This chapter is edgier than the last. Eleven's curiosity leads her to take steps to educate herself for what is ultimately to come.

Chapter 2 - The Library

The next day was Saturday. Mike and the gang had plans to undergo yet another extended campaign of Dungeons and Dragons at the Wheeler household. Everyone showed up around ten in the morning after breakfast and the boys set up the game in the basement while arguing over whose D&D character was the best.

Eleven and Max, who were genuinely uninterested in the game, would typically spend their time sitting on the old sofa next to the game table, talking about whatever or reading from the communal stack of comic books. Although today, Eleven had a particular agenda. She wanted to know more about developing the feelings she had for Mike.

"Max?" Eleven asked. "Yeah?" Max replied.

"Have you kissed a boy?" she asked directly. "Wow! Okay! So I guess we're talking about this. Um, why do you ask?" Max stalled. Eleven shrugged. "Well...yes. I have. I kissed Lucas after the Snow Ball last year and a couple times in the junk yard since then, but it's really no big deal." Max said, blushing slightly."

"No?" Eleven questioned. "No," said Max unconvincingly, her voice cracking, "...I mean, it's not like we're doing it or anything."

"Doing...it?" Eleven pushed. "Yeah. You know. Doing it? Like...you know…." Eleven stared at her blankly. "Sex…" Max said uncomfortably.

"Sex?" said Eleven loudly. "SHHH!" Max grabbed Eleven's arm, pulling her into the basement restroom. "Wait...you've never heard of…of…."

"Sex?" she said loudly again. Max's hand shot over Eleven's mouth. "Stop...saying it! Okay?" Eleven nodded. Max removed her hand.

"Wow, okay. You need more help than I thought," Max said bluntly. "While I could explain the physical side of things, I... don't really want to. I'm not even sure I'm qualified!" she said anxiously, pacing back and forth on the concrete floor.

Max suddenly stopped pacing. "I know who you need to talk to," she said with certainty. "Come with me!" With that, Max grabbed Eleven's arm and they went quickly upstairs. The boys, still entranced in their game, paid little attention.

They passed Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler in the living room. Mr. Wheeler ate peanuts in his La-Z-Boy as he watched an uninteresting program on TV. Mrs. Wheeler shook her head at him, drinking a glass of white wine. The girls quickly passed through, making their way to the upstairs bedrooms. They stopped in front of Nancy's room at the end of the hall. The door was open slightly. Max knocked.

"Come in!" Nancy responded. "Hey," started Max nervously, "So Eleven has some questions about a… particular subject but I wasn't really sure how to help her so I figured you might be able to, I don't know, help."

"Sure," Nancy said, still confused. "What exactly do you have questions about?" she said taking a drink from a glass of water. Eleven looked at Max then back to Nancy. "Sex," she said plainly. "Uhh-hh" Nancy started, choking on her water, "okay." Max closed the bedroom door. "So...what do you know already?"

"She knows nothing!" assured Max. "I see...so, the basics then?" Eleven nodded. "Well...can I ask first why you're interested in…sex…all of a sudden?"

"Mike," said Eleven. Nancy choked again on her water, this time sitting the glass on the bedside table. "This is awkward," she said quietly under her breath. "Okay," said Nancy reassuringly. "Well...I hope you aren't rushing into things. Especially at your age. I can tell you from experience that sex isn't what everyone makes it to be." Eleven stared blankly at her. "Right. The basics," she reminded herself.

"Are you doing anything important today?" Nancy asked. Eleven shook her head. "Come with me. We're going to the source of knowledge. The library. Max, you're welcome to come too."

"As fun as that sounds," Max began sarcastically, "I think I'm gonna pass. I have some...things I have to do."

"Well, you know where we'll be if you change your mind," Nancy said politely, putting on a light jacket.

In less than twenty minutes, Nancy and Eleven were standing in the lobby of the Hawkins Public Library. The smell of old books and cedar shelves filled the room. "This way!" said Nancy beckoning Eleven from the edge of a row of books.

Eleven followed Nancy, reading the signs at the end of each row of books along the way. It didn't take long until they reached the relevant section. Health Education read the sign at the end of the section. "Here we are!" said Nancy. She walked down to the end of the section and, after a few minutes of shuffling and clicking sounds with her tongue, came back with a book titled The Principles of Sex.

