brutal ━ mike wheeler

four. the lover girls

FOUR━━━━
THE LOVER GIRLS

stranger things;
season 4    ep 3

IT HAD BEEN JONATHAN who had picked them up from the arcade, automatically wondering what had happened to the group. Argyle was in tow when Jonathan rushed over to where the kids sat, El's leg bouncing as she looked at the EMTs in the room. Angela was giving them a bullshit version sob-story. Frankie didn't even care about the looks and glares she was getting as she held El's hands, not daring to let her go.

"What the hell happened?" Jonathan asked as he kneeled down in front of El, ignoring the girl with the bloodied nose that sat across from them. "The bitch was bullying her," Frankie nodded over to the girl in the table across them, making it a point to keep eye contact. "El had enough. It isn't her fault." Jonathan nodded at the girl's words, prioritizing them over whatever the EMTs were going to tell him.

"Alright, sit tight. I'll go talk to the EMTs and see if we can get out of here." He told the younger kids comfortingly, giving El's knee a quick squeeze. Frankie nodded as she watched him walk away, Argyle moving to sit in the booth across them. "Hella badass, Dudette." Frankie sent him a glare, trying to get him to know that now wasn't the time, but he seemed way too out of it to even notice the hints.

He continued babbling about something that didn't interest Frankie, and she shook her head before looking at Jonathan. The male EMT was talking to him with his eyebrows upturned, moving his hands in ways that seemed like he were explaining something. Jonathan looked to be nodding along with his words, but he had the same lost look that Argyle had.

Frankie scoffed when she realized. They were high.

It took him about fifteen minutes to return to them, a hopeful smile on his face. "Good news. They aren't pressing charges for now. We're free to go home for the night." He told them and Frankie nodded her head along with those words. She grabbed ahold of both of El's hands and made her look at her.

"We can cool off at your house, okay? Maybe you can show me your comic book collection?" El seemed to like the idea of that, as she smiled and got up from the table, Frankie's hands keeping her distracted from the hateful glares sent their way.

The five of them made it to the car eventually, unscathed. It didn't take long for Argyle to try and say something to cheer all of them up. "I know this may be, like, upsetting and shit, but that future prom queen is gonna be fine." Frankie secretly wishes she wouldn't be, but she's glad that El wasn't being charged.

The brunette hadn't let go of her hand even once, and Frankie didn't make an effort to pry her hand off. She knew that El needed to be comforted right now. "I mean, it's just, like, rubber wheels." She was trying not to get upset with Argyle since she knew he was trying to make them feel better, but it was getting progressively more difficult not to. "Plastic." Jonathan corrected.

"Oh."

"Not like hard plastic. Just. . . Just the soft kind." Frankie rolled her eyes and turned to look at El, who was already looking at her. In an attempt to make her feel a little better, she gave her an exasperated face from what the two teens in front of them were saying. She smiled a little, but a frown quickly covered it up. That was better than nothing, I guess. Frankie thought.

"Totally."

"But you ever wonder why the wheels aren't wood, man?" Argyle questioned, and Jonathan looked out into space like he had been asked an existential question. "Or metal?"