This was something else to write. Sorry it's so depressing. Also, sorry for the long ass hiatus, I hope I'll be good now, for a few chapters at least sksks.

The reactions probably aren't the best, I'm not the best at writing sad stuff like this.

Oh yeah, this gets sad af at the end.

And Max's dad isn't the best either so yeah.

Saturday, May 11, 1985

"Wheeler."

"Yeah?"

"Stop growing."

"Hopper?"

"What, kid."

"I can't."

"Your girlfriend literally will not stop whining to me about how much taller you are than her."

"It's not like I can actually stop growing. If I could I would've like... three weeks ago."

"You're gonna blow away in the wind. You're too skinny."

"I eat constantly. I eat more than you."

"Excuse me?" Mike laughed and Hopper glared at him.

"That was a very... interesting conversation." Will said, looking at Dustin, who shrugged.

"Are they always arguing like that?" He asked. Will nodded.

"Yep." Mike turned around and stuck his tongue out at them, then grinned.

"Can you guys believe we actually convinced El to stay with Mrs. Byers and Nancy?"

"Kinda, I mean... she loves hanging out with them."

"Not the point." Miked waved Dustin off. "And she wasn't suspicious when we told her to take most of Eggo's shit with her." Hopper snorted. "Pun very much intended."

"You don't think she's gonna be mad that we haven't told her about the house?" Hopper asked, glancing at Mike, who shook his head, fiddling with one of Eggo's feather toys. She loved them.

"She likes surprises, and I think she'll like this one. Especially since she won't have to do any of the work." They laughed.

"She's so lazy." Dustin said.

"Shut up." Mike flicked him. "Don't talk about her like that." He gave Dustin a look that told him he was kidding... sort of.

"Protective ass."

"Language." Hopper muttered. "Even though El can protect herself and Mike, I'm glad you're protective of her."

"Of course." Mike nodded, shifting in his seat so he could stretch his legs out. "I mean... I love her." He said softly.

"I know, kid." Mike heard his friends snickering in the back but rolled his eyes and didn't say anything.

They soon arrived at the house, where a rented moving van sat out front with Steve, Max and Jonathan sitting on the front porch.

"I thought she was grounded?" Mike turned to look at Lucas, who nodded but looked confused as well. Hopper parked and they got out, Lucas jogging over to Max, who pulled him inside the house. They all looked around at each other before shrugging.

"Okay, you little shits just carry the... non-heavy stuff, and us grown men will carry the furniture."

Hopper had had Karen and Joyce- her obviously, she was living with them after all- both to help pick out some new furniture. Most of the stuff was crammed into the large moving truck, but the rest was on a trailer connected to Steve's car.

"I just want you to know, Steve, that you are full of shit and as of right now, are no longer my second mom." Dustin said sternly, walking past him swiftly and pulling on the handle until the door open, nearly hitting Steve. The older teen closed his eyes and counted to ten, before opening them and making his way to his truck to get the dressers behind his car.

"You're not a grown man until you have a job, your own place, and a lot of other stuff, Harrington." Hopper told him, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag. Steve just grumbled and lifted up some shelves.

Nearly three hours later, they had everything in the house and most of the boxes unpacked- except for clothes and toiletries- and Joyce had arrived after an hour to tell them where everything went. Once they were done, Max finally told them what was going on- after having acted pretty weird the whole day. Hopper had left to pick up El and her things from the Wheeler house.

The five friends were sitting outside in the grass near the pool when she told them.

"Billy and Neil were having a... an argument. It wasn't a very good one so... my mom told me to leave." She said. She hadn't really talked much, she stuck close to Hopper for some reason.

"Were they fighting?" Will asked. "Like... actually fighting?" She nodded.

"I'm worried about my mom." She said, biting her lip. "She tries to get between them when they fight and-and one time she got hit."

"That's not good." Dustin said.

"No shit." She glared at him.

"Sorry," He mumbled. Lucas squeezed her shoulder gently and she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"She'll be okay." Mike told her. He had a weird feeling in his stomach as he told her this. "She can take care of herself." Max nodded. She didn't look convinced either.

Fifteen minutes later Hopper pulled up in the driveway with a very confused El.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking at him. Eggo pawed at her face. "No." She scolded and turned back to him.

"Just thought I'd show you this house." He told her. She furrowed her brows but shrugged as he got out and joined him, putting Eggo on her shoulder and following behind him closely. Everyone else had gathered in the foyer to surprise her. As soon as Hopper open the door, everyone yelled surprise and she shrieked, causing a light bulb to explode. He swore under his breath as El put a hand over her heart, and flinching slightly at Eggos nails in her shoulders.

"What... what is this?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"This is our new house." Hopper said, smiling at her. Her mouth dropped open.

"No way." She nearly whispered.

"Yes way." He grinned at Mike when he said that, and Mike snorted. El looked at him, basically for confirmation, and he nodded. Her eyes widened and she took Eggo off her shoulder, handing her off to Mike and immediately throwing herself at Hopper.

