downpour / mileven au.

four.

CHAPTER FOUR;
BLOOD BATH.

eleanor was a bundle of nerves this early midweek morning.

today would be her first official day as mike wheeler's fake girlfriend, and to say she was looking forward to it is anything but the truth.

her vigorous thoughts had kept her up into the late hours of the night, contemplating whether it was all worth it. of course, her heart was still in shambles from the betrayal of shelly and troy, but was fake dating mike taking things a bit too far?

she squeezed her eyes shut, clearing her mind of all insecurities before rolling over in her warm and welcoming bed. she hoped if she could hide from her obnoxious alarm clock, time would stop and she could catch a few more minutes of sleep.

however, it wasn't long before the bearded face of her father peeked his head into her bedroom. "el, you need to get up," his voice was soft, yet still had that parenting tone. she knew her parents were well aware of what transpired over the weekend (how exactly they found out, she was unsure since will swore he didn't say anything). luckily, they hadn't dared to utter a word about the whole situation for her sake. "you're going to be late," he warns before shutting the door behind himself.

she groaned, already loathing the day. but unfortunately school wasn't optional, especially not in her household so she mustered the will to toss her covers off her legs and face her cruel reality.

okay, it wasn't that cruel. after all, she is technically dating mike wheeler.

she opted for a pale plaid skirt and a soft sweater, not paying her hair much attention as she had grown to accept her natural curls.

her former best friend had always encouraged her to put more effort into her appearance, to fluff her hair and to wear bright eyeshadow. despite shelly's nagging, she always stuck with her simple mascara and lip balm, and when she was feeling a little wild she'd lightly dust on some blush.

she descended the stairs and followed the smell of waffles wafting through the home, knowing she was already limited on time.

"morning, joyce," she greets her step-mom, swiping an eggo.

though she always considered joyce to be her mom, it never felt quite right to address her as mom. she always thought it would make her dad feel guilty, letting her call someone else mom when she never really knew her real mom.

her mother, terry, died in a car crash when el was only two years old. she was actually on her way to the the store because they'd ran out of diapers late one tuesday night, and the roads were iced over. due to how young el was, all she really had of her mother were vague flashes of memory that faded more and more with time.

"good morning, sweetie," joyce returns with a warm smile. "will just left, do you need a ride?"

the news made her frown. while will claimed he wasn't angry with her, it didn't change the fact that he didn't even glance at her during dinner last night.

she shook her head. "no, i'll just ride my bike today," she declined, taking a large bite of her breakfast. her orbs flickered to the clock on the wall which read 7:41am. she took an even bigger bite of her waffle, chewing too fast to even savor it. "okay, if i don't go now, i'll be late to algebra."