Daisies || Max Mayfield

52: Last Day

"Good morning Hawkins High!" Jason shouted into the microphone. "First off, I'd like to thank each and every one of you. Without your support, we wouldn't be here. Give yourselves a big hand!"

I rolled my eyes, checking Max. She glanced up at me, making a face similar to mine. I smiled. She nodded to Lucas, who awkwardly waved. I smiled at him as well.

"Chrissy I love you, babe." Jason continued.

I scoffed.

Max didn't say anything, like usual. She got a lot quieter this year, and she stopped talking to the boys. She says she's fine, but we all know she's not. She and Lucas broke up, like three days after the mall fight. She didn't really ever fully stop talking to me, just talked a lot less

"Think of Billy." He said suddenly. It was all I'd caught, remembering Max before the Mind Flayer.

She immediately tensed up, and I put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't react.

"Think about police chief Jim Hopper." He continued. "Think about each and every one of our friends that perished in that fire. What did they die for? For us to lose to some-some crap school?"

The more he spoke, the more pissed I got. He's using a ton of dead people as motivation for a fucking basketball game.

"Let's win this game!" Jason shouted into the mic. "Let's win this game, for them. And that's exactly what we did!"

Mike rolled his eyes, sitting back down.

"We embarrassed those candy asses in their own house! And tonight, tonight we're gonna bring home the championship trophy! Let's go!"

"Tonight?" Mike asked.

"How is that possible?!" Dustin complained.

 "They call it a tournament," Max said. "You win one game, and then go on until there's only one team left."

Mike groaned, glaring at Jason.

After the pep rally, I followed Mike, Dustin, and Lucas as they argued about dnd.

"Just talk to Eddie?" Mike asked. "Why don't you just talk to your coach and get him to move the game!" 

"I think that's a great idea, Mike."

"Thank you, Dustin."

"This is the championship game!" Lucas said.

"And this is the end of Eddie's campaign!" Dustin added. "A semester of adventuring has led to this moment, and we need you!"

"Yeah, and the tigers don't, you've been on the bench all year," Mike muttered.

"That's not the point!" Lucas said.

"Then please, lead us to the point," Dustin grumbled.

"If I get in good with these guys, then I'll be in the popular crowd." Lucas began. "Then you guys will be too!"

"Sorry, has it ever occurred to you that we don't want to be popular?" Mike asked.

"You wanna be stuck with nerds and freaks for another year?" Lucas asked.

"We are nerds and freaks!" Dustin exclaimed. 

"Yeah, but maybe we don't have to be. Look, I'm tired of being bullied. I'm tired of girls laughing at us, I'm tired of feeling like a loser. We started Junior year wanting things to be different, right? So now we have that chance. I skip tonight, that's all out the window. So I'm asking you guys, as a friend, just talk to Eddie. Get him to move Hellfire. Come to my game. Please." Lucas finished his speech just as the bell rang.

I glanced at the two boys in front of me, Dustin bouncing on his toes. "Shit."

"Daisy we've got English." Mike muttered, checking his watch.

"I know." 

"You're his neighbor, right?" He continued as we walked. "You can talk to Eddie about moving Hellfire too."

"Please, I got up at two am to yell at him last night. I don't think he'd appreciate words from me."

The lunch bell rang, and I started making my way to the cafeteria. As I climbed a set of stairs, I noticed Max and Lucas arguing. She handed him a blue slip of paper and went into the bathroom.

He groaned, staring at the door for a moment before it shut.

"What happened?" I asked, running up to him.

"We just-" He paused. "I said something I shouldn't have. Can you check on her?"

"What did you say?"

"Just go talk to her." He muttered.

"Fine." I walked in the girl's bathroom, the green lighting flickering. She was standing in front of the sink, stuffing something in her bag with it resting on the counter. "Max?"

She snapped her head toward me, glaring. "Oh. Why are you here?"

"Lucas said-"

A girl coughing in one of the stalls interrupted our conversation. I noticed a pair of shoes, and the rest of her bottom kneeled over the toilet on the floor. She had a cheerleading skirt on.

"Are you alright?" Max asked quietly.

A second of silence, and then she replied. "Yes, yes I'm-I'm fine."

I glanced at Max, who took a few steps forward. "Um, you sure?"

"Yes, please just go away." 

Max stared at the stall a bit longer, before I tugged her sleeve and nodded to the door. We left, walking away for lunch. She drifted around the school for lunch, not eating in the cafeteria. Sometimes I went with her if she wanted me to.

"Lunch?" She asked quietly, glancing at me. She waved a dollar in the air, which I took.

"Yeah." I smiled, adjusting my backpack straps.

I waited in line for lunch while Eddie went on a shouting spree about dnd, like usual. I left when he began shouting at Dustin and Mike.

I took my tray, passed over the dollar I owed, and left the cafeteria. Grabbing my skateboard on the way out, I found Max was waiting by the side stairs, where she always hung out. I passed her the tray and dropped my bag on the steps.

"Thanks." She mumbled, taking it.

I smiled, dropping my board and climbing on. I don't eat lunch, so when I sit with her, I get lunch for her, because she hates crowds. 

"No problem." I leaned back, resting the tail of my board on the ground. "Think I can do a kickflip first try?"

"Go for it." She said.

I attempted the trick, absolutely missing the board and landing one foot on the pavement instead. I rolled my eyes, fixing my board, and readying myself to climb back on.

"Oh!" Dustin shouted, running over. "Max! Daisy!"

I frowned, stepping off the board to take to him.

He stopped, panting in front of us. "Will either of you sub for Lucas in Hellfire tonight?"

"I have work," I muttered.

"If I play do I get one of those cool t-shirts?" Max asked.

He laughed. "Yes."

"Really?"

"Everyone gets a t-shirt! We make em ourselves, and if you-" He paused, staring at Max. She had a massive smile on her face, almost fake. "You're being sarcastic."

She smiled, shrugging.

"You're being sarcastic?" He asked as she skated away. He turned to me. "She was being sarcastic."

I nodded.