Where Do We Go Now?

Chapter 2

Mike's POV

I stumble out of bed and rub my eyes. It is only 7:00 in the morning, but I don't feel like going back to sleep.

The Byers should be on the road now, which means I get to see them again tomorrow.

I feel terrible about how I treated Will over spring break. He was right, he was a third wheel for most of the visit. Don't get me wrong, I love El, but she's kind of needy sometimes. I don't want to make out with her constantly, and I want to spend some quality time with Will. He is my best friend, and I feel like I can actually talk to him.

That's not the case with El, I keep a lot from her, and I can tell that she lies to me too. She always says "friends don't lie," but I guess that doesn't apply to her boyfriend. I'm really nervous that she will want me all to herself now that she's back, and that she'll want to swap spit with me all summer. I just want to hang out with Will, and reunite the party.

I walk over to my bookshelf, and grab a binder full of Will's artwork. I flip through each drawing, and smile. I've missed him so much, and I can't wait to have my best friend back.

I stop when I get to the newest addition to my collection—the D&D painting that Will gave to me in the van. He'll never know how much it meant to me, and how grateful I am for what he told me. It gave me the confidence to tell El that I love her, and that saved her life.

I mean, I do actually love her, right? She's a great person, and an amazing friend, but I don't feel anything when I kiss her. Kissing isn't supposed to feel like much, right?

I realize that I am overthinking, so I close the binder and head downstairs. I make myself some toast, and pour myself a glass of orange juice.

"Oh, so now that it's summer you choose to get up early?" Nancy says, walking in a hurry.

I roll my eyes. "Now you're the one running late!" I laugh.

She ignores me and heads out the door.

I check the time, and it's only 7:18 in the morning. I haven't even been up for 20 minutes, and I can already tell that today is going to go by really slowly. I can only imagine how it is for Will and El, sitting in a crowded car for 30 something hours. It'll all be worth it in the end, and everyone will be together again. Only one more day.

💙💙💙

It is now 2:33 in the afternoon, and I have resorted to cleaning my room to kill some time. I figure Will is probably going to come over, so I don't want my room to be a hot mess. And El's probably going to be in here too, especially since all she wants to do is make out.

I notice that my bulletin board is mostly pictures of my friends and I, and a few pieces of Will's artwork. I decide to hang up the most recent letter from El, so that she doesn't assume my feelings have changed. They haven't, right? I still love her, at least I want to.

Do you think Mike still loves El? I'll update as soon as I can, so that you can find out. Thanks for reading!