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Over the past few months, Max had noticed the way Will always looked longingly at Mike. She saw the sadness and jealousy in his face as he stared at Mike and El, the overwhelming guilt hiding in his eyes. Max had a pretty good idea what this meant. She was no stranger to the feeling.
Max didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, as she knew this was a sensitive topic, so she tried a more personal approach. She asked Will if he would ride home with her, and he agreed. They had actually grown quite close recently. Mike started to constantly ditch the party for El, so Max and Lucas did their best to ensure that Will felt included with them. They both deeply cared for him, so it was no problem at all. While Dustin was away at some camp, the three of them spent most of their time together.
“Will, can I tell you something?”
“Yeah, of course.”
She stopped on her skateboard, and Will got off his bike with a concerned expression on his face.
“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
Max quickly nodded. “Yeah. Yeah! I’m good, it’s just… I feel like it’s time someone hears this. And I trust you more than anyone in the group to be honest.”
She smiled at him, but Will continued to stare at her with worry. Max picked up her skateboard and let out a sigh. “I’m bisexual. So, I like both boys and girls.”
Will’s face reflected many different emotions – shock, a bit of confusion, and relief were the most evident.
“Um… really?”
“Yes really.”
“Oh.”
Will looked as if his mind was filled with a million thoughts all at once. Max thought that this was most likely the case. She didn’t know if he would say anything else. Max opened her mouth to talk, although she had no idea what words would spill out, when Will spoke again.
“I’m gay.”
Max smiled at him. Will smiled back. She went in for a hug, and they just stood there on the side of the road for a minute, embracing each other.
Max stepped back. “I think I'm gonna come out to the rest of the party.”
“Really?” Will asked once again.
Max giggled and affectionately rolled her eyes. “Yes really. But you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’ve just been thinking about this for a while now. My friends in California knew.”
Will looked at the ground and took a deep breath. “I think I should too. It might help.”
He didn’t clarify what he meant by it helping, but Max thought she knew. Will probably believed that this was the first step of moving on from Mike, but in her opinion, she thought it would be Mike’s avalanche. He wasn’t fooling her. Mike knew nothing about his girlfriend. He did nothing but kiss her, and El had once told Max he wasn’t a good kisser. While she didn’t doubt that fact – she didn’t like thinking about it too much, gross – she couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he didn’t even want to kiss her.
Max smiled softly. “Okay.”
She got back on her skateboard, Will got back on his bike, and they rode to their houses.
—
Max walked down to Mike’s basement with Lucas. The rest of the party was already there. Mike, El, and Dustin were on the couch. Will was on the floor. He was fidgeting with his hands, clearly nervous. Max rushed over and sat next to Will, giving him a reassuring smile.
“Finally! You guys took forever! We can pick the movie now.” Mike whined.
Max turned to him, rolling her eyes. “Well hello to you too, Wheeler.”
Mike replied with a snarky look. As Lucas took his place by Max, she announced, “I actually have something to tell you guys before we start.”
“Of course you do.” Max decided to be the bigger person and ignore Mike this time.
“Well, I just wanted to let you guys know that I’m bisexual. I like boys and girls.”
Max found herself looking at the floor. She didn’t expect herself to be so nervous, but it made sense. She truly appreciated the party, and she didn’t want to lose any of them. They made her feel welcomed in Hawkins, and even though some took longer to warm up to her, she loved them all the same. Lucas broke the silence.
“What? Are you serious?” he asked in disbelief.
Max snapped her head towards him after making sure there were no tears in her eyes. She thought surely Lucas would support her. They had been through so much together, he was her safe place, someone she was certain she could always rely on (when he wasn’t being dumb with Mike).
“Is that a problem? Because if it is, I’ll have no trouble dumping your ass!”
Lucas shook his head, panicking. “No! No! Not at all! It’s just – me too!”
Max blinked in confusion. “What?"
“I’m bisexual too!”
Her jaw dropped. “No way! What?”
They both started laughing. Max was certainly not expecting that response, but when she thought about it, she was not surprised. When they finished laughing, they just looked at each other lovingly.
“I want to say something too.” Will was still fidgeting with his hands. “I’m gay.”
Max automatically glanced at Mike, who sat up, eyes wide.
Lucas leaned over to Will to hug him. “That’s awesome, man!”
Will let out a sigh of relief and smiled. The surprises just kept coming as Dustin cleared his throat.
“Well, I’ll go next. I guess I wouldn’t mind who I date. Girl, boy, whatever. I want someone smart and hot.”
Every head turned towards him. Lucas nodded. “Makes sense.”
“I think…” El quietly started to speak. “I would like to kiss a girl. They are pretty.”
Max smiled at El and took her hand. El smiled back.
The party turned to Mike, expectantly. He had a dumbfounded expression on his face before shooting them an accusatory glare.
“What is this? Did you guys plan this? Are you messing with me?”
Max scoffed. “What are you even talking about right now? Are you seriously that insensitive?”
Mike’s face went red and he turned to Will. Max noticed that his voice softened, the voice specifically reserved for Will. “It’s true?"
Will swallowed and nodded. Mike looked down at the ground.
“I’m not… that’s a…” he let out a shaky breath as he turned to El. She put a hand on his shoulder.
“Mike. I care about you. It is okay. I like being your friend.”
He nodded then looked back at the ground.
“I’m…” he hesitated before saying, “I don’t like girls.”
Max grinned at Mike and even awkwardly pat his knee. “Good job, Wheeler.”
He weakly smiled and lifted his head to look at her, mumbling, “Thanks.”
Well, this was an interesting turn of events. Max hoped that the party would be supportive of her and Will because their whole friendship was built on them being different. They weren’t popular, they were weirdos, nerds, outcasts. People always looked at them funny, but it didn’t bother them. They had each other. She didn’t count on the possibility that all of them would be coming out to each other, but here they were.
“Okay, now let’s pick a movie! Please!” Dustin exclaimed.
Mike stood up. He didn’t seem to have gone back to his usual self yet. “I’ll let you guys pick. I can go grab the popcorn and drinks. Will? Do you wanna come?”
“Um… yeah. Okay.”
Max noticed that they were both blushing, and she and Lucas shared a knowing look.
At the top of the staircase, Mike yelled, “But you guys better not pick a shitty movie!”
Max spit back, “You’re the one who left us to pick! We’ll pick whatever shitty movie we want!”
She heard the basement door open and shut, and Max, Lucas, El, and Dustin all started laughing. When the laughter subsided, Lucas looked at Dustin, holding out his hand.
“I told you Mike was gay. Pay up.”