They found a stray table near the end of the aisle with only two chairs. Nancy positioned Eleven's chair to face the wall and left the other chair at the adjacent side for herself. "Have a seat," she directed.

Confused, Eleven sat down at the chair Nancy had moved for her. "Okay," Nancy began, "this book will tell you everything you need to know about the physical side of sex. It has pictures and descriptions of everything so you should grasp it pretty quickly. I have some college prep work to do, so if you have any questions, I'll be right here and I want you to ask me. Understand?"

Eleven nodded in understanding. She opened to the fourth page, the Table of Contents. She read through the chapters briefly. Chapter 1: The Male and Female Forms, Chapter 2: The Mechanics of Sex, Chapter 3: Foreplay… She turned a few more pages to the first chapter. She read the introduction:

So you're curious about sex. That's completely normal. In this book, you will master the basic principles of sex, as well as understand the precautions you must take as a responsible adult. In later chapters, you will learn some useful tips and techniques for finding out what your partner does and doesn't like.

Eleven continued reading, turning the page. On the next page were two large photos: One of a naked man and the other of a naked woman. She stared curiously at the anatomy of the man, immediately noticing the appendage between the legs. Penis she noted, reading the label next to the body part. She had never seen one and wondered if Mike had one. She kept reading:

The male sex organs are known as the penis and testicles. The female sex organ is known as the vagina. Both of the organs interact in the activity of sex for the purpose of pleasure or for the production of offspring.

Offspring? Eleven thought to herself. She looked up at Nancy who quickly noticed her attention. "Question?" asked Nancy. "What is...offspring?" asked Eleven. "It means children. When two people have sex, if they don't use protection, then the woman can get pregnant because of the man and have a baby," Nancy informed.

Eleven's mind raced back to the memory she witnessed inside her mother's head. The moment of her own birth. Papa taking her away from her mother. "No babies," she said firmly. "Yeah, no, you don't want babies…. At least not right away," Nancy said. "No babies ever," Eleven clarified. "Well…" Nancy said uncomfortably, "that is your choice of course. You can make sure you don't get pregnant by taking birth control or using a condom. It should talk about that in the book."

Eleven turned her attention back to the book and continued reading. After roughly an hour and a half, Nancy began gathering her things. "We better go," she said. "My mom will have lunch ready for us soon. You can come back and read the book anytime you want, but I wouldn't recommend checking it out, or people might think it's...weird." With that, Nancy grabbed the book and slid it back in its spot on the shelf. "We should hurry, my mom's making meatloaf!"

As Nancy headed toward the lobby, Eleven's curiosity got the better of her. She took the book from its spot and put it in her shirt, zipping up her jacket. "Are you coming?" Nancy beckoned. "Coming," Eleven said, catching up to her.

When they got home, Mrs. Wheeler was setting the table. "Where have you girls been?" she asked lightheartedly. "Oh. Well, I took Eleven to that new dress shop on the corner, then we went to the library for my college prep work, and all that. It's super quiet there!"

"Sounds fun!" said Mrs. Wheeler smiling. "Glad you girls had a good day. Hope you're hungry for meatloaf!"

"Starved!" said Nancy. "I've been telling El just how great your meatloaf is!" Mrs. Wheeler let out a small chuckle that was unconvincingly modest. She looked directly at Eleven, "Well, it did take blue ribbon at the Hawkin's Homeowners Association Banquet four years in a row."

"Well, we should probably wash up before lunch," interrupted Nancy. "Right…" said Mrs. Wheeler, still caught up in the compliment, "well hurry back girls! I've got my famous mashed potatoes too!" With that, Nancy headed up the stairs, while Eleven headed downstairs to find place to stash the book.

When she got downstairs, Max was reluctantly helping the boys settle a dispute between Lucas and Dustin about whether trolls were allowed to attack two turns after being stunned or three. Eleven took the opportunity to stash the book under the right cushion of the sofa in the corner. About that time, Mrs. Wheeler called loudly down the stairs. "Time to eat! I don't ask twice!" The group agreed to settle the dispute later.

Before heading upstairs, Mike stopped in front of Eleven. "Hey," he said shyly. "I saw you left." Eleven looked at the couch cushion then back to Mike. "Went to the library with Nancy," she said. "Oh," said Mike. He then took Eleven's hand and they headed up the stairs behind the rest of the group.