Mike paced around his room, trying to figure out if him going back was something he really wanted and whether or not it would make things worse than it already was. He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. He thought to himself before thinking about someone he could go to for advice about this. Natalia. He went downstairs, making his way to the phone. He pulled out his wallet, looking for the paper where she had written down her number. He hadn't really used it much, but it was a good thing he had it now. He dialed her number before waiting for a few seconds.

"Hello?" Natalia said as she answered the phone.

"Hey, it's Mike. Can we talk? Like.. soon?" Mike asked.

"I mean.. yeah sure. Why the urgency?" Natalia responded. Mike sighed.

"I kind of.. have a lot to tell you. And I really need advice." Mike replied. He heard Natalia sigh.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." She responded. Mike nodded to himself.

"Alright, see you then. Bye." Mike said.

"Bye, Mike." Natalia responded. Mike hung up the phone before heading out of the room.

"Hey uh.. I'm going out, okay?" Mike said to Wanda, who was in the kitchen starting dinner. Wanda nodded.

"Stay safe." Wanda responded with a smile. Mike nodded before heading outside and waiting. Soon enough, Natalia pulled up in her car and Mike got in.

"Wanna get some food?" Natalia asked. Mike nodded.

"Yeah. I'm skipping dinner right now anyways." Mike replied. Natalia laughed a bit before she pulled out of the driveway and down the road. They got some burgers from this burger joint that Natalia claimed "all the cool people go to" before they were sitting on the hood of Natalia's car, looking out at the ocean of the beach that they were parked near, watching as the sun set.

"So.. what was it you needed to talk to me about?" Natalia asked. Mike sighed.

"Well... firstly, Will broke up with me." Mike replied. Natalia gave him a sympathetic look as he took a bite of his burger.

"Oh shit.. I'm sorry, dude." Natalia responded before taking a bite of her burger as well.

"It's okay.. I get why he did.. but I guess what I really wanted to say was.. I guess it was sort of like a wake-up call if that makes sense." Mike said. Natalia furrowed her eyebrows a bit.

"A wake-up call?" She asked.

"I think.. I think I want to go back. I mean I'd have a place to stay, and maybe... I could fix things with him. With all my friends as well because.. they probably aren't happy with me either." Mike replied.

"Is that what you want to do?" Natalia asked. Mike nodded.

"I mean.. I think so. I'm not looking forward to possibly seeing my parents, but.. I don't know that whole conversation just made me realize... I need to go back." Mike replied. Natalia smiled.

"I think that would be good for you. Genuinely." Natalia responded.

"Really?" Mike asked.

"I mean.. yeah. I'd definitely miss you a whole bunch.." Natalia started, lightly elbowing Mike on the side as they both laughed, "But I mean.. it's your final year of high school. You're never gonna get that back. And spending it with your friends and people you care about.. no matter the circumstances.. is the best feeling in the world." Mike smiled.

"Man.. I'm gonna miss you too." Mike responded.

"You still have my number.. but I will admit that I will miss being coworkers with you." Natalia said.

"Same here." Mike responded. Natalia smiled.

"Hey, call me and update me. At this point, I'm invested." Natalia said. Mike nodded.

"I promise." Mike said. Natalia nodded before they both laughed.

"Anyways, I met this guy at college named Charlie.." Natalia started before Mike sighed.

"I think you've met more guys at college than I've ever seen guys in my lifetime." Mike responded.

"Hey! I think this one might actually be the one!" Natalia said. They both laughed a bit before they continued to talk as they finished their burgers. They talked a little bit more about Natalia's college life and also about Mike's call with Will. Soon enough though, Mike was being dropped off at Stephen's house. Natalia walked him to the door before sighing.

"So.. I'm guessing this is goodbye for now." Natalia said. Mike sighed.

"Yeah, guess so." Mike responded. Natalia smiled before pulling him in for a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, Mike." Natalia said. Mike nodded into her shoulder.

"Same here, Natalia." Mike responded. They pulled away from the hug with smiles.

"Remember! Update me!" Natalia said. Mike laughed a bit before giving her a thumbs up. She waved before getting into her car. Mike waved back before going into the house. He went to the kitchen to find Wanda and Stephen talking.

"Hey, kid!" Stephen said.

"Have fun?" Wanda added. Mike nodded before going and sitting with them.

