MIKE POV-

—— Next day: Friday 3:34 PM ——

As the rest of the school rejoiced for the weekend, Mike was stressed; probably more than he ever had been; he had to arrange a party with almost no supplies and no clue how to plan; did he even know what Will liked?

Clowns? Magicians? D&D? 

Ohh D&D is a good one! The ravenette scrawled his ideas in his phone's 'Notes' app: where the most important of information goes.

He sat on the benches outside of the school, waiting for the rest of the Party to show up, his music class was nearest to the back entrance, so it was easy to bypass the rest of the students. His bike remained under one arm, using the other to type.

He still hadn't asked Max about helping; he didn't know how to bring it up. In the group, they were the ones that usually butted heads the most; they just had differing opinions and hated being wrong.

He sucked it up, he needed to do this; for Will; for his best friend! With a sigh, he saw some of his friends.

Will stood between Max and El; almost as if they were his bodyguards; it made him chuckle, but he knew what he had to do next. Taking a deep breath, he got up from his seat walking over to them, placing a fake smile on his face; was it obvious it was crooked?

"Hey guys!" Mike announced standing awkwardly to one side, his bike travelling beside him. Why is he so nervous? It was just a party for his best friend? It's not like he was doing anything wrong!

El and Will waved, lost in conversation; discussing something about Art class and Jennifer Hayes; she always seemed to come up in El's conversations. Mike knew who she was, she was in Will's art classes but apparently, she had gotten closer to El since they started sitting next to each other.

But this was a perfect chance, he could use this opportunity to talk to Max one-on-one. Mustering his courage, he tapped her on the shoulder, waiting for her to unlock her bike; she loved skating, but it was more practical to bike for school travel.

Max furrowed her brows, squinting her eyes; why was Mike talking to her? But nonetheless, she replied, "Hi?" A little confused, continuing to unlock her bike without much thought.

Mike immediately got to the point, not beating around the bush, "Okay so I need your help!"

"No!" The redhead sighed, not even giving the chance to let him explain.

"You haven't even heard what I'm about to say!" the tall boy argued.

"I'm not helping you in whatever fight you're in with El, nor do I care about it!" She rolled her eyes; the only time the ravenette needed Max's help was when dealing with El.

"I'm... not in a fight with El." Mike admitted, pausing awkwardly, "I need help organising a party!"

"Okay... who's birthday is it?" she furrowed her brows

"Will's" The tall boy answered.

"That was last week asshat!" Max deadpanned.

"I- I know! It's like a second party cause the first one was kinda shit!" Mike nervously lied, scratching the back of his neck; he couldn't tell her the real reason, she would blow up on him.

Max scrunched her face, contemplating for a second, "Okay, I guess." She nodded, finally unlocking the bike as she stood back up straight, moving her hair out the way, "I'll help!"

"Thanks Max! You're helping a ton!" Mike passed two thumbs-up; smooth Wheeler, smooth.

"I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for Will!" the redhead replied with her usual wit,

"As long as it gets done; that's all that matters!" The ravenette excitedly claimed.

"How far have you gotten so far?" Max asked, "With the decorations and stuff?"

"Umm..." the ravenette nervously scratched the back of his neck, "That's the problem... I haven't got anything."

"Nothing?" Her eyes widened, "And when is this party?"

"Tomorrow!" Mike answered, preparing himself for what's to come next,

"And you decided to tell me now?" Max fumed

"In my defence, I only thought of it yesterday!" the tall boy said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Why can't you reschedule it?" the redhead crossed her arms.

"Because I already told Will it was tomorrow!"

"For fuck's sake Wheeler," she sighed, taking a deep breath to stop her from exploding, "Listen, let's go home, drop off our stuff, and I'll bring Billy's car so we can go to Starcourt!"

"Won't Billy mind?" Mike furrowed his brows; Billy was really protective over his car; he would never allow Max to drive it.

"Nope!" She replied quick with a grin, "I have some super juicy blackmail on him, so he's listening to everything I tell him."

"I want to know!" Mike begged.

"My lips are sealed; my face is a mask!" She dramatically uttered, "And why haven't you told the rest of the Party?"

"Because you're the best at planning parties!" the tall boy admitted, not telling the whole truth. 

"Flattery will get you nowhere Wheeler!" Max rolled her eyes

"It's also because none of them can keep secrets for shit!" Mike explained, "I can't have them telling Will that I only thought about this yesterday!"

