CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO;
FOUND.

to put it simply, it was a sad picture.

a pretty girl dressed in an equally-pretty dress, her cheeks flushed by her rosy blush and her lips shining from her strawberry lip-balm as she rode her aged bike with a discouraging frown.

she had looked everywhere she could think of for him within the last two hours.

after her short visit to dean's house this morning, she went home and sat in the shower until the water ran cold. as she let the water pour against her skin, she wracked her mind on what she would say to the raven-haired boy when she saw him. would he even speak to her? his pained expression from the night prior flashed through her mind, eliciting a silent whimper.

she knew he went to the fair in montegray with their friends so, she waited until will returned home before showing up at the wheelers' home, in search of the freckle-faced possessor of her fragile heart.

she put on her favorite babydoll dress, white with a floral design, and her beloved jean jacket because, despite it being spring break, there was still a lingering chill in the northern air.

unfortunately, the only wheeler she found at the blocky, two-story house located at the end of the cul-de-sac was his older sister, nancy, who was back in town from college for her own spring break. apparently, as soon as dustin and their friends dropped him off, he grabbed his own car keys and was gone once again without bothering to mention his destination.

determined to speak to him, she searched the diner, dustin's house, lucas' house, even max's house, but he was nowhere to be found. she supposed that's what he wanted, to not but found, but she had to. she had to tell him how much the thought of being 'just will's sister' to him made her heart clench and how he would never be 'just will's friend' to her.

her mind raised as she pedaled faster. the sun was almost completely nestled behind the horizon by now and her legs were burning from the distance she was ridden just to find his stupid ass, but she prevailed.

she blinked back the welling tears, no longer blaming them on the dryness of riding through the breeze because she knew she was growing more and more hopeless the longer this mike-chase went on.

she considered that this is just might be the way things were supposed to go. if she couldn't locate him in a town as tiny and quaint as hawkins, maybe he wasn't hers to find.

the brunette rode past his home once again, huffing to find this his car was still missing from the spot in his driveway. perhaps he meant what he said in the most literal way. maybe now she was only will's sister and that gave him the go-ahead to move on. of course, she didn't want to think of him moving on, but the idea wasn't far fetched. after all, he was mike wheeler.

and so finally, she stopped. not just to catch her breath, which was long and overdue, but to gather her thoughts. no matter how pessimistic and cynical they were becoming, she needed to consider the gloomy thoughts as reality.

she sniffled and pulled a hand away from her worn handle to wipe the tear that was rolling down her warm cheek. she was out of options and she knew it.

she supposed it was around eight, and she should head home before her parents got worried. with a heavy sigh, her dirty white converses hit the pedals again and she rode down the paved path in a familiar direction.

as the defeated girl rode home, the road to the quarry presented itself in the distance. she hadn't been since that faithful night that mike coaxed her to drive them to a mysterious location. 

and while it's horribly cliche to say, she felt pulled to the pebbled-ridge that overlooked lover's lake. if there was any chance of him sitting on that red plaid blanket looking out over the water, she had to go.

the distance was well under a mile, but the ride was painfully long. she imagined the consequence of her decision from the previous night. in the case that he no longer desired her, that he truly did only consider her to be will's sister, how would she deal? could she deal? could she actually handle the boy she was hopelessly in love with treating her like a total stranger? 

yes, this was a reality she had already faced, but things had changed. the circumstances had altered. that was before she knew he felt the same -- before he came knocking on her window in the middle of the night and she sent him away.

she couldn't handle the idea of not locking gazes with his easy, brown eyes. she couldn't stomach the thought of never making him smile or laugh again. she couldn't allow it.

she willed her thin legs to move quicker. the suspense of whether he was there or not eating her up inside. she needed to get it over with and just know for sure. these 'what if's' haunting her mind were too overwhelming.

at last, she heard her wheels roll over the gravel, signifying that she had reached the quarry. she hesitantly rode around the curb to the ridge.

