Please stay M.M

Part 9

I was sitting in the corner of my cousins basement next to the couch, Steve was pacing around not understanding anything Dustin and Lucas where arguing to Steve and max was silently writing endless letters.
The boys bickering was a muffled sound in the background as I zoned out staring at the gorgeous red head. After a second or two of silence Dustin spoke up in a hushed tone, "any idea what she's writing?" Lucas and Steve's head turn to look at max, "did she sleep?" Dustin asked continuing his worry for the girl.
Lucas' head turned to Dustin yet his eyes still glued to max, " I mean. Would you?"
A sound from upstairs caused the startled boys to see Nancy and Robin coming down, "okay, so" the two share a look as Nancy speaks, " we have a plan." I still hadn't acknowledged the girls my eyes too focused on max. I wonder What's running through her head, does she know I'm staring, I can see the little frayed hairs falling out of her ponytail, the blue puffer jacket she stole off me, I started noticing every little thing that I loved about max. Every little that made me fall in love with her. And now she be gone before I even say it to her.
The others were listening to Robin and Nancys plan. Steve chased them up the stairs as he realised he wasn't going with them. I heard they used to date before I moved here, I can definitely tell that Steve is still in love with her. He stares at her like Robin stares at Vickie, like I do at max.
Speaking of she enclosed her last letter in an envelope and turned her head slightly enough that we could see her cheek. "I know you guys are staring at me" she finally spoke, it felt like weeks since I had heard her voice. The boys all try to play it off mumbling as they frantically look anywhere else. "How you think your eyes boring into the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don't know" I knew she was aiming that at me, since I woke up I hadn't let my eyes drift away from her. She walked over shuffling the letters into order to hand them out to us. She stopped to look at the boys on the couch, reading magazines, and Steve throwing a ball into the air, "you can look at me now"
"Thank you" "sorry"
"Sorry"
"Sorry"
"For you" she holds out the first letter to Dustin

"For you" the next to Steve, I never realised he had come back to the basement until now.

