????? (Completed)

Tosdach

"Did he look guilty?"

"Yeah, they're definitely sucking face," Max said earlier that morning. Mike grimaced at the thought. Replying with confusion, "They're not."

That confusion cleared in class. As mike glanced between mason presenting the project and Will staring at him with this look.

Mike didn't understand or like this energy, and Max wasn't much help. She sat far behind them as she made exaggerated kissing motions.

Great.

Mike groaned, not ready to face the irritating day he was in for.

                             That Morning

"Mom, I can't find my jacket!" Karen sighed from the bottom of the stairs, "Just go, or you'll be late!"

In his rush to get to school, Mike rushed straight past her.

Nancy walked down the stairs like a normal person. And as she walked toward the door, she found the coat pleated behind the couch.

"Oh, you found it." She was exhausted, her mother murmured, blinking slowly.

"Can you take it to him before school?" Nancy groaned, regretting finding it all together in the first place.

"Sure, mom." "Also, don't eat a bunch before coming home, I'm preparing dinner, and I want everyone to be there."

"Got it," she settled, already on her way out of the door.

As he observed the two awkwardly sneak out of class during the break, Mike felt his eyes locked on Will.

The interaction didn't go unnoticed by his friends, but they were distracted by more engaging events than Mike's frustration of the week.

El, who had grown weary of missing Max during school hours, quietly entered the building and paced until she arrived outside her classroom.

She intended to surprise her, although she didn't really plan the trip.

Luckily Max noticed her, happy with the surprise as she asked to 'use the bathroom'.

The teacher didn't seem to buy it, but the woman didn't care enough to stop her.

Unfortunately for Lucas, he had a clear view of the motion. As he watched Max go with El, a feeling came over him—not specifically envy, but an uneasy one.

The feeling didn't fade nearly as quickly as he wanted it to.

He tried looking away, ignoring the fading voice of giggling down the hall.

But by the time he shook himself out of it, Dustin was giving him a stare that he recognized as the I'm-about-to-say-something-stupid-look.

"You need Steve."
And he can always trust his intuition.

"As in Steve Harrington?" "Yeah. I mean, you want a new girlfriend, right?" Dustin chimed.

"I don't know," he said, the subject already a bit much. "I know you do,"  "look, you'll feel so much better. It usually sucks to lose your first girlfriend." 

Lucas raised his eyebrow at him. "And how do you know this?" "Steve," Dustin said, confident.

"Steve-the-hair-Harrington," He paused. "You're joking." "You're meeting me at my house. after school." Lucas stared into him.

"I know how it sounds, but it's better than jealousy moping."  "You mean like mike?"

The boy looked ready to break his pencil as Lucas turned to face him. Looking at his notes but definitely not thinking about them.