Chapter Text
In their shared Physics classroom, Max Mayfield and Mike Wheeler were taking an exam with the rest of their classmates.
Suddenly, Max was hit with a massive headache, and she felt lightheaded, pressing a hand to her temple.
Then, she felt something drop onto her exam paper.
Looking down, she saw it stained with a red spot.
She figured it was blood when she touched the area between her nose and mouth, and when she looked back at her hand, she realized she was bleeding.
She noticed Mike, who was sitting to her left, seeing what had happened.
Max didn’t want to look at him, though, because she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.
However, what he did next was very unexpected.
He reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder to make sure she was okay.
“Hey, is everything alright?” he asked, lowering his voice as much as he could so their teacher wouldn’t think they were cheating off of each other.
Max couldn’t ignore him because, in that rare moment, he wasn’t attacking her for no apparent reason.
She only nodded, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself.
Mike didn’t believe her and went over to Mr. Clarke’s desk.
Max tried to decipher what he was talking to him about, but then both of them turned around to look at her.
She clearly failed at pretending because they already saw her looking at them.
Mr. Clarke was a good teacher.
He made sure not to say anything out loud that would allow the rest of the class to find out what was going on.
He only gestured for Max to follow Mike into the hallway.
Max figured he wasn’t going to join them, and she had to admit that she felt somewhat relieved and grateful.
~
As soon as Max joined Mike, he handed her a tissue so she could wipe her nose and mouth.
“Thanks. What did you tell Mr. Clarke to let us leave in the middle of a test?” Max asked, and he shrugged while she fixed herself.
“Don’t worry about it. What’s going on with you?” he inquired, and she sighed.
She clearly didn’t want to talk about it, let alone with him of all people.
He was the last person she expected to have this conversation with.
“Why do you care?” she retorted.
She wasn’t trying to be mean, but it just came out that way.
Mike understood and wasn’t going to take it personally.
However, he was a bit shocked that she had asked him that question.
He decided to ignore it. “Max, I know something’s going on with you. What is it?”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Max told him, looking deeply into his eyes.
Mike met her gaze and could tell she was lying.
He could see that she was on the verge of breaking down.
She tried to go back to class, but Mike gently grabbed her wrist and smoothly pulled her into his chest.
He hugged her tightly, which was something she hadn’t anticipated at all.
In fact, neither had he because this wasn’t how their relationship usually was.
The only thing he knew was that she needed the hug.
At first, Max stiffened a little because of how shocked she was at his actions, but then she melted into his embrace.
“It’s okay. You’re okay,” Mike whispered to her, and she closed her eyes tightly, finally allowing the tears to stream down her face.
~
A few minutes later, they were sitting on the stairs at the very end of the hallway.
Max was leaning against his shoulder, and Mike was patiently waiting for her to open up.
“We’re missing our physics test, you know,” Max remarked.
“I know,” Mike replied.
“But what will Mr. Clarke say about this?” the redhead asked, and he chuckled.
“I told you not to worry about it. I just need to make sure you’re okay first.”
Max stayed quiet for a moment before removing her head from his shoulder.
“I haven’t told anyone about this, so if you tell anyone…” she said, purposely not finishing her sentence.
Mike nodded. “Got it,” he replied, understanding instantly.
“Okay, so… here’s the thing. I’ve been having nightmares lately. It’s been going on for the past couple of weeks, and I keep having nosebleeds and headaches from time to time,” Max confided, oddly confident now, though she hadn’t been like that just a few minutes earlier.
Mike felt as if she were telling him everything and nothing all at once.
She spoke very generally, not going into the specifics.
He wanted to know more, but he knew she wouldn’t let him.
“Are you taking any medications to ease the pain or something?” Mike asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. I’ve also been seeing our guidance counselor, Ms. Kelly. She’s been trying to get me to open up to her, but I just can’t do it for some reason.”
“That’s totally understandable. You need time,” Mike reassured her.
It was as if this conversation, him being there for her, was exactly what she needed.
He didn’t force her to talk more, even though he was still concerned and curious.
“Thanks, Mike. Let’s just go back to class, okay?”
“Yeah, for sure.” He nudged her side as they walked, and she did the same, both of them exchanging awkward smiles without saying anything.