Daisies || Max Mayfield

44: Fanta

Both my hands were wrapped in bandages, which is so super useful when you're trying to do literally anything. Nancy said I should drink some water or something because apparently, I look dehydrated. I got a bottle of Fanta but couldn't even open it. In the end, because I refused to ask anyone, I broke the end off and just started drinking from the broken edges.

El was sitting in front of all the freezers, with the doors open while we sat around in groups around her. Lucas and Max, then Will and Mike, Jonathan and Nancy, and finally me, alone. Because haha, I'm the odd one out.

Lucas cracked open a can of new coke, causing Max to turn and glare at him.

"Quiet."

"Sorry." He muttered. He took a loud sip.

Mike made a face. "How do you even drink that?"

"Because it's delicious."

Everyone frowned. "What?"

"It's like Carpenter's The Thing." He began. "The original is a classic, no question about it. But the remake?" He took another loud sip, sighing obnoxiously afterward. "Sweeter, bolder, better."

"Isn't that just the ad?" I asked.

"It is not."

"You're insane," Mike said.

"So, you prefer the original thing?"

"What? No, I'm not talking about the thing, I'm talking about new coke!"

"It's the same concept dude."

"Uh, actually it's not the same concept-"

"It is the same concept."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is!"

"Hey!" El took the blindfold off, scowling.

"Sorry," Mike muttered. "Did you find him?"

She nodded.

"Good." He rushed over to help her up, while Lucas and Will pushed the carts of fireworks out the door. "Where?"

"Movies."

"Dustin's so freaked out about the gate he decides to go watch a movie?" Lucas complained. "Yeah, makes total sense."

"It's possible he said great, not gate," Max said.

"Sounded like a gate." Mike pointed out.

"Yeah, which would explain how the mind flayer's still alive," Will added.

"We just have to shut it again," Lucas said. 

"Then the monster dies."

"But if not, we always have Lucas's fireworks!" She laughed.

"Keep mocking my plan Max, keep mocking it. I wanna hear you say it again, because you keep doubting me."

"There's no room in the car for those." I pointed out, climbing in the trunk.

"Make it work." Lucas laughed, tossing a few boxes at me.

The mall was closed when we got there. Steve's car was in the parking lot though. I took his spare set of mall keys from the glove box because the dumbass doesn't lock his car doors. There was a weird keycard on it, something new.

We snuck in the back, hauling a ton of fireworks up the back stairs and onto the second story of the mall. Everyone was tired and pissy by then, but we had another problem.