Ross rolled her eyes, but couldn't help from smiling as the boys rolled up on their bikes singing the Ghostbusters theme song. The three donned their outfits appropriately, even carrying mock weapons and ghost catching supplies. They all smiled and nodded at her as they placed their bikes in the bike rack next to hers.
"Who you gonna call?" Ross looked over to see Will approaching behind them, also wearing a costume.
"Ghostbusters!" Will exclaimed, nodding his head. He stood next to Ross and bumped her shoulder happily.
Ross was the only one not wearing a costume. Their Ghostbusters costumes were store bought, or handmade, in Will's case. Her dad would refuse to spend the money on such a thing, and she didn't have the cash to get it herself. Besides, there were no girl ghostbusters, and no other girl in the movie was worth dressing up as. If anyone asked, she's claim she was a citizen that had a ghost problem.
She knew that although most people dressed up for halloween, she wouldn't be the only one that didn't. She knew for a fact Max and Richie wouldn't be dressed up. Not only would they have no time to get a costume ready, but no one had probably told them.
"Hey, Spengler!" Mike exclaimed.
"Egon!" Lucas shouted, sweeping in to give Will a hug.
"Venkman!"
Ross laughed, shaking her head as Dustin reached her and threw an arm around her shoulder.
Mike leaned forward, reaching for Lucas's nametag, and the laugh diminished. "Whoa, whoa," he said, frowning.
"What?" Lucas asked.
"Why are you Venkman?"
"Oh god," Ross muttered, rolling her eyes. Dustin's arm dropped from her shoulders as he shook his head slightly.
"Because I'm Venkman," Lucas declared, like it was obvious.
"No, I'm Venkman," Mike retorted, poking at his own tag. Ross glanced at both of theirs, and they both had the name Venkman stitched in. She sighed. Just another thing for them to argue about.
"Why can't there just be two Venkmans?" Will asked, glancing between the two.
"Because there's only one Venkman in real life," Mike argued. "We planned this months ago. I'm Venkman, Dustin's Stantz, you're Egon, Ross is a citizen, and you're Winston."
"Guys. No one cares," Ross said loudly, trying to finish the argument before it went to far.
"I specifically didn't agree to Winston," Lucas claimed, waving his hands around. Ross huffed, turning away to look around. She didn't want to have to deal with the two all day.
She then caught sight of Richie, shoving his bike in the stands just across the walk. Glancing at her friends once, she walked over to him, noticing that, just like she predicted, he wouldn't be dressed up. He noticed her approaching and gripped his backpack straps, turning towards her.
"Hey, dollface," he greeted. Ross scrunched up her nose. She wasn't exactly sure why he called her that, he'd only known her for about day, if that. She felt the need to give him a nickname, but couldn't think of a clever one just yet.
"Richard," she settled on, smirking as he squinted his eyes at her. "Happy Halloween."
"You too," he nodded, relaxing into a more comfortable stance. She couldn't help but notice that he wore another Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned, over his t-shirt. Was that his style?
"Why're your friends all dressed up?" he asked her, nodding to the boys who were still arguing. She rolled her eyes and turned back to him.
"Most people dress up to school on Halloween," she explained. "Their arguing over whose who and whatnot."
"But no one else is dressed up." Ross looked up at Richie, frowning.
"What?"
"Look." He pointed to some kids that were walking their way. Like Ross and Richie, they wore normal clothes. She cursed under her breath. "Ha! You're friends are a bunch of fucking losers." He laughed, pointing as they all seemed to notice that no one else had dressed up.
"Shut the fuck up," Ross snapped, glaring at him.
The bell rang, and Ross sighed, stepping forward a few feet to grab Mike's sleeve.
"C'mon, you guys," she said, tugging slightly. Mike turned, looking at her, before his eyes fell behind her on Richie.
"Yeah," he muttered. "Yeah, let's go."
Walking through the halls was practically torture. Her and Richie trailed behind the boys, who were being laughed at by everyone they passed. She knew that she wasn't being laughed at, but it still frustrated her to know her friends were the subject of the ridicule. Part of her wished she had dressed up, too, so they wouldn't have to take the teasing alone.
"Who you gonna call?" one student said loudly as they passed. "The Nerds!"
Richie racked out a laugh, quickly trying to pass it off as a cough as Ross, Mike, and Lucas turned to glare at him. She snatched his elbow and pulled him up next to her at her locker.
