𝙴𝚕𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚊𝚗 ~ 𝙴𝚕𝚖𝚊𝚡

《𝟼》

August 23, 1985
8:00 AM

Hopper's cabin

It was an early morning and Hopper was just getting ready to go to the station when the door of El's room finally opened and the girl came out of her room. By the expression on her face, Hopper could tell she wasn't happy at all. Her cheeks were red and her eyes all puffy. He stopped putting on his jacket and kept watching her as she walked to the table, grabbed her plate with Eggos and put it in the fridge. Okay. Now he knew that something was seriously wrong. El never refused Eggos before. He sighed under his mustache before walking to the couch El was now sitting on. He then sat on it, determined to find out what happened.

~ "Okay kid...what have I done this time?" He asked, not really knowing how to begin. The brunette almost didn't even realize he was talking to her. She looked to the side and up at her father, shaking her head from side to side.

~ "Nothing." She said with a raspy voice. Hopper was now glad that he's not the reason she's like this. But he still didn't have the answer he wanted.

~ "Okay...what happened then? Why were you crying?"

~ "...Mike is bad." She said after a while of thinking whether she should tell him or not. She knew that Hopper is not so fond of Mike. But she was angry and upset. Plus, she trusted her dad. Hopper's eyebrows scrunched together and he shook his head in disbelief, not knowing if he heard correctly.

~ "Mike like...Wheeler?" He asked, more and more confused by every passing second. El just nodded her head and sniffed, wiping one of her damp cheeks with her sleeve. Hopper was wondering what the hell did that boy do to make her upset like this.

~ "What'd he do?"

~ "He told me he's...gay." El said, the word being very new to her. Hopper's eyes widened in surprise and he sighed loudly in a while.

~ "Jesus christ Wheeler..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a while. He didn't expect this answer. But he understood. He wasn't going to be mad at the boy for this.

~ "Look, El...." He began. "I know this is hard, okay? But...you can't be mad at Wheeler for this. It's not his fault...and neither it's yours. It's just...ugh..."

~ "But he lied. He said he loved me. Friends don't lie." El said, convinced that she has a reason to be mad. Which...she did.

~ "Yeah...but sometimes, people lie for a good reason. Lies are not always bad. Sometimes, people are too afraid to hurt the ones they care about. So they choose to lie instead. I'm sure that Mike didn't want to hurt you. And he told you because he cares about you enough to feel bad for lying to you." Hopper explained to the girl calmly. This whole speech made El's eyes water again. She knew that Mike didn't mean to hurt her. But that doesn't mean that it didn't. From yesterday, her chest felt...empty. Like if her skin was just a thin shell with nothing inside. She sniffed again, crossing her legs on the couch. Hopper knew what it feels like to lose someone you love. He sat closer to the brunette and pulled her into a hug, patting her back. El didn't pull away or anything. She wrapped her arms around Hopper too, letting another wave of tears flow and soak her father's shirt.

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It was Sunday and Max's mom and step-father were out of the house. Which of course, left Max all alone. By now, she couldn't tell if it's a good or bad thing. When she's alone, she's safe. But on the other hand...the silence. The silence in the house was making her brain overthink every little thing that happened in the past two years. She was laying on her bed, thinking about what she could've done differently and if it would have any affect on the final outcome. Where would she be right now if Neil didn't force them to move to Hawkins? What would happen if her attempt to run away and live with her dad was a success? Where would she be now if she didn't get all tangled up in a government conspiracy? Who knows...

Max then looked at the clock and sighed. 1PM. She sat up, feeling bored to death. But then she remembered...the quarry. El agreed to go to the quarry with her and the party the day before. Her face lit up and she reached towards the table to grab her walkie. She pressed the red button and tuned it to channel 1#. Every party member could hear her like that.

~ "Hey, guys. It's the Zoomer. Anyone copy? Over." She let go of the button and waited if anyone answers. And eventually, someone did.

~ "Max? It's Lucas. I'm with Dustin and Will. What's up? Over."

Max smiled and pressed the red button again.

~ "I was wondering if you guys wanna go to the quarry? Over." She asked hopefully.

~ "Everyone agreed. Where are Mike and El though? Me and Will saw her yesterday and she was-"

Lucas was cut off by the sound of the other girl's voice.

~ "It's El. I'll go too."

She simply stated, her voice still a little hoarse but the others attributed it to the static coming from the walkie. The redhead didn't even wait for the girl to say over. El never used the code-word when she finished talking.

~ "El! Great! I'll pick you up in 20 minutes. Where's Wheels though? Over"
Max asked. Not that she really cared much about where Mike was. But he was a part of the group.

~ "No idea. I'll stop by his house on the way. Over and out." Lucas said.

~ "See you, guys! Over and out."

The static stopped and Max smiled to herself, excited that something is finally happening. The idea of spending more time with the brunette made Max even more excited for the whole thing. Max stood up and opened her closet, pulling out her only two piece green bathing suit and sighing. It was old but it still fit her. She changed into it and pulled her usual clothes over it too. She didn't wear it since Neil forced the entire 'family' to go to local pool. That's how Billy got his summer job there. No...now is not the time to think about Billy. Now is really not the time. Today is supposed to be a good day. She's going to the quarry with her friends. And she's supposed to enjoy it. Summer holidays are ending in two days.

After she put on some sunscreen to not allow her pale skin to burn as it usually does, she ran down the stairs and out of the house, deciding to ride her bike instead of skateboard for once. She was feeling this nauseous excitement in her stomach as she was getting closer to the cabin. And as selfish as it might sound, she kinda wished it was just her and El at the quarry.