What is Love? (A Byler AU)

Will Byers is Dead Inside

Lucas, Max, and I were standing in front of Starcourt Mall as we waited for Mike to arrive. Lucas and Max paced around the entrance while I stood there checking my watch. He was late, much like he always was whenever we hung out nowadays. Mike was probably hanging out with El again. According to my mom, who heard from Hopper, he had been visiting her every day for the past six months! We barely hung out at all anymore! And with Dustin off at camp, I felt more alone than ever. Dustin and I were the only ones not in committed relationships yet so we often hung out together.

Lucas had Max. El had Mike. Jonathan and Nancy were a couple now too; Even my mom had started spending a suspicious amount of time with Hopper, even though she constantly insisted that they were just friends. They aren't though, I can tell. I just have a gut feeling for that sort of thing. Trust me, as a guy whose been in love with his best friend for like, ever, I should know when two people like each other.

The three of us heard a bike fast approaching that broke us from our thoughts, it was Mike finally arriving.

Lucas walked up to him, arms crossed, "You're late." he said.

"Sorry!" Mike apologized as he parked his bike.

"Again." Lucas threw his arms out, looking as annoyed as the rest of us.

"We're gonna miss the opening." I insisted.

"Yeah, if you guys keep whining about it. Let's go!" Mike started to head into the mall. He had the audacity to tell us to get going. Like he wasn't five minutes late. How do I like this man? How?

Max looked like she wanted to slap him; then again she always looked angry at him for something.

"'If you guys keep whining about it. Neh-neh-neh!'" Lucas mocked him as we all walked into the mall.

"Just please stop talking dude," Mike complained.

"Let me guess, you were busy." Lucas made kissing noises as he spoke. Why were we even surprised at this point? I mean, when is he not going over to kiss El, or hang out with El, or... make out with El. It was always El this and El that! God it was getting annoying, I mean I didn't hate her. She saved my life like twice in the past two years, and the way my mom and Hopper liked to hang out or talk on the phone often may mean that we could be siblings someday. It would be weird and wrong of me to hate her after all she's done for me, and my family too. I guess I just disliked her, for dating Mike and being with him constantly.

"Oh, yeah, real mature, Lucas."

"'Oh, El, I wish we could make out forever, and never hang out with any of our friends.'" Lucas continued to mock Mike, despite his protests.

"Lucas, stop." Max stepped in. The small arguing was getting annoying, I guess Max noticed that. It was kind of funny though, seeing Mike get his comeuppance for basically abandoning us for the past six months. Hey, maybe that's why Dustin went to summer camp for the past month, to get away from Mike and El's irritating asses.

"Will thinks it's funny." Lucas looked back at me.

"Because it is," I responded with a smile.

"Yeah, it's so funny that I want to spend romantic time with my girlfriend." Mike threw his hands up in the air a bit as he spoke, to show his irritation by this conversation.

"I'm spending romantic time with my girlfriend," Lucas assured him as he put his arm around Max's shoulders. Great, now I need to deal with another couple in the movie theater. At least it's not Mike and El though, that would really have killed me.

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Soon enough we had reached the escalators that would take us to the floor of the mall where Scoops Ahoy was.