talk too much | max mayfield

36. dear nora

DEAR NORA

✧･ﾟ: * "Max, Max! Seriously. Seriously, I'm not joking, okay? I'm not driving you anywhere," Steve speedwalks up beside Max as Nora, Lucas, and Dustin trail a little behind the redhead itching to get to East Hawkins.

"Steve, if you think I'm going to spend what is likely my last day of my life in the armpit that is Mike Wheeler's basement, then you're out of your mind. So, either take me where I need to go, or you're going to have to tie me down, which is technically kidnapping a minor. And if I live to see another day, I swear to God, Steve, I will prosecute."

And the group finally arrive at Steve's car, but when Max tries the door, it's locked.

"Open the door."

"Uh, no."

"I know a good lawyer."

Steve scoffs and searches through his pockets for his keys.

"Henderson, that superwalkie of yours better reach Pennhurst."

They all get in the car, Nora moving to the passenger side when Dustin gets there first.

They have a staring contest for a bit, but Dustin's hands were on the handle, so he slipped in before Nora could shove him out of the way.

She scoffs as the door slams in her face, and grimaces slightly when she sees Lucas standing behind her with the door to the backseat open, making her take the seat that's not really a seat in the middle that will surely leave her squished up against Max, the last person who wants to see her right now probably.

She gets in soundlessly to see Max immediately putting on her headphones, allowing her music to softly leak through.

Nora then reaches for the letter she had stuffed into Lucas' letterman jacket earlier, turning it over in her hands as Steve drives to wherever Max ordered him to take her.

Nora looks at the redhead as if she's about to say something, but isn't sure the right words to say to someone who'd death has been prophesied, y'know?

Steve eventually turns into Max's trailer and the girl gets out as soon as the car stops.

"This better be fast, Mayfield," Steve calls after her.

"Twenty seconds!"

"Can I go change?" Nora moves to vacant seat Max left behind, pulling her skirt down in the process. "Our house is right there," she tries, knowing Steve will sigh exasperatedly at her request.

He does before unlocking the car again. "If you can do it in under 20 seconds."

"Back in ten," Nora runs out of the car and around the back of Max's trailer to throw on whatever jeans and t-shirt of Steve's she finds lying around.

It definitely took more than ten seconds, so Nora quickly grabs Lucas' jacket on her way out and takes the shortcut through the back of Max's trailer again to get to the car before Steve leaves without her.

"Max?" Nora finds the redhead standing straight up and staring at something in the distance. "Max!" Nora runs up to her, but as soon as she reaches out to grab her, Max falls backwards, the momentum causing the two to fall onto each other. "Max, hey," Nora tries turning the girl around to make sure she is, in fact, still alive. "What just happened?"

"Nothing," Max stands up just as quickly as she fell and dusts herself off. "Sorry, it was nothing," and walks back towards the car.

"Max!"

"Your brother's waiting!" She doesn't look back.

—

✧･ﾟ: * "Turn here."

"Here?"

Max just nods to Dustin's confirmation as Steve turns into the Roane Hill Cemetery.

Where Billy's buried.

Max gives out a few more instructions before telling Steve to stop somewhere and getting out of the car, another letter in hand.

"Max," Nora follows after despite the fact that she knows the redhead won't like it very much.

"Nora, please, just wait in the car," her suspicions were correct.

"Max, just wait. Please, wait," Nora runs up to her, stopping her before she can walk any further. "Just listen, please just listen to me."

"What?" Max stares unamused.

"I know something happened back there. I mean, obviously, but. . . was it Vecna?"

Max shifts her gaze to the ground. "I told you, it was nothing," she then looks up and gives Nora a bullshit smile that the girl can see right through.

"Max. . . you can talk to me. Please, just talk to me."

"I do talk to you-"

"No," Nora feels like she's finally found the words she needs to say. "You keep pushing me away. Look, I don't need a letter. I don't want a letter. Just talk to me. And don't give me that bullshit 'jealousy' stuff again, okay, just tell me. . . tell me what you wrote in here even," Nora shakes the letter a bit, desperate for any sort of reaction from Max.

Max pauses for an insane amount of time and Nora's fully ready for her to just walk away and dismiss her as always, but the girl's demeanor surprisingly softens and she looks at Nora with a different look in her eyes.

"I'm not mad at you," she references the nickname conversation they had earlier. "I'm mad at myself." Nora stays quiet so she can explain herself. "I wrote about how sorry I was, and how I shouldn't have pushed you away like that, and I know you were only trying to help and. . . and be there for me, and how I'm so sorry I didn't let you. I think. . . I was scared. I was scared of losing someone else- losing someone else that I loved. . . and I'm sorry."

Nora has no idea how to even begin to respond, so she throws her arms around the redhead, desperate to stay in this moment. Max slowly hugs her back, the girls' arms tightening around each other for the first time in far too long.

"I'll be right back," Max mutters in Nora's ear, finally loosening her grip after a few minutes. Nora pulls away as well and pretends she wasn't crying. "Go wait in the car," Max's eyes also spill over a little with tears and two girls laugh at the others watery appearance.

"Don't be too long," Nora nods.

"You sound like Steve."

"Oh, God, take it back."

Max laughs again and Nora wishes she could hear that sound for every second of the rest of her life, but doesn't dwell too much on it as she goes back to sit in Steve's car, ignoring the looks the other's give her.

a/n:
thoughts on love triangles