Chapter Text
As the week went on, Mike watched the bruise fade from Max’s cheek. She’d received a few curious-bordering-on-mean remarks from their caring classmates and had replied very characteristically with a middle finger that shut them all up. The worry had never quite left Mike’s stomach since that night she arrived at his house, soaking wet and bleeding, but it had loosened slightly as the week went on without a hitch.
That was until Thursday, when Max didn’t show up through first period. Or second. Mike could see Lucas growing antsy, shifting in his seat and glancing towards the desk she sat at in their math class. Personally, he wasn’t too worried, but the sight of his friend being so distressed worked a knot into his throat he couldn’t swallow.
Dustin noticed it too. “Whoa, Lucas,” he said at break, when they were all sitting outside. “I’m sure Max is fine.”
Lucas glared at him, making El shrink back to Mike’s side. He squeezed her hand comfortingly. “How do you know? What if she’s hurt?” Even Dustin moved back at the anger in his voice and his brow furrowed.
“No need to be rude, man. I’m just—“
“There she is,” Will interrupted from where he was sitting with his cheek against Dustin’s shoulder. He looked exhausted still, but slightly better than he had after the Mindflayer, his skin a healthier colour and his hair a little shinier looking. Even though it had been months, Mike knew Will’s body was still recovering, having never quite fought off the horrible sickness he was wracked with after the Incident.
They all turned and looked to see Max walking towards them, skateboard tucked under her arm. Lucas scooted aside to make room for her but she walked right past them, hair flying in the wind.
“Hey, Max!” Dustin called and she whirled around.
“What?”
“Where are you going?” Lucas asked, sounding genuinely confused. Mike was too. They still had another ten minutes of break; where would she be needing to go to?
“Since I’m still not in your fucking party, I thought I’d give it a rest today,” she spat, taking them all by surprise. Although everyone knew Mike didn’t harbour the warmest feelings for Max, it had long been since agreed she was a Somewhat Member of the Party.
“Hey, what?” Lucas stood up, grabbing her wrist when she turned to storm away. “Nuh—uh. Come sit—oh.”
“Yeah,” Max pushed her face up to his. Mike caught sight of a yellowing cut through her eyebrow and a bloody patch in her hair and winced, shutting his eyes. The worry returned full force, twisting in his stomach like snakes. “Take a good fucking look, Stalker. Look at the freak of the freak show, the abused little girl who can’t make a frie—“
“Hey,” Lucas shook her arm and she winced. He pulled his hand back like he’d burned her and Mike had a flash to when her sleeve slipped back at his. Lucas must know. Mike wondered how much Max had told him and how much he'd worked out himself.
“Hey,” he said again, softer. Max stared at him, her chest heaving, and he held out his hands in a surrender motion. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” she whispered, barely audible. She turned to leave and as she did she made eye contact with Mike for the briefest of seconds, showing him her pain, her sadness, her grief, and then she disappeared around the corner.
“Shit,” Lucas sighed, dropping his head into his hands. “Shit.”
Mike felt the snakes begin to writhe in his stomach again, but this time it was from guilt. Who can’t make a friend, she had almost said. It was his fault she felt that way, he knew. He had been moody and mean, pushing her away before she’d even tried to latch on. Been angry at her for things she didn’t even know about.
He looked up across the table and made eye contact with Will. His best friend held his gaze, lifting his head from Dustin’s shoulder. Lucas sat back down next to El, completing their little circle on the ground. Mike was surprised to find he could feel Max’s absence. The cut on her eyebrow swam in front of his face, as well as the bloody patch in her hair.
Will raised one eyebrow and Mike knew what he had to do.
It took almost the whole of the next period to find Max. He knew she wasn’t in hers because they shared third period; history with Mrs. McIllwaine. He searched the whole school, all the empty classrooms and the bathrooms, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. The whole time his conscience screamed at him until he was almost running, not calling her name in case he drew any teachers to him.
Eventually he gave up, rubbing a hand over his face and turning to go to class. He almost began to walk when he caught a glimpse of red hair outside the side entrance and immediately began to walk to it.
He opened the door and sure enough, there she was. She sat on the steps, her backpack beside her and her skateboard underneath her feet. Mike scrunched his face up at the smoke coming from her cigarette but sat down beside her anyway.
She didn’t look at him and he didn’t speak, choosing to watch her instead. The blood in her hair had turned sticky and dry, making it look like a rather bad hair dye job than an injury. Her eyebrow had swollen, the cut a raw red colour that made his stomach twist.
When it became obvious she wasn’t going to speak he did. “Who’s hitting you?” his voice was shaky and thin, making her glance at him with vague surprise in her eyes.
“Why do you care,” she snapped, putting out her cigarette on her skateboard. Mike watched it sizzle. Her question left him stuck for words. Why did he care?
Because it’s the right thing to do, he thought, and she stared at him.
“Well I don’t need your pity worry, okay, Wheeler?” she spat, eyes narrowed. He realised he must have spoke allowed.
“No, I mean—“ he stopped himself and let his head drop into his hands. “I mean, I’m not pitying you. I feel bad.”
“That is fucking pi—“
“For being a dick to you,” he interrupted, making eye contact. She stopped dead, suddenly looking unsure. “I feel bad for that.” Max stared at him, speechless, and he flushed, looking down at his hands. “I wanted to say I’m sorry for that. You didn’t deserve it.”
Max wrapped her arms around herself, looking at the ground. A quick glance told Mike she was on the verge of tears and he felt even more ashamed. “You were obviously going through shit,” she mumbled, breathing out fog in the chilly air. “I wouldn’t have helped.”
“The shit I was going through had nothing to do with you, and I should have remembered that,” he countered, feeling so so awkward but also kind of light. “Moving is hard enough on its own—I remember moving in kindergarten. I couldn’t even imagine doing it now.”
Max huffed a laugh but it sounded more like a sob.
“I’m sorry,” Mike reached out and touched her arm. She looked at him. “I’m really sorry.”
Max looked at him, eyes brimming with tears, and then smiled. She linked their hands and squeezed for a second and then let go, turning to stare out at the carpark. “It’s okay.”
Mike kept staring at her. She was curled in on herself, looking one hundred times lighter but still so, so lonely. Her red hair hung around her face and her whole body shook from the cold. Without even thinking about it, he moved her backpack to the step behind them and scooted next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
Max leaned against him, turning her face into his shoulder. He felt the wave of protectiveness wash over him like it did with Will, with Lucas and Dustin, with El. Remembered it from the weekend when he first saw her bruised face and didn’t push it away this time.
“Is it Billy?”
Max sniffed against him, a hand coming up to wipe her eyes. “Yeah,” she admitted, and broke down. Mike sat with her while she cried, leaning his head on hers. He got a little teary himself and blinked hard.
It didn’t take long for Max to clamp down on herself, stilling under his arm and swiping an arm across her face. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“It’s okay,” Mike slid his arm off of her and stood. “It’ll be fourth period soon. You coming?”
Max nodded, standing up shakily and picking up her skateboard. Mike turned to go with her and then paused.
“You can come by mine tonight,” he offered. “If you want. The others are coming round and I can clean your cut.”
Max laughed, “Yeah, because you did such a good job last time,” but she looked delighted to have got an invitation. He knocked her with his shoulder gently and the returning grin he got was so bright he couldn’t do anything but smile back.