"And why can't he know that?" The redhead scrunched her face.

"Because I lied and said I've been planning this all week." the ravenette expressed with a nervous chuckle.

Max scrunched her face but before she could say anything further, Dustin, Lucas and Suzie appeared from the doors of the building excitedly rushing over.

The redhead decided to cut the conversation short, but leaning close and sternly whispering, "You need to explain everything to me later! I'll text you when I'm outside your house!"

"Fine!" Mike shrugged, stepping away from her before the others caught them talking; they would obviously make assumptions and assume they were planning something. Mike didn't want that; the rest of the Party would ask too many questions: except for Will. he never asked questions; it's almost like he knew everything Mike was thinking, but recently it felt like the ravenette had to share that space in Will's head with Robin!

It wasn't fair! He came first!

But he couldn't grovel, he needed this to be perfect, the more he complains and distracts himself, the further the brunette will become attached to Robin, and he couldn't have that! Not because he was selfish or jealous Will had a girlfriend, just because... he wanted to do something nice.

He needed to make this birthday party amazing; the best Will had ever had. Something Robin would never have thought of.

Lucas, Dustin and Suzie arrived at the bike racks, unlocking their own bikes before regrouping with the rest of the Party. El walked over to the ravenette hopping on the back of his bike, wrapping her hands around his waist, before saying, "I'm going to Jennifer's house, can you drop me off there? She lives near you,"

Mike nodded as the good boyfriend he was, replying, "Yeah sure El. No problem!" his gaze then floating to the brunette, a smidge of concern in his eyes, "Umm, Will, you're good to head home by yourself, right?"

The small boy shrugged, slightly taken aback by the question as Mike didn't usually care when Will was left alone to ride home, "Yeah, I was going to meet Robin anyways."

The conversation drifted as the group popped onto their bikes riding away together. The group chatted amongst themselves; Lucas and Dustin debating on a video game they wanted to play and who would theoretically be better when it releases.

Will followed behind them with Suzie and Max on either side, gossiping over nothing in particular; asking him questions about Robin and how they want to meet her again.

As the rest of the group engaged in their conversations Mike felt El's arms wrap tighter around him, hearing her talk about what she was going to do when she reaches Jennifer's house; basically eating food and watching movies. The ravenette remained unusually quiet; his eyes however couldn't help but wander to the brunette, a mix of emotions churning with in him- guilt, anxiety and something else he couldn't quite place.

He turned his eyes back to the road, the Party eventually separating, heading their own directions. Mike sighed, seeing Will ride away to meet Robin again.

The tall boy proceeded to drop his girlfriend off at Jennifer's house; she was right when she said the house was close, merely down the block from the Wheeler household. The ride after the group left was pleasant, Mike was able to clear his mind and chat about various things during their short journey, sharing snippets of their day and making plans with his girlfriend, feeling his inner turmoil dissipating slowly.

Upon arriving at Jennifer's house, El called, "Thanks Mike!" she said, jumping off the bike placing a kiss on his cheek before leaving, giving him a warm smile. She headed inside, waving to Mike from the porch.

The tall boy now stood alone on the sidewalk; he sighed heavily, biking to his own house with a heavy heart, pedalling through the familiar neighbourhood until he reached his own home.

When he finally arrived, the house eerily quiet. His father still at work while his mother and Holly were at daycare; Nancy was probably on her way, ready to bust through the door at any moment. Throwing his bag on the floor, he awaited Max to arrive with Billy's car.

Taking a seat on the chair in the front room, he took out his phone, scrolling through social media; taking a moment to reflect on the tangled web of lies he's woven. It spiralled into a complex mess of deceit and lies to his best friend; Will.

His reflecting was interrupted by a notification, seeing Max's text appear at the top of the screen signalling her arrival. With a sigh, he pushed himself off the couch, walking outside and locking the front door behind him.

As he stepped outside, he saw Max's car parked nearby; a big weight lifting off his shoulders knowing she's willing to help with the party. Mike approached the vehicle, greeting with a friendly smile.

"Ready to get the party planning started?" the redhead cheered, rolling the window down, her enthusiasm greeting him; she loved planning parties.

The ravenette nodded, managing a small smile, "Yeah, thanks for helping out!" Settling himself in the car, the ravenette tightened the seatbelt around himself to be safe.

