Chapter 2: She's not OK
Mike and Eleven have been dating for almost two years now, with their second anniversary only three months away.
For the past two years, Lucas has acted normally, being careful not to step into any issues Mike and El get into in their relationship. He knows he has no right to intervene but his arms are always open every time El asks for his advice.
El has always been thankful for the time Lucas gives her despite his busy life- football, studies, AV club, and even if Lucas has multiple networks of friends, even in other schools, Lucas would cancel anything just to listen to El's boring stories about her love life. He was there when El started to feel jealousy, insecurity, and low self-esteem, even during the first time she had PMS.
Not that Mike couldn't deal with those, it's just that Mike could sometimes be a little dense. He is a pure human being after all. He thought that by protecting El from the world, and by controlling the things that El could know, she would never ever feel those unpleasant things. Mike would be vexed at anyone who would try to educate El of this "worldly" sentiments, which caused an uproar or two between him and his sister Nancy. He was called selfish by Lucas at one point and they didn't talk to each other for a week. Knowing how sensitive that issue is to Mike, Dustin and Will did not attempt to meddle.
As such, El feels ashamed when she actually does feel those awful things, so she learned to turn to Lucas, who would laugh and console her every time she tells him how ugly she thinks she is and that she could never be good enough for Mike.
If you only knew how perfect you are, Lucas always thought.
Lucas has a lot of pretty and popular admirers in school, but he could never look at anyone the same way he looks at El. He would date someone every now and then, his longest would be for a month. Sometimes, he would break up with them once he realizes they're nothing like El. Some would break up with him because he has this habit of ditching anyone for this someone. Yes, he would abandon, ditch and cancel on anyone for this girl named El.
The amusing turn of events began on a perfectly normal November twilight. Lucas got a call from El.
"Lucas…"
"Yes, El? Umm… I'm gonna be heading to school now for football practice…What's up?"
"Oh, okay, I'll just call you back, bye…"
Lucas knows there's something wrong just with the tone of El's voice. "Wait, El. Is everything okay? Where are you? Where's Mike?"
"I'm at home. It's about Mike..."
"Oh? What about…? Ok, wait, I'm gonna call you back." Lucas said then immediately dialed their coach's office number after hanging up.
"Umm Coach! Lucas here… I might have to skip practice to-"
"Lucas you can't! Next week's game is crucial we need you to be here for the practice tonight!"
"I'm sorry coach I really really had to do something important…"
"No you don't. I'll see you in 30 minutes!"
"Coach! Coach!" Dammit. Lucas dialed El's home phone number this time.
"Hello?"
"Eleven, get ready I'll pick you up, bye!"
Lucas drove to Mirkwood to go to the Byers/Hopper house and just when he was about to turn on the corner, he saw Eleven standing awkwardly on the road, with her arms draped into her torso, her hands rubbing her forearms. Lucas immediately went out of his car and opened the passenger door-a gesture he reserves only for El. He couldn't care less if it's another girl but he'd always open the door for Eleven.
"Hey why'd you have to go here, it's cold outside! I said I'll pick you up from your house."
Eleven went in, and Lucas followed.
"I just thought you were in a hurry." Eleven gave him a faint smile and Lucas almost clutched his heart.
They were just silent for a few minutes, waiting for whoever starts the conversation first, and when Lucas can't take it anymore, he started to open his mouth.
"I'm sorry El, I couldn't bail practice today, but you can just wait for me and we'll talk about it later, alright?" El nodded.
"Are you okay?" Lucas asked. Instead of answering, El simply closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the car seat.
She's not okay. He knows because that kind of action had always been El's way of controlling her emotions, so Lucas let her be until they arrived at school.
Lucas parked at the school grounds, turned off the ignition and gave it a couple of minutes before interrupting El in her meditation.
"Eleven?" Lucas said as tenderly as possible. The girl slowly opened her eyes, and when she did, a stream of tears fell down her cheeks and she started sobbing. She had been trying hard not to cry since she left the house and with Lucas saying her name like that, she can't help but wallow in self-pity and dejection.
While Eleven was drowning in her vulnerability, Lucas, just like in all the other times El have cried in front of him in the past, was just sitting upright, not looking at El, just staring at the football field in front of them but not really seeing anything, not saying a word, and just fighting the urge to go out of the car and break something, or someone, since it always broke his heart to see this precious and delicate woman cry. But he had to be strong, trying so much not to pull Eleven into his arms, mainly because he did not want to startle El which could lead to his demise, and second, because he had never touched El ever since he caught those feelings. He never hugged her since then, not even once. They accidentally held hands one time when they went boating at the lake last year and the sensation sent shivers down his spine that he wasn't able to sleep that night. For him, when it comes to El, touching is sacred. And he respects El so much that he would never take advantage of her.
"Lucas, I think you need to go there now, you might miss your practice." El said between sobs, wiping her eyes with the back of her right hand just like a child. Lucas just looked at him with a morose expression.
"But El.."
"I'm gonna be fine… if you miss your practice I'm gonna feel worse."
"Alright… but you have to go with me."
"Can't I just stay here in your car?"
"I don't want you alone here."
"I'll get out when I'm ready, I promise."
"You don't have to promise Eleven, I know you will… I'll wait for you, just sit in one of those bleachers there and I don't know, maybe you can cheer for me or something" Lucas said, that time more relaxed and even smiling a little which caused the mood to lighten up a bit.
El, who caught a whiff of how Lucas is trying to cheer her up then said: "You know I'm no cheerleader material Lucas."
"C'mon, you don't have to do cartwheels or raise your pompoms or shout your lungs out, just be there… that's enough." Lucas said sincerely.
This caused Eleven to smile widely showing her crooked teeth, which Lucas finds most attractive. It had always been one of El's greatest insecurity in her body, but for Lucas, it was her perfect feature.
God, she's beautiful, Lucas thought. He just sat there looking at El and he suddenly had the urge to just kiss her, right then and there. But his four years of self-restraint had proven effective once more as he opened his door before he can even lurch forward to El.
Sigh. "You can stay here, or you can go out, it's up to you as long as YOU know you're okay in here."
"I know I'm okay in here Lucas… Go... They're waiting for you."
Lucas looked at the football field with his teammates assembled on it and his head coach looking at their direction with his arms crossed. He knew he was late and it would probably cause him 30 push-ups at least, maybe 50 push-ups tops.
But at that moment, he just looked back at his car and took one last glance at the girl inside, ran to the field and never in his life had he been that psyched to receive an imminent punishment.
