THIS IS HOME;
POST S3, SENIORS
IN HS ONE-SHOT.
"i don't think this is a good idea," a very hesitant el voiced her worries as she looked over her appearance in the mirror, taking in her outfit of a pale pink sundress, a jean jacket, and her worn-in white kicks.
she might've appreciated the way max had done her makeup, her long, perfectly-curled lashes and pink cheeks, had she not been such a ball of nerves.
max peaked her head out of her bathroom where she was applying her own makeup to see the anxious brunette running a lazy hand through her shoulder-length waves.
the ginger sighed to herself at the sight. "it's a great idea. hogan's normal parties are insane. this party kicks off senior year which means it's going to be extra insane. just wait until you see the size of his house-"
"i'm not talking about the party, max. i'm talking about who might be at the party," she clarified, looking at her friend through the reflection.
max pursed her lips in thought, "well, luckily the house is huge and the entire school will be there. you probably won't even see him."
el turned around, her delicate features edged in pain. she weakly whispered, "but what if i do?"
"if you do," max declared, "then it's over with. if he sees you tonight, he'll know you're back. i mean, maybe it's better mike finds out under the influence of whatever he indulges in tonight than sober on monday morning in homeroom."
el's breath caught in her throat when she heard his name. it was all sinking in. it was really happening.
joyce got offered a secure and well-paid job in hawkins by an old friend and, after discussing it with both will and el, they packed up their two-story home on the outskirts of indianapolis and returned to hawkins, or as will and joyce referred to it: home.
a year and a half ago, coming back to hawkins was all she wanted. she missed her friends. she missed her cabin. she missed her mike.
but time is fickle. time changes every thing.
in the beginning, it was easy. the distance was only a bump in the road that they'd find a way to get over. then, he changed.
he would miss calls and the calls that he didn't miss, he didn't seem all that interested in anyway. his 'i love you' turned into 'you too', and his 'i'll call you as soon as i can' turned to 'i'll call whever'.
he was slipping away, and she was too far away to stop it. maybe that's why it hurt so bad, because there was nothing she could do about it.
it was weeks after he told her that he wasn't sure what he wanted anymore and they he thought it'd be best that they ended things that she learned how he hadn't just slipped from her but from the rest of their friends as well.
max told her mike, someone she had always considered to be a dick, had changed into someone even she didn't recognize. he'd stopped hanging out with her and the guys, and traded up for a new crowd full of superficial assholes.
el tried not to ask many questions about him because it was such a tender subject for her, but from what she knew mike and the guys never spoke anymore. max, however, never shied from giving the boy the finger when they'd catch each other's eye.
el didn't want to think about what she'd do if she somehow happened to catch mike's eye — tonight or at any point during their senior year.
"i don't know what i'd say to him," el whispered, moving to take a seat at the end of max's bed. she shook her head "it's been over a year, but it feels like..." she trailed off, scared of sounding pathetic. she felt pathetic. "you think he'll be there?" she looked up to max, her face pleading for the a no.
