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the buzzcut girl looked extremely petrified. lucas, max, and dustin were skeptical of her shady appearance; they did not trust her whatsoever. but mike was of the sound belief that she was gorgeous.
-
"but mom, i promised him i would be there! he'll be crushed."
"oh, will," joyce cooed, "i know you don't want to disappoint your new friend mike, but look how dark it is outside. it's a school night, and you could get lost, again, and i don't want to go through with it again, will. i, i really don't, i'm so sorry, baby."
it hurt him to come to this conclusion, but his mother was right. ever since will had disappeared in seattle, joyce and jonathan had been more protective of him, and they were afraid, petrified of losing him again. but on the other hand, he wanted to see mike again more than anything. he knew nothing about mike, but he was in love with the boy's awkward personality, his strange posture, his adorable freckles and high cheek bones. sadly, will was afraid that mike had forgotten about him already.
will picked up his sketchbook, imbued with mindless, heartfelt doodles. and he found himself delineating a specific boy with high cheekbones and freckles.
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"lucas, sh-shut up!" mike stuttered, blankly, blindly staring into the buzzcut girl's big brown eyes. "hello?" he said to her.
she nodded.
"what's your name?"
"name?" she blankly stated quietly.
"yeah, your name. my name is mike, and those three over there are dustin, lucas and ... max."
she shut her eyes briefly, and opened them. "eleven."
"t-that's a really cool name, eleven." eleven smiled and looked to her feet. this girl felt she could trust mike with anything.
"jesus christ, mike, you cant fall in love with two people in one day! how can we even trust her?," lucas chimed in, "we don't even know what the fuck she is, she looks shady as hell!" dustin and max nodded, agreeing wit his every word.
"she obviously doesn't have a home, you guys," mike turned to them and back to eleven, flustered, "do you have a place t-to stay?"
eleven shook her head.
"see guys?"
"i don't trust this shit, i'm leaving, come on max." lucas ran up the stairs grabbing max by the hand, as eleven waved goodbye to max. the redhead blushed and waved back. maybe eleven isn't so bad, she thought.
"dustin, you coming?!" barked lucas, earning an immediate response from dustin; he bolted up the stairs to catch up to lucas and max.
that left mike and eleven alone in the basement.
-
mike crafted a small blanket fort in the basement and later out some clean clothes for his newly acquired friend, eleven.
"are you cold, e-eleven?"
el blushed and nodded shyly, making mike smile and rush up the stairs to give her a blanket. "here," mike said, "this is a blanket, for when you get cold." she replied with a faint nod.
"well, i'm gonna go to sleep now, but i cant sleep here, i have to sleep upstairs in my room."
the girl nodded again.
"do you have a last name, eleven?"
"a last name?"
"yes, my name is mike, but my last name is wheeler, so i'm mike wheeler."
"mike wheeler..."
"yeah. do you have a last name?"
"eleven wheeler."
mike chuckled, with a face like shepherd's delight. "well, y-you can't have my last name, you have to have your own."
"goodnight mike." eleven snarled and huddled under the blanket. she didn't think she liked him as much anymore.
