what is beautiful? - elmax

chapter 14

tw: abuse

eleven and max went back to the cabin and watched tv together for a while.

suddenly the home phone rang, and el assumed it would be hopper telling her he would be late home from work.

she hopped up from the couch to answer it. she picked up the the phone.

"hello?" she said, expecting to hear hoppers voice on the other end of the line.

"are you the hopper kid?" a man's voice snarled down the phone. eleven was at a loss for words.

"uh..." she stuttered.

"i know maxine is with you. if i find her at your house, you're both dead, you hear me?" the man growled.

"who is it?" max asked, looking at el. el's mouth hung open.

"i can hear her! give her the phone you little bitch."

el's shaking hand held the phone out to max, who, with a confused look on her face, got up and took it off of her.

"hello?" max said.

el watched as max spoke in to the phone, scared.

after a few minutes, the girl hung up.

"what happened?" el asked.

"it's my stepdad." max started to explain. "he- he doesn't like me much. he said he didn't want me sleeping here tonight but my mom told me specifically to so that i didn't have to be alone with him and now..." max took a shaky breath and looked at el. "i'm scared, el. i'm terrified of him." and she collapsed into el's arms. el wrapped her arms around the girl tightly. she was so unused to seeing her like this. max was usually so tough. all el wanted to do was protect her, but she knew she couldn't always do that. sometimes she just had to be there for her.

max didn't ever want to let go of el. she didn't want to think about what would happen if her stepfather found her here. the truth was that both her and her mother were terrified of him, but they had no escape any more. he abused max's mother and sometimes max as well. so max had built up these barriers, these walls that she hardly let anybody see past. she put on a tough act so nobody would see that deep down she lived in a constant state of fear. that was until she met el. el made all of that disappear. but right at that moment, max had not been more scared. not only would he hurt her, but he would hurt el as well.

"we need to call hop." el told max, and she slowly pulled away from the hug to dial the offices number, still clutching max's hand.

when hopper picked up the phone, she explained everything to him, and he told them he would be there as soon as he could.

the two went into el's room and shut the door. the lay on el's bed, bodies close, hands intertwined and max's head resting in the crook of el's neck.

a/n: that was unexpected

givin y'all an insight into max's past

anna oop-