she gasped when that ridiculous black mercury comet came into view. the sleek car was parked at an angle, facing the lake -- just like the slumped boy perched on the hood. she felt her pulse pick up its pace as she stared at his black jean jacket-covered back. 

she found him.

el stopped before moving off her bike and gently dropped it to the ground. she felt inclined to move warily and quietly. she was scared the sooner he noticed her presence, the sooner he would leave.

she approached carefully, stacking her thumbs anxiously. she had rehearsed her whole spill twenty times in the shower, but it seemed her mind was now drawing a blank. 

he surprised her, "what are you doing here?" his voice sounded so detached, so dejected. there weren't words that typically came to mind when she thought of him -- which, as previously covered, was a lot. when he didn't receive a response he craned his neck to glance at the nervous, petite figure that was slowly moving towards him with a taken back expression. "i heard your bike," he chose to explain, reading her face.

she nodded before her feet came to halt, deciding that she was at a close enough distance. getting the idea that he wasn't in the mood to talk to her, she didn't want to bombard him. "i just, i wanted to talk," she rasped, not expecting the weak tone of her voice. although, she knew she was in the wrong so she wasn't all that shocked.

"about what?" thankfully, the words weren't cruel. he sounded genuinely curious. 

the gloss that once resided upon her lip was long gone, mostly from riding her bike through the april air, but also from her habit of gnawing on her lips when she was on edge -- like at this moment. "i.. she began, shaking her head to dismiss the remnants of the speech she had planned. she knew too much had transpired between her and him and no pre-written spill was going to repair it. she needed to tell him how she felt at this moment. so, that's what she decided to do, "i feel awful, mike."

vague, nice. he didn't seem that interested. at least from the outside, but he was good at concealing his emotions. he had perfected that calm and collected exterior she had grown to love to hate. "awful?" he repeated, not really concerned but not completely nonchalant. 

she nodded, stepping a tad closer. "yes, awful. my legs are really sore because i've spent over two hours riding around this stupid town, looking for you," she explained before taking a seat on the hood of his car, giving him no other choice than to scoot over. she huffed, relieved to finally sit down. 

"why?"

her brows furrowed, "why what? why have i been looking for you?" he nodded in an obvious way that made her want to shove him but she refrained, knowing she still had some apologizing to do. el tore her gaze away from him and looked at the water many feet below them. "i broke up with dean."

he repeated, "why?"

she smiled softly and semi-sadly, "why do you think?"

"i'm sorry," and he was. if el had broken up with the boy that made her happy, then he was sorry. if she was hurting, he was sorry. 

she shook her head, "don't be. it wasn't ever going to work out with dean and i." she predicted his response and went ahead and answered, "because of you, mike."

he flickered his eyes away from her, unwilling to meet her gaze any longer. "el, i already told you. i'm done. i can't keep doing this."

her normally delicate features contorted to reflect the pain his words caused her. "you're just giving up? just like that?" he only shook his head, still refusing her eyes. "look, i know i messed up last night, but don't act like you're completely innocent here."

that got him to look at her, his eyes narrowed to a sharp stare. "yeah, and what's that supposed to mean?"

"it means you showed up at my house, knowing i had a boyfriend and expected me to what? say 'i love you' just because you said it? not to mention that when i didn't, you gave up. let's not forget when my feelings got revealed to the entire school and you went back to lunch with your girlfriend!" she spewed, unwilling to take all the blame for the mess they'd found themselves in.

he scoffed, "yeah, after you told me to go with her! you also told me to leave your house last night, too, if i recall correctly."

"yeah, okay, i messed up. i'm aware, but you don't get to pout and be mad as if you never screwed up, too."

he tore away his gaze, collecting himself once again. he defaulted back to the same smooth, unconcerned tone, "fine. we both fucked up, el. it's done, now. i don't know what you came here for, but i'm done."

she couldn't help the way her nostril flared with anger or her eyes widened from disbelief. "actually, we're not, sweetheart." he rolled his eyes at the nickname he had taunted her with countless times. "stop acting like a prick, mike. i know you're hurt, and i'm sorry. like i said before, i messed up."

