WILL POV-

---- 12:37 PM ----

The brunette rested his chin on his hand, waiting for Lunch; he just wanted to get this over with; he looked down at his paper; equations, numbers and shapes spreading all over the page. He was only halfway through the work. Frustration settled over him, the work blending together like some foreign language; like an indecipherable code.

He sighed, staring blankly at the problem, reading and re-reading the question in attempt to understand; he looked over to the person on his right, seeing him effortlessly work away; why was he finding this so hard? He wanted to ask for help, but he could never speak aloud because his voice cracks under the pressure, going over the million thoughts of how others will perceive him... he just wanted to blend into the background.

It was the fourth time he reread the question, hoping by some miracle the 'Maths fairy' would come help him make it all click.

The teacher's voice drowned in the background, talking audibly over something completely unrelated to the subject; his maths teacher usually did that, inviting one of her teacher friends from the department to gossip while the kids did their work.

The words were a distant hum to the brunette as his mind struggled to make sense of the math before him, mumbling to himself, "Do I use 'Sin' or 'Tan' for this side?" he pulled a face pulling on his hair, the words barely audible. His pencil tapped rhythmically against the desk as he tried to make sense of 'Pythagoras Theorem'.

As the minutes dragged on, Will couldn't help but daydream about the subjects he enjoyed more; Art and English. He would even rather do science then doing this right now. He longed for the moment the bell rings so he could leave from here; what time even was it?

He looked down at his watch, '12:43'? Really?

Realising it was almost time to pack up, he closed his textbook; his work remaining unfinished. Slowly, he began unzipping his bag, shuffling his books into them; any moment now, the bell would ring, and the brunette could leave this torture.

As if on cue, the bell rung as the teacher spoke, "Okay looks like you lot can go! Make sure you finish the worksheet!" she announced, continuing the conversation with the other teacher.

Without even a second thought, the brunette jumped up from his seat, taking a glance around the classroom, reaching his limit for the day. He walked out the room, the first one to do so, making his way to his locker, placing his textbook inside. Relief washed over him.

A sound made itself apparent on the lockers near his, it was quieter than usual; Troy and James were probably waiting for him the moment he closes his locker. He rolled his eyes, just wanting to get his torment over with. Yet as he closed his locker instead of seeing Troy or James rearing their ugly heads, he saw Mike, leaning on the lockers, casual and unconcerned, though it was clear he ran; a little out of breath.

"Mike?" the brunette's surprise was evident, "What are you doing here?"

"Just waiting for you!" Mike responded with a casual shrug and a friendly smile.

"Oh, I thought we were all meeting in the cafeteria?" Will tilted his head.

"Yeah... I was just making sure Troy and James didn't get to you first." he awkwardly chuckled.

A warm feeling washed over the brunette, unable but smile in return. He hadn't expected to see Mike here; it was... nice. "Thanks." Will said sincerely, "I really appreciate it!"

Together they strolled to the cafeteria, the pair chatting animatedly on their way, discussing everything from the upcoming science project to their favourite movies. It was a welcome distraction from the Maths, and Will was just grateful to be out of lesson.

As they approached the cafeteria, Will couldn't help but spot El sitting with the rest of the Party at the table; she had arrived to school after the first period as she promised. His insecurities crept into mind, the same thoughts from the morning; why was he like this today? It was usually never that bad. He knew how close Mike and El were and feared Mike might leave him in an instant to be with her. The thought made him feel like a mere distraction, a placeholder for El.

But to Will's surprise (and relief), the ravenette didn't abandon him as he feared and instead when they reached the table, Mike greeted El with a friendly smile and a wave but didn't rush to her side like he usually did; did they have a fight?

They couldn't have, they were usually at each other's throats when they fought, and besides Mike would bring it up; he always brought it up and complained, moping around like someone shot his puppy.

Their interaction was friendly, and it seemed as though El was busy gossiping with Dustin and Suzie, talking about something that the brunette had no interest in when Mike was staring at him with a bright smile while he continued to talk.

As the lunch period continued; the Party ate their food, Robin strolled over to the table, her curiosity piqued as she leaned and casually asked, "What are we all on?" she questioned Will.

Mike, who was already annoyed by the interruption gave a brief, sarcastic reply, "Well, we are all on chairs." he said, seeing Robin slumping in the seat next to Will, "I didn't mean to sit down, but okay." Mike whispered, barely audible.

Robin seemed exhausted, her frustration apparent, leaning her head all the way back. She immediately started speaking, venting about band practise, her tone weary and annoyed, "I swear, if Carol disrespects my flute playing one more time, I'm going to crack it over her head!"

Mike rolled his eyes, yet Will listened attentively, his empathy for his 'girlfriend' outweighing his earlier conversation with Mike. This is what a good boyfriend would do right?

"Just talk to her about it before you go straight to violence," Will replied calmly, being as rational as possible.

"You can't use my own words against me!" Robin rolled her eyes, "You realise you're literally quoting me, to me." she explained.

