Tell Me Something Good

01

Mikes POV
I'm not sad. I don't really want to be. I think long and hard for an explanation for what happened that night. I just feel...numb. It's normal for me to think about her every waking moment of my life. I wake up, eat, go to school, come home, sleep—repeat. She made my life exciting. I actually enjoyed keeping her safe and sticking up for her. I enjoyed her in general.

I am sad. I take it back. I miss her and I'll say it proudly. It's been a year and a half and always think of those big brown eyes shinning when I spoke to her. Sometimes I see them in my sleep. Her gentle pale skin is bright even in a dark room. I could never forget her. I don't want to forget her. I have hope that someday she will come back. Nancy tells me I shouldn't look for her, because it will only stress me out and she's right. Me and Nancy are super close now and I'm thankful for that. I talk to her about Eleven sometimes and she get choked up. I don't know why though

Elevens POV
I watched Mike ride his bike home from school today. He doesn't know I'm home, and I think tonight I'll knock on his basement door. I'm a smelly wild mess and I don't fit in his jacket anymore. My hair is a bit longer than it was when I last saw him. I'm worried he won't want to see me. After all, he never came to look for me...did he care at all in the first place?

My feet are the dirtiest and coldest of all. I want to feel carpet between my toes instead of leaves and mud. I close my eyes and inhale deeply. I make a final decision: tonight I see Mike, and he sees me.

________

Karen misses her child's charisma and enthusiasm. Now he just speaks low and says very little. Only does he talk much to Nancy or the boys. She knew he loved her. Karen was that young once too, and try's to understand Mikes feelings. Ted on the other hand doesn't understand much of anything. He tries to get Mike to speak and when he doesn't, he gets yelled at. Karen says this is no way to discipline a child.

Karen takes her tired self to the basement with a laundry basket resting on her hip. She should make Nancy do her laundry, but she doesn't have the heart to ask her. Karen sets the basket on the dryer but it seemed too loud to her. She furrowed her eyebrows. She stood still with her hand resting on the washer. Her ears buzzed when she heard the faintest tapping. Looking around, she tried to find the source. Waiting for the small tap again. Approaching the door, the tap filled her ears. She opened the door in a panic and terror filled her heart at what she saw.

"Are you..."

She nodded her head. Karen grabbed both of her arms and pulled her inside gently. Once she was inside, Karen kneeled down to Elevens level and studied her.

"Let's go wash up" she said with a kind, motherly smile. Eleven felt her body relax because she knows she isn't in trouble. She knows she's in good hands.

Mikes POV

10:39pm reads my clock. I can't sleep like always. I swing my feet over the side of my bed and drag my legs to the bathroom. Without thinking, I turn the knob and open the door. What I see almost makes me loose consciousness.

Elevens POV  

I slump over the sink and stare at my dirty face in the mirror. I hear the door open and my eyes go wide. I see his face and it's like I felt my heart beating again for the first time. I felt warm again; safe.

"Mike" My voice is hoarse and dry.

"El" He's crying now.

"Don't cry. I don't like...seeing you cry" he wipes his tears from his face quickly and sniffles. He looks me up and down slowly and that's when I remembered my condition. I turned my body quickly And hid my face from him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I hear him walk behind me and I glance over my shoulder with tears in my eyes

"Embarrassed," I say "mess." He puts a hand on my arm and turns me around gently. My hands are still covering my face. He grabs both of my wrists and takes my hands away.

"El, I don't care about that." He smiles innocently and I give him a very small smile back. I look at him and my face turns. He's much taller and sounds different. I put my hand flat over the top of his head. I have to stand on my tippy toes a little bit.

"Tall" I say. He chuckles and looks at my hand over his head.

"Yea...I grew. But so did you." I look at him then I look at myself.

"I grew too?" He nods I look in the mirror and run my hands down the sides of my body to look for any differences. I frown.

"Bad?" I look at him and his eyes widen.

"No! No definitely not bad." I smile at his words. I can feel him looking at my while I touch my hair in the mirror. Dirt and dust fly around and it rubs off onto my hands. I look down then back at Mike.

"Oh! Let me get you some clothes and I'll start the shower for you." Before I could say anything, he was out the door.