"and that was the last we ever saw of her. after that she was just gone." said lucas, after just explaining to max what happened to will, and about el and the upside down.
"i can't believe it's been that long. feels like yesterday." i say, with sadness on my face, almost in tears from missing my friend. max out her hand on my thigh like she usually did to try and comfort me, but again, she was just opening my cuts back up but had no idea. i flinched again and this time she noticed. she chose to ignore it for the time being.
"yeah. i mean, i bet. wow." max uttered.
"it's crazy, i know." lucas said.
"it's crazy, but... i really liked it." responded max, me and lucas looking confused.
"liked it?" lucas repeated.
"yeah. well i mean, i had a few issues." she said.
"issues?" i repeated.
"i felt it was a little derivative in parts."
"what are you talking about?" i asked.
"i just wish it had a little more originality, that's all." she said.
"you don't believe us?" lucas questioned.
"lucas. y/n. come on, seriously? how gullible do you think i am?" she joked.
"why would we make this up?" lucas shouted, getting angry now. i put my hand on her thigh to comfort her this time, but she just pushed it off.
"i don't know. to impress me or something? or you're both just, like insane."
"we tell you all of this. i mean, top secret stuff. risking our lives, and this is how you react?" he shouts, even louder this time.
"risking your lives?" she chuckles.
"oh, so this is funny to you?" he shouts, getting louder with every word.
"yeah, i mean...kind of funny. stupid, but funny."
she goes to walk out the room and i follow her.
"where are you going?" lucas asks.
"following max." i say.
"story times over, isn't it?" she answered, us both walking out the door.
"what's wrong with you both? max, i gave you what you wanted."
"i wanted to be a part of the group, not a part of some joke."
"it's not a joke." lucas answered, telling the truth.
"you did a good job, okay? you can go tell the boys i believed your lies if it gets you experience points or whatever. i'm taking y/n." she said, grabbing my hand and started walking. he stopped us.
"we have a lot of rules in our party, but the most important is, 'friends don't lie.' never ever, no matter what." he said, quoting el making me emotional again.
"is that right?" max asked. pulling me away with her, us hand in hand still.
"then how do you explain this?" she asked, pulling the 'out of order' sign off the dig dug machine.
"i had to do that. to protect you both." he answered.
"to protect us from who, exactly? the big bad government baddies from hawkins lab?"
"lower your voice" lucas responded.
"maybe it was to protect us from the demogorgan from another dimension?"
"max, i'm serious, shut up!"
"oh, no, no! you know what it was? it was eleven. the girl-" lucas stopped her but putting his hand over her mouth.
"stop talking. you're going to get us killed. do you understand?" he whispered, me next to max, her clutching my hand harder than ever. she eventually lets go and her face looks shocked, realising everything he had just told her was true. she grabbed his arm and lowered it from her mouth.
"you're serious?" she asked.
"i really wish we wasn't." he responded.
she shook her head.
"prove it." she says. damn she's cute.
" i can't."
so what? i'm supposed to just trust you?" she asks.
"yes." we both respond in sinc.
we then heard a car engine outside and looked over to the window. max grabbed her bag, and walked off, realising it was her brother.
"shit. i gotta go. um-"
she grabbed lucas's hand, making me jealous again.
"don't follow me out, okay?" she asks lucas. she gives me a quick hug, and whispers in my ear,
"see you later cutie." then smiling at me and walking off.
"do you believe us?" he asks, max walking outside.
she got in the car, me watching her with my head tilted. oh god, she called me cute. i loved it when she called me that. when we realised the car had drove away from the door, me and lucas ran out, max looking back, smiling and waving at me. i did the same back while the car was driving off.
"are you and max a thing?" lucas asked me. i panicked, not knowing what to say. i had wanted to tell them i like girls for the longest time, but had never worked up the courage to do it.
"y/n/n?" he asked, me just staring at the floor.
"what? oh no way. ew, i don't even like girls."
i lied. i loved girls, especially this one girl, and her name is maxine mayfield.
