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Ya'll are gonna hate me. ♡
***
It's now June. Dustin would be coming back from camp soon and the whole party was excited to go to the new mall every single day. When Dustin got back, however, he broke off and hung out with Steve at scoops. Will, Lucas, and Mike had played d&d in the basement. Max and El were all over town. At the cabin, the wheelers, Billy's house, and the mall. Billy had gotten a job at the public pool. He was suppose to take someone out on a date but Max hadn't asked yet.
Something Max noticed was that Billy and Will were acting weird. The whole group was, until they finally told her what was going on. They were talking about the upside down. She hadn't told anyone Billy was acting weird until now. They had El spy on him, seeing him doing something to Heather. Max quickly explained it could've been happy screams which everyone asked what happy screams were. She ignored it and they planned to test him.
And that's how we got here, Billy being locked in the hot Sauna. Max was staring at her brother, trying to be as strong as she can. He was banging on the door, begging to be let out. Max was holding onto Mike's arm, crying into his shoulder.
"Let him out," she whispered. Will went and put the heat up. Max sobbed into her brother's arm. "Max," she looked up at where the voice came from. Billy looked at her for a second before falling to the ground wailing.
"We're at 220."
"It's not my fault Max, it's not may fault." The crying girl walked up to the door. She watched her brother crumble to the floor. "What's not your fault Billy?"
"He made me do it."
"Who?"
"I don't know it's like a shadow."
"Billy I want to help you."
"It's not my fault, please believe me Max."
The two siblings sobbed, being separated by the door. She turned back to her friends, "let him out!" She saw Will whisper something to Mike. Max turned back to Billy before being tackled to the ground. "LUCAS! LET GO OF ME!"
No one wanted her to see what was going to happen next. Lucas held her back as Billy burst the door open. Max was left sobbing as Billy choked El. He stared right as her as he did it. Mike hit Billy on the head with a metal rod. Lucas held her as she screamed.
After El had saved Mike once again, she ran over to the redhead that was now on the floor sobbing. Her head was resting on Lucas's lap. The two teens looked at each other before looking back down at Max. "H-hes all I have left! Don't take him too."
Weather or not that was entirely true, he was the one who took care of her for seven years. They could all understand where she was coming from. Will walked over to the three teens huddled together. He stroked Max's hair. "We're gonna save him, I promise you Max. We're gonna do everything in our power to keep him alive. We would never, ever wanna take him away from you."
Mike's heart hurt for his sister. She had been through so much and she could possibly be losing the last piece she had. Whatever happened, he was going to be there for her. Every step of the way.
***
"El?'
"Yeah?"
El was braiding Max's hair, waiting for the girl to go to sleep. "Please don't hurt him."
"I wouldn't ever think about it!"
"I need him."
"I know you do Maxie."
"I can't lose him."
"And you won't."
"Okay, we can sleep now."
Max laid down, resting her head on El's arm. El played with Max's hair, getting out her wonder woman comic from the bedside table. "Thank you for showing me this, she's so cool!"
"She's like you."
"Really? How?"
"Well she's super cool and a total badass! She doesn't need a man to tell her what to do."
"Bitchin'."
"Bitchin' huh, I like that!"
El smiled before she started to softly read to her. The redhead felt her eyes droop before she fell asleep in El's tight embrace.