"Try being a little less rude," she said, spinning in her combination and opening her locker.
"It's not my fault your friends didn't get the memo to not dress up," Richie defended, a smile on his lips. "Also not my fault they chose the nerdiest costumes ever."
"You don't like ghostbusters?"
"You do?" Richie asked, crinkling his nose. "My god, you're a nerd, too!"
"I'm also your only friend," she said, grabbing a few books and stuffing them in her bag.
"Whoa, who ever said I wanted to be your friend?" he asked, squinting at her through his thick lenses.
"Well, considering the fact you asked me to ride home with you yesterday, and that you walked with me inside today, and that you're talking with me right now, all tells me that you're at least acquainted with me, and you enjoy my presence to an extent," she said, shutting her locker swiftly. "And your about to walk with me to our next class. If that doesn't say you consider me a friend, even just a little bit, then rock's are soft."
"I can tell you about something else that isn't soft," Richie said, smiling widely.
Ross made a sour face and pushed passed him, not surprised when he followed her. "You're disgusting."
"So, you gonna go trick-or-treating tonight?" Will asked Richie. Ross, Will, and Richie were all heading towards the bike racks. School had just gotten out, and they were free for the rest of the day.
Ross was a bit surprised at how quickly Will had gotten acquainted with Mike's look-a-like. She'd at least expected him to be shocked at his presence. Apparently, one of the other boys had gotten a hold of him last night and told him about Richie. But it was still odd to see how quickly he accepted him compared to the other boys. Lucas and Dustin were too absorbed in Max to really notice much of anything, but Mike seemed the most reluctant to speak to Richie. Perhaps it had to do with the fact they were nearly identical. Ross was sure that would freak her out, too.
"Probably not, Willington," Richie confessed, calling Will by another one of his odd nicknames. "I just moved here, and I don't feel like getting raped over some fucking candy."
Ross snorted, and even Will smiled a bit. Another thing she'd noticed, is that Richie had quite the mouth. None of the boys really seemed to mind, except maybe Mike and Lucas.
"Oh, well, if you decide to go out, we'll be trick-or-treating," Will said, much to Ross's surprise. "Meet us on Maple Street at 7:00 if you wanna come with."
Richie mounted his bike and furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah, probably not gonna happen. I'd have to cancel my date with Ross's mom."
"Don't got one," Ross said," so it looks like you're free."
Richie's face dropped for a moment, guilt and sorrow crossing his face before he smirked again, eyes growing cheery.
"We'll see," he said shortly, leaving out any smart remark. He bid the both of them goodbye and peddled off.
Max kicked up her skateboard into her hands, sighing to herself as she approached Billy and the car. He was smoking, leaning agaisnt the back of the vehicle as if he hadn't a care in the world.
"You're late again," he said to her as she walked by. She stopped, turning to look at him.
"Yeah, I had to get catch up homework," she explained, knowing that it still wouldn't ease his annoyance.
"Jesus, I don't care," he said, turning his head slightly. "You're late again, and you're skating home. Do you hear me?"
Max glared at him, swinging open the door and getting inside the car.
They zoomed along the road rustling piles of leaves, blasting rock and breaking the speed limit. Max stared straight ahead, attempting to ignore Billy and his obnoxious existence, and trying not to draw any attention. Of course, Billy decided otherwise, and opened his big mouth.
"God, this place is such a shithole," he muttered, prompting a response from Max.
She thought of the school, her classes, the weather and her classmates. She thought of the two stalkers dressed as ghostbusters, and Mr. Clarke and his curiosity voyages. "It's not that bad."
"No?" Billy asked, glancing at her. He reached over and rolled down her window, dramatically inhaling through his nose. "Mmm!"
He pinched his nose, letting his voice go nasally. "You smell that, Max? That's actually shit. Cow shit."
She breathed in with annoyance. "I don't see any cows," she said, rolling her window back up.
"Clearly, you haven't met the high school girls," he replied. Then he scoffed, glancing at her. "So what, you like it here now?"
"No," Max said, furrowing her eyebrows and shaking her head. This place would never be California.
"Then why are you defending it?"
"I'm not," she said, looking at him sharply.
"Sure sounds like it."
"It's just we're stuck here," she said, shaking her head. "So..."
"You're right," Billy agreed. "We're stuck here." He looked over at her darkly. "And whose fault is that?"