"Seriously Robin..." he paused for a second, "You can't fix this with violence, you'll be kicked out of band." he deadpanned, then leaning closer to whisper in her ear, "And then you won't be able to see Vickie," he cooed, poking her side.

Mike watched as Will turned away from him to talk to Robin, his irritation growing as the brunette leaned in closer to her. The ravenette quietly muttered, "I can't believe she barged into our conversation again!" he huffed under his breath, shooting Robin a couple of annoyed glances, but she seemed too engrossed in her own world to even notice Mike.

Despite this, Mike tried to maintain composed, he promised Will good behaviour; he could do this; he could do this! Besides, he could take Will home today; so, it could be just the two of them; he will be so quick, Robin can't get there first.

---- 2:34 PM ----

As the lesson ended once more and the bell rung for his last lesson of the day, Will stretched, a small yawn escaping his lips; he was beyond tired; maybe he should take a nap when he gets home? He didn't get much sleep at night due to his persistent overthinking.

He could feel his energy levels plummet the moment he left his desk, feeling the exhaustion seeping into his bones as he gathered his things and shuffled out the classroom. The day had been long, and all he wanted was to get home and collapse on his bed.

Trudging out his classroom, he approached the bike racks, unlocking his bike, hearing footsteps run up to him. There, by his side was Mike, his ever-present bright smile and warmth lighting up the place; if this was normal circumstances the brunette's heart would be dancing and shooting out his chest, but right now, he was too tried to care, merely rolling his eyes.

"Hey Will!" Mike greeted enthusiastically, throwing an arm round Will's shoulders,

The brunette merely turned his head to face Mike, "You're way too perky today." he deadpanned,

Mike laughed, seemingly undeterred by Will's obvious exhaustion, "Come on, it's a great day! Let's not waste it!"

"Yeah..." Will stretched his words, "I'm gonna go home!"

"Oh..." Mike's expression faltered, removing his arm from Will's shoulders, a bit deflated, "How about we go to your house then... maybe we can play Nintendo or something?" he suggested, a tad hopeful.

"Maybe later or something..." Will thought for a second, ensuring his words weren't rude, "Honestly I just want to sleep!"

"Oh seriously..." the ravenette questioned, "So that means you aren't going out with Robin today?" he asked, a little too enthusiastically.

The small boy merely shook his head, "Not today! I'm going straight home and I'm hibernating till tomorrow," he chuckled weakly, "I'm home alone anyway so no interruptions!" he cheered.

"Oh yeah... when will everyone else be home?" Mike asked, a tad weary,

"I don't know," the brunette shrugged, "Depends when Jonathan gets home, I guess."

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" the ravenette questioned again, worried.

"I'm not a baby Mike!" Will said stern, a little offended; hating the way everyone would treat him like a child who would break. His tired mind interpreted this as a jab at is capabilities, feeling a sting.

Mike realised his mistake, quickly correcting himself, "I... I didn't mean it like that, I promise,"

"I know..." Will replied, honestly too tired for this conversation and feeling bad for snapping, "Look... I'm- I'm just gonna go now, can you tell the others?"

"Yeah, sure." Mike smiled, his cheeks tinting a bit as his voice softened. "Bike safe!"

With that, Will hopped on his bike, quickly pedalling away, feeling the weight of exhaustion pulling at him. He noticed the slight blush on Mike's face as he rode; yet in his tired state, he assumed it was just a trick of the fading daylight.

He went through the woods on his usual commute, reaching home in a matter of a few minutes. He parked his bike out on the porch, not even bothering to lock it properly, and practically stumbling into the house. The fatigued swelled deep within him, and all he could think about was his bed,

Entering his room, he dropped his bag, kicking off his shoes with a tired thud. His bed beckoned him and without further hesitation, Will flopped onto it, his legs hanging off the edge, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing him into the mattress.

The room was quiet, and his mind softly drifted away from the events of the day, surrendering to the embrace of sleep. The house was void of sound, and the soft golden glow of the afternoon filtered through the half-opened curtain, casting warm patterns on the wall.

---- 9:32 PM ----

Tap

Tap, tap,

Hours passed and the brunette's ears perked each time the sound was heard from his window; it was rudely awaking him. His initial reaction was annoyance; who the Hell would disturb him at this hour? It was probably a bird trying to make entry into his house.

Tap

His initial annoyance turned into something akin to childlike stubbornness when he heard the tapping continue. He let out a small wail of frustration, his body shaking as he lay sprawled on his bed like a petulant child. "Go away!" he whined,

Tap, tap, tap

However, as the tapping continued, he found the energy and rage to approach the window and draw his curtains, ready to fight the bird who disturbed his window.

Yet, as he rubbed his eyes and saw what was on the other side, his face softened; a touch confused, angry and happy. Mike stood still with an illuminated smile plastered on his face that made him impossible to resist and a hood covering his hair.

God! He looks good!

A warm feeling spread through him as he opened the window, clearing his throat, "Umm... Hey..."  

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2011 Words

Stay Safe <3