Chapter Nine: The Gate

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"Eleven," Mike spoke as he walked up to El, a look of love and relief on his face

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"Eleven," Mike spoke as he walked up to El, a look of love and relief on his face.

"Mike," El spoke back, also walking towards Mike until they both finally closed the distance and hugged, rocking back and forth.

"Is that?" Max whispered and Chris nodded to her before walking towards El.

She waited until they broke their hug, then got El's attention.

"Hey," Chris said, barely above a whisper.

"Chris... I missed you," El whispered back, tears falling down her cheeks.

Chris embraced El in a tight hug, scared that if she were to let go, that El would disappear again.

She couldn't lose her. El was her first girl friend, and while El and Chris were very different, Chris enjoyed being in the company of another girl.

Needless to say, she was more than heartbroken when the Demogorgon took El away that night.

"We never gave up on you..." Mike started, pulling Chris from her train of thought. "We called you every night for –"

"353 days. I heard."

"Why didn't you tell us you were there? That you were okay?" Chris asked.

"Because I wouldn't let her," Hopper answered for El.

Mike and Chris turned back to Hopper in shock.

"The hell is this? Where you been?" He interrogated in an overprotective dad way.

"Where have you been?" El sassed back.

Hopper slowly made his way over and wrapped her in a one-armed hug.

"You've been hiding her..." Chris spoke up, finally realizing what had been going on. "You've been hiding her this whole time!" She yelled, shoving Hopper.

"Hey!" He grabbed Chris by the collar of her shirt. "Let's talk. Alone."

Hopper pulled Chris into another room and shut the door right before Chris completely lost her shit.

"Protecting her! Protecting her?" She yelled.

"Listen. Listen to me. The more people know about her, the more danger she's in. And the more danger you and your family are in."

"So what? I should be thanking you?!"

"I'm not asking you to thank me!" Hopper said, finally raising his voice back. "I'm asking you to try to understand."

"I don't! I don't understand!" Chris started to scream hysterically.

"That's fine. That's fine! Just do not blame her! Alright? She's upset enough as it is!"

Chris scoffed through the tears threatening to fall.

"I don't blame her! I blame you! I blame you!"

Strawberries and Cigarettes // Max Mayfield x girl OCWhere stories live. Discover now