011 ~ A Mileven Fanfic

Chapter the Eleventh

May

Mike's POV

They were drunk. Very much so in fact. El and I were sitting on a log, cuddled around a bonfire to keep warm as Dustin and Lucas sang "Take On Me," a song not pleasant to hear when it's sung by two tone-deaf idiots.

The school year ended two weeks ago and, armed with our freshly printed diplomas, we decided to have one last shebang. So we packed our bags and went on the most affordable yet exciting vacation our parents would allow. We would spend one night camping and then drive up to Chicago to spend four nights there.

However, Dustin, being the oh-so crafty man he thinks he is, brought some alcohol, an opportunity Lucas jumped on. They convinced Will and eventually Max to join in and now El and I are the only sober, and sane, ones left.

So, as Will and Max did their giggly, best friend things dangerously close to the fire, Dustin and Lucas serenaded us with hits from middle school, having just finished "Angel of the Morning" and "Africa." Despite the insanity though, we were having fun, free from family and school and stress. Everybody had decided on their colleges and despite the phase of rejections, we were all excited. Lucas was going to Tulane, Dustin to UCLA, I was going to University of Michigan, El to Boston University, and Max and Will to Brown and RISD. We were spread out, something we had yet to discuss as a group, but we were happy and that was enough for now.

"In a day or twoooo......" screeched at my ears and El and I burst into laughter, Dustin and Lucas laughing at themselves as well.

"Guys, come on lets make smores," El said and everyone raced to the fire. I had to catch Lucas mid-leap as he was about to gallop into the flame, racing for the chocolate.

When we all had our marshmallows speared, we sat around the fire as peaceful silence fell over us.

"Max, don't you want a smore?" El asked, talking in a voice one would use around a fragile child. Max shook her head aggressively, drunkenly poking Lucas's face.

"Marshmallows make you fat. I want to be skinny." She slurred, always reverting back to a childlike innocence when inebriated.

El's eyes softened as she looked at me. I shake my head, saying without any words "don't try to help right now, she's drunk and it won't fix anything."

El stares at me before looking at Max and saying, "You know, you're perfectly skinny right now. And I mean why am I even saying this, being skinny has nothing to do with beauty or perfection. You are one of the strongest, smartest, most capable girls I know and you shouldn't let this desire take that away from you."

I sigh, loudly, as El turns to glare at me.

Max looks at El and slurs, "You're just saying that cause you're already pretty. You don't know what it's like to have to work for it."

"You're just making things worse." I mutter, staring at El as she spits back, "yeah, well at least I'm trying to do something rather than watch her slowly kill herself like you."

"Hey, can we take a sidebar?" I ask, anger biting at my words and she stands up and walks past our campground and into the trees.

"I'm not watching her slowly die, El. I'm trying to plan how to help rather than just jumping in and making her worse!" I shout, having met up with her, out of earshot of the others.

"Oh really, well what's your perfectly calculated plan then? You can't just wait for her to mosy around to recovery on her own." She retorts.

"I'm not trying to force recovery on her, I'm trying to help her find it herself because then it'll stick."

"Oh and I bet that was her mom's argument when she was 14. And guess what, it didn't work."

"Well maybe that's because you can't just give this a quick fix El. Everyone keeps trying to help her and it's not doing shit, you have to help her help herself."

"Do you think I don't want her to help herself? I want her to support herself and see the errors of her ways but sometimes what we want can't happen. We don't have time to do this introspective recovery, we need her to just get better and at this point I don't care how that happens."

"Okay, so you don't care about Max's well-being at all then?" I fire back as El begins to cry uncontrollably.

"Of course I care about Max you douchebag. I care about her more than anything else and that's why I want her better. I care about her well-being because I'm trying to keep her alive. She's fucking dying, Mike and she can't 'learn her lesson' when she's in goddamn coma."

"You're. Not. Going. To. Help. Her." I say slowly as tears roll down her face.

"Yeah well then have fun watching her die." She mutters as she walks away. After a few seconds she turns around.

"Oh and Mike?"

"What?" I snap.

"Fuck you."

Morning

"FUCK" I hear Max scream from the tent she and Will and El were sharing. The original plan was that she and Will would share a tent, El and I would have one, and then Dustin and Lucas would use the last one. However, after El and I's fight last night she crawled into theirs and I was left alone.

The memory of our argument was a definite downer but I tried to ignore it as I stumbled out of my tent to help Max with what I'm assuming to be the hangover of all hangovers.

I zip open the tent as she blindly asks "Mike? Is that you?"

"Yes," I whisper and she groans, "dear god, do you have to be so loud?"

I chuckle as she blindly gropes around the tent, moaning about how bright it is. I help her up and outside, handing her a bottle of water and a handful or aspirin. However, when I turn around I see El awake and watching intently. We make eye contact but soon look away, her waking up Will and me tending to Max.

Not long after, Lucas stumbles out and he and Max hug, mutually complaining about the pain, Within 10 minutes everyone has emerged from the tent, El and I caring to each of them as we painstakingly avoid each other.

"Something's going on here." Lucas comments, his eyes still screwed close.

"What are you talking about idiot, your eyes are closed." El jumps to comment.

"Oh please I can sense tension like that," he snaps his finger for effect. "You guys are fighting. I can sense it all over."

"Oh shut up." I snap.

"I won't shut up. Welcome to the real world, fool." He shouts and Will giggles.

"Okay so you guys are clearly still drunk from last night." Dustin adds, being the most sane out of everyone.

I just roll my eyes and El comes back with a large power hose and instructs everyone to stand in a line, spraying them with water as they all scream in protest. El and I laugh loudly together but quickly stop when we remember our circumstances. We end up packing in silence, loading everything in the car. I get behind the wheel as Will sits next to me this time, and we drive to Chicago in unnoticed but tense anger.