𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞~𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

Chapter 17: You Know What? You're Kind of Fun Ginger

Max's POV

I knelt down to pick up my skateboard and I heard the familiar sound of the rowdy group of boys. But today it was different. Mike.

I straightened up and ran to them, "Mike! You're here."

He smirked, "Why do you seem so worried?"

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not. But why were you out of school? And Will. You never filled us in on what happened."

Dustin joined in, "I mean I know what happened but..."

"Really guys?! You decided to keep me in the dark? Wow what great friends you are!" I walked away with a sassy quality in my stride.

"You didn't seem to care, so we didn't tell you," Lucas called after me.

I turned back to face them, "I did care after he was gone for three days! What even happened anyway?"

Will chimed in, "He had pneumonia."

I blinked, "What?!" I turned to Mike, "Are you okay?"

Mike rolled his eyes, "Come on Max. Quit the act. I know you hate me," and with that he strolled away, Lucas trailing behind him.

I looked to Will for an explanation. He shrugged, "Mike doesn't like that you joined the party as you already know and Lucas is mad that you didn't care if Mike was alright or not."

I looked down, "I honestly thought he skipped. I didn't actually think he was deathly ill."

Will replied, "I get it. We should probably get to class."

I have to talk to Mike after school. We've spent too long arguing. I followed Will into the school, already checking the clock for 3:15.

After school

Mike's POV

I strolled out of the school alone, the boys still catching up. I unhooked my bike from the rack and I mounted it.

"Hey Mike! Wait up!" I heard a female voice behind me. Max.

I turned reluctantly, "What do you want?"

She looked me in the eyes, "Mike, I'm sorry I wasn't at the hospital. I didn't think that anything was wrong."

I gave her a confused look, "Will explained everything," she said.

"Can we go somewhere? To talk?" Her eyes pleaded with me. The sincere gaze tugged at my chest. I realized then that I had misjudged her. That I had treated her badly.

"Okay," I got off my bike and rolled it down the road beside the red head girl. Madmax.

Dustin's POV

I glanced in front of me. Mike's bike was gone.

"Hey guys! Mike left without us!" I called back to Lucas and Will, who trailed behind me.

"That's weird," Will commented, looking up from his science book.

I shook my head, "Oh well. We can radio him later."

I wonder where he went," Lucas added.

"Wait. Where's Max?"

Max's POV

Mike opened his basement door, as I followed him into the unfamiliar room.

I surveyed the dim lit room. It had a couch and a table, strewn with D&D pieces. My eyes fell on the small structure in the corner of the room. A fort. Mike's radio sat nestled in the blankets that were spread out within it.

Mike caught me looking at it, "Oh that..." he smiled nervously.

I frowned, "What is that?"

He looked up at me, his face a pale shade of red, "That's El's fort."

My mind was flooded with understanding, "Oh. So you two are really close?" I said as I sat down on his couch.

Mike also sat, "Yea. We are. But I barely get to see her," his face turned sad.

I put my hand on his arm, trying to comfort him, "Mike I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I've been a real bitch to you."

He chuckled, "I won't deny it," he smiled down at me.

I grinned. He was opening up to me, "I was awful to you because I felt left out. I felt like I would never truly fit in with the party. But when everyone else wanted me in but you didn't...it hurt. Cause I wanted to be friends."

He looked at me compassionately, "I'm sorry too. I guess I felt like you were replacing Eleven. I felt that if you joined the group...that she would be gone for good. And I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't."

"Oh. Well that wasn't my intention at all. I never wanted to replace anyone."

"Yea I know. I was a bit emo last year, wasn't I?"

I laughed, "A bit."

He smiled, "So we're good?"

I nodded, "So. What movies do you have?"

"Woah Ginger! We're not that close!" He started laughing.

"Oh come on! We're best friends for life now!" I put my hand on my heart.

Mike stared at me, straight-faced. His face turned red and he burst out laughing, not being able to hold it in.

"Star Wars it is then!"

He rolled his eyes, "Fine."

I smiled to myself, grabbing the VHS.

"You want popcorn?"

"Sure," Mike ascended the stairs as I put the movie in. He came back, just minutes later with a large bowl of popcorn.

"Oh yea! Gimme that," I reached for the bowl, spilling some onto Mike.

He looked at me with a glint of mischief in his eyes, "Oh that's how you wanna play?" He threw a handful of popcorn at me, getting buttery crumbs in my hair.

"You're going down Sweaterboy!" I grabbed more popcorn and hid behind his couch as we threw handfuls of kernels at each other.

We laughed uncontrollably, our chests heaving and our stomachs cramping. We cleaned up the  mess and sat down for the rest of the movie.

"You know what? You're kinda fun Ginger."

I stuffed more popcorn in my mouth, "You too Thweaterboy."

He just chuckled.

Will's POV

I sat on my porch, the other two boys crowding close to me.

"Mike come in. Over"

I heard a crackling sound, "Hi Will. I can't talk right now. Over and out."

Dustin cut in, "Why? Over."

"I'm with Max. I have to go. See you guys tomorrow. Over and out."

Dustin, Lucas and I looked at each other, "MIKE AND MAX ARE TOGETHER?!?!"