"Boring." Elle states as Mike set the TV for Star Trek. 'Boring' was one of the words Dustin had taught her recently and she had taken to using it almost constantly.

Mike heaved a sigh, but handed her the remote.

"Well, what do you want to watch Ms. Picky-Pants?" He asked, poking her in her ticklish side. Elle giggled. She almost never understood Mike's little nicknames, but she got the intent behind them. It was warm.

"Wanna watch something new." She declared, flicking through their selection rapidly. She stopped on a channel.

"This look cool."

A loud wheezing emanated from the device and Mike's eyes widened as he looks at the television screen in horror.

It was just as he feared. Elle had put on-Doctor Who.

"No no no." He protested, trying to snatch the remote away. "We can't watch this show."

"Why not?" Elle furrowed her brow as she levitated the remote out of his reach.

"Because its... its traitorous! No proper Trekkie watches WHO!" He squealed. Elle tossed her head.

"I wanna. I like his suit." She stated. "Shush." Elle placed a hand over his mouth and Mike stopped wriggling. He might have been a mature, monster-fighting 12 year old boy, but he was still a 12 year old boy, and a pretty girl had a hand on his lips and legs spread over his lap.

Mike wrenched away from her, heart beating quickly, but she didn't notice, too focused on the screen.

"I'm... I'm gonna get some snacks, okay?" He stammered, heading for the stairs.

"'kay." She agreed, eyes latched on the British alien's exploits.

If anyone had thought Mike had a obsession, Elle certainly gave him a run for his money. Doctor Who was the only show she wanted to watch from then on. And Mike could not say no to those eyes.

"Elle!" Hopper called out. It was one of his rare days off, so he had been planning to relax and read a bit. He wouldn't admit it, but he had quite the soft spot for Tolkien.

However Joyce had come by with an interesting proposition. One involving his daughter.

"Hop?" The girl showed up at the doorway in her light blue nightgown, her now pixie length hair tousled, but her eyes bright.

"Hello Elle Belle." Joyce said kindly.

"Mrs. Byers." Elle smiled and walked further into the kitchen. "A good morning to you, ma'am."

"Wow, your sentences are getting real good!"

"Thank you. Mike is helping to learn me." Elle slid into her seat and started pouring syrup over the waiting plate of waffles.

"That's actually why I'm here." Joyce replied.

"Mike?" Elle asked with a frown.

"No, its actually about your education. Um, your learning."

"Oh." Elle nodded.

"I know how you want to start going to school with the other kids, so I talked to Mr. Clarke yesterday-"

"Science man?" Elle queried. Joyce chuckled.

"Yes, he's the science teacher. He's agreed to help tutor you to take the entry test for 8th grade. If you pass it this summer then you can go to school this fall."

"With the boys?" Elle's eyes shone.

"Yep. Do you want to do that?"

"Yes yes yes!" Elle exclaimed, bits of food spraying from her mouth.

"Elle, don't talk with your mouth full." Hopper reprimanded. She sta back down dutifully and finished chewing and swallowed.

"Yes, I want. I want to learn."

Elle was a quick learner, and Mr. Clarke was furiously happy with her progress.

"I can't wait to have her in class this fall! She's so bright!" He enthused to Hopper practically every time he came over.

Elle, for her part, was ravenous for knowledge. After the first day, she started reading Holly's picture books. A week later, she had read all the boys comic books. After that, her only resource left was Nancy.

"Nancy?" Elle tapped on the older girls shoulder one afternoon while Mike napped in the basement. Nancy held up a finger and gestured to the phone she was holding to her ear.

"Just a second Steve." She placed the receiver against her chest. "Yes, El?"

"Book?" Elle stared up her.

"If you wanna borrow a book, just head up to my room. There's loads. Just don't mess with any of my dresser drawers, okay?" Elle grinned.

"Okay." She assented.

Nancy turned back to her conversation as Elle scampered up the staircase. She entered the room with an air of reverence. It was so grown up. Elle's room was a 'work-in-progress' as Miss Karen said. Nancy's room- now that was pretty.

Elle scanned the room. Her eyes caught on a stack of novels on the desk. Those looked interesting. She grabbed one with a pink cover.

"A Lord Without a Lady..." Elle read the title. The cover featured a very large... shirtless? man and a lady leaning against him in a flowy dress. It looked interesting. She brought it down to the basement where Mike still slept and curled up against the couch near him. Then, she read.

"Mike! Mike!" A whisper cut through the grey daze of Mike's dreams and he yawned.

"What, Mom?" He tried to push away the arm that was poking him.

"I'm Elle." The voice said. Mike's opened at that to find that it was, indeed his... friend.

"Oh, hi Elle. How long have I been asleep?" He pushed himself upwards and grabbed her hand as she scooted next to him.

"A while. Mike, I have ques-tions." She declared, looking at him with a serious expression.

"Okay, shoot." He shrugged, pushing his hair out of his eyes and yawning once more. Elle always had questions of some kind.

"What's a 'well-endowed gentleman'? How do you 'make love'?" And who's a 'virgin'?" Mike's eyebrows flew up.

"Wh-what, how did you learn those words?" Mike sputtered. Elle tilted her head to one side.

"I read them. What do they mean?"

"What the hell are you reading?"

Elle flinched. Mike didn't usually use 'curse' words, or yell. She must have done something wrong. Tears started to well up in her eyes and she swallowed.

"Just, just this." She held up the offending novel. "It's Nancy's." She explained. "Are you mad? What'd I do?"

"No, no I'm not mad. It's just." He trailed off.

"Are you a virgin? They aren't loving to them in the book."

"Uh." Mike flushed. "That's a question for later. Just- don't read anything that has a shirtless guy on the cover, okay?"

"Okay." Elle agreed, snuggling up to Mike with a sigh. She still didn't understand any of those words, but if Mike thought they were bad, she'd ignore them.

For now.