Weirdo //Elmax //

Chapter 4

November had arrived and the first snowfall had made its appearance that morning. Max had decided to dress warmly, wearing a thick sweater under a jacket. Yet, despite her attire, she still felt the cold.

Throughout the day, she shivered, eagerly awaiting the end of her last class so she could return home.

As she headed towards the school exit, she noticed Jane talking to two boys. Max only knew the name of one of them: Mike. A small pang of heartache hit her as she saw Jane conversing with her ex-boyfriend.

Could they have gotten back together? No, it was impossible. Jane would surely have told her. The two girls had grown closer since the beginning of the year, and even though they didn't talk every day, they liked to exchange information about their lives.

Jane turned around and spotted her friend. She smiled upon seeing Max and gestured for her to join.

"Hi Max. Come, let me introduce you."
Max blinked several times, unable to suppress her smile as she heard her name from Jane's lips. She quickly stepped forward and stood beside the brunette.

"Mike, Will, this is Max. Max, this is Mike and Will." Jane declared, unconsciously placing her hand on Max's shoulder during the introductions. The redhead had noticed the gesture, but she did her best not to show it.

Will smiled and shook Max's hand. "Nice to meet you, Max. Jane has talked a lot about you." Upon hearing this, both girls blushed. One from embarrassment, hearing her best friend reveal her admiration for the redhead, and the other realizing that she held significance for Jane.

The brunette raised her eyebrows, silently telling Will to hush, and quickly withdrew her hand from Max's shoulder
"Yes, well, don't exaggerate, Will," she murmured.

Max reached out to Mike, hoping he would shake her hand in return, but Mike remained still. "Pleased to meet you." Everyone noticed his nonchalant tone, and the redhead quickly withdrew her hand, slipping it into her pocket.

"Well, um, I'll leave you. I need to get back before the sun sets." Max was about to leave when Jane grabbed her hand. "Wait, I'll go with you." The brunette sought Max's gaze to see if she agreed, but the other girl was too busy observing their intertwined hands.

Jane noticed and quickly pulled her hand away, blushing slightly. The two girls seemed like a genuine mess, and the two boys didn't miss it.

Will smiled and looked at Mike, who rolled his eyes before exhaling loudly, breaking Max and Jane out of their bubble. "Well, yeah, if you want." Jane seemed perplexed, wondering what the redhead was talking about, then remembered the question she had asked a few seconds earlier. "Okay, cool."

She said goodbye to her two friends and headed toward the exit with Max. "I'm glad to go back with you." Max held her breath upon hearing those words and adjusted her hair before opening the door. "Me too."
The cold outside refreshed the faces of the two girls, and the redhead paused to let Jane go first.

The two boys observed the scene from a distance.
"I don't like her."
Will turned to Mike, furrowing his brows. "Who?"
"Max." Mike replied directly, which made Will smile. The bowl-cut boy took Mike's hand and whispered as they watched the two girls walk away.

"Jane seems to like her. I think she's nice." They exchanged a glance and Will lightly kissed the boy's cheek before continuing. "Don't you think ?"

Mike's cheeks flushed, and he pulled his hand away from his boyfriend. "Come on, let's go. You need to get home, or Jonathan will scold me."
Byers chuckled and followed Wheeler, hopping slightly.