Please stay M.M

Part 17

We pulled up in a field and started working on our projects, Steve Robin and I filling bottles with gas and cloth, Eddie and Dustin mailing shields, Erica and Lucas making spears and finally max watched Nancy make adjustments to her gun.
" I mean it just doesn't make sense." Steve spoke up
"What doesn't make sense?" Robin asked
"That was Dan Shelter...."
The older two voices faded in silence as I zoned out, emptying more bottle to be filled. I stared at max as her and Nancy spoke.
The afternoon sun captured her freckles beautifully, and her hair- god I could stare at her forever. She would never have to acknowledge me, and I would forever be intoxicated by her. Her voice, her beauty, just her aura. She was someone that made everyone calm whenever she was around. Thats what makes me love her.
Her jacket framed her perfectly as she watched Nancy aim the gun, beside them Eddie and Dustin pretended to fight each other with the shields and the Sinclair siblings tested the agility of the spears.
"Hey" Steve nudged me holding up one of the bottle he looked between robin and I
"To killing Vecna"
Robin picked up another bottle
"Slash Henry"
I picked up another
"Slash one"
All three of us clicking the necks of the bottles together, with reassuring smiles planted on our faces.
We all sat in the van no one daring to speak over the sound of separate ways playing softly on the radio.
Dustin robin and Eddie sat along the back seat, max and I either side of the table, Erica and Lucas on the couch behind Steve's chair and Nancy in the passenger seat.
We all looked out our respective windows dreading the night ahead, secretly praying the night would end in victory.
The van slowly pulled up in front of the creek house, I turned to look at the three in the back. With a tight lipped smiled I gave them a nod and I stood up. Max, Lucas, Erica and I exiting the van. We paused on the footpath as the others left, we stared at the house dreading what might happen. I grabbed max hand with mine locking eyes both of ours filled with fear, we looked back at the stairs and walked up.

We set up our note pads and lanterns. The four of us circling inside the house in an attempt to find Vecna. Erica walked into the room I was in scaring me she held up her note
'Found Vecna'
I followed her to get the others when we got downstairs to see Erica's lantern it illuminated the whole room, brighter than ever.
Max looked back at us and Erica started to write again.
'Phase one?'
Lucas and I nodded our heads as Erica made her way across the road to the rocket playground to wait and signal the older teens in the upsidedown.
Lucas continued to Walt's around the house looking for any deeper details max and I sat in the living area on the couch's opposite each other. The sound of Kate bush softly played through her headphones.
She grabbed her notepad and pen
'Hi'
I grabbed mine to continue the conversation
'Hi :)'
Max had a small smile on her face as she wrote and held up her note
'I'm glad you're here'
I smiled back at her
'Me too!'   
I wrote again
'Movie friday?'
Her face changed a little concerning me I tried peeking at her response but she hid it, concentrating on her note, it made her forehead wrinkle a little

Cute

As she flipped the notepad around there was a picture of two stick figures holding hand sitting in a cinema.
We both beamed at each other slightly chuckling.
I noticed the flickering light through the boarded up window. Rushing over grabbing our own signalling back to Erica that we are starting phase two. We turned around to see Lucas walking in.
'Phase two?'  I nodded to him as we got ready to bait Vecna.
Max stood up and walked back into the room with Erica's lantern still glowing, she looked back to me before taking off her headphones and stopping the music.
"Hey! Asshole! I'm here" the first words were finally spoken since we had left the field. "No more music, no more games. Do you hear me! What are you waiting for? Huh! Do you want me or not!"
Erica's lantern faded and max lit up as we started following the glowing torch up the stair towards the attic.
When we got there max got to the middle of the room where the lantern was brighter than ever, all three of us exchanged looks. Suddenly it faded.
"What are you waiting for asshole? Hmm I'm right here. I'm right here! I know you can hear me. I know you can read my thoughts. Even the worst ones. Maybe mostly the worst ones." Max put the lantern down, hand me her Walkman to put in my back pack.

She sat beside the lantern in front of a few scattered crates. Lucas and I looked at each other confused before focusing on max to make sure she was ok.
"I thought about what you said. About how I wanted my brother to die. I thought that you were just trying to upset me. To anger me. But you weren't were you?" I was a little shocked and max made no effort to look and me or Lucas, she was only focus on the lantern.
"You were just telling the truth, billy he, he made my life a living hell. Every chance he got. So sometimes. I would lay in bed at night. I would pray, I would pray that something would happen to him" Max's confession made me gulp, I looked to Lucas to see if he had any idea about this, is confused eyes gave me my answer.
" I knew that he drove to fast so, I would imagine him crashing. Dying in that stupid car. I just- I wanted him out of my life. Forever. I wanted him to disappear. The day that he died. I think that's why I just stood there and watched. Not because I was scared or weak but because I didn't know if he deserved to be saved. But after I doubted myself. I tried but I can't. So now- now when I lie in bed a night. I pray. I pray that something will happen to me. That something terrible will happen to me. So that's why I'm here. I just want you to take me away. And I want you- to make me disappear"

Max's voice croaked, trying to hold back tears.
I on the other hand didn't know what to do, did max not want Lucas and I to save her? Did she  not want to come back?

A.N
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So close I think I can taste it
Can I do four updates in one day?
Yes. I believe
3 down 1 to go?
I think
Idk someone count for me😂