Nudging the Chief
Hopper pulled into the school parking lot. His daughter was waiting for him. He noticed two things right away. First, she was standing very close to and holding hands with a dark haired kid, Hopper didn't remember seeing before off hand. Second, it was the happiest he had ever seen her. "Shit, she's making me meet her boyfriend."
Hopper sighed. He knew the day was coming, he wasn't expecting it today, not with all those government assholes running around he had to deal with.
When they got closer it turned out he did recognize the kid, it was the Wheeler's son. Loner, smart kid, never got into trouble. El could do worse he thought...I'll be generous and guess they've got about three weeks before it's over and Wheeler moves on….although if he was a loner, El was probably his first girlfriend. He would probably wait for El to dump him, in which case their relationship would spin the drain before El finally pulled the plug. That wasn't going to be any fun for anybody. He had to ride this one out.
El looked really happy...Ok give this one three months then...maybe even to the end of the school year. No way either one of them are going to keep each other's attention that long. Oh wait. Shit, did he know about her ability? El just might have been foolish enough to tell him her secret because she was over-infatuated with him.
"Hey, kid…I see you made a new friend. Back seat Wheeler."
El squeezed his hand then let it go. Mike climbed into the back seat.
"Where are we going?"
"Home dad, we have something to tell you."
"I think I get it El."
"Not this you don't"
"Oh," Hopper raised his eyebrows.
Once they were at the cabin, Hopper turned Mike and El. "Ok out with it." He saw that their hands and found each other again. "You are...what term are kids using now?...dating."
They both nodded at the same time. "That's not it dad, Mike...knows about my ability"
"You told him! What did we talk about?"
"You already know the Party knows about it, they knew before you did."
"You can't just tell any boy you like that kind of thing. It's not safe."
"Mike isn't just any boy I like...I really like him." El gave Hopper a look that said: 'don't make me say it'.
"Ok, Ok, you could still have told me that in the truck...It's something else isn't it?"
They both nodded again. "Sir, I have an ability too."
Hopper looked at him. He had to admit, he didn't see that coming. He smiled, "you do, do you? The same as El's? That's going to be my worst nightmare...I don't need two of you having a tantrum."
"Not the same as El's. I can make people do what I want."
"Uh huh, ok Wheeler make me do something."
"Take off your shoe and put it in the fridge,"
When Hopper came back from the fridge, he was wide eyed, and saw that El was dabbing Mike's nose with her sleeve.
"Jeezus, Wheeler, you can't tell anybody you can do that!"
"That's why he didn't have any friends, dad, he knew nobody would feel right around him."
"So why are you two dating then, did he make you do it?"
"No dad, he used on me once to show me what it was, and then promised he would never use it on me again. He promised. We've...liked each other a long time…." Hopper got it and nodded to Mike.
"Does the 'Party' know." Hopper air quoted and rolled his eyes.
"Yes, but I don't think they believed him, I made him promise not to use it on them." El turned to Mike, "Mike, I need you to promise to never use it on my dad again."
"I promise, El." Mike turned to Hopper, "sorry sir, it's the only way to really convince somebody."
"I get it Wheeler, that was some of the scariest shit I've ever gone through. Do you have a tattoo?"
"You are the second person today to ask me if I have a tattoo, what's going on with that?"
El pulled up her sleeve and showed Mike. 011. She could see Mike mouth the word eleven.
"El is short for Eleven, isn't it." El nodded.
"El, you need to tell him the rest." He went to the fridge to retrieve his shoe.
She took Mike's hand and pulled him into her room. They were in there about forty-five minutes and Hopper could hear both of them crying at various points. Wheeler wasn't getting the watered down version. He felt sorry for the kid, but he knew this would be the test, she could scare him away...or they would be closer. He didn't like either one of those outcomes. But Hopper knew the latter would at least make El happy...happier anyway. After the last year they had, she deserved that much.
There was silence for the last couple of minutes. Hopper was just about to go in there and break up the kissing he knew was going on, he hesitated because no father wants to see his daughter kissing any boy. You can't unsee that shit.
They finally came out. He didn't think it was possible for them to stand any closer. He could also see it would take a crowbar to pry their hands apart.
"Bad shit, isn't it Wheeler?"
MIke was looking down, sniffed and nodded.
"Does it change your mind about her?"
Mike shook his head vehemently. Well, that was that, Hopper thought, Wheeler had heard the absolute worst, and he was still standing beside her. Give the kid some credit. To be that loyal after only one day... El might have someone special here.
"You ok, Mike?" El worried. He hadn't said a word as they walked along the train track. He never let go of her hand, but he hadn't said anything.
"I'm mad, El"
"At me?" She looked at Mike, really worried now.
"No, no, El, I don't think I could ever be mad at you…" He leaned in and kissed her, "I...love you."
El looked at him with the brightest eyes he'd ever seen. "I love you too, Mike. I wasn't sure you felt the same way." They were silent for a few minutes.
"I'm mad at the lab, the people responsible need to die in a fire." He looked quickly at El's eyes...she looked a little scared with what he'd said, "or at least put in a prison and never get out…"
"My dad is working on taking them down...he has to be careful, so it's taking time."
"Maybe he could use some help."
"We thought of that already Mike, my dad doesn't want me to go anywhere near the lab, too dangerous."
"He didn't know about me, when he said that. The two of us together could make a difference."
"Mike, you made me put a pencil in my nose, " El smiled at that, "and you almost had a non-stop nose bleed. You're too weak after you use the Nudge"
"Why don't you get nosebleeds anymore?"
"I practised for a year, I got a lot stronger. My nose bleeds if I move something like a train car, but for anything smaller, it doesn't."
"You can move a train car?!" Mike said, "that's incredible. How can I get that strong with my own ability."
"You have to practise Mike, a lot. For at least a year."
"I need people to practise on El, I won't practise on you, or the Party...I'm not a member anyway, but I won't break my promise.."
El thought for a second. "Easy, we go to the new mall."
"Starcourt? That would work, easy to get lost in a crowd."
"I'm going you train you Mike...something like the way I was...but kisses will be your reward for success, not punishment for failures." El 's eyes glittered.
"Kissing for successes, ok, I'm in." Mike kissed her again and pulled her into a tight hug, "you are amazing El...you really are."
