Chapter Text
El knew that Mike didn’t love her anymore. She wasn’t sure if he ever did in the first place.
She’d seen the way he looked at Will, and it was the same way he used to look at her. Eyes wide, shining with the glare of the future she knows he’s imagining. Even if he didn't realize it yet, El knew who Mike loved, and it wasn’t her.
It never would be.
The night before, she’d had a talk with Hopper. A talk which he’d been ecstatic to have. Looking back on it, he might not have been the best person to ask, given his inherent hatred for Mike, but she knows all roads would have led to the same conclusion.
“You know what I’m going to say,” he’d told her. “So you might end up not listening to me. But anyone else would tell you the same.”
It was true. When Mike would leave the basement to take a five minute bathroom break, the rest of The Party would drop increasingly more obvious hints. “El, don’t you feel like you could do better?” was the last thing Dustin had asked her.
And Max hadn’t even bothered trying to be subtle.
“Dump his ass!” she’d told her, more than once. “Remember last time? We had so much fun. Plus, we never hang out anymore because of him. Maybe it’s selfish, but I miss my time with you.”
The straw that broke her back was his last second back-out of their movie night. He claimed that his mom wanted help with something and made him stay home, but she couldn’t get a hold of Will when she tried to invite him to take Mike’s place.
When she’d called him in the morning, he answered groggily, disgruntled about being ripped from his slumber. She almost changed her mind, gave a “nevermind,” and hung up, but the sounds of movement in the background solidified her decision.
“Who is that?” she asked, peeking around the corner and into the kitchen. As suspected, the Byers were sat together, minus one family member. Will.
“It’s- uh… it’s Lucas.” El rolled her eyes.
“Can I say hi? I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“No, uh… no, he’s sleeping.” Mike sputtered back.
“I can hear him moving.”
“He, uh, rolled over.”
“Is it Will? Because he’s not home.” she spat, sick of beating around the bush. There was no point in trying to coax the truth out of him and his stubborn tendencies.
“Oh! Yeah, yeah, he’s here too.”
Mike’s reluctance to admit who it was basically confirmed that there was a reason he didn’t want her to know. Plus, an enlightening 20-second phone call to Lucas confirmed that he hadn’t been at the Wheeler’s since the night before.
“There was a sleepover?” he had asked. “I was definitely not invited. Does Dustin know about this?”
All of this was why Mike was currently biking to her house.
So as Mike started his mini journey towards her house, El sat against her headboard, picking at her nails and pondering what to say to him.
“I want to break up” was too blunt, too hurtful. She didn’t want to lose him completely, she just couldn’t continue to let him hurt her.
A soft knock at her bedroom door made her head shoot up. “Come in!” she called, anxiety closing in on her heart.
But the face that greeted her didn’t have the sharp angles and high cheekbones that she knew so well. Instead, her father peered into the room.
“Hi, kiddo,” he said in a light tone. “Can I sit?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she breathed back, scooching to the left. Hopper sat down next to her, and together they stared at the floor. For a second, El felt like she was fourteen again, getting yet another lecture about Mike.
Hopper broke the silence. “Look, kid, I know it’s tough. I’ve had breakups before. And I know you don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but this will be best for both of you.”
El sniffed. “You think?”
“Yeah, I think so, kid. You’re Wonder Woman! And sure, it sucks to lose someone you love, but you’ll find someone better.” El could feel her eyes becoming wet. “Ever since you got out of that place, that little...” he caught himself. “Mike’s been clinging to you. Don’t you want some time to, you know, be yourself?”
El thought of the day Max had taken her to the mall. How she’d been able to roam without worrying about when Mike would call, or come over, and she could spend time doing what she wanted. Of course, it didn’t last very long, but now that she thought about it, she hadn’t really felt free since then.
“You’re right,” she sniffed, tears fully slipping down her face now.
“It’s for the better,” Hopper whispered, pulling her in for a hug.
“I love you, Hop,” she whispered, burying herself in his shoulder. They sat there for a moment as he rubbed her back.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I’ll take you out for ice cream after this, yeah? How’s that sound?”
“Good,” she said, laughing into his shoulder through her tears.
A rap at the door caused El to sit up straight, wiping her tears with her sleeve. She looked up to Hopper, who looked back down at her.
“I think that’s him, kid. Do you want to grab the door, or should I?”
She shook her head. “I’ll get it. Just give me a second.”
Hopper patted her back one last time and stood up. “Good luck. I’ll be in the living room if you need me.” She nodded again, and he walked out of her bedroom door, leaving her alone on her bed.
El walked over to her mirror. Her eyes were slightly red, but it wasn’t like Mike would notice. She stared at herself for another second, but before she could go to open the door, she caught sight of the framed picture of Mike on her nightstand. She looked towards the door, then back at the picture.
A sharp knock pierced the air. It was louder, more impatient than the last one. “El?” a muffled voice asked. Mike. “Are you in there?”
El closed her eyes and took a breath. Then, she walked to her nightstand and flipped the picture facedown, so she wouldn’t be able to see him smile at her while she slept. She wasn’t ready to replace it completely, but this would be a good start.
“El!” Mike yelled again. “Open the door! I’m freezing!”
She took one last breath, in through her mouth and out through her nose. Then she started towards the door, preparing for the worst and hoping that Mike wouldn’t hate her.