"There's something I wanna tell you guys." Mike responded. Stephen looked at Wanda before nodding.

"Go ahead." Stephen said.

"I think.. I want to go back home.. like as soon as possible." Mike started. "My sister is gonna let me stay at her house so.." He looked at the two, who were smiling at him.

"That sounds good." Stephen started, "Are you sure?" Mike nodded with a smile,

"Yeah... Yeah, I think I am." Mike responded.

"We're really gonna miss you." Wanda said as she stood up. Walking to Mike and pulling him in for a hug. Stephen joined.

"Yeah, we are." Stephen added. Mike hugged them back with a smile.

"Thank you guys.. for everything." Mike responded. They both nodded as they pulled away.

"No problem." Stephen said. Wanda wiped her eyes a bit.

"Sorry.. allergies." She lied. They all laughed a bit.

"I can drive you there as soon as you're packed and ready, okay?" Stephen asked. Mike nodded.

"Sounds good." Mike said as he stood up. Wanda and Stephen looked at each other sadly.

"Promise you'll keep in touch?" Wanda asked. Mike turned to her with a nod.

"Of course." Mike said with a slight smile. Wanda nodded back before he began to head upstairs. He closed the door behind him with a shaky sigh. He was really gonna miss this place.

•••

"Uno out!" Nancy exclaimed. Jonathan groaned as Hopper threw down his cards.

"You are way too good at this." El said.

"Literally." Will added.

"Oh come on, don't be sore losers, guys." Joyce started, "Talking to you, Hop."

"I'm not being a sore loser... I just felt like throwing my cards." Hopper responded. Joyce gave Hopper a nod as if she didn't believe him before everyone laughed.

"Well.. I think this is where we should end our visit.. I mean, it's getting pretty late." Jonathan said.

"Yeah, me and Hop have work tomorrow anyways." Joyce responded as she began to gather up the cards. El sighed.

"Being an adult must suck." She said. Hopper put an arm around her with a sigh.

"That's the best way to put it." Hopper responded. They all laughed a bit as they got up from the dining room table. Nancy thought to herself a bit.

"Wait uh.. can I talk to Will really quick?" Nancy asked. Will looked at Jonathan, who just shrugged, before turning to Nancy.

"Sure?" He responded. Nancy nodded before they headed upstairs to Will's room. Will closed the door behind him as Nancy looked at a drawing Will had hung up on his corkboard a couple of nights back. Right after he read the first entry of Mike's journal. He had completely forgotten he had, and now it felt weirder than ever to have it up. "Mike drew that."

"Really?" Nancy asked with a slight laugh. Will nodded with a slight smile.

"I guess it's.. sort of weird for me to have it up.. but I just found it in the journal he gave me and figured 'Why not'?" Will responded. Nancy smiled.

"Nah.. it's not weird. Honestly.. that's the best art Mike's ever done." Nancy said. Will laughed a bit before looking down.

"Did he.. tell you?" Will asked. Nancy sighed.

"That's kind of.. what I wanted to talk about." Nancy started, "Well, not exactly but it has something to do with him."

"What is it?" Will asked. Nancy sat down on Will's bed.

"Mike is thinking about coming back.. I wasn't sure if he told you that or.." Nancy replied.

"No, he didn't.. well, he said he was planning on it but he said he wasn't ready." Will responded.

"Well, he may be coming back soon. He's gonna be staying at my house and coming back to school.. and I just wanted to let you know because I know it's going to probably be hard to see him again." Nancy said. Will nodded.

"Thanks for letting me know." Will responded, looking down a bit. Nancy stood up, walking over to him.

"You feeling better?" Nancy asked, changing the subject. Will nodded.

"Yeah, sort of. Thanks by the way." Will replied. Nancy nodded.

"You're welcome, Will." Nancy said before pulling him in for a hug. Will hugged back before they both pulled away. "Okay, I'll let you say goodbye to your brother now." Will laughed a bit.

"Okay." Will responded. They headed downstairs to where Jonathan was waiting for Nancy. He smiled at Will before pulling him in for a hug. "Bye, Jonathan."

"Bye, Will." Jonathan started before pulling away. "Feel better."

"I will." Will responded. Jonathan nodded as he pat Will's shoulder. Nancy hugged everyone before they left. Will sighed before heading upstairs.

