Salt To The Wound (A Stranger Things Story)

Season 3-Chapter 15: 120 Hours Missing (Mikes POV

Mike has suppressed how he has felt about this entire situation, he needed to be there for others. Will needed him, Hopper needed him, his friends needed him, but he also needed them. Now wasn't the time to be selfish he needed to be selfless, right?

"Why did you call me here Karen?" He asked her and she looked at him through the glass. "I know you miss your parents, we raised you and you dare turn your backs on us like that?" She asked and his eyes went wide. "You turned your back on me, that was you. I tried for you both, I tried to come back, I tried to let you back into my life. Your the asshole not me," he said and she smirked. "Maybe if you were just normal, then everything would've turned out completely different," she said and he glared at her through the glass. "I'm leaving," he said, "wait I still have questions," she said and he sat back down. "How's Holly?" She asked and he looked at her. "She misses her mother and that's good, she should. But otherwise she's fine." He said and then he looked back down. "Okay-have you talked to Ted recently?" She asked and he shook his head. "I've been taught by the parents I once knew not to talk to strangers," he said and then he put the phone on the stand and left the station. Nobody knew he was coming here today and nobody seemed to care, he got on his bike and left to go back to Wills house.

"Where have you been?" Will asked and he took out a big bag of skittles. He needed some type of excuse for why he was gone and for so long. "Aww I love skittles," Will said smiling at Mike and Mike smiled back. "Good because you need to put something into your system," he said sitting next to him. "What do you want to watch today?" Will asked and he shrugged. "I don't know what about Shameless we haven't finished that yet,"he said and Will nodded. "Now I don't know why you think that Fiona's a bad character," Mike said and Will shrugged. "Shes okay I just like Lip, Ian, and Carl better," Will said and Mike smiled. "Eh Fiona's the best," he said and Will chuckled. "Okay Mike," he said and Mike rolled his eyes.

"Hopper you doing okay?" Mike asked walking over to him. "No I'm not, my daughters dead," he said looking forward. "I know-your going to be okay at some point." Mike said not really knowing how to console him. "How are you so calm about this?" Hopper asked and Mike looked down. "There's a lot of people depending on me, I need to be strong for them." He said and Hopper wiped his eyes. "Anyone there for you." Hopper asked and Mike looked at him. "Don't worry about me Hopper, I'm fine," he said fake smiling. Be wasn't fine, he wished he could just breakdown and not have to worry about how it'd affect anyone else. "Okay kid," Hopper said and Mike smiled before entering his room.

He layed on his bed thinking about how suspicious the video was. T-11 never showed a body, he just told them that El was dead and they believed it. What is she isn't, he thought to himself but no one would believe him, he sounded crazy. But there was always one of them that never seemed to believe El was dead, the one that never made it last the first stage of denial. That was Max and maybe she wasn't as crazy as everyone initially thought.

He wanted to text her but at this point he didn't know if they were even friends anymore. They haven't actually texted each other since July 24th, the night before El went missing. He decided not to and maybe he was just going crazy like she was. He got up and decided to go and talk to Ted, after all its been almost four months since they last spoke.

"Hey Ted," he said walking up to him and Ted turned. "I thought we weren't on speaking terms," Ted said and Mike eyed him. "We aren't but I need to talk to you, as much as I don't want to," he said sitting next to Ted. "I miss you and Karen but Jesus," he started crying. "I didn't think I'd start crying so easily-you two were assholes to me and what kind of parents are you?" He said, "Mi-," Ted began to say but Mike hushed him. "Don't speak yet. I wish we could he a family again, me, you, Karen, nance, and Holly but everything just changed so fast." He said and Ted hugged him. "I miss you too Mike and to be honest with you I never wanted to kick you out or do any of that, your mother did." He said and Mike hugged him back. "Be my dad again?" He asked and Ted smiled, "of course Mike," he said and Mike smiled.

He biked over to the cabin happy. He didn't realize how things would change so fast. How bad everything would get and how hurt he would be just a week from now.