"i'm not hurt, el. i'm over it," he claimed, his jaw clenching as he still refused to away from the dark purplish-blue sky that was only littered with a handful of stars.

she hated how emotionless he could be when he wanted. some would consider it a talent, but at this very moment, it was a brutal weapon stabbing right through the brunette's chest. "please, don't be like this," she practically begged, extending a hand to his shoulder. 

maybe it was her soft touch or the whimper of her voice, but he finally met her gaze again. she felt the weight on her lungs life when she found his dark orbs to be rid of their previous coldness. "i can't keep doing this," this time the words weren't a proclamation, but a warning -- a warning that his breaking point was near.

she moved her hand down his arm to grasp his cold hand before bringing it to her lips, pressing a light kiss to the back of it. "neither can i. i know what i want, and it's not fake and it's not complicated or any of that." he still looked pretty reluctant so she scooted even closer, "i love you, mike. i know i was supposed to say that last night, and i'm sorry that i-"

but he had already heard the words he needed, the words he craved to hear from her lips. so, before she could apologize for things that no longer mattered to him, he connected their lips in a kiss -- a soft, sweet kiss.

shocked, she quickly returned the gesture with an embarrassingly relieved sigh. she released his hand so she could cup his chilled cheeks. it wasn't long before one of those hands crept into his hair, tugging rightfully at the curls she adored.

he pulled away, disconnecting their mouths with a desperate smack before panting, "i love you, too."

she nodded, "i know."

mike smirked, brushing a piece of wavy chocolate hair out of her face. "i have a proposition for you."

she smiled at the familiar word before pursing her lips as if she was deep in thought, "enlighten me on this 'proposition.'"

"be my girlfriend, my real girlfriend," he insisted, still delicately caressing her darling face. 

the ignored the urge to giggle and vehemently nod, and instead squinted her eyes. "hm, what are your terms of agreement, if i may ask?" she teased, her fingers still running through his curly tresses. 

"hm, i say," he hastily pecked her lips, "real kisses." she nodded, gesturing for him to keep going, "and real dates, of course." she titled her head, approving so far. "then, of course, real cuddles," he knew that would bring a smile to her lips, no matter how hard she fought to keep an unimpressed exterior. "and lastly, no more lying or faking or pretending. none of that."

she nodded with a slight shrug, "you know, i think your terms are fair and agreeable, mike wheeler."

"you have any terms yourself, el hopper?" he decided to play into her little game.

she looked to the sky, a thoughtful expression coating her features before speaking, "you have to tell everyone i'm better in bed than brooke carters."

her favorite chuckle filled her ears as his arms wrapped around her to hug her to his chest before joking, "like i said, no more lying. i'd have to test this for myself, sweetheart."

she giggled before shoving him away, "in your dreams."

his lips neared her ear and his husky whisper sent a visual shover down her spine, "every night." when she didn't pull away as expected, he placed his mouth beneath her ear, nibbling lightly.

realizing they were on top of his car in front of a cliff, she retreated with pink-tinged cheeks and an unsteady tone, "um, i think your terms are sufficient. let's just go with those, hm?"

the raven-haired boy nodded, still embracing her. "so now, you're my girlfriend."

"and you're my boyfriend," she returned, biting back her smile. "i love you," she whispered softly, leaning her forehead against his.

"i love you, so fucking much," he replied before kissing her once again, this time a lot less willing to let go. 

...

a/n: hahahahhahaha it's me, the bitch who hasn't updated this book in like 1000 years, lol sorry!! however, i've been updating number neighbor like crazy so y'all should def check that out. ok, yes, this was the final chapter.. but there will be a cute, fluffy epilogue so yay!! i really hope u guys loved this book as much as i did, even tho i lost my way w it towards the end. it's my first mileven story and i love it so much. btw, it's not proofread,, SORRY! please let me know ur thoughts. thank u all for reading!! see u in the epilogue !! xx

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