𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 | mileven au.

SEVEN...

CHAPTER SEVEN
"ANYONE CAN DANCE!"

"shit, shit, shit!" eleanor yelped under her breath, careful not to make any loud noises as she tip-toed into the house after arriving home from her sleepover with her feisty friend. the early hours of the morning were dawning in on hawkins, leaving el hopper to scramble out of max's house and rush home to face her mother.

as she cautiously walked on egg shells to her bedroom, all she could do was hope that her mother was asleep and cozily wrapped in her thin bedsheets rather than being wide awake with a glass bottle in her frail hands. if she was lucky enough, her mother wouldn't have heard a thing.

but of course, that's not what happened.

as she parted the door open to her typically messy bedroom, she let out a long sigh of relief that she had been holding in since she walked into the run-down home. a small smile crept up onto her rosy lips, a sense of pride overwhelming her.

but the moment she sat down on the warmth of her tattered comforter, her chest tightened as she heard a croaky voice call out her full name.

"eleanor jane hopper, get in here!" the voice that belonged to terry ives screeched, anger rising in her voice with each broken word that came out of her crackling lips.

fear caught in the young girl's throat, causing her lips to quiver as she clenched onto the hem of her navy blue sweater. she could hear grunts sounding from her mother's musky bedroom, causing eleanor to whimper as she forced herself to trudge her way to the bedroom. she walked slowly, putting on a facade of confidence as she picked her head up and peeked into the door.

as she stared into the blood-shot eyes of the hungover woman, her heart ached immensely as she watched her clumsily tumble over in her direction. she gulped when she felt a cold hand crawl upon her risen cheeks, her eyes welling up with tears as her glossy eyes pleaded with her.

"m-mom, please stop." eleanor stumbled over her words with a shaky voice, fighting desperately to hold back tears as the middle-aged woman's thumb brushed against her cheekbone that was smattered with faint freckles.

"you want me to stop?" she spat, her alcohol-scented breath wafting into the polluted air as her words cut into her toned skin. eleanor's once pulsing heartbeat had come to a stop as she realized her mistake, her lips pursing together as she struggled to keep her chin from wobbling.

"mother, please." she begged, not knowing exactly what she was grasping for. her mother clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, her ruthless eyes shooting daggers at the teenager she rarely dared to call her daughter.

it really was without hesitation, it didn't even seem like she blinked through the moment. before el even had the chance to beg with her more, terry's hand roughly slapped against her skin. her skin stung harshly and unbearably as her hand made contact with her cheek, her chipped fingernails painfully cutting into her flesh.

eleanor rubbed her lips together, strangling a sob from her chest as she felt single trails of blood trickle down her cheek. a smoky puff of air escaped from the woman's lips, a devious smirk itching onto her wrinkling skin. she walked back to her olive-stained bed, tucking herself in and clicking through t.v. channels with a miniature remote.

"go get ready for dance, you're getting a ride from max's family." she growled, her duvet spreading across her thin body as el hastily tripped over herself to escape to her bedroom.