Salt To The Wound (A Stranger Things Story)

Season 1-Chapter 18: Back to Normal (Max POV

With Will moving to God knows where there wasn't really anyone she knew in her neighborhood now. Although she didn't mind it too much in since she quite enjoyed being alone, but at the same time she misses when everything was easier. When her family was still alive, when she was really close to her friends, when she could easily talk to people in since she was so popular. She indirectly blames herself for everything changing in since she had an opportunity to save both Billy and her grandmother's life, but didn't. Maybe of she did save them both then she would still be close to her friends but what can she do now.

It was the same thing every single day she would wake up at around 7, skip breakfast and ride the bus to school. She would stay silent the whole ride there and she would meet up with Will and they would just talk and go to their 1st period. But she could feel Will drifting away from her, I mean of course he would. Lucas and Dustin were so much better and so was El and so was his boyfriend. She can't compete with them, so she didn't try. And now she was spending Christmas alone. Her doorbell rang and when she opened it it was Lucas. "Uhm hey Max wanna spend Christmas together?" He said blushing and Max smiled, she moved ti the side so he could come in.

"Sorry the place looks a mess I haven't really been up to cleaning it," she said walking to her room. "So your grandmother is doing what now?" Lucas asked. "Uh didn't I tell you she's on a cruise," Max said lying as she forgot her other lies. And now they're piling up. "You said she was on vacation wait max why are you lying to me? What's really going on?" Lucas asked and Max froze. "I-i-i uh she came back and went on a cruise" Max lied again but Lucas wasn't buying it. "Tell me what's wrong," he said and Max couldn't lie anymore. "My grandma died of a heart attack that night I went to the arcade with el," she said quietly and Lucas looked like he wanted to console her. He hugged her and she hugged him back, truth is Max always kinda liked Lucas more than the rest, not more than El but more than Mike and Dustin.

They hung out for awhile playing games and watching TV. They drunk hot coco while talking about their lives. They laughed together more than Max has laughed in the past 8 months. She was having genuine fun, and Max started to wonder maybe she liked Lucas. Max always knew she was into boys and girls all her life but onky really liked girls but there was something about Lucas that made her like him but she couldn't put her finger on it. And when they were watching Rudolph she contemplated. She really wanted to kiss Lucas but would he be mad at her, she didn't know. "Uh do I have something on my face?" He said and she quickly looked forward realizing she was staring. "You know Max you look great today," Lucas said trying to flirt in his own dorky way. "Oh shut up I know I'm flawless," Max said pushing her hair back and Lucas chuckled. They smiled at each other and both wanted to be something more.

Lucas asked to hang out this Saturday and so max put on her coat took her wallet and put on her beanie. She left the house and rode on her bike all the way to Lucas' house. "Hey," he said walking outside picking up his bike "hey," she said back and they both rode away to the arcade. She needed to get over her fear of it, no one was going to die this time, she kept telling herself. And so they played a whole lot of games, Max naturally won them all. But she was having a lot of fun with Lucas like way more fun than she ever had with El.

Max took out her wallet to pay for the food "Oh don't worry I got it," Lucas said giving the waiter money. "Is this a date?" Max asked jokingly "it can be,"Lucas said and Max blushed a little. She was happy at this and maybe Lucas could make her truly happy again. She hasn't had this much fun or been this happy since last summer on that beach. And so they ate their food and walked to their bikes. Max turned to look at Lucas and he was smiling looking ahead and Max held his hand. Lucas turned to look at their hands and back at Max and Max smiled at him. Then they kissed quickly but it still happened and it made Max feel so much better. But she wondered what they were at this point, maybe it was a platonic kiss she thought to herself but quickly pushed those thoughts aside. She now had a boyfriend.

The next day Max decided that she was going to go hangout with Mike like she used to, back when they were bestfriends. She really wanted things to go back to how it was and maybe it would. She knocked on the door and nobody answered and Max was sort of confused but brushed it off, maybe he was off at Wills and so she went home. When she did she git a call from Will. "Hey can you tell Mike to answer his phone," he asked over the phone "uhm he's not at your house?" She asked him, and no he wasn't. And so Max texted El, Lucas, Dustin, and Troy, none of them knew where he was. And to them, Mike went missing.

Ily ❤️ 💙 💜 💖 💗 💘