Mike groaned and got out of bed. Another day of school, another day of hanging out with the Party.

Another day of trying to work up the nerve to talk to El.

He sighed, and said to himself, "what can I do different? I can't change who I am. I'm a nerd. If she doesn't like nerds, I'm screwed. The whole party is screwed for girlfriends, not just me."

It wasn't like she actively ignored him, she had actually looked at him and smiled once. A few times actually, but in the last few days she just looked at him like he was contagious.

Mike hopped in the shower and went downstairs for breakfast. His mother said "good morning" and gave him a kiss on the cheek and he rolled his eyes.

Nancy grabbed a piece of toast on the table put it in mouth and mumbled around it, "I'm off to meet Jonathan."

Mike's father looked up at Nancy, but didn't say anything about her talking with food in her mouth.

Mike was out of the house in record time and peddled his way to school. He saw two or three white vans from Hawkins lab on his way there, but that wasn't anything unusual. After some fiasco a few years ago, they'd kept a low profile, but still maintained a presence on the streets of Hawkins. Nobody had any idea what the lab did anymore, but Mike was sure it had nothing to do with the "Department of Energy".

Mike met that rest of the Party who were already waiting for him at the bike rack.

"...and I'm telling you she's acting weirder than normal." Lucas was saying.

"What's up guys," Mike said.

Dustin said, "Lucas was telling me that Erica, was acting weird."

"I thought you said that she was always acting weird?" Mike said.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "I just finished telling Dustin that she's acting weirder than normal. She left her favourite doll outside last night. She would never do that." Lucas was shaking his head.

"And why are you so concerned about your sister's favourite doll?" Dustin asked.

"I"m not, but it's just a matter of time before she finds a way to blame it on me. Somewhere along the line this is going to be my fault."

"Shit, here comes Troy."

"Hey frogface."

Mike looked down, wondering what punishment Troy would mete out to him today. He was pushing bikes over on is way to confront the Party, his leg got tripped up on one, and he went down face first into the gears of a ten speed. His lip split open, his nose looked like it might have been broken, and Mike was sure he saw him spit out a tooth. He ran away crying.

Dustin looked back and forth between Lucas and Mike, shrugging. "That was fortuitous."

Will skidded to a stop in front of them, looking at Troy's retreat into the school.

"Hi Will." Mike said.

Will gave him a blank stare and said, "hello." He parked his bike, adjusted his backpack and walked towards the school entrance.

"Something wrong with Will." Lucas asked?

Mike shrugged, "not that I know of. He's quieter than usual."

"Here she comes," Dustin said with a big grin on his face."

"Who?" MIke looked around.

"Are you guys seriously that dense. Who." Dustin hmmphed. "Max Mayfield and her best friend El Hopper. That would be the two girls you guys can't keep your eyes off of," Dustin looked back and forth between this two best friends.

Both Lucas and Mike looked down, suddenly interested in how well the grass was growing beneath their feet.

"I don't know why you just don't ask them to sit with us at the Party table during lunch."

"Why would a pret- why would girls like that be interested in sitting with us Dustin. Regular nerds won't sit with us. That's how nerdy we are. Two girls. You can't make a high enough save roll for that to happen."

"Just ask Mike, the worst thing that can happen is she says 'no' ." But if she says 'yes', if either one of them says yes, then the other will come for moral support. It's easier for you Mike, your locker is right beside El Hopper's."

Lucas looked at Dustin, "you're not selling it very well."

"He's got a point Lucas." Mike gave them both a deep sigh. "I'll give it a shot. Nothing else has worked,"

"What else have you tried?" Dustin said.

"Um, nothing I guess." Mike was looking down clobbered by Dustin's logic.

"Well, there you go."

Mike made his way to his locker, El was at hers. She turned to look at him. She had a deadpan expression.

"Um, hi El."

She couldn't have looked less interested in anything further Mike might have said if she had tried.

"Hello." She said in a monotone voice and turned back to her locker.

Oh, man. Mike thought to himself. You have your basic cold fish, and then you have El Hopper. Queen of the Cold Fish.

She turned back to look at him. "Can I help you."

"Not anymore," Mike mumbled mostly to himself. El had just trampled his soul. The dream of talking to her was gone. The dream of holding her hand was dead. The dream of kissing her had been shattered into a billion unrecognizable pieces, with those pieces hammered into dust and scattered to the wind.

Mike opened his locker as was able to block off his view of her with the door. He put his head down concentrating on getting his books . He was close to done. Defeated in a battle he never got to engage in.

What happened? She at least used to smile at him, but today. She was like a perfectly constructed android lacking any personality or warmth.

If she wasn't so pretty Mike would have just given up, he decided to give it one more shot. He closed the locker door, to face her again.

The smile El gave him with her eyes would have leveled a mountain range.

Whoa!

"El?" Mike could barely talk.

"I'm sending mixed signals. I know. I had to be sure."

Mike was a little confused. He didn't know El was… um odd. He wasn't exactly ready for that. If she turned out to be really flakey, then Mike was… he didn't know what he was. He was conflicted now. . Pretty or not, he didn't want to be the guy with the weirdo girlfriend.

Ok, maybe he did. They would make the perfect pair. Mike smiled inwardly.

"Sure of what?" Mike said.

"That you were really you."