𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻.

eighteen.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐒

edited.
1570 words.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"Why is this so hard?"

y/n sat on the skateboard, pouting. She should've just gone with Dustin to solve the Russian puzzle instead of voluntarily bruising herself over and over again. However Dustin had told her not to worry about it and go have fun so here she was.

Max smiled, rolling her eyes at the girl's over dramatics. "Just work on your balance, here." She helped her friend up, y/n standing on the skateboard once again. "Okay so don't move."

Max slowly pushed her slightly, smiling as y/n was able to keep her balance. She had made it her life's mission to teach y/n how to skateboard by the end of summer. It was a good pastime seeing as their friends were often busy.

y/n had no problem hanging out with Max, in fact she loved it. She and Max had grown even closer than she and Eleven were, due to the fact they had barely seen each other all summer. There was just one small problem.

Billy Hargrove.

y/n refused to be anywhere near the boy after he had attacked Lucas and Steve, along with almost knocking her unconscious. He hadn't bothered them since their battle against the demodogs but y/n was still wary, thus the reason she hadn't been swimming all summer.

"Good now just do the same thing, except push yourself forward with your back foot." Max instructed, y/n doing as told. She went forward quite a bit before rolling over a pebble, slipping and falling onto her back.

"Shit! y/n!" Max knelt beside her, helping her friend to her feet, a shadow being cast over them. The two girls looked up, finding Eleven standing above them, Max's skateboard in hand.

It was strange.

For one, Max thought Eleven didn't like her very much. The two had barely been able to hold one conversation so it was unexpected that she showed up at her house. And for y/n...she was too shocked for words.

All summer Eleven had been with Mike, not even sparing a thought to her sister. It upset y/n but she supposed Eleven didn't know any better, after all it hadn't been long since she had escaped from Hawkins lab.

So she decided to put her anger behind her.

"El? Why're you here?" Max helped the girl to her feet, y/n taking the skateboard. Eleven glanced between the two girls, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Can we talk?

***

"A-And then he said he missed me. And then he just hung up."

y/n listened as Eleven explained her boy problems. She had been hoping she had come because she wanted to hangout but it turns out she just needed help with Mike. The girl sighed, laying across the bed behind Eleven, watching as Max paced back and forth.

She decided to let Max handle this since she had more experience fighting boyfriends. y/n and Dustin never fought. They always got along and when they didn't they made sure not to escalate it to a fight because y/n didn't like yelling.

"He's a piece of shit." Max concluded.

Eleven looked at her in confusion. "What?" Max continued pacing, making arm gestures. "Mike doesn't have jack shit to do today and his nana obviously isn't sick." She stopped in front of Eleven, leaning close.

"I guarantee you, him and Lucas are playing atari right now."

"But- friends don't lie?"

y/n sighed, she had come to know that the saying wasn't fully true. Her friends had taught her sometimes you have to lie to keep others safe. However El and Mike had been lying all summer, something she did not appreciate.