Billy's car was new, yet damage had been done in the form of ripped-off paint and scrapes from past street races and late-night drives. And somehow it still had its charm.

"So why exactly are you planning this party?" Max said, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove to Starcourt.

Mike took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't keep any secrets from her. Even if they didn't usually get along, she was the only one who seemed like the most level-headed and responsible one to talk to. He exhaled slowly, "I kinda made a mistake! Like a huge mistake."

"Okay, like normal but continue..." Max quipped, keeping her eyes on the road, listening intently, giving Mike the space to explain.

"So, basically, yesterday; I kinda lied to Will about our D&D night, and I don't know why I even did it; I just got so overwhelmed. I told him I was sick and when he came over, I promised I would explain and then... I locked him in the bathroom." He explained in one breath,

The redhead's jaw hung open, glancing at Mike briefly, "You locked him in the bathroom? Seriously Mike?"

The ravenette lowered his head, thoroughly ashamed, "I panicked! I didn't know what else to do. I just messed up!"

The redhead tightened her grip on the steering wheel, simmering with anger and disappointment, "You think? Have you even apologised to Will? He's your best friend for crying out loud."

The tall boy nodded, his determination growing, "I will, I promise! I'll make it up to him."

Max's expression softened slightly, placing a hand on Mike's shoulder gently keeping the other on the steering wheel, "Anger's not going to get us anywhere. Let's just.... make this party good and you will apologise to him then!" she warned.

A heavy silence wrapped in the car for a moment as Max removed her hand turning back to the road. Mike hesitated, speaking up again, "Max... is there something wrong with me?"

"What do you mean?" The redhead knit her brows confused, sparing him a quick glance.

The tall boy took a deep breath before admitting, "I don't like Will dating Robin. No matter how much I try, I can't be happy for them."

"Why not?" Max sighed, taking a deep breath before responding.

"I mean, I tried to be okay with it... but every time I see them together, I just... want them to break up." Mike exclaimed.

"Look, it's fine to feel a bit weird for your best friend to be dating someone new, but wanting them to break up? That's a bit extreme!" the redhead shook her head.

Mike went quiet, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, "I... I just think Will deserves someone better!" he hesitantly mentioned.

"Really?" Max scrunched her face, "And who exactly do you think would be a better fit for him?"

"Oh, I don't know!" Mike whined, "Someone who's known him for so long. I mean someone who knows every little part about him and knows his hobbies and interests, but also someone can't stand the thought of him getting hurt or change him in anyway."

Max raised an eyebrow, squinting, "So basically you... Do you want to date him?"

"No..." Mike hesitated, "I like girls, I'm not into guys."

"Okay... and let's say you were hypothetically into guys; would you date him?" Max repeated her question

Mike thought for a second, immediately speaking, "I mean, he is incredible. He's so smart and he's got this deep, artistic side that just blows my mind; he's kind and brave- seriously, he's like the strongest person I've ever met. He's also got this incredible smile and I must admit, he is attractive." the ravenette rambled, "I mean who wouldn't be into him?"

Max smirked, clearly amused by the heartfelt rant, "Well that's certainly a lot of praise. It sounds like you've rehearsed this before."

The ravenette blushed, perhaps he was letting more than what he usually would slip out, "I-I mean, it's just hypothetical of course. It's not like I lay awake at night thinking of him." he nervously chuckled.

"Mike," Max began gently, "I understand," she says warmly, "It's okay to feel the way you do and it's perfectly normal. But... have you ever considered the fact that you may... like Will?"

"What? No! That's... I can't even begin to explain!" Mike argued, stammering slightly. "He's my... he's my best friend since forever."

"Listen, I'm not saying you like him," the redhead took a big sigh, "All I'm saying is to just consider it; I mean it could be why you're acting... the way you are."

"But I like girls!" Mike repeated his point from earlier.

"I know, but it's possible to like guys and girls... no matter what anyone says. Just... keep an open mind." Max's expression was soft, she knew with understanding and compassion he would understand what she meant... she had her suspicions but it's better for him to come to her.

Reaching the parking lot of Starcourt Mall, Mike's thoughts swirled in confusion. Despite the comfort Max's words provided him, he didn't understand why he felt the way he did; did he like Will? It can't be, Will is his best friend and besides the ravenette's dating El.

And yet, he heeded Max's words, mumbling to himself, "Keep an open mind..." 

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