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CHAPTER 15
"Oh God!" Peri cries out, her voice muffled by her hand.
"The music! We need the music!" Diana yells. She's pacing now. Max's arm is broken and mangled and her eyes have began to bleed.
"Her eyes, oh-," Peri starts.
"Stay focused! What can we do?" Diana says.
"I don't know!" Peri cries. Her mascara is smudged and she can't tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her. Diana remembers the plan, Eddie should be shredding on his guitar right now, and Robin should be attacking Vecna. What else did Nancy say? Oh- The Grinch!
"We have to sing," Diana whispers. "Like at the end of the Grinch where they all come together and sing."
"Her favorite song is by Kate Bush," Peri remembers, preparing herself. "Running up that hill." Diana clears her throat.
"And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God," Diana starts, recalling the tune that was playing over Max's headphones earlier.
"I'd get him to swap our places," Peri continues. Their plan seemed to be working, before Max's leg snapped. Peri's singing was cut off by a scream. She looked terrified.
"Keep singing! Be running up that hill," Diana says, tears streaming down her face. Peri nods, her face red. She wipes her tears away.
"Be running up that building," Peri cries loudly, but the song seems to work. Max's floating stops. Her trance is stopped too, and she turns her head, still midair.
"Where am I? Peri? Diana?" Max's voice is shaky, and she sounds scared. Suddenly, Max falls. The drop was about eight feet down, and Peri rushed to her side.
"Diana, you have to help," Peri cried.
"I don't want to die," Max whispers. "Please, I want to live," Her eyes were still bloody, and rolled back. "I know I used to ask God to put me with Billy, but I-."
"Hey, Max, you'll be okay," Peri whispers back to her girlfriend, "I love you so much." Peri lightly peppered kisses on her girlfriend's broken face. Diana stood, and gave Peri a look.
"We need to get her to a hospital," Diana says, and she gestures to her car. Peri nods, and Diana bends down to pick Max up.
"Ow, stop, please, stop!" Max yells, but Diana ignores her. Peri grasps Max's legs, her broken one beginning to swell. Diana was carrying Max's shoulders and Peri was holding her legs. They walked to the stairs, occasionally talking to keep Max awake.
"Max, once we get out of here, I'm paying for you and Peri at Enzo's," Diana says, carefully stepping backwards down the stairs. Max smiles, but doesn't speak.
"I'm getting the chicken parmesan," Peri smiles back. Max says nothing, and that catches Diana's attention.
"Hey, Max, we should see Top Gun again," Diana says, trying to get a response, "Tom Cruise was pretty hot!" Max says nothing, and she doesn't smile.
"Fuck!" Peri yells, trying to speed out the front door.
"Okay, hurry!" Diana speed-walks down the sidewalk, arriving at her car.
"Backdoor," Peri says, and Diana wriggles her hand to the door handle, opening it. They carefully slide Max into the seat. The door is slammed shut, and Peri slides into the passenger seat. Diana runs to the front door, and slides in. She turns the key in the ignition, and puts the car in drive.
-
Max was in a coma. She had been for a week. Peri never left her side, and she was reading to her everyday. Diana stayed for the first night, but she went home after that. Diana hadn't seen anyone from her group in that week. She hadn't left her room. As far as she knew, Vecna had been defeated. Steve had tried to talk to her, but she'd turned him away. But, a knock at her door signaled that someone was there.
"Go away," Diana whispered, just loud enough for the offender to hear.
"It's me," Diana recognized the voice immediately. She didn't reply until the handle turned.
"I don't want you to see me like this," Diana whispered.
"I'm your girlfriend," Robin said, sitting at the end of the bed. "And I'll love you however you look."
"I just... I can't," Diana whispered. She looked at her girlfriend. Diana never realized that they'd made it official, and she also never realized they'd said the "L" word yet.
"The funeral is this weekend," Robin said, "And we want you to be there," Diana knew that Hawkins was having a funeral for everyone who died, but she didn't want to go. She'd seen Max in that situation, and she'd never be able to forget.
"I can't," Diana repeated. She loved Robin and this town, but every time she closed her eyes, there Max was.
"Okay," Robin agreed, not wanting to push anymore. She crawled in bed, next to her girlfriend who laid frozen.
"I love you, too, by the way," Diana said, her heart beating quickly. Robin didn't respond, but instead she placed a kiss on Diana's neck. "I want to move on, but I... this town," Diana started.
"Hawkins will never be the same," Robin said, hand around Diana's waist.
"I can't stay here," Diana whispered.
"What about your aunt? Dustin?" Robin started, "What about me?"
"Come with me, we could move to New York," Diana smiled, "Have a little apartment of our own."
"What about all of your friends? Steve?" Robin continued.
"Hey, he can come too," Diana said. "I'm tired of not being able to live my life, I lost my childhood to this town."
"I agree," Robin said, "We should be able to be ourselves and not worry if we're going to die."
"I love you, so much," Dian turned to face her girlfriend. "You could... You could graduate early and we could go to New York, next week."
"Whatever you say," Robin agreed, mindlessly. She really loved Diana, and whatever made her happy, she would do. Robin had never been in love before, and she'd never felt so willing to throw everything away for Diana's happiness. Diana smiled, and kissed Robin's nose. "We'll have to get an apartment for all of us gays, us and Steve and Eddie." Diana remembered Steve's sad attempts at getting Eddie, and chuckled.
"Are they finally together?" Diana asked.
"While you were sitting alone in here, they told me they got together," Robin smiled, looking at Diana's green eyes.
