MIKE WHEELER WAS shocked out of his mind. The girl he hadn't given up on for a year only wanted to be his friend.

"Wh-what?" The boy asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the girl in the blue dress in front of him. She looked down at the floor before nodding her head as she looked back up.

"I'm sorry Mike," the girl with the secret muttered softly. I don't think I want this."

The boy stood there, staring at his first crush as tears brimmed his eyes. This was the worst way to spend his Snowball.

"When did you learn to say that?" He questioned, his anger began to creep into his voice. The girl raised an eyebrow at his tone, causing her lower lip to quiver.

"Mike, don't be mad," she pleaded. "Please."

He wanted to cry, wanted to let everyone know how angry he was. But he didn't. He just sighed and looked down at the ground, hanging his head.

"Goodbye Mike," Eleven spoke, lifting up his chin. "I'll see you in school."

His eyes widened as she flashed a small smile before walking away, towards the direction of the gymnasium seats. He couldn't help but stare as she walked off. Was this real? Was this just a bad dream?

He pinched his arm and squinted his eyes, but when he opened them again he found it was all real.

Mike Wheeler was heartbroken. He knew that he was lucky she didn't want completely out of his life, but no one truly understood his love for this girl. He loved her more than Dustin Henderson loved his new teeth.

Little did he know that heartbreak was only the beginning.

∞

Mike Wheeler found himself sitting in the fort he had made for El that night when he got home. He stared at his walkie-talkie, in which he used to call her for a year straight. He felt anger surge through him before he got up and stared down at the fort. He let out a frustrated grunt before he began to take it down. He tore it down piece by piece, making sure nothing was left behind.

Mike wasn't the same. In fact, he would never be the same again.

"Why doesn't she love me anymore?" He questioned himself as he stared at the space where her fort used to be. "I loved, no I love, her with all my heart, why doesn't she love me back?"

So many questions ran through his mind, but he couldn't find an answer to any of them. He gripped fistfuls of his hair as he began to catch a migraine. He was still in his Snowball clothes as he ran up the stairs of his basement and next up the stairs that led to the second floor of his house. His older sister, Nancy, had just walked through the front door as he slammed his room door shut.

"Mike?" She called out, her footsteps being heard on the steps. Mike began to sob as he sat down on his bed, holding his head in his hands. His door creaked open, and he only looked up for a quick moment to see who it was. "Mike, why are you crying? Why did you leave the Snowball so early?"

Mike didn't respond as he felt the part of the mattress beside him dip down and his sister's arm wrapped around his shoulders. He couldn't help but bury his face in her chest as tears flowed down his face.

"Why doesn't she love me Nancy?" He sobbed into her dress as she rubbed his back. "What did I do wrong?"

"Mike, what do you mean?" She inquired, gently pushing his shoulders back to look into his teary eyes.

"El," he wailed. "She doesn't love me!"

Nancy sighed as he buried his face back into her chest. "Wh-what did she say to you?" She queried, pushing his shoulders back once again.

Mike rubbed his nose and tried his best to wipe his tears away. "She only wants to be my friend. But Nancy, I love her!" He cried.

She took a deep breath and ruffled his hair. "Mike, at least she wants to be friends. It's not that she doesn't love you, she just-"

"She just doesn't love me in the way I love her," he grumbled, looking down at his hands. "But it's not fair. Why can't things go the way I want them to?"

"Well, things never go the ways we want them too," she sighed. "And I think you should respect what El wants. No matter how you feel. You can't force her to be with you, it'll make her unhappy. You have to respect other people's feelings too."

Mike let out a sigh before nodding his head. "Thanks Nance," he muttered. "I guess."

She gave him a weak smile before pulling him into one more hug. "Get some sleep." He watched his sister walk out of his room and close the door behind her before he got up.

He walked towards his closet and grabbed his blue striped pajamas. He took his formal wear off the fastest he could before slipping his pajamas on. He walked over to his bed and laid down before pulling the covers over him.

He tossed and turned, trying to get her off his mind but it seemed impossible. How could he ever get over this? He thought for sure she had liked him back, after all the two of them had kissed before.

'See you in school.'

He groaned and threw his face down against his pillow.

He'd have to deal with seeing her in school too.