a little more ✩ byler

VIII. The Meltdown

Back to the morning.

Mike ran upstairs and went to his room to gather things for his shower. He couldn't stop thinking about Eleven and how he wanted to tell her that he loved her, but not in the way she loves him. While he was looking, he found his Walkman. He made a choice out of impulse to radio El right there on the spot.

"El it's Mike over- "
"El pick up please over-"
"Come on Eleven it's Mike over-"

Mike put his walkman down on the desk, figuring he wouldn't get a response, and continued to rummage around his room for clean socks.

"Hi Mike, Sorry i was asleep over-"

A sense of panic set into Mike when Eleven actually answered him. He didn't know for sure if today was the right day to tell Eleven how he felt, but now he had no choice.

"Hey, i really want to meet up and talk, what are you doing later, can you come over? over-"

Mike couldn't believe he just said that.

"Actually, i'll meet you at the park in 10 over-"
"Okay, i'll see you then, over-"

Mike didn't even have time to shower anymore. He threw all his stuff on the floor, grabbed a clean tee shirt and ran down the stairs and right out the door. He didn't have time to explain to Will where he was going, so without thinking, he told him he was hanging out with Lucas. Mike didn't want Will knowing he was going to talk with Eleven because he didn't want Will thinking he still liked her.
    Mike ran to the garage and got on his bike and rode as fast as he could to the park, where Eleven was already sitting on a bench waiting for him. She greeted him with a big hug, since this was the first time the two had seen each other since the move. 

"Hey, I really just want to talk about something that has been on my mind for a few days now and i just, i cant hide it from you anymore" Mike said to El as they both took a seat at the small wooden park bench.

"Okay, let's talk then." Eleven answered back.

"I just, I want you to know how i feel, and I do love you, but i love you more as family than i do as a girlfriend." Mike said.

"What are you saying?" Eleven said, as her warm smile turned into a frown.

"I just think it's better for us to be friends, not dating" Mike said to her while staring at his hands in his lap.

"Is there another girl that is better than me" Eleven questioned.

"No Eleven it's just i want to be your friend. Not your boyfriend." Mike replied.

"Best friend?" Eleven said as she met eyes with Mike.

"Best friend. Definitely."  Mike said back, teary-eyed.  

When the conversation ended, Mike walked Eleven back to Maxes house and gave her a hug goodbye. He got on his bike and rode back to his house. He began to cry on his way home because he couldn't even begin to tell anyone how difficult that conversation had been for him. When Mike pulled into his driveway, he saw that not only was the Byers vehicle gone, His mom's car was also not in the driveway. Since he thought no one was home, he didn't think he had to gather himself before he walked inside. He was wrong.
Once Mike opened his front door, he saw Hopper leaning against the island in the kitchen.
Mike quickly turned around so Hopper wouldn't seem him crying. He quickly wiped his eyes and tried to walk up the stairs as fast as he couldn't without being noticed.
Mike ran up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door shut before Hopper had any chance of interacting with him. However, shortly after Mike had thrown himself on his bed out of pure exhaustion and sadness, he heard a knock on his door.

"Hey kid, you okay in there?"

Mike didn't understand why, but he usually just shut people out who wanted to help him. For some reason today, Mike wanted to talk. He wanted to let out all the emotions he had kept bottled up for the past few weeks. He wanted to open up about how upset he's been since Will left and how he's feeling toward him.
Mike had so much to say, and finally, he needed to let it all out.

Mike stood up from his bed, walked over to the door, and unturned the lock. He opened up the door and almost immediately, Hopper's smile turned into an almost concerned face when he saw how red Mikes cheeks and eyes were. Hopper had never seen Mike cry, let alone cry this much.
Before anyone could say anything, Mike melted into tears and Hopper pulled the boy into a hug.
"It's okay kid, it's okay" Hop said to Mike as he tried to calm him down. Mike didn't say a word to Hop, but Hopper knew that Mike had a lot
on his mind and that he needed rest. Mike finally pulled away from Hopper and let out an embarrassed laugh as he wiped away his tears.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why i did that" Mike
said.
"Don't be sorry kid, everyone needs to let it out every once and awhile. How about you get some rest and we can talk later okay? Hop said back.
"Y-yeah, sure. thanks." Mike said as he shut his bedroom door and threw himself back on his bed. He faced the wall and laid there until he heard the two cars pull into the driveway. Mike figures Will had gone out with the rest of his family, he didn't know Will actually went to Lucas's house. Mike was planning on explaining everything to Will once he got back home, but he ended up falling asleep instead. Mike didn't wake up until he heard his door open, and a bag hit the floor.