Neighbors - Strangerthingsau

Chapter 11

A Bad Feeling

After studying, Mike and El made their way to the entrance of the school. During the session they mostly focused on their work, but sometimes Mike would disrupt the studying to guess another name that was long for El. El would always reply with a simple "no" before returning back to her work, making Mike go back in thought of what could be her name.

At one point Mike had saw a paper sticking out of one of her books. He could only see the top of the paper that read, welcome to Hawkins High.

Her registration papers. Mike thought. Her name will for sure be on there.

Mike had started his own mission, while El was busy trying to find an answer for a math equation. He moved his arm slowly towards her book that laid just next to her. Once he grabbed the paper, as quietly as he could, he took the paper out of her book. He looked at where her name should be on the sheet, only to come across something blocked out and writing underneath it. Elle, with an x going through the le.

Damn it! Mike thought.

What he didn't notice was that El had seen what he was doing out of the corner of her eye. "What are you doing?" She asked sweetly.

Mike quickly shifted at the sound of her voice. He turned to look at her, meeting with her brown eyes, he froze hoping to get a few words out. Any words.

"I-I'm sorry." He smattered. "I was just really curious and I saw this paper in your book and I thought that it had your name on it, and-"

"Mike." El whispered. "It ok. I'll tell you one day. Just not now."

"Okay." Mike smiled, and returned to his work.

And that brings us here, at the school entrance, with El and Mike in a comfortable silence, walking side by side. They were walking so close together that sometimes their hands would bump one other.

The silence was completely broken by Mike's walkie going off. "Mike? You there? It's Dustin! Over!"

Mike sighed, reaching for his backpack and grabbing his walkie. "What's up Dustin? Over."

"The party's going to go to Benny's, we were wondering if you guys wanted to come? Over."

Mike turned to El before answering Dustin. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure." El simply replied.

"Sure, we'll meet you guys there. Over and out." Mike said into his walkie. He stuffed it back into his backpack and they went to grab their bikes and head to Benny's. While she was waiting for Mike to mount his bike, El felt something off. She looked around to see if anyone was watching her, no one was. But she had a feeling that didn't just sit well with her, like she felt something bad was going to happen.

"Hey, you okay?" Mike asked, breaking El out of her trance.

She looked into his eyes to see a hint of worry in them. She couldn't really think of anything to say to him, so she just smiled at him and nodded her head to let him know she was fine. She saw the worry leave his eyes as he started to pedal, leaving her to just look around one more time. Still, she saw nothing, and went to follow Mike who was almost at a stop sign.

The party was just finishing up at Benny's. Benny, who was the owner of the restaurant, chatted with the kids a few minutes, asking them how their families were doing or whatever. El really didn't pay attention to the conversation at hand. Instead, she couldn't shake the feeling she had. It was like a pit in her stomach. At first she thought that she was just hungry and needed to get something to eat. But it didn't work.

After the party was done eating, they all left to go home. El probably looked like a maniac due to her constantly looking over her shoulder. She felt like she was being followed, but she wasn't. Every time she turned around there was no one there.

Soon the party started to thin out more and more. First it was Max who went home, then it was Dustin, then Lucas. Now there was only three people left. El, Mike and Will.

Mike and Will were riding in front of El because she had fallen behind. The pit in her stomach kept on getting worse and worse, until El had to stop at a corner. The boys didn't notice her stop, so they turned the corner and disappeared down the road.

El turned around, for the hundredth time that day, to meet with a pair of eyes she hoped never to see again. A pair of eyes that was the reason she tried so hard to forget her past. Seeing them again made her heart drop to her feet, as she quickly pedaled away constantly looking back to see if he was following her. He wasn't, but even though he wasn't, didn't mean she was safe.

She walked, no, ran into her house to see Hopper on the couch.

"Hop! He's here! He saw me!" She whisper-shouted.

"Who?" Hopper asked seriously. He know by the tone of her voice she was serious.

"Papa."