011 ~ A Mileven Fanfic

Chapter the Ninth

Third Person

This is the time. It's finally, finally, Christmastime in the city, or well Hawkins, and everyone was feeling it. Snow fell delicately, dusting the rooftops with a type of golden white that only comes around December 25th. Families were together, fireplaces lit, living rooms coated with torn wrapping paper and soft pajamas, the best season was finally here. And Mike Wheeler and his gang of friends were no exception.

Mike, always reverting back to his 8-year-old self come Christmas, woke up at the crack of dawn and proceeded to shake the rest of his family awake. After opening presents with them, Mike and his friends all convened in his living room, spending the second half of the holiday morning together. Even Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve were back in town, all catching up in Nancy's room (Nancy and Steve had a mutual breakup in senior year and remained friends. Steve went to University of Indiana and Nancy and Jonathan went to New York together, Jonathan at NYU and Nancy at Columbia). All the parents were talking in the kitchen, preparing Karen's famous Christmas dinner.

So here Mike was, surrounded by all of his loved ones, on his favorite holiday, with A Christmas Story (the best Christmas movie, all can agree) playing in the background. He and El were cuddled together on the sofa, everyone else sitting around, besides Will who was acting out how painfully awkward he was when he went on a date with a girl he liked 3 days prior (not to be glossed over, Will had also told the group a few days earlier he realized while he may like guys he still likes the opposite sex, a sexuality not as talked about those days but just as valid). The group was sitting around, laughing, drinking hot coco from steaming mugs, and basically enjoying life for the first time in a long while.

"And then I just wrestled her jacket off. I didn't even ask her like I just assumed she didn't want it. But like, it was 25 degrees, of course she wanted a jacket. Except she didn't want to be mean and so-"

"Will, honey, stop freaking out, we're seniors, we're not seeing any of these people again." Max interjected.

"That's a good point. I don't have to hold in my freakshow any longer." Dustin added.

"This is you holding it in?" El asked and the group burst out in laughter.

Max sighed. "Guys, I just want to freeze this moment and keep it forever. I never want it to go away."

Lucas reached out and put his arm around Max and El patted her arm, sighing as well.

"Let's make a pact." I say. "Every Christmas, we come back here to visit our families and to visit each other. Christmas dinner, together, every year until we're too old to travel. Our entire families together when it comes to that. And then we can have this moment for the rest of our lives."

The group smiled and Will spat on his hand then held it out. Mike, Dustin, and Lucas smiled, nostalgia filling them with warmth despite the icy temperatures just outside of the door. And then the group shook, vowing to keep this moment forever.

2 months later

Max and Lucas were receiving their acceptance letters today, being the firsts of the group and were waiting in fearful excitement. Lucas had gotten into his safety, Tulane, and Max hadn't heard back from hers so the tension was thick. They spent all day walking through the halls together, clutching each other's hand so tightly they turned white. They would both begin to squeal randomly and cry randomly and the rest of the group has to deal with it, not yet knowing the anticipatory feeling.

So, when the time came for Mike to drive everyone home, the waiting had become unbearable. The group agreed to stay with them as they opened their letters individually and Max, having won the deciding arm wrestle against Lucas, got to open hers first. So, even though it was out of the way, Mike drove them all to Max's house where the excitement had finally taken over everyone.

As they all entered the kitchen, Dustin went out to retrieve the envelope and take out the letter, so as to not give it away by envelope size. So, they all stood around the kitchen table as Dustin entered, delicately holding the folded letter and handing it carefully to Max.

She unfolded the letter, her eyes shut tightly, until she suddenly jerked her eyes open and glanced at the letter. She skimmed the letter for no more then a second and then covered her mouth, sinking to the floor with tears streaming down her face.

The group rushed around the island to read, Mike getting there first and reading it aloud.

"Max, thank you for applying blah blah blah due to your outstanding academic achievements...we are pleASED TO WELCOME YOU TO BROWN UNIVERSITY MAX OHMYGOD YOU GOT IN."

Max nodded, still sobbing, not able to form words. Lucas grabbed her and jumped up chanting, "YOU GOT IN YOU GOT IN YOU GOT IN YOU GOT IN"

They all stood around the table, congratulating Max while Will drove to Lucas's house to pick up his letter, after the group decided they didn't want to leave. Will returned, letter taken out of the envelope and handed it to Lucas, who snatched and opened it much quicker than Max did. After a second he too dropped the letter and covered his mouth, walking out of the kitchen. This time El reached the letter first and began to read it out loud.

"Lucas, while we were thoroughly impressed by your performance, we regret..." El stopped and began to read silently before dropping the letter and following Lucas. Everyone else slowly followed and rounded the corner of the room to see Lucas clutched in an embrace with El, tears leaking down both of their faces.

"I'm so so sorry," she whispered.

He eventually shook himself out of her arms and wiped his tears before facing everyone with a pained smile. They all gave him pitying looks and he waved them away.

"Ok so I'm devastated but y'know let's focus on the thing more important than me getting rejected from college. Max getting into college! I mean, people get rejected all the time but it's not everyday someone gets into Brown. So yeah, I'm gonna wallow but I know you guys are here for me with whatever I need and so right now I just need us not to focus on me and to focus on Max. We're still having our celebratory dinner tonight!" Lucas said and Will looked at him, impressed.

"Well you are quite in touch with your emotion. So yeah, dinner, I'll pay." Will said and everyone confusedly smiled, not sure whether to rejoice or to mourn, a feeling they'll get increasingly over the next few months. So due to their confusion, they simply ignore the problems. They ignore the fact Max doesn't eat her dinner despite the fact she just got into her dream college. They ignore Mike, frantically checking his surroundings and whispering his delusional fears to El. They ignore El, looking as if she will break down the next time Mike whispers to her, "they're watching us." And they ignore Lucas, lost in a fantastic daydream where his future went as planned.

to apologize for the long wait i gave you an extra long chapter today. also, i would greatly appreciate it if someone made me a cover, i would give you credit and love you forever.