Say Anything | Steve Harrington |

Ch. 32 A Resolve

November 5th, 1984
The Byers Household

"Eleven?"

   The room fell into a sort of intense silence as the two kids stared sadly, though longingly into each other's eyes.

"Mike." El whispered back as she stepped closer to Mike, the two soon colliding together, holding on to each other tightly. El instantly letting out a sob at the refounded sense of comfort that Mike brought to her.

"Who is that?" Steve whispered to me as the pair continued to hold onto each other. "Eleven, she's our friend." I whispered back as I got a good look at El as the two pulled apart.

She certainly had changed, her hair had grown back curly, though she seemed to have slicked it back tightly. She was clad in smudged black eyeshadow and her clothes looked to be more grunge styled which was certainly a big change from her previous look which was just Mike's old clothes.

What happened to her? Where did she go?

"I never gave up on you. I called you every night. Every night for-" "353 days." She cut him off, smiling up at him, tears still rolling down her face. "I heard."

   "Why wouldn't you tell me that you were there? That you were okay?" Mike asked, his voice shaking slightly, not from anger, but from the sadness he still felt from when he thought he had lost her.

   Shockingly a voice not belonging to El answered his question, "Because I wouldn't let her."

   The group turned to face Hopper, only for him to walk towards El with a stern look in his eyes. "The hell is this? Where have you been?" He asked, with the same tone mom would use when she wasn't angry but rather disappointed.

   "Where have you been?" El asked, her voice still holding the same soft tone that we had all come to get used to.

   Wrapping his arm around the small girl, Hopper pulled El to his side in a small type of embrace while Mike stared up at Hopper in a mixture of confusion and anger.

   "You've been hiding her." He stated, his voice quiet as his gaze slowly started to turn into a glare directed at the larger man. "You've been hiding her this whole time!" He yelled now, using as much force as he could muster to push Hopper to the side.

   "Hey!" Hopper yelled, turning to grab a fistful of Mike's shirt to pull him towards him. "Let's talk. Alone."

The pair walked off, down the hall and into Will's room, leaving us all in a sort of awkward silence.

Leaving a tense El standing still and alone again in the middle of the room.

   "Thank God, you're okay." I stated as I pulled El into a hug. "Nell." El whispered as she tightly wrapped her arms around me. "You are okay, right? No bruises, broken bones, or more monsters to worry about?" I asked slightly jokingly but also kinda serious, as I let her go in order to look down at her.

   "I don't think so?" She spoke lightly as she looked down at her hands, turning them over to look at both sides.

   "I don't blame her! I blame you!" Mike's voice could be heard from Will's room as he began to yell louder and louder at Hopper.