Tʜᴇ Fʟᴀʀᴇ ꕥ Lɪᴢᴢɪᴇ Jᴏʜɴsᴏɴ

sᴇʀɪᴇs ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ꕥ 4

The three girls slammed the Mall doors open and are their ice creams. "You wanna swap?" Lizzie asked El, who grinned as they traded and had some of each others.

"That's ridiculous, why can't I just-"

"Oh, you gotta be shitting me," Max said, and when Lizzie followed her eyeline, she saw why.

Mike, Lucas and Will were standing ten metres away, collecting their bikes from the bike rack.

How could Mike lie to El like that?

"Oh, fancy meeting you here!" Lizzie said loudly as she, Max and El walked forward, meeting the boys halfway. "Not like you're busy today or something."

Mike was so shocked he dropped his bike on its side, gesturing to El. "What... are you doing here?"

El coldly surveyed him. "Shopping."

"This is her new style," Max said bitingly. "What d'you think?"

"What is wrong with you?" Mike hissed to Lizzie and El. "You know she's not allowed to be here!"

"She never gets out, we just went for a couple hours," Lizzie shrugged. "Anyway, what's wrong with you, Mike? Friends don't lie."

Max, however, took a more underhand approach, asking sharply. "What is she, your little pet?"

"Yeah," El agreed with Max. "Am I your pet?" She asked Mike.

"What? No!" Mike denied.

"Then why do you treat me like garbage?" El asked. Lizzie and Max took a step back. She had this now.

"What?"

"You said Nana was sick," El challenged.

"She is!" Mike went on. "She is! She is sick! That's why we're here, to do some shopping- not for us, but- for Nana- for Nana!"

Mike looked down and continued. "And we're also here to get a gift for- for you," he gestured to El. Just, we couldn't find anything that suited you and I only have, like, three dollars fifty cents so- it's hard."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Mike, cut the horseshit. Friends don't lie."

Mike looked up at one of his oldest friends. "Lizzie-"

"You lie," El cut across him, turning his attention to her. "Why do you lie?"

El slowly walked up to her boyfriend. He looked lousy, upset at what he had done. Then she delivered the closing.

"I dump your ass!"

And with that, she was off to the bus, which had just arrived, leaving the others shocked.

Max and Lizzie were half proud, half horrified, whereas Mike was full of the latter. Lucas was just staring on, confused. Will was standing there awkwardly.

Max and Lizzie followed El onto the bus and Lizzie sat beside her brunette friend, who looked shocked, but also happy as she hi fived both her friends, laughing.

But inside, a small part of Lizzie (which she was ignoring) was dying.

If Mike and El can't make it, what hope is there for me and Dustin?

ꕥꕥꕥ

"You must be an angel, I can see it in your eyes..."

The three girls were at the cabin. Where El and Hopper lived. They were going to have a sleepover if Hopper let them. Angel was playing on El's small radio, and Lizzie was singing and dancing along to it, having fun.