"You" then to Lucas
"And you" her voice faded as we locked eyes, she handed me a letter.
"Oh and um, give these to Mike, El, and Will. If you can get ahold of them- again." "W-what are doing? No, don't. That's not for now. Don't open it now."
Dustin's confused eyes looked at max then the letter "don't? Don- okay" he stuttered. "I'm sorry what is this?" She asked after a second of silence
"It's um. It's a fail safe. For after. If things don't work out." My face fell, for the first time today I stopped looking at max, my head hung low cowering between my hands as my elbows rested on my knees.
"Wait, woah. Max, things are gonna workout." Lucas assured
"No!" max cut him off, "no I don't need you to reassure me and tell me it's all gonna work out, because people have been telling me that my entire life and it's almost never true. It's never true. I mean of course this asshole curses me. Should've seen that one coming." Tears streamed down my face as I silently cried, not one of knowing. Max looked over to the table and grabbed the walkie talkie, "if we go to East Hawkins, will this still reach Pennhurst? She asked, everyone's heads turned and I took the moment to wipe my face on my shirt, deleting all evidence of my crying.
"Of course yeah" Dustin replied in a soft voice
"Wait why are we talking about east Hawkins?" Steve asked "no, no, No!"
Max walked out of the house and headed towards Steve's car with all of us following Steve still not pleased with the idea of leaving. "Max, Max. Seriously. Seriously I'm not joking. I'm not driving you anywhere"
"Steve if you think I'm going to spend what is likely the last day of my life I the armpit that is Mike Wheelers basement. Then your out of your mind. Either take me where I need to go or your gonna have to tie me down which is technically kidnapping of a minor and if I live to see another day, Steve, I swear to god. I will prosecute. Open the door" max finally finished her rant Steve scoffed, "uh, no"
"I know a good lawyer" she demanded
"No, cmon," he looked around his eyes landing on me, "Sarah, Mikes basement isn't that bad right?"
"She does know a pretty good lawyer" I stated not looking at Steve, but I could tell he rolled his eyes.
"Henderson, that super walkie of yours better reach Pennhurst." He said climbing into the car. I was shoved into the backseat between Lucas and Max, one I hated the other was ignoring me. The awkward ride finally paused as we got to Max's trailer.
"This better be fast Mayfield"
"Twenty seconds" she ran inside.
"That things got batteries in it, right?"
Dustin scoffed in offence, "I'm not Eve answering that question. Yes it abs batteries"
"Yeah I got it" I swear the two bickered like an old married couple. The wait was silent, almost too silent for my liking, "I'm gonna go check on her"
I slowly got out of the car
"Hey, hey give her a minute" Steve said, I don't know why but I listening waiting another 30 seconds before going into the trailer. "Max?" I searched the house walking through I saw the letter on the table. "Max!" I looked out the window to see her out the back. I opened door and tan out to her, she was having a vision. "Max!" I called out I ran up beside her and grabbed her shoulders shaking her, in the process of her coming back we were thrown backwards falling onto the ground.
"Hey, hey, are you ok?" It was a stupid question but I felt the need to ask. Max just looked at me in horror looking in front of her at the empty yard, "max?" She hugged me shoving her face into my shoulder as I rubbed her back. We stood up, "cmon, we should probably go." I said she nodded following without a sound
"Hey that was longer than 20 seconds," Steve called out all of them standing leaning on the car "hey,hey woah you alright"
"I'm fine just drive" I got in the car, max shortly following both of us dismissing any questions from the others, as we left max stared out the window not daring to look at anyone in the car. However her hand did find its way to mine as she held onto it as if her life depended on it. My thumb caressed the back of her hand as we drove.
"Turn here" she spoke
"Here?" Dustin asked looking back max only nodded in response, this was a place I had become familiar with a week or so ago, it was where Billy's grave was. She got out of the car, Lucas following, god he was a pain in the arse, the kid didn't know when to stop. He argued with her, trying to hand back the letter. She walked off sending him back to the car. We all waited silently as max sat up near Billy's grave. "Alright it's been long enough" Steve got out of the car, I was hot on his tail, as soon as she had left I thought it was too long.
"Steve, Sarah just give her some time" Lucas said sitting on the bonnet of the car
"We have!" I yelled back at him
"I'm calling it if she wants to get a lawyer she can" Steve and I walked up the hill as Dustin and Lucas stayed near the car.
"Max" we both called
"Time to giddy up, yeah?" Steve said, when she didn't move I knew something was wrong I rushed over in front of her and melt down
"Max" Steve and I calling her name and her white eyes rolled around in her head. Our voices slowly getting louder as I rapidly tapped her shoulders and squeezed her arms waiting for some type of response.
"Wake up!" Steve called
"Guys" I called out to the boys, "max please come back" "max come on please" my voice shook with every word I could feel the tears building.
Dustin and Lucas had now joined us in calling out to max.
"Max please!"
"Max!"
Steve gripped Dustin's hoodie, "call Nancy and Robin! Go call them!" He yelled in his face Dustin retreated backwards falling over himself trying to get down the hill
"Max cmon wake up!"
"You gotta get out of there"
"Max can you hear us" our voices getting louder with each word, "max please" I cried out my voice cracking.
"DUSTIN" I yelled he was yelling at Nancy and Robin standing on top of the car roof. He ran back up dropping Max's Walkman and tapes next to us.
"What is it?"
"What's her favourite song?" Dustin demanded, Lucas continued to ask questions as I search the pile for the one and only Kate Bush.
"Here!" I shoved the tape at Dustin who was holding the Walkman. He shoved the tape in as I put the headphones on max and Steve hit play. I grabbed the end and shoved it into her pocket. This was the only time I found myself desperate for her to keep that stupid Walkman on.
"Max cmon!"
"Max wake up!"
"P-lease" Max's no day started to levitate rising up into the air all of us leaning back in fear.
We stood up jumping screaming and I was crying.
"Max" we shouted with our hands cupped around our mouths in an effort to be louder, "max please!" My cries louder than ever, "fight it please!" "Max please"
The boys shouting overlapping my own.
"Max!"
Suddenly her body dropped falling onto me knocking us both down. Her staggered heavy breathing was all I could hear, her body visibly shook as she frantically grabbed for anything I wrapped my arms around her from behind her. She gripped onto my arms, I didn't care about how strong her grip was, I didn't care if I didn't have a voice tomorrow, I didn't care if Lucas was death glaring me. All I cared about was the girl in my arms, the girl I love, the girl I watched almost die. She was the only thing on my mind.
"I love you" I whispered into her ear as she held onto me trying to ground herself, trying to follow my breathing pattern.

A.N
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Sorry if it's a bit long I thought I would be nice and have the whole thing in the same chapter. How are we feeling, so many emotions, does max love Sarah back??????