Hello reader! I have been working on this story for a while now, a sequel to my original Stranger Things 3. You may want to read that before continuing with this story but if you were a fan of my last story then welcome back! This story is about high school and all the issue that follow the children into their teen years. Enjoy and please review, it gives me motivation to write more. (All credit goes to the incredible Duffer Brothers.)
Chapter 1: End of an Era
The summer was almost at a close and the threat of high school loomed over the children of Hawkins like a black cloud of uncertainty and dread. In mere hours Mike, Will, Lucas, Jane and Dustin would be waking to face the first day of September. At this very moment Eleven would rather face five hundred demogorgons then walk through the cold halls of Hawkin High School.
Since El had returned to Hawkin's with Hopper after their, eventful, trip to Alaska to visit Eleven's adoptive grandfather Albert Hopper. It had not gone a planned and the pair had returned home after only a few days filled with arguing and tears. Eleven happily returned to the small cabin in the woods with all her belongings then spending her time in a cramped apartment with a miserable old man and his litter of whining pit bulls. They would constantly bite her toes as she slept on the damp air mattress that lay on the dirt covered wooden floors in the small box room beside the busy street. Ambulances and police cars would pass often, especially at three in the morning. It seemed they were determined to walk El as if her existence was not horrible enough. There was some good though, Alaska was beautiful. Eleven had gone on plenty of walks through the small town leaving her damp accommodation for the brisk summer air of Alaska. The mountains could be seen clearly in the reflection of the lake that El would frequent on her usual trips out. The woods surrounding held many animals and providing shelter from the bitter rain that usually followed such glorious evenings.
At the moment however Eleven was glad to be home. She was currently in her room shuffling through her wardrobe for a suitable outfit for the first day of High School. She could be heard sighing and grumbling from the living room were Hopper was currently watching the football game with a bucket of KFC chicken. He made the conscious decision to leave the hormonal teen to deal with this problem alone as the last time he had tried to help Eleven had slammed the door in his face with her mind causing him to have mild concussion as he slammed his head into the wood.
"Ah!" El said finally finding the perfect sweater to match her red, knee length, plaid skirt. A black turtle neck would perfectly match the soft fabric of the skirt and the black socks that reached just below her knee. A pair of brown ankle boots that El had bought a few months before pulled the whole outfit together and although her toes sat uncomfortably in the shoes she had selected that did not matter all that much. Beauty is pain as Nancy had told her on many occasion even though El had still not got a real handle on the fashionable side of being a girl in the 1980's.
El set the outfit carefully on the back of her desk chair and left the room to slump on the couch beside Hopper were they argued for five minutes about soap operas vs. a football match.
In the end soap operas won and Hopper was forced to spend his Sunday afternoon watching a middle age woman slap men and sappy apologises. He hated to admit it but this style of television was beginning to win him over.
El got up suddenly and walked over to the front door. She reached for her coat off the tall hat stand and pulled an old knitted scarf of Hopper's around her neck.
"Where do you think you are off to?" Hopper said with a hint of annoyance in his tone.
"Mike's." El said briefly. She had not seen Mike since she had returned on Thursday morning as Mike was spending quality time with his family as they camped in the bear infested woods that surrounded Hawkin's, and although he made his case every year that this was dangerous and impractical the tradition stuck and every year Mike was dragged outside to spend two weeks with his parents and siblings. This year Jonathan had accompanied them along with Will who insisted on going as to not allow his friend to die of boredom and self pity.
"Back by eight fifteen." Hopper said casually turning back to the screen taking a swig of his luke warm beer.
"Eight one five." El said nodding and heading out the door. She pedalled fast to Mike's, ignoring almost every car or passer by.
Once she pulled up in the drive way she leant her bike against the side of the Wheeler house and made her way around to the front door. Usually she would not be this formal but felt as she had not seen Karen in a month it only felt right to greet her first before heading to the basement to Mike.
"Jane!" Karen said opening the door with a wide grin.
"Hello Mrs Wheeler. Is Mike there?" Eleven said craning her neck around Karen to see if she could spot her boyfriend.
"Yes, in the basement. And Jane?" Karen said. "Call me Karen."
El smiled at her with a polite nod before walking past her and down into the basement. She jumped down the steps two at a time.
"El!" Mike said running up to her as he saw her curly head come into view. He walked quickly up to her and with one hand on her waist and the other on her cheek her pulled her in for a kiss. She returned the gesture by putting her hands around his neck and pulling him closer to her. This lasted for a few second before they pulled apart breathless resting their foreheads against the others smiling happily and all those lost weeks were suddenly gone and it was just them. No one else mattered and it was just them.
"I guess we're past hellos?" Mike joked which forced a laugh out of El's lips before she crashed them back onto his.
"I missed you so much Mike." El whispered into his ear.
"I know. I missed you too. And I thought about you every night." Mike said back.
"Every night." El said sitting on the old floral couch that resided in the Wheeler's basement.
"El?"
"Yes Mike?" El said looking up at him with her eager eyes that shone so bright when looking at him. The chocolate brown that surrounded each pupil felt like a million stars aligning in Mike's mind.
"Promise that no matter what happens tomorrow you won't give up." Mike said taking Eleven's hands in his.
"I won't give up. I promise. I did school before." El said giving Mike a reassuring smile.
"I don't mean with school. I mean promise you won't give up on us. No matter who comes along?" Mike said nervously which just made El giggle and kiss his nose lightly.
"I promise. Your my favourite." El said cuddling up to her boyfriend as he pressed play on the movie he had set up for their date night.