electric // mike wheeler

SCOOPS

Chapter 5: Scoops

•

When Tee and El got to Max's house, Max was outside trying to master a trick. El stood back and watched the girl as Tee continued to walk forward.

"Max!" Tee cheered as Max managed to land the trick. Mac turned and jumped at the sudden arrival of the girls, causing her to fall off and almost fall back if it wasn't for tee grabbing her hand.

"What are you guys doing here?" Max asks as she nods at Tee as a thank you. El grabs Max's board that had landed by her feet and brought it over to her.

"We wanted t-to hang out," Tee tells Max as she rugs on the girls arm. Grabbing Max's is one hand and El's in the other, "You two didn't get off to the best start. So... fix it. Now."

"I don't have any problem with El," Max tells Tee as El stared at Max.

"Oh," El mumbled, "I thought you hated me."

"Nope," Max shook her head with a smile, "what do you girls need from me today, besides establishing I don't hate one of you."

"We need to talk," Tee says to her, "about Mike."

"Okay," Max nodded, and led the two girls inside. She grabbed each of them a coke out the fridge, it being the original not the 'new' shit, "so what's wrong?"

-

Ten minutes later and Tee had finally finished explaining the whole story of this morning to Max and El, who sat and listened intently to the girl.

"And then we said goodbye and hung up," Tee finished, taking a sip of her drink.

"He's a piece of shit," Max bursts, making Tee's eyebrows furrow as El nodded along to what Max said.

"What?" Tee asked confused.

"Mike doesn't have jack shit to do today, and his nana obviously isn't sick," Max says to her, pacing up and down, "I guarantee you, him and Lucas are playing Atari right now."

"Atari?" El asks Max, confused.

"Video games," Max elaborated, making Eleven nod.

"But, why would he l-lie to me?" Tee asked, her heart hurting a little as she messed with her hands, was she not good enough?

"It's not at you," Max says, trying to make Tee feel better, "it's just that boyfriends lie, all the time, it's like a second nature."

"So... What should she do?" Eleven asks Max.

"Stop calling him," Max instantly says, making Tee furrow her brows, "ignore his calls. As far as we're concerned, he doesn't exist."

"Doesn't e-exist?" Tee asked with a worried face - she didn't want to think he didn't exist.

"He treated you like garbage!" Max tells the girl.

"Yeah, garbage!" Eleven agrees with Max, making Tee sigh.

"You're gonna treat him like garbage, give him a taste of his own medicine," Max concludes her speech.

"Give him the medicine," El says, patting Tee's shoulder as Max gets up.

"Come on," She says to them, leaving the room, El and Tee share a glance before following after her, "there's more to life than stupid boys, you know."

-

When the three girls got off the bus, Tee was instantly filled with anxiety. There were too many people, this was against the rules. Last time she went against the rules the lab got her. She couldn't do that again.

"No." Tee says as they get off the bus, grabbing One of El's hands as her other gripped Max's arm.

"Seriously? You guys have superpowers. What's the worst that could happen?" Max asked them with a smile. While El was all up for exploring the mall. Tee wasn't. She shook her head, letting go of the two girls as she started to walk away from the mall. Max rah after her quickly, El following.

"Tee we won't let anyone hurt you," El tells Tee as she runs in front of her to stop the girl walking, "I won't."

"You w-wouldn't be a-able to stop them." Tee argues, "I c-can't. Not after l-last... last time." Tee says, her breathing picking up slightly. Max and El share a look. They can't just leave her.

"The bad men are gone," El tells Tee softly. The girl shook her head however, her own screams and cries filling her head as Doctor Owens' words hit like bullets in her head.

"You don't know that!" Tee yells at them, making both the girls freeze at a tone they'd never heard from the girl. "Y-you don't know that." She continues, this time quieter.

"Tee, how about this," Max says to her softly, scared to move quickly In case it scares the girl, "why don't we take you to Scoops, it's an ice cream place. Steve works there, remember Steve?"

Tee nods, listening to the plan intently, "Steve will let you sit in the back," Max continues, "Dustin said about visiting him today, so he'll be there too. You'll be safe with them."

"W-What about you two?" Tee asks the girls.

"We'll look for clothes for el, and get some for you, too." Max says, but Tee looks unsure. What if a bad man sees el?

"I'll be okay, Tee," El says, noticing the look, "you don't have to worry."

"Promise?" Tee asks her.

"Promise." El smiles.

"Let's get you to Scoops, then," Max smiles at Tee, grabbing the girls hand and dragging her inside the mall.