Crush Culture [M.Wheeler]

[39] MIKE'S CORRUPTING HER

To surprise Dustin when he returns, the party waits in his house, using Eleven's powers to give him a little scare.

They lean up against the wall, smiling amongst themselves. They could hear Dustin walk out slowly, following the toys.

Nori struggles to hold in her laughter, but forces herself to remain silent. Checking around the corner, Max nods to Lucas, who signals Will, Then Nori, then Mike , before telling eleven to stop.

They silently walk out, watching Dustin bend down curiously to examine the toys. Holding onto Mike's hand, Nori keeps noisemaker in her mouth, ready to blow.

Max counts from three, before they cheer. Dustin turns around, screaming as he sprays Lucas directly in the face with Farrah Faucet spray.

Mike quickly pulls Nori back behind him, watching in amusement and worry as Lucas lets out a high pitched shriek. "Dustin! Stop!" Nori yells, seeing as it was going on for far too long.

"Dustin, I think you broke Lucas." Nori comments as the blinded boy leans his head into the sink, washing out his eyes. "Not my fault. You guys scared the shit out of me." He shrugs.

"Not your fault?! I think I'm blind!" Lucas screams. "Whatever, he's just dramatic. Anyways, what'd you wanna show us?" Nori asks.

Dustin leads Nori, Will, Mike, and Eleven into his room, beginning to pull out various inventions he had made in his summer camp.

"I call it... the Forever Clock." He says, pulling out a windmill appearing object. "Alright? Powered by wind. Very useful in the apocalypse." Dustin smiles proudly.

Nori leans her head onto Mike's shoulder, sticking her hand in between his crossed arms. Dustin hands the invention to Will, who looks down at it with a smile, Eleven seemingly interested as well.

"Then, I give you... the Slammer." He continues enthusiastically. He presses a button, causing the hammer to lightly shake, making a small squeaking noise.

When brings it towards Mike and Nori, Nori chuckles down at the invention. "Isn't it more convenient to use your hands, you know, cause you're much stronger than.. that." She comments.

"It's simply for science purposes, dear Eleanor." Dustin responds. "Anyways, it's pretty neat, huh?" He laughs.

"But this... this is my masterpiece." He reaches for another bag, setting it down on the ground. They all sit down beside him, watching as he unzips it.

"I would like you to meet... Cerebro." He grins. "What exactly are we looking at here?" Mike questions.

"An un assembled one-of-a-kind battery-powered radio tower." Dustin explains, clearly fascinated in his build. "A what what what what?" Nori squints her eyes, causing Mike to lightly chuckle.

"Oh, your ignorance never fails to disappoint me, Tiny." Dustin sighs. "Quit calling me that, I'm, like, your height." She argues.

"So, it's a...a ham radio." Will concludes. "The Cadillac of ham radios." He smiles. "This baby carries a crystal-clear connection over vast distances. I'm talking North Pole to South. I can talk to my girlfriend whenever and wherever I choose." He says, waiting for a reaction from the group.

They all share a shocked look, then turn back to look at their friend. "Girlfriend?"

"Wait, so her name is Suzie?" Mike asks as they prepare to set off. "Suzie with a z. She's from Utah." He explains.

"Dustin, I feel like such a proud mother right now." Nori comments. "Girls go to science camp?" Will questions. "Suzie does. She's a genius." Dustin nods.

"Is she cute?" Mike chimes in. "Think Phoebe Cates, only hotter." The boy responds confidently. "That's a pretty high bar to set, I'm intrigued." Nori chuckles.

"What's going on?" Max furrows her eyebrows as she stands by the sink with Lucas. "Going to talk to Dustin's girlfriend." Will informs, walking.

***

Nori tiredly continues to walk up the hill, holding Mike's hand. "Aren't we high enough?" Lucas complains, having had enough of the climbing which they had been doing or at least an hour.

"Cerebro works best at a hundred meters." Dustin shakes his head. "You know, I'm pretty sure people in Utah have telephones." Max comments.

"Hey, wanna ditch? I'm tired." Mike whispers to Nori as Dustin continues to speak to the others. "I don't know, Dustin just got back." She responds hesitantly.

"You can talk to him later, you promised we'd continue from the night before." He pleads, sending her pouty lips, causing her to chuckle.

"Fine, but tomorrow I'm gonna hang all day with Dustin, so don't even try anything." She warns. "Got it." He grins.

"Hey, guys!" Mike calls, trailing behind. They all stop walking and turn around. "This is fun and all, but, Uh..." he trails off, looking to Nori.

"I have to go home." Nori tells as Mike taps his watch. "We're almost there." Dustin argues. "Mike, I'd expect this from you, but from Tiny?"

"Sorry, man. Curfew." Mike says, though he didn't seem like he meant it. "Come on, let's go." He turns around, beginning to pull his girlfriend away. "I'm sorry! Good luck." She says, then follows.

"Curfew at 4:00?" Dustin comments, checking his watch while the two run off. "They're lying." Lucas states. "It's been like this all summer." Will sighs.

"It's romantic." Max says. "It's gross." Will argues. "It's bullshit. Mike's corrupting her. I just got home." Dustin adds. "Well, their loss, right? Onwards and upwards! Suzie awaits!"