Salt To The Wound (A Stranger Things Story)

Season 3-Chapter 12: 192 Hours Missing (Maxs POV

Max missed El so much but she couldn't do anything anymore. As far as she knew, El was dead but maybe she wasn't. Max still had hope that El was out there somewhere, after all she didn't see a body

She walked down the hallways, airpids in her ear. She passed by Lucas but didn't talk to him, they didn't really talk anymore. The group was basically split right now, everyone going through their own thing.

"Max I'm glad you could join us today," the teacher said to her and she sat down next to Will. "Max what were the Crusades?," the teacher asked and she eyed him. "Why are you asking me?," she asked and he glared at her. "You should've learned this in your freshman year," he said and she scoffed. "You think I remember that?," she asked and he nodded. "You should," he said and she looked at Will hoping he had the answer but he was barely awake. "I don't know," she said and he turned to look at the samrtboard. "I'm dissapointed," he said and she shrugged. "It's a series of holy wars," he said and she put in an airpod and started watching tiktok. "First your late to my class, and then you can't even answer my question. And now you have the audacity to watch tiktok?" He asked and she put in her other airpod to block him out landing her in detention.

"Max what happened to you? You've been one of the best students in your grade and now your in detention?" The school counselor asked and she shrugged. "You were an A student now you have a D- in history a C in math and a F in English." She said looking at her computer and Max looked at her. "My bestfriend is missing and you expect me to be happy-go-lucky and get straight As and look bright and colorful? Who do you think I am? You all need to fuck off!," she said and the counselor was taken aback. "Max your in a school you need to watch your tone," she said and Max stood up. "You should just suspend me, let me go home," Max said and she looked at her. "Sit down Maxine," she said and Max picked up her backpack and walked out.

She walked inside the house and looked around trying to find something to ease her pain. She ran upstairs to the bathroom and opened the mirror to reveal a bottle of pills. "Oh thank the lord," she said as she took the bottle of pills and grabbed a bottle of water. She took two of them and was feeling much better, at least she felt better. She layed down in her bed and went to sleep.

She woke up and saw El in the distant, around her was black. El looked beaten up and was tied to a chair passed out. She ran over to El but the figure of her dissapeared. "What-El?" She said as the smoke went around the air. She thought that this had to mean something, this wasn't a hallucination, this was a message.

She woke up and got up fast. "What the-," she said as she stumbled when she stood up she looked at her hands that were shaking, she felt off. "El-," she said looking ahead. "She has to be alive-she has to," she said stumbling over to the door. "I have to find her," she said and she walked down the hallway almost tripping a couple of times. Lucas just got back from school, Max kind of forgot they lived together. "Max you look sick," he said and she brushed past him walking outside but then Lucas pulled her back inside. "You look sick," he said and Max looked at him. "I need to find El-now," she said and Lucas eyed her. "El is dead," he said and she looked at him. "I don't believe that, she's alive Lucas." She said and Luca layed her down on the couch. "Your not in the best state of mind, take a nap," he said and she drifted off.

She woke up not remembering what happened earlier. "How long was I sleep for," she asked and he looked at her. "A good 3 hours," he said and she stood up. "What happened?" She asked and he looked back down at his phone. "You were saying you needed to find El because she was alive," he said and she looked at him confusingly. "I don't remember this-" he said and Lucas eyed her. "What did you take?" He asked and Max looked at the TV. "What're you watching?" She asked trying to change the subject. "What did you take," he said more seriously and she got up. "Why is everyone in my buisness? Don't worry about what I took it dosent have anything to do woth you. Leave me alone," she said and then she walked up the stairs to the room and locked the door. She layed down on the bed and looked up, what did she take? She thought to herself but shook the thought away.

She went downstairs hoping Lucas left already but he was still there. She walked past him opening the freezer and taking out a box of Mac n cheese. They didn't talk to each other as she was heating it up. "So your suspended?" Lucas asked her breaking the block of silence that was starting to fill the room. "I'm suspended for a week," she said and  then she took out the Mac n cheese. "What did you do?," he asked but she didn't answer taking the food upstairs and leaving Lucas there.

She ate the food while watching TV thinking. Maybe that dream that she had of El wasn't just a dream but a vision. Maybe El really was alive but just hurt and T-11 lied to throw them off of their tracks. She decided that she would go investigate at some point to see if anything coukd help support this. She went to sleep thinking about this the entire time.