"Will? You okay?" El asked. Will looked at her.

"Just need to think." Will replied before heading into his room. He closed the door with a shaky sigh, the gravity of what Nancy had just told him hitting him. He was possibly going to see Mike for the first time in a long time soon. He looked down at his wrist, the bracelet that Mike had given him making him frown a bit. He had only taken it off when he showered or cleaned it, but it felt kind of weird to wear it now that he and Mike weren't together anymore. He sighed as he played with the 'W' charm, flipping it upside down to 'M' before smiling a bit. He then hesitantly took it off, walking over to his desk and putting it down. He then looked at the journal Mike had given him, crossing his arms against himself as he did. He thought to himself before his door opened again. Will turned to see El standing there.

"Hey.. you sort of rushed up here. Is everything okay?" El asked. Will sighed.

"Mike.. might be coming back soon." Will replied. El's eyes widened a bit.

"Really?" El asked. Will nodded.

"Yeah, Nancy just told me." Will replied. El sighed before walking up to him and pulling him in for a hug.

"That must.. suck to hear, considering you just broke up with him." El said. Will sighed.

"Yeah, but it's his decision." Will responded. El nodded as she pulled away. She looked at Will's desk, noticing the bracelet he usually wore now on the desk.

"You took it off?" She asked. Will shrugged.

"Felt kind of.. weird." Will replied. El nodded.

"I get that.. hey, don't let this ruin today. You seemed so happy, and that made me happy." El responded. Will nodded.

"Just kind of.. shocked me is all." Will said with a slight smile. El nodded before smiling back.

"I'm gonna get ready for bed, but just remember that I'm always here if you need to talk." El responded. Will nodded.

"Night, El." Will said.

"Night!" El responded before leaving. Will turned back to his desk, looking at the bracelet before sighing. He left his room and headed downstairs.

•••

"Wait, so you're coming back? Like really coming back?" Nancy asked. Mike smiled.

"I've made up my mind. Wanda and Stephen have been helping me pack and we're almost finished.. is there any chance you could stay home for the next couple of days?" Mike asked.

"For you, yes." Nancy replied. "When's the latest possible day you would get here?"

"Well, Stephen's gonna start driving me tomorrow so.. probably Wednesday." Mike responded.

"Perfect. I'll take off for the rest of the week to be safe though." Nancy said. Mike looked down a bit.

"Do you think this is the right choice?" Mike asked.

"I think so. Your friends all miss you. I miss you." Nancy started with a sigh, "But I'm not you, Mike. This is all up to you."

"Thanks, Nance." Mike responded with a smile.

"You're welcome, but... I need to go to bed soon so this is where we say goodbye." Nancy said. Mike laughed a bit.

"Night, Nance." Mike responded.

"Night, Mike." She said. Mike smiled as he hung up the phone before heading upstairs to continue packing. He went upstairs to see Stephen putting his record player in a box along with his records, the only things that needed to be put in a box since everything else was going back into the bag Mike brought here. Mike sighed as he put his hand on his hips, taking a look at the room he had spent the last four months in. In the room he shared a lot of memorable moments with Will. This was his last night in it, and he was gonna miss it.

The next day came faster than Mike wanted it to. He was now saying his goodbyes to Wanda as Stephen loaded his stuff into the back of his pickup truck.

"You.. hug tight, Wanda." Mike said painfully. Wanda laughed as she pulled away, tears filling her eyes.

"I'm just gonna miss you so much." Wanda responded, pulling him in for another hug. Mike smiled a bit.

"I'll miss you too, Wanda." Mike said as he hugged back.

"Stop smothering him, Wanda." Stephen said with a smile. Wanda nodded as she pulled away.

"Good luck, kid." She said. Mike nodded before heading to the car with Stephen.

"Bye, Wanda! And thank you!" Mike responded. Wanda smiled and gave him two thumbs up as tears poured down her face. Mike waved with a smile before getting into the car with Stephen.

"Ready for a 31-hour drive?" Stephen asked with a sigh. Mike sighed.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Mike replied. Stephen laughed as he started the car.

"Expect lots of bathroom stops and coffee stops, kid." Stephen responded as he turned on the radio. Mike smiled as he pulled out of the driveway, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears For Fears starting to play.

"Welcome to your life.
There's no turning back.
Even while we sleep."

