011 ~ A Mileven Fanfic

Chapter the Fifth

Mike's POV

We don't talk about death in Hawkins, Indiana. That's why Barb remained brushed under the rug for so long. And that's also why no one mentions the death of Max's older brother, Billy.
I mean, Max hated him her whole life. He was abusive, both verbally and physically, he struggled with addiction, and he was on probation for sexual harassment. So when Max figured out she wasn't sad. She more just shut down, not because of the loss of a brother but more because of the concept of loss itself.
She stopped eating, she starting having panic attacks, we continuously found her hanging in the slums with bad people, and she began to develop increasing depression. However, all of this was soon channeled into perfectionism. She began to show extreme symptoms of OCD and was soon diagnosed, at the end of last year.
Her whole meltdown thing only lasted about 2 months and then the OCD just reigned supreme and none of us mentioned it or the brother. She seemed to return to normal and though we could all see through her facade, it wasn't mentioned.
However, we occasionally discussed it. Or well Max and I did. Mainly because we now have an unbreakable bond. Insanity. I'm convinced aliens are coming to kill me and Max is convinced she'll die if she doesn't tap her lamp 3 times every time she wakes up. We were perfect together.
That is until I figured out it wasn't OCD. Or at least, not entirely.

"Now Mike, how have you been doing recently. Any news on your life?" Alexandra, the leader of this weekly crazy-people-support-group, asks.
"Besides the fact that Timothy tried to kill me the other day, no, nothing new." I snarl back at her.
"Mike we talked about this, Timothy did not try and poison your coffee. Isn't that right Timothy?"
Timothy, a boy with debilitating social anxiety, nods, trembling. I lunge at him.
"Why'd you do it? Who told you to do it? Who? Was it them? I knew they were having a resurgence. Where are they? Are you wearing a wire? Are they here?!" I shout through gritted teeth. I release Timothy from his headlock and then look around the circle, analyzing each crazy in a fold-out chair.
2 security guards jump on me as I start to head towards a girl named Willow who is definitely a part of the close group of my assassins. They push me into a thick wooden chair and tie me down.
"Now Mike that is not how we handle the voices." Alexandra says, shaking her head condescendingly. She opens to mouth to say more but stops when she sees something at the door.
"Oh well hello miss, come join us!"
I twist in my shackles to see Max standing in the doorway, staring at me with traumatized eyes.
She moves to take a seat next to me.
"Don't start." I mutter. She nods her head, looking at the floor. "Why are you here?" I whisper.
"Mom made me."
"OCD?"
"Not exactly."
I'm about to ask her more but I'm interrupted by Alexandra looking at her clipboard and clearing her throat.
"It says here you're Max and you're here for OCD and," she pauses, looking at Max with sympathetic eyes. Max cringes as if she's bracing herself. Alexandra clears her throat again and finishes her sentence.
"And anorexia nervosa."

alright well first of all, Wattpad deleted 75% of this chapter literally just as I was finishing it so I had to rewrite the whole thing. also those last few happy chapters have just been to gear you up for the next few incredibly angsty ones. have fun