"I love how she gave the cat to him." Joyce said quietly. Mike grinned back at her and held Eggo up to his face. She licked his nose and reached her front legs out, and he put her on his shoulder.

"Thank you." El mumbled into Hopper's chest. He chuckled.

"Of course, El. I figured it was time to get you out of the cabin." She gasped and pulled away.

"What's gonna happen to it?" She asked, eyed wide.

"You can visit it any time, El." He promised. "Just like it was handed down to me, it'll be handed down to you one day." She grinned widely. "Wanna check it out?" She nodded excitedly. She let him go completely and went over to Mike, leaning on her toes and giving him a quick kiss- that Dustin pretended to gag at and Hopper rolled his eyes at- and scratched Eggo behind the ear as she greeted him.

"Are you happy?" He asked her a little while later. The two and the rest of the party had moved her furniture around the way she wanted it and were watching a movie in the living room. Hopper had to leave about thirty minutes ago after receiving an apparent urgent call from Flo.

"Very." She said with a grin, cuddling further into him as she turned back to the TV.

A movie and a half later, Hopper walked in the door, immediately scanning the room for a certain redhead.

"Max." He said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you?" She furrowed her brows but nodded, standing and following him into the kitchen. They sat facing each other at the table. "I... I don't know how to tell you this." He said finally.

"What is it?" She asked, eyes widening slightly. "Did something happen with Billy and Neil?"

"Um, sort of." He took a breath. "There was an... altercation of sorts. Involving your mom." Her eyes were wide as saucers now.

"I... What happened?"

"According to Billy, he and Neil were fighting and your mom tried getting between them. They were standing near the staircase."

"Hopper..." She said warningly. "I know you're not about to tell me what I think you are." He voice cracked slightly. He bowed his head slightly.

"Neil... he pushed her. She rolled down the stairs and- and broke her neck."

"No..." Max whispered, shaking her head. "Hop-" She cut herself off, covering her mouth with her hand.

"She was already gone when the paramedics arrived. They did what they could, but..."

"Say it." Max said harshly. "Say the exact words you would tell someone else." Hopper sighed.

"Max... your mom is- is dead."

"No!" She yelled, smacking the table. "You're lying! I was just with her this morning!"

"I'm not lying, Max, I-"

"No, no, no!" She yelled, standing up so fast the chair fell with a bang and everyone rushed in to see what was happening. "She's not dead! She can't be!"

"I'm so sorry, Max." Hopper said softly.

"You're sorry? Sorry? It's not your fault! It's mine!"

"I don't- I don't know exactly what's going on but-" Lucas started, "whatever it is, it's not your fault."

"My mom is dead!" She cried. "I was with her this morning and now she's dead because I wasn't there, Lucas." She gazed at the group of friends, eyes stopping on Mike, who was wide eyed, just like the rest of them. "You told me she was gonna be okay, Mike! Why'd you lie?"

"Max, I didn't- I didn't think..." He trailed off.

"You lied to me. You said she was gonna be okay." She repeated, her words becoming quieter. She put her hands on her head, gripping her hair, eyes watering as she refused to let the tears fall.

"Max..." Steve hesitantly moved towards her. He held out his arms and she fell into them, sobbing into his chest. El clutched Mike's shirt with both hands, dead silent, unable to process what just happened, much like everyone else.

"What am I going to do? I can't do this." She cried, minutes later, pushing him away. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She wiped her face and turned towards Hopper. "I want to see her." She croaked.

"You'll be able to tomorrow." He told her. She started to say something but he stopped her, "I wish I could take you to see her, Max, I really do. This isn't up to me. I promise I'll take you first thing in the morning." She nodded. He looked at the rest of the group. "Go back to the living room. Give her some space." Everyone except for Steve and El left, the latter paying no mind to Mike when he tried to get her to follow.

"I can't go back home." Max said, sitting back down after Steve picked the chair back up. She put her face in her hands. "I... She won't see me get married, have kids- if I have them. She won't see me graduate. It's all she wanted... For me to be successful and have a good life but-but how am I supposed to do that without her?"

"You'll get through this, Max." Steve said, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're strong, you'll be okay."

"Where am I gonna go?" She looked at Hopper. "I can't go back to California. I'm not going back."

"Max... I don't know what's gonna happen, but I'm gonna do my best to keep you here, okay?" Hopper told her.

"Why don't you want to go to California?" El asked, tilting her head to the side. "I thought you liked it there."

"I do, I love it. I love you guys more though, and-and my dad isn't much better than Neil was. He didn't hit or anything, he just yells a lot." She wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath. El looked at Hopper.

"She won't go back to live with her dad." She told him matter of factly.

"She'll have to if it's what social services decide-"

"I don't know what that is." El deadpanned. Hopper blinked, surprised at the tone of voice. "Owens can help her. Like he helped me." Max looked at him, her eyes filled with pain.

"Please don't let them send me back there."

"I'll do what I can. I promise."

Okay, not the best ending, but I didn't know how to carry on with the sadness and stuff without it getting ridiculous, so I hope you guys liked it!

Well, I'm sure you didn't like it but... you know what I mean.