He crossed his arms against himself, sighing shakily as he looked back at Stephen's house. He was going to miss it a lot and he was scared of what was to come, but also looking forward to it. He smiled to himself, realizing this might actually be the best thing for him.

"We will find you
Acting on your best behavior.

•••

Will was not expecting a call from his manager on Sunday morning, but he was asked to come in regarding the incident. He was now sitting in his manager's office, nervously tapping his foot as he watched him pour a cup of coffee before sitting down.

"So.. do you know why I called you here?" He asked. Will sighed.

"It's about Brody, right?" Will asked. He nodded.

"I was notified that he was put into custody after your.. fight." His manager replied.

"It wasn't a fight, I didn't put a hand on him. He beat me up." Will responded. His manager nodded.

"My apologies.. well, anyways I was told he may be released. Now, in the event of that happening, I'd like to let you know that he is not allowed to work here again, nor is he allowed back on the premises." He said. Will nodded.

"Okay.. cool." Will responded. His manager sighed.

"Do you.. want to continue to work here? If not it's understandable." His manager said. Will thought to himself a bit.

"Yeah, I will. I need the money." Will responded. His manager smiled.

"Good because I'm giving you a raise and.. promoting you to assistant manager." He said. Will's eyes widened a bit.

"Really?" He asked. His manager nodded.

"I appreciate you. You're a hard worker. And you don't have to come in the rest of this week if you don't want to." He said as he stood up and made his way around his desk and to Will. "I'm sorry about what happened, but I assure you that whoever I hire next won't be like that. Okay?"

"Thank you." Will started with a smile as he stood up, "May I leave now?"

"Of course. Have a great day!" His manager responded. Will nodded.

"You too." He said before heading out to his car. He smiled to himself as he sat in his front seat, putting his head in his hands happily. He turned on the radio excitedly, "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen starting to play.

"Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time.
I feel alive.
And the world I'll turn it inside out, yeah.
I'm floating around in ecstasy."

Will sighed with a smile as he began to drive out of the parking lot. Things were starting to look up, and even though he was nervous about the future, he was starting to see the light.

The next day, Will went to school and was now sitting between El and Dustin at the lunch table.

"A raise? That's awesome!" Lucas said across from the lunch table.

"That's exactly what I said." El responded. Everyone laughed a bit.

"Hey.. I've been working longer than Will and I haven't gotten a raise yet!" Dustin said.

"Isn't.. Steve your manager now?" Will asked. Dustin nodded before realization hit him.

"You're right.. that son of a bitch." Dustin replied. Everyone laughed a bit.

"Damn.. I still need to get a job." Darren said from next to Lucas, his arm on his shoulder as he leaned on him.

"Same.. though I would still have a job if I didn't get fired." Max responded.

"How did you get fired anyways?" Lucas asked. Max sighed.

"I called my manager a snot-nosed bitch." Max replied.

"Snot-nosed?" Darren asked as everyone laughed.

"She got my other coworker sick because she sneezed on him. It was deserved." Max replied.

"Yeah.. I guess you're right." Dustin responded. Everyone laughed a bit before El turned to Will.

"Are you sure you want to stay home tomorrow?" El asked. Earlier Joyce had told him that he could stay home anytime this week if he wanted to, but since he had a test in Calculus that he didn't want to make up, he decided to go today.

"Yeah, it would be good for me to have a break for a while. Besides, I only came today because I had a test." Will responded.

"The test in Calculus? I'm hoping for at least a C." Lucas said.

"I'd be lucky if I got a D." Darren added. Lucas sighed as he turned to look at him.

"I'm sure you did fine, okay?" Lucas said. Darren nodded before sighing.

"What is Calculus even needed for?" Max asked.

"A lot of things. Engineering, business, architecture.." Dustin replied. Max nodded a bit.

"Huh.. so what you're basically saying is that I don't need it?" Max asked. Dustin rolled his eyes as everyone laughed. Will watched as everyone continued to talk as he thought to himself. Things were definitely starting to get better. He felt the happiest he'd been in months, but when he thought about Mike possibly coming back soon, he had mixed feelings. He was worried it might make things awkward or worse, he might get hurt again, but deep down, he also wondered if it might fix things. He sighed to himself before deciding not to think about it anymore.

To be continued..

an: hope you enjoyed!

kinda short but 🫶