We got older | Madwheeler

Field trips happen.

"Get in Wheeler" Max said rolling up next to Mike in the parking lot. Mike turned around, confused. "What the fuck?" he asked, his voice raised slightly higher than normal. "Dude! Go for it!" Brett cheered on from the side, shoving Mike towards Max's direction. "Shut up, Brett" Mike snapped slapping his arm off. He sighed and quickly made his way towards Max, his curiosity getting the better of him. He surveyed the parking lot, checking for any signs of Jane as he jumped in the car.

"Didn't know you had a car." Mike said once they were out of sight from the school's grounds. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Wheeler" Max dangerously replied back. "What are you up to?" Mike asked. There was no reply. "Where are we going?" Again there was no reply. Mike sulked, turning to the window "I hate field trips" he muttered to himself. A few minutes had passed when he tried again. "Max, please if you're kidnapping me..." Max snorted loudly, gripping her steering wheel tighter. "Why the fuck would I do that?" Mike grimaced, and slid further into the passenger seat, looking at the blurred view from his window.

"I'm sorry" he said once they had crossed a large ditch. "You're just scared I'll throw you in the next ditch we pass" Max said sarcastically "and you don't mean it" she added quietly. Mike swallowed the hard lump in his throat and felt himself began to shake. He clamped down a hand on his knee, forcing it to stop. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the cold wind blow on his face. He hated the cold, it always brought back memories. Memories of Will's 'body' being found in the river, memories of the snowball, memories of the fucking upside down and memories of Max... memories of how she left, just like that. She had arrived in the warm summer term, only to leave that winter. Leaving them all.

He jerked his eyes open, pushing the memories to the back of his mind. "Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?" Max taunted from the left. Mike shook his head, straightening himself up in the seat, again looking out the window. They were passing some sort of neighborhood, one he hadn't seen before. "Seriously Max, where are we? I can't just leave Hawkins like this..." Max laughed causing Mike's insides to twitch. "Pretty sure Nancy did this too, at least from what I've heard." Mike raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? From who?" Max's smile twisted uncomfortably on her face. "Steve..."

The name hung heavily in the air, shifting the mood. All the kids missed him, he had been transferred to another state after his first month as a cop, leaving them with no means to contact him. Sometimes they felt that he had purposely left like that, maybe not because of them, but because of Nancy. And because of Jonathan. Since his departure, and also Max's not too long after, the party had never been the same.

The agonizing journey finally came to an end as Max pulled up to what seemed like a huge institute. "Whoa" Mike breathed as they drove up, the building was like something out of a horror movie, it's grey exterior disintegrating away. Mike shivered as it weirdly reminded him of the scattered remains of the demogorgan that had engulfed El some time ago. Jane, he corrected himself mentally. Max cut off the engine and bounced nervously out the car with Mike following slowly, his eyes still on the large building. He looked over at Max unsure, as he ran a hand through his hair, fixing its windswept state. Max diverted her gaze elsewhere, pushing down the bubbling feeling in her stomach at the sight of Mike and his stupid hair. She shoved her hands in her pockets as she felt her fingers tingle at the memory of how soft his hair felt between them.

The pair walked nervously towards the large oak door. Max let out a breath and smiled towards Mike. "Well, Wheeler... welcome to the jail I was shifted to a couple of years ago" she said in attempted casualness, her arm outstretched towards the door. Mike cocked his head to the side, his brows drawn together in confusion. "Why are we here?" Max threw another small smile at him, before knocking on the door. "For closure, of course."

I'm so sorry this chapter sucks so much lol