Eleven has learned a lot of new words since she left the Lab. Interesting words, words that always somehow end up being connected to her friends…

One of those words is "cool". Mike and Dustin and Lucas and Will all use it, but the person who always comes to her mind is Steve, Nancy's boyfriend ("boyfriend": another new word).

The first time she met Steve, he'd walked into the kitchen just as she decided to levitate a box of Eggos and "freaked out", something that she assumed meant yelling at the top of his lungs for Nancy, because Mike's sister had come running and told him to stop doing it.

The next time she saw him, he did it again. She HAD asked him first, but apparently seeing her come back into the room sporting his own hairstyle must have caused him to forget all her questions about his hair a half hour before (that he'd answered).

The time after that, he didn't "freak out" at all. In fact, he slapped her shoulder and laughed. "Y'know kid, you're pretty cool."

Cool. She was cool. She smiled. "Cool," she repeated with a widening grin.

And then he ruffled her hair that was still in his style from the day before.

Now, every time they saw each other, Steve would grin and point at her from wherever he happened to be standing:

"How you doin', El?"

"Cool, Steve. How you doin'?"

"Cool."

And then he'd ruffle her hair, crossing the room to do it if he had to.

But the word "cool" doesn't just apply to Steve. No; in fact, El uses "cool" for everything:

"Cool" for Eggos.

"Cool" for Mike.

"Cool" for Lucas teaching her about the stars.

"Cool" for Will showing her just how to draw that facial expression.

"Cool" for Dustin giving her Nilla wafers while teaching her about compasses.

"Cool" for coffee with Hopper.

"Cool" for old movies with Joyce.

"Cool" for mixtapes and cameras from Jonathan.

"Cool" for Nancy teaching her how to braid hair.

"Cool" for Holly introducing her to all her imaginary friends.

"Cool" for all the things and people that make her life happy.

(From a conversation about Eleven and Steve Harrington with the lovely eggos-and-promises)