Max rolled her eyes, cocking an eyebrow. "Yours," she muttered under her breath.
"What'd you say?" Billy asked.
"Nothing," she said quickly. She mentally kicked herself.
"Did you say it's my fault?"
"No."
"You know whose fault it is," Billy went on. "Say it."
She ignored him. Max wouldn't give into his demands.
"Max...say it."
Why did he have to be like this? Why couldn't he be fun, and nice? Why did she have to get a shitbag of a brother who was just so condescending and angry and-
"SAY IT!" he shouted, leaning over into her face. She jumped slightly, but stayed still.
Billy acted out, switching gears and accelerating, stomping on the gas. He turned up the music and began pounding the wheel, mouthing the words to the songs.
Max spotted something, and leaned forward in her seat. Four kids, three boys wearing ghostbuster costumes, and one girl with curly redhair, all pedalling down the road on their bikes. And they were all in Billy's way.
"Billy, slow down," Max said, concern lacing her features.
"Oh, these your new hick friends?" he asked.
"No!" Max said, not technically lying. "I don't know them."
"Oh, I guess you won't care if I hit 'em then?" he asked.
Max tensed, beginning to panic.
"I get bonus points if I get em all in one go?"
"No, Billy, stop," she said, turning to him. "It's not funny." He just looked at her, bobbing his head to the music.
He revved the engine, gaining more speed. Max saw two of them glance behind them at the car.
"Billy, come on, stop it. It's not funny. Stop!" Max yelled. "Billy, stop it!"
Max reached over, yanking the wheel to the left. The car lurched to the other side of the road, and the group of friends veered off the edge of the road, some even falling off of their bikes.
"Yeah! That was a close one, huh?" Billy shouted at Max. She looked behind her out the back window, just in time to see the redhead hurl a rock at their car. It hit the back with a thunk, and Billy glared through the rear view mirror, yet did nothing about it.
They drove off, Max staring at their angry and confused expressions.
Ross rolled into the leaves, tumbling off her bike as she jerked off the side of the road. She got to her feet, watching as a blue car sped by, music thundering from inside. Quickly, she scooped up a rock, anger coursing through her, and hurled it at the car. It hit the back with a thunk.
"FUCKING ASSHAT!" She shouted, flipping them off despite the fact they most likely couldn't see her.
"Holy shit!" Dustin shouted as Lucas pulled him off the ground. Mike dropped his bike to help, staring after the speeding car. "Was that..."
"Mad Max," Lucas breathed out.
Ross spun around, glaring hard.
"Mad Max?" she spat. "You're girlfriend almost fucking killed us! What the fuck!"
"She's not my girlfriend," Lucas said, frowning. Ross stared.
"That's what you're concerned with right now?" she yelled, spinning back around.
Who did she think she was?
"Plus, it wasn't her driving," Dustin added. "She isn't old enough."
"Okay, so what?" Ross challenged. "She was still in the car. The car that almost ran us over!"
"It probably wasn't her fault," Lucas defended. "Don't get angry at her."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ross said, throwing her hands in the air. "Let me turn you into a bloody skid mark on the highway and see how you feel!"
"Hey, Ross," Mike said, grabbing her arm. "Calm down. Let's just get back to your house, okay?"
She closed her eyes, noticing how Mike squeezed her arm reassuringly. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Yeah, sure. Sorry for getting worked up," she apologized to Dustin and Lucas. "I don't take well to people trying to kill me."
"It's cool," Dustin said.
"Yeah," Lucas nodded, "plus, you landed a pretty nice hit on the car."
Disclaimer: I don't own the ideas, characters, or plotline of Stranger Things or IT
A/N: I think it's been a week, not really sure. But here's chapter 3, anyway. As you see, I expirimented with a bit of Max's pov. Not sure if I'll do it again, mainly bc i'm not sure where I'll have the chance to within the rest of the story. If any of you guys want another Max pov, let me know and I'll see if I can fit anything in. If you guys want anything regarding the story, or have any questions, really just let me know. Thanks to those who've reviewed and such, means a lot to get some feedback! I might start responding to those reviews below the A/N after each chapter, but I haven't quite decided. Anyway, sorry for any misspelled words or grammar mistakes, I'm not too good at going through and editing. I hope you enjoy, and if not, that's a shame, and I grant you my authentic apologies.