Summer 1985 - Mileven/Jopper/Lumax

Chapter 3: I Do

 The teens were tired out from their day of outdoor games and sports, all now sitting around the fire with Joyce and Hopper roasting hot dogs and trying to persuade the chief to play truth or dare.

"Oh c'mon Chief," Max says playfully, "are you too scared to be dared by us?" Joining in, the other kids laugh and simultaneously start to make chicken noises. Hopper had remained stone-faced until then, laughing at the silliness of the situation. He remembers the three boys being frightened by him at their school over two years ago and wouldn't have believed he'd be in this current predicament.

"Okay okay, fine. Shut your beaks," says Hopper, ignoring Joyce's giggle, "give me the stupid dare." Huddling in a circle, the kids whisper back and forth different dares before settling on Mike's idea. Turning around and staring the older man right in the eyes they exclaim "jump in the lake!"

Shaking his head immediately, Hopper argues "no way! It will be so cold!" Talking over each other, he hears shouts of

"chicken! bawk, bawk!"

"you have too! it's a dare!

"it's not even that cold."

And if it weren't for El's constant state of observation, the excitable group would've missed the chief running towards the river in defeat. Pulling on Mike's sweater, she nods her head towards the river.

Eyes wide with realization, the younger boy alerts his friends. "Guys, shut up! Look!" Clapping and wooing, the group runs the several yards to the water in a fit of giddiness watching the chief do a cannonball off one of the higher rocks. Swimming back the short distance to the dirt, the chief stares at the kids in mock disbelief. "It was cold Lucas! You should get in there and see for yourself!"

With the kids now running away from the soaking-wet man, Joyce greets him by his side with a couple of towels. "How was the dip Chief?" she asks. "Wipe that smirk off your damn face Joyce, I just might throw you in there right now." Laughing with him, she puts down a towel big enough for both of them to sit on and enjoy time by the water with no crazy kids.

"Guys! Let's make s'mores now" an excitable Will announces. Running over to the bags of food, he pulls out a box of graham crackers along with packages of marshmallows and milk chocolate.

"Yes! I've been waiting for this moment my entire life!" Dustin exclaims, "come one, come all to learn how to make the perfect s'more." Rolling their eyes, Lucas and Mike sit on the other side of the fire denying the tutorial while El, Max, and Will sit around Dustin giggling at his descriptive yet helpful s'more lesson. It was quickly halted, however, when Dustin and Will started to debate their opposing views of a lightly toasted marshmallow versus a burnt one.

"You are mental! What is the damn point of the marshmallow if it's not burnt!" Dustin yells, truly outraged. "Well it definitely shouldn't be burnt!" Will calmly but firmly argues back, "it looks gross all charred like that and takes away from the chocolate!"

With them distracted, El looks over at Max and gives her a smile. "Oh no, what are you up too El?" Max asks, seeing a glint in the pixie-haired girls eye. Leaning into her ear, El whispers "do you like Lucas?" Shocked and trying her best not to turn pink, the red-haired girl shouts "what is wrong with you! Of course not!" Eyes wide and swallowing the lump that suddenly appeared in her throat, it takes El a second to process the response before she shakes her head and mumbles an apology.

Hearing Max's loud shout, Mike looks over in curiosity to see El with her head down and Max looking at her in disbelief. Getting up from the lawn chair, he walks over to see El now holding back tears. Bending down, Mike places his hands on her knees, "El, hey, what's wrong?" Mike questions softly, a stark contrast to the angry look he shoots towards Max. Embarrassed and feeling guilty by her reaction, she slowly walks away towards Dustin and Will.

"I....I just asked if she liked Lucas. To play matchmaker. Then she asked what was wrong with me. I didn't mean to upset her Mike, she's my only friend that's a girl." Feeling a pain in his chest from guilt and sadness, he was quick to reassure her. "No no, it's okay El. Max isn't mad at you, I think she was just surprised you asked her that question."

Deeply breathing in and out a few times, a technique Will had taught her when she was feeling anxious or upset from a nightmare, she nods and rests her head between the crook of Mike's neck and shoulder. This is frequent position for El when she feels upset around Mike and, per routine, he starts to hum. It was a bit of a game they started, causing her to calm down and then slowly become able to guess the song. After a minute of his humming, El quietly states with a smile "should I stay or should I go" with a smile.

"I knew you'd get that one," he mumbled, kissing the side of her head. "Let's go see what they're doing, okay? I promise it's all right " Nodding her head, she picks it up while Mike stands up and holds his hand out for El to take.

Lucas joined Max, Dustin, and Will looking over to see Mike comforting El. "Ouch Max, you bullying one of our own now?" Red-faced and trying not to grow more upset, she punches his arm. "Shut up!" she spats. Will, always the sensitive one, tries to keep the peace. "C'mon guys, it's alright. See, they're coming over." Joined by the young couple, Max looks over and offers El an apologetic smile. Continuing their fun and easing the slight tension, Dustin tries, and fails, to tell a spooky ghost story which leaves the kids yawning just as Joyce meets them by the fire.

"It's eleven o'clock already guys," she states softly, "how about you get ready for bed?" Nodding, the kids disperse towards their bags and take turns changing in separate tents. Kissing El goodnight, and reassuring her again that everything will be okay with Max, Mike makes his way towards his tent where the boys are already giggling and poking fun at his blushed face. El unzips her tent to see Max wrapped up in her camouflage sleeping bag and nervously lays down a few feet away on the soft purple blanket Joyce had brought her.

Laying in the quiet for a few moments, Max was first to break the silence. "I'm sorry El," she says apologetically, "I didn't mean to yell at you and act like an asshole. I just...never had a girl friend before. To talk about girl things with, ya know? I just wasn't sure how to respond."

Nodding her head, and then realizing she can't be seen, El opens her mouth, sweetly saying. "Neither have I, it's okay. We can learn together." Enamored by her kindness, Max gets up and quickly hugs El. It had been so quick El hadn't been able to react, but it made her smile knowing tough girl Max just snuck in a hug. Now laying in a more comfortable silence, with the tune of The Clash's song still stuck in her head, she hears "I do by the way."

Eyes wide and mouth turned up in a huge smile, she lets out a contagious giggle which leads Max to giggle and cover her face with her hands. Their giggles are interrupted by big yawns, a sign sleep is needed. Before drifting to sleep, El vows to start on date ideas tomorrow and run them by Mike or Joyce to make sure her two friends have the best first date ever.