✰𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫✰ // 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

011

"I need some air." Margo quickly escorted herself away from the table and towards the back door. Her dad watched her carefully as she shut the back door and sat on the porch steps.

As soon as the girl sat down her leg began bouncing up and down. She took deep breaths to try and slow her heart rate, her palms began to get clammy, and though the air around her had the average breeze for fall time her body temperature felt like she was sat directly under the sun. Her chest felt like someone had wrapped her up in a tight blanket. While all this was happening she didn't even hear the door open and close.

As she felt a presence sit down beside her she whipped her head to the side and was met with a red head girl staring at her with a slight worried expression. "Are you okay, Margo." The girl asked.

Margo couldn't do anything else but nod. Max placed a hand on her shaking knee, suppressing it from moving anymore. "I'm scared too Margo."

Margo couldn't stop tear from rolling down her cheek but she quickly wiped it away, looking towards the sky. "Do you need a hug?" Max asked.

"Yes, please." Margo replied just above a whisper.

Without a second thought Max wrapped her arms around the older girl's torso beside her. Margo gently wrapped her own around Max's neck.

"Thank you." Margo said pulling away. "Have they figured anything out?"

"I think they're talking about putting will somewhere he doesn't recognise and asking him questions." Max informed her and as she did Margo's dad and Mike opened the back door. She wiped her cheeks of tears she hadn't noticed had fallen and stood up with Max.

"What's going on?" Max asked. The two didn't reply making their way towards the Byers shed. Max looked to Margo who shrugged and motioned for the two to go inside.

When they got inside various people were heading out the way they came in. The two quickly got to work by help Mike cover a few things in cardboard so that they were unrecognisable.

Meanwhile Steve and Nancy were covering the inside of the shed.

"Hey. What you and Margo did, um, helping the kids..." Nancy began. "That was...really cool."

"Yeah. Those little shits are real trouble, you know?"

"Believe me, I know." She laughs.

"Margo does most of it though." Steve smiles. "She's like their big sister, they all look up to her in one way or another."

"Yeah they definitely do." Nancy nods. "Soo you and Margo?..."

"Oh, no, no, no." Steve chuckles. "We're just friends. Well I think we are, still not sure if I'm on that level of hers yet."

Nancy eyes him suspiciously. "I couldn't help but notice the interactions between the two of you tonight. I think it's sweet. She's not a big hugger so I think you most likely are on the level of being her friend. She's just stubborn sometimes."

Steve let out a breathy laugh, "that she is."

"I want you both to be happy. So if she makes you happy then go for it. Because I don't think we are healthy if we are together Steve."

"Yeah, I understand." Steve sighed and looked back to what he was doing.

Max, Margo and Mike were currently sat on the floor of the kitchen, Margo and Max taping up two chairs and Mike grabbing stuff from a cupboard.

"I get why el was your mage now." Max said. Margo's head snapped up at this.

"What?" Mike asked.

"Lucas. He told me all about her." Max told him. Margo internally sighed and looked down again.

"Well, he shouldn't have. And just because you know the truth, it doesn't mean you're in our party. You do know that, right?"

"Hey, hey Mike relax she was just saying." Margo said trying to diffuse the tension.

"Yeah, I know." Max also said. "I mean why would you want a stupid zoomer in your party anyway. I'm just saying, el she sounds like she was really awesome."

"Yeah, she was." Mike replied. Margo swallowed a lump in her throat, she felt so bad for keeping her, el and her dad's secret from Mike. "Until that thing took her. Just like it took bob."

Mike stood up and walked out the back door. "He's just worried about everything and everyone at the moment. That's why he snapped."

"I know. But it's okay I'm used to it." Max tell her. Margo shoots her a confused look. "Billy shouts at me all the time."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that." Margo said. "Do you have any other siblings?"

"Sadly not, so it gets kinda lonely. What about you?"

Margo sighed. "I had a sister."

"Had?" Max asked applying extra tape to the chair.

"She passed when I was 10."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm okay. I have the other kids. They're all kinda like my little brothers." Margo smiles.

"That's true."

"But, I also now have another little sister. Because you're here now, red."

Max grins and applies the last bit of tape to the chair in front of her. Margo flips the chairs over and the inspect it. "Looks like a cardboard chairs."

"Well then, that means they're perfect." Margo stands with her arms crossed and a light smile. "Come on let's help the others."

They grab a chair each and walk out the back door heading to the shed. As soon as they entered they placed the chairs down and began helping. Steve and Margo caught each others eye sending a smile to one another.

Once the group were done they left Joyce, Jonathan, Mike and hopper to question will. And the others were dotted around the house waiting impatiently. Max and Lucas sat in the hallway opposite each other against the wall. Nancy leaning next to the doorway of the kitchen. Dustin walking to the window and back every few minutes. Steve and Margo in the living room, Steve practicing swinging his bat and Margo pacing back and forth.

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while lol. I wrote this on my iPad so that's why there is actually caps. I appreciate all the reads so thank you!!