Don't Be A Dingus; Byler ??

11- Don't Throw Books

Will gave a small nod before disappearing into the bustling Mall; kids and adults alike loitering the walkways; some window-shopping, others merely here for the food. Will however, was lost in his own thoughts, wanting to get to the bottom of this mystery; his body working on auto pilot as he hopped on his bike, riding away from Starcourt. He clutched his scooper tighter, his mind racing with thoughts; why was Mike treating him specifically, weird? What was he hiding?

MIKE POV-

On the other side of town, Mike stood in the dimly lit bathroom in his basement. After the call with Will, he cursed himself under his breath, leaning against the sink; his breathing heavy as though he had just ran a mile. He couldn't believe what he did- lying to his best friend, over something so trivial as D&D night.

The ravenette ran a hand through his hair, scrunching his eyes shut as if he could somehow erase the moment from his mind; he was well aware he had been avoiding the brunette recently, making up excuses to stay away and now, he flat-out lied.

It was stupid!

He just didn't want to get into a fight with Will like they did on Monday; something had changed, and he couldn't exactly place his finger on what. He couldn't shake the strange, unsettling feelings that had been creeping up on him recently; it terrified him.

And yet, every time Robin was merely mentioned, a jolt of anger coursed through him; that was another reason he didn't invite Will; what if he brings her to D&D night and gets distracted? What if he gets attacked by a Demogorgon because of her.

Mike sighed, realising he was in way over his head, needing to figure out what was happening to him and why he was pushing the brunette away. But for now, he needed to get out the bathroom; the group probably thought he was taking a massive dump or something...

With a sigh, he pushed himself off the sink, unlocking the door and walking back into the basement, greeting Lucas, Suzie and Dustin who sat around the set-up on the D&D table, waiting for him mid-campaign as they talked and laughed.

"Hey guys." Mike said awkwardly, forcing a smile, "What's going on?"

Dustin quickly answered, "We were just talking about how we miss Will's voices for the characters! He really does the best zombie noises."

Mike's heart sank at the mention of Will; he lied to them too, and now he had to keep up the façade, "Yeah," he said, trying to sound convincing, "He'll turn up next week."

"Hopefully!" Lucas said, "He texted me saying he was feeling better."

"He... He texted you?" the tall boy questioned, his heart pounding loudly in his chest, feeling the colour drain from his face. Panic bubbled inside; his lies were unravelling before him, and he didn't know how to stop them.

"Yeah," the athletic boy responded with a smile,

"Oh!" Suzie interjected, "We should definitely buy him soup on the way home!" she suggested,

"No!" Mike yelled, his anxiety intensifying at the thought of his friends visiting Will; he needed to keep them away for the night. Hopefully they would forget about it in the morning. "I mean, no! No! I actually already made some soup for him and sent- sent it over,"

"Since when do you know how to cook?" Dustin raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know," Mike casually shrugged, "Secret talent!"

Lucas, ever the caring friend, looked up to Mike with a knowing gaze, "You're a good friend, looking out for him."

"Yeah... good friend." the ravenette repeated under his breath. His mind raced, searching for a way out this mess; he couldn't let his friends know of his differing lies; it would only make things more complicated. What would they even think of him?

But before anyone can say anything else, the doorbell rang; a wave of relief rushed over him, thinking perhaps someone had just saved him from his own embarrassment, "I'll go get that!" he chirped, just glad to be out that situation.

Mike ran up the stairs of the basement, hurrying to the door, his heart still racing; assuming the people on the other side to be El or Max. He swung the door open; seeing the person he wanted to avoid.

The bowlcut, the moles, the hazel-green eyes and pink lips...

It was Will, he didn't look very happy and... was he carrying an ice-cream scooper?

-------

1713 Words

Stay Safe <3