Surreal ✿ M. Wheeler ✿

✿ twelve ✿

When they had arrived at the place where the boys found Eleven, they all dismounted the bikes and made their way down the train tracks. Dustin and Lucas walked ahead, looking around and calling out for their friend. Eleven and Mike were a few ways behind them, walking without speaking to each other. Josie stood with them, but she wasn't focused on looking for her best friend. Instead, her mind was miles away.

Mike noticed the far away look on her face. She was staring ahead as they walked, her facial expression stoic and her eyes empty. He couldn't tell what she was feeling or what she was thinking. He wanted to ask her what was going on, but he decided not to. She wasn't going to tell him even if he encouraged her to tell the truth. Not like she didn't tell him the truth... she just ignored the questions about her and would change the subject.

"Why did they hurt you?" Eleven asked.

"What?" Mike quizzed as he turned to the girl. He saw that she was staring at his chin and that she pointing at the sore that was under it. Realizing what he was talking about he said, "Oh, that. Uh I fell at recess."

Josie was listening to this and her eyebrows furrowed. Eleven then gave Mike a knowing look, "Mike."

"Yeah?"

"Friends tell the truth," she spoke firmly. Josie looked over at Eleven and saw that she was giving him a serious look. She couldn't help but smile inwardly at that.

Mike sighed, "I was tripped by this mouth breather, Troy, okay?"

"Mouth breather?" Eleven asked.

Mike nodded his head, "Yeah, you know... a dumb person. A knucklehead."

"Knucklehead?" she repeated. He nodded his head at her and she then turned her head forward, walking up a bit so that she can continue her search for Will.

Eleven turned a bit and looked at Josie who was watching her. She gave the girl a firm nod, sensing what was going on in the girl's head and then turned forward. Josie looked down at the ground and furrowed her eyebrows.

Of course Troy had did something to him. He was a blatant bully when she was there. Surely he wouldn't stop when she disappeared. In fact, she was sure that he had gotten worse since she left. Probably holding himself back so that Josie wouldn't see him as a too-bad-of-a-person. Too bad that he ruined his reputation for himself. She still couldn't believe that he had the thought in his mind that they would be together. It disgusted her.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked. Mike turned to the girl that was next to him. She was still staring at the ground and her lips were pressed into a firm line while her eyebrows were furrowed deeply. She rubbed her lips together, "About Troy?"

"I don't know," Mike said. He looked ahead and sighed, "I don't know why I didn't tell you. I mean, it's not like you didn't know. Or no one knows. Everyone at school knows what's going on."

Josie turned to look at him and he took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and looked at the ground, "I just didn't want you to think of me as anymore of a wastoid than you already see me as, you know?"

Josie giggled at that statement. Mike looked up at the girl and he could see her hand covering her mouth, hiding the smile behind it. Though it made him feel bad about himself, he couldn't help but smile at it.

This was the first time he's seen her genuinely smile for a very long time. He was afraid that she couldn't smile. That everything that happened in her life—though he is in the dark about it all—made her unable to smile ever again. It was nice that he allowed her to smile again. Who knows when she'll be able to again.

"Mike," she finally said, her voice sounding a bit more lively and how it used to sound long before she started to stay at his house until the last second. It was like she allowed herself to act a bit more her age instead of like she's been through enough to make her a lifeless human. Mike didn't say anything and she continued, "I don't think of you that way."