Hopeless (byler)

Ch 8: Mike

Earlier in the morning, Mike had only just gotten up at 12:30 PM and was scrambling to get ready, realizing that he was already supposed to be at the pool with his friends.

Once he got their he was stammering while explaining why he was late and to his surprise, El wasn't angry with him at all, instead she just ran up to him from the pool and greeted him with a hug and a kiss and said, "Hey! I'm just glad you're here, I thought you had maybe forgotten. Anyways, everyone's here and I was thinking you could help me get my winning streak back in chicken fights?" Mike grinned and got in the pool with her and they started to play with Lucas and Max.

Mike and El were winning every match, partly due to El cheating by making Max fall of Lucas's shoulders with her powers, until Mike looked over at Dustin and Will talking. Suddenly El was falling in the pool and Lucas and Max were laughing and cheering in his face.

El was laughing at him too, apparently the way that Mike had lost focus looked pretty funny, Mike was now laughing at himself as well as he said the them, "I'm gonna go sit for a little while, El you wanna come?" El nodded her head and followed him out as she was waving to Max. When Mike sat down, he started to kiss El, thinking about what Max said, feeling bad about how he made El feel. Then he pulled away from her and started to tickle El right where her tickle spot was, her back, and she was laughing out of control.

After Mike let El calm down, he started a conversation with her just like Max told him to do. "So, El. Can we talk?" He said, El's face changed to a more calm face, "yeah sure, what about?" she said to him, "Well, yesterday after I left your house, because Will needed a ride home, I went to the arcade, and I saw Max there. She kinda told me that you had said something to her the other night about me?" El's face changed yet again, but this time to a more sollen look as she replied with "Y-yes. Lately you have been acting, different towards me. You're there, but not really there, you know?", Mike didn't realize that she felt like this, and even though he was feeling slightly different (and didn't know why), he felt horrible if she was feeling like this for a while.

After 10 or so minutes of them talking about things, Mike eventually did say that he has been feeling the way that El described, but that nothing was targeted at her. They hugged things out and then El got back in the water while Mike stayed sitting out and watching. At first, the glance was directed at El, but then was slowing shifting to the whole group, and then to Will.

Mike noticed how happy he looked, and that made Mike grin at the thought, after all Wills been through, he deserves to be happy again. But then, Wills gaze went to Mikes eyes for only a second, and within that second his face dropped very noticeably. He looks so happy when I'm not with him.