and taking her hand. "Mama, it's Jane. I'm coming home today."
Terry's eyes rolled over to land on El's face, and El felt her mother faintly squeeze her hand.
"I had a wonderful summer, and I can't wait to tell you and Aunt Becky all about it," El smiled. "But before we go home, I want you to meet someone, Mama."
El turned to Mike and gestured for him to join her at the edge of the van, which he did.
"Mama, this is Mike. He's very special to me, and I really think you would like him," El said. "He's sweet, caring, and so respectful. He's everything I know you would want for me, and I love him, Mama. So I wanted you to meet him."
Terry showed no signs that she heard anything El had said. Mike scooted closer to El and reached forward to place his hand on top of Terry and El's hands which were clasped together.
"Your daughter is the most amazing person I've ever met, and I love her, too. I'm going to do anything I can to prove that every day," Mike said softly, and next to him El's smile was stretching over her whole face.
Mike was about to pull his hand away when he felt Terry squeeze El's hand underneath his own. When he looked back up at Terry's face, her eyes were fixed on him. He held eye contact with her briefly, and somehow Mike felt as though he had received Terry's approval. Then, Terry's eyes were straight ahead again and the blank expression was on her face once more.
Mike and El stepped away from the van to say goodbye. Neither of them wanted to start. Suddenly, El threw her arms around Mike's neck and pulled him into a tight hug.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she said against his ear.
"I'm going to miss you, too," Mike said softly. "I'm probably going to text you so much you'll have to turn your phone off."
El laughed and shook her head as she pulled back from the hug.
"I wouldn't do that," she said.
They stood in silence, each waiting for the other to speak, but neither wanting to be the one to say goodbye. From the other side of the parking lot, they heard Dustin call Mike's name.
"I guess I've… got to get going," Mike said sadly.
"Yeah," El nodded, her eyes filling up with tears.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Mike said gently, pulling El against him and wrapping his arms around her. "We'll be okay. We're going to call and facetime each other, and we'll plan a weekend visit and see each other in no time."
"I know," El sniffled against him. "I'm still going to miss you."
Mike smiled and squeezed her even tighter.
"You've made this the best summer of my life," he said. "I'm so happy we met, and I know this is going to work, El."
"I know it will," El agreed, looking up at him. "Will you call me tonight?"
"Of course," Mike replied. "Have a safe drive back home."
"You too," El said.
Mike leaned down to kiss her, and El did her best to hold on to the moment. Reluctantly, Mike pulled back after a few moments.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you, too," El replied.
They begrudgingly let go of each other, and El climbed into the passenger seat of her aunt's van. She waved at Mike through the window as her aunt turned on the engine and put it in drive. Mike waved back and stood watching as Becky drove El away.
He walked back to Mrs. Henderson's vehicle where Dustin had already loaded both his and Mike's bags, and Mike crawled into the back seat.
"You doing okay?" Dustin asked from the front seat as his mom started to drive out of the parking lot.
"I will be," Mike sighed.
"It sucks, but it does get easier," Dustin assured him.
Just then, Mike felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text message from El.
Aunt Becky said you're welcome to stay with us any time! Which is great because I miss you already xoxo
Mike smiled to himself and texted her back.
I miss you too, and I can't wait!
He set his phone in the cupholder next to him and leaned his head against the window, watching the trees as they drove away from Camp Know Where. Mike couldn't believe that he had come here just six weeks ago looking to escape from his homelife and the pain of an ex-girlfriend. He never would've believed what was waiting for him at that camp.
"Hey Dustin," Mike said, and Dustin turned around to face him.
"What's up?" Dustin asked.
"I just wanted to thank you for talking me into coming with you this year," Mike said. "Best decision of my life."
Dustin smiled knowingly and nodded.
"You're welcome," he said.
Soon, Camp Know Where faded behind them, but Mike had found something at that summer camp that he knew could withstand miles, jealousy, and anything else. He had found love, and he had every intention of keeping it.
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A/N: The End. I hope you guys feel satisfied with this ending. Let me know what you thought! I appreciate you all reading and reviewing throughout this story. It was a lot of fun to write, and I'm glad to see you all enjoyed it, too. One last time, please remember to leave me a review, and I'll see you all on my next project!