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Max was glad she had taken up their offer to go trick or treating, no matter how much she didn't show it. She could tell that Lucas and Dustin were ecstatic that she had showed up, and that their friend Mike was NOT happy about it. Well, screw him. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the boys were right this morning that she didn't know anyone. The move from California had been a rough one and she was willing to do just about anything to get out of the house. Billy was at a halloween party, and her mom and stepdad were out of town, meaning that Billy would be drunk and angry by the time he got home. She didn't want to be there when he did.
She noticed that Mike and Will were hanging back behind the group. She didn't know what to make of Will yet, not fully understanding the way people seemed to treat him like he was made of glass. She glanced back just in time to see Will’s face fall as Mike stomped away from from him. What a baby. Maybe he was an asshole to everyone, not just her.
They were up at the door of a house that looked promising when it came to full-sized candy bars when they heard Will scream for Mike. Max wasn't sure she’d ever seen someone move so fast in her life. Mike dropped his bag of candy and sprinted away from them without a glance back. “Shit, shit, shit,” Dustin swore as him and Lucas exchanged glances and took off after him. She had no choice but to follow.
They nearly ran into Mike as he pushed past them running back up the driveway. “WILL?!” He was calling, and as mean as Mike was, Max couldn't help but feel her chest clench at the look on his face. He looked terrified. She had to be missing something. By the time they caught up with Mike down a stairwell leading into the backyard, he had Will in his arms and was pulling him up, talking to him in a soft, concerned voice. Will was shaking in his grip and his eyes were wide and teary. Dustin reached out to help steady him and Mike nearly bit his hand off. “I've GOT him. Keep trick or treating, I'm bored anyways.” He spat, before guiding Will away back up the stairs.
“Okay…. what was that about?” Her eyes trailed away from the duo back to Lucas and Dustin, who exchanged a look but didn't answer. They avoided her gaze and avoided her question in one fell swoop. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah…. he's okay. Mike will take care of him.” Lucas said, still sounding off and slightly guilty. She could tell he wasn't telling the whole truth by the way he wouldn't meet her eyes. Dustin nodded along with him, and they moved on to the next house, but the group was quiet after that. Dustin and Lucas kept exchanging looks that they thought she couldn't see, but the quiet gave Max time to think about what she'd just seen.
She'd been wrong about Mike. He wasn't an asshole to everyone. In fact, she didn't think she'd ever seen a boy her age be that kind and caring to their friend. To say that the situation shook her was an understatement. Part of her wanted to laugh at Mike’s protectiveness over Will, how he'd snapped at Dustin like a guard dog, but she couldn't stop remembering the fear in his face when he couldn't find Will. Something was happening that she wasn't aware of, that much was clear. She mulled over how she'd ask Lucas tomorrow about this situation in a way that would yield more answers, as it was obvious this was a sensitive subject.
For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to ask about Mike and Will's friendship and how it was visibly different from the rest of the party. She had a feeling she would be met with more knowing looks, and more lies by omission. Still, she was happy she came. She felt like she was finally connected to something, to this group of boys with something unsaid hanging between them. Maybe this place wouldn't be as boring as she was expecting.