Keep it between us | byler

Chapter 6

The boys sat together for a while just appreciating each other's presence. Will decided he was going to break the silence once again.

"So when are you gonna tell her?" Will asked, not lifting his head up from Mike's chest. "Huh?" Mike asked, trying to sound clueless. "When are you gonna break up with her? With Jane?" "Oh uh- I don't know. Maybe the next time I see her I- I guess." Mike trailed off.

Will had a weird feeling, but he didn't want to ruin his day with Mike. A day he hadn't realized he'd been waiting for, for a long time. "Do you wanna go on a walk?" Will blurted out suddenly. "Oh uh- yeah, sure." Mike answered kind of excitedly. The boys got off the bed and headed toward the front door, passing and acknowledging Jonathan on their way out.

As the boys walked on the side of the road, talking about the little things, they noticed a familiar car driving toward them.

Hopper's station wagon. Jane Hopper's father. The car slowed and Jane got out of the car. "I'll only be a second, I swear!" She yelled to her dad as she closed the car door. Jane started to walk toward the pair.

"You said you'd do it next time you saw her. Will nudged Mike. "Now's next time." Mike sighed as he walked up to Jane, leaving Will behind and meeting her halfway. "Hi Mike!"

"Hi, Jane." Mike said quietly, looking down at the road.

"You haven't called me all weekend Mike! I've missed you." Jane said while smiling and hugging Mike. Will was tense.

"Y-yeah, I know. Listen Jane, I- I really have to tell you something." Mike looked up at her.

"I-I just don't think this is working out. A-and I haven't really been fair to you I just-"

"Wait, what do you mean you haven't been "fair" to me? Jane quoted. What, have you been seeing someone else?" She yelled, getting angrier with every word.

"Look, I-I just think it's probably just for the best if we just call it off!" Mike said while looking back to the ground.

"Mike, have you been seeing someone else?" Jane asked this with tears filling her eyes.

Mike continued to stare at the ground in silence.

"WHO, MIKE?" Jane's voice broke and trembled.

Silence.

She looked past his shoulder at Will who was standing there looking just as teary eyed.

No. It couldn't have been. Those two? Together? No. Will would never. Will was a good friend. Right?

"Fuck you Mike."

Mike waited until she walked away to look up from the ground. He watched as the station wagon slowly drove away. He looked at Will, who was on the verge of tears.

"How could I do this to her?" Will said, finally breaking apart.

Mike walked up and hugged the boy. The hardest part was over.

Or was it?

...

Jane held it together. She didn't want her dad to know what happened. She held it together all the way up until she got to her room. She sobbed, uncontrollably. Why did this have to happen to her? Was everything just a lie?

Could Will have really done something like to her?

After crying for what seemed like hours, Jane decided to call Max over. Max always knew what to do.

After crying some more to Max and telling her what happened, Max's face dropped. She had promised her friend that she wouldn't tell Jane. So she kept up the lie.

"I'm so sorry, Jane."

"S-so do you know who he was cheating on you with?" Max asked, taking a seat on the couch.

"No, I- I mean he just stood there, not saying anything when I asked him." "Oh." Max hugged Jane, feeling bad from all the lying and betrayal. The two decided to watch movies together since Jane's dad was at work.

"Hey, Max?" "Yeah?" Max answered while sitting on the couch next to her. "Has Will, I-I don't know... Has he said anything to you?" Max's heart stopped, but she knew she had to say something. "Say something like what?" She asked.

"I- I don't know it's probably dumb. But... is Will gay?"

Max tried to stop her eyes from widening. "What? Why would you ask that? I-I don't know. I mean h- he hasn't said anything to me."

"I'm sorry, i-it's stupid just forget I said anything." Jane sighed and sat back in her spot on the couch. Max's heart was beating out of her chest. But she had to play it cool.

"I- My mom is expecting me home to cook dinner. I should probably go. Sorry again Jane." "Thanks Max. It's like you're the only one I can trust now. I guess I'll see you at school. Bye." "Bye Jane." Max said sadly as she walked out of the door.

The next morning at school, Max noticed that Will wasn't there. She saw Mike heading inside. "Hey Mike, have you seen Will?" She asked, running toward him. "Oh, I- Uh, I don't think he's coming. He was pretty messed up yesterday." Max frowned and began to walk inside.

"A-And I just wanted to say thank you, Max." Mike blurted out loudly.

"Thank me for what?"

"For not telling Jane about... You know." Mike said trailing off.

"About what Mike? About how you cheated on her with my best friend and forced me to lie to her? About how you put me in the middle of your stupid drama? Huh, Mike? Is that what you're thanking me for?" Max got angrier and angrier. It had been building up and she was ready to explode.

Mike was shocked. He stood with his mouth open, not knowing what to say next.

"You guys have to tell her. You need to tell her."

Max continued her way inside to see Lucas and Jane talking.

She joined in on the conversation. "Hey Max." Lucas said, hugging his girlfriend. "Hey." Max replied dryly. "Jane here was just telling me what happened yesterday. By the way are you ok Jane?" Lucas asked, sounding empathetic. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She said, looking at the ground. "So are you and Will on good terms or-?" "Lucas!" Max whisper-shouted, nudging her boyfriend.

"W-wait what? Why wouldn't we be on good terms? What do you mean?"

"He meant nothing." Max answered, not letting Lucas get another word out.

"NO MAX. Why did he ask that? What did Will do?" Jane asked with her voice trembling.

Tears started to form in Max's eyes. "Jane it's nothing, seriously."

"That's why he broke up with me, isn't it? That's why he was staying silent. That's why Will has been so distant towards me. Oh my God. I-I can't- I can't believe this, this can't be happening to me. Jane started to hold her head. She almost sounded like she was hyperventilating.

"And you knew about this? Both of you, didn't you?"

The two remained silent.

"DIDN'T YOU?" Jane asked again, this time, yelling.

Tears fell down Max's face. "Jane, I-I-"

"Just save it Max. My life is full of liars, it was stupid for me to assume you would be any different, wasn't it?" Jane's voice broke with every word, her eyes seemed to shake.

"Jane, please- j-just listen-"

"Just get out of my life, Max." Jane cut her off, seeming emotionless. Then she left.

Max stood there crying while Lucas held on to her.

She suddenly heard a familiar voice behind them.

"M-Max? What's wrong?"