we belong // pat benatar
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mike & el
El was lying on her bed, her feet dangling up in the air behind her. She had her face buried in the newest issue of Teen Beat magazine, while one of the mixtapes Mike had made for her was playing on her radio.
Each song filled her mind with thoughts of him, thoughts so consuming, it was hard to concentrate on the words written along the pages.
She was incredibly thankful that Mike was on his way to see her at that very moment, otherwise she'd be missing him a whole lot more than she already did— and that would be unbearable.
She just wanted him to be there already, so she could see that beautiful smile of his, so she could kiss him and tell him how much she loves him.
It had been weeks since she'd last seen him and those weeks felt like pure torture. Phone calls were simply not enough for her, though she didn't take a single one of them for granted. Those 353 days she spent away from Mike, without the chance to even speak a word to him, made her appreciate even the shortest phone call.
Still, El missed having him with her and was beyond relieved that her torture would be over soon. She didn't exactly know when soon would be, so all she could do was try and pass the time.
She'd been reading through some of her favorite magazines for awhile now and they were surprisingly keeping her occupied.
After reading an article on the current trends in fashion, she decided to take one of the fun little quizzes she'd found on the next page. Max always says they're dumb and don't actually give you accurate results, but El always seems to get ones that fit.
She got up to grab a pen from her desk, then plopped back down into her comfy position from before. Her eyes scanned over the first question, the answer coming to her right away.
It didn't take her long to finish, each question being more interesting than the last. She quickly tallied up her points once it was complete, eager to find out her results.
"8 to 10 points: You're in love and you're not afraid to show it!" She read aloud, smiling proudly to herself. "And Max says these things aren't accurate..."
El carelessly tossed the magazine to the side, going for another, just as a new song began to play.
She recognized the song right away, it being one of her favorites. Really, anything by Pat Benatar was good in her book, but this one was far better than the rest.
As soon as the words began, she started singing along, her voice so soft it blended right in.
"Many times I tried to tell you,
many times I cried alone
Always I'm surprised how well
you cut my feelings to the bone"
No longer interested in the magazine, El threw it on top of the other, while hopping down off of her bed. She snatched her hairbrush up from her dresser, bringing it to her mouth, singing the next few lines into it like it was a microphone.
While belting out the words, something on her dresser caught her eye, just in time for her favorite part of the song. In an instant, she set her hairbrush aside, instead picking up a picture, a picture of Mike she had taken at Christmas.
