Mike was walking to the station. He wasn't supposed to be walking, but he ditched his body guards. Since Dustin and Lucas had been practically attacked at the mall, security was higher than it should be in this small town.

Eventually, he made it into the sheriffs office. "Hi, Cheif Hopper?"

The guy grunted. "Mike Wheeler."

"You know who I am?"

The Cheif scoffed, "El talks about you all the time. But I also know that you're supposed to have a body guard. May I ask where he is?"

Mike laughed awkwardly, "Thats besides the point. I came to ask about El."

This immediately got Hopper's attention. "You her boyfriend? Is there something she didn't tell me?"

"No!" Mike knew that he looked like a tomato. Why did everyone think he liked her? "It's not like that. Not at all. But anyways, I wanted to throw her a surprise birthday party?"

Hopper smirked. He knew that look. That was the look. The look that every teenage boy gets when he is head over heels for some special girl. In that case, Mike's special girl was his daughter. Did Mike even know about El's past? "What were you thinking?"

"Well, Max will take her to the mall for a distraction, while we get set up at my house. You would be there too. Eventually, Max will bring El back to my place, and then we'd surprise her. I'll bring cake and decorations and stuff, so all you really need to do is be there. Around 1. " Mike shrugged.

"Sounds great to me." Hopper lit a cigarette. "And listen, kiddo, don't hurt her. Because if you do, I can garuntee that both Max and I will have your behind."

"Got it sir." Mike did not want to piss him off. He stood up and walked out the door.

On his walk home, he had time to think about everything Hopper said. Did he like El?

Yeah. He did. But it was something more. When he thought I'd her, he'd get this uncontrollable fuzziness that would spread throughout his body.

God, it was cheesy. But it was so true.

—————————

The Day of the Party

El called Mike to see if he could hang out. After all, it was her birthday! "Hey Mike, what do you wanna do today?"

"Uhm, I can't."

"Can't what? Hang out? But.." El was confused as to why he said that he couldn't hang out. It was her birthday, and just the other day he promised to do some thing special. "But it's my birthday."

"I know," she heard Mike sigh. "It's just, my nana. She got really sick last night, yknow, with that thing she has... and I have to FaceTime her."

Since when did Mike have a super sick grandma? What thing was he talking about? "So.. can I come over after?"

"No!"

Okay.. something was definitely going on.

"Oh shoot," Mike was frantic. "I, uh, Nana is calling! Gotta go!" He hung up.

El stormed over to Max's. El couldn't believe that he was lying, again. Especially because just a few days ago, they had gone through this same scenario! She told Max about everything that happened. Max's solution, was of course, to go to the mall.

"C'mon, we can take the bus. And it'll be fun! We can get you a new, cute outfit. Mike won't know what but him." Max smiled as she grabbed El's hand and pulled her to the bus stop.

Soon enough, the two were back at the mall. They went into the Gap and had a photo shoot, they went to the skate shop where they tried out some of the new boards. Let's just say.. El fell over a number of times. Then they went down to Scoops Ahoy where they got a free sundae for El's birthday.

For some reason Max wanted to walk home. "So.. have you come to terms with your feelings for Mike?"

"What?" El could feel heat rising to her cheeks. "I don't- I don't like Mike!"

Max mhmed. "I bet he feels the same way." She smirked.

Max burst out laughing at the look on El's face. El stuttered, "What do- What do you? No.. What?"

"Gosh, you should see the way you look at him. And the way he looks at you. And hear the way you guys talk about each other!" Max giggled.

"He talks about me?" El's voice was small. She hung her head down, but only because she wanted to hide her smile from Max.

Max knew that they were a couple of houses down from Mike's. Max was proud of herself, she had kept the conversation going this whole walk to El was distracted. She pulled out her phone and text him to get ready. "All the time. I talk to Lucas about it." Max smiled.

My, how the tables have turned. Now it was El's time to smirk. "You should hear how you talk about Lucas."

"Well at least I can admit that I have feelings for him." Max turned beet red, and cursed, "Did I just say that out loud? Oh god I just said that out loud."

El almost had to stop walking because she was laughing so hard. "You- you just- oh my god-" she burst into more giggles.

Max tried to shush her.

"Here," El straightened up. "If you yell that you have feelings for Lucas Sinclair, I will admit that I may have feelings for Mike. To you," she narrowed her eyes. "Only you. And you can tell Lucas, but not Mike!"

"Deal!" Max cleared her throat. "I HAVE FEELINGS FOR LUCAS SINCLAIR!" She yelled.

El burst into more giggles.

Max turned into someone's driveway. El recognized the house right away. They were at Mike's. "I don't want to be here."

Max walked over and grabbed El's hand. "I promise this will be good. All you need to do is let go of all your anger right now."

El let Max lead her up to the front porch. Max turned the knob and pushed the door open-

"SURPRISE!"

El gasped. "You guys!" Everyone she cared about was there. Her dad, Dustin, Will, Lucas, Max, and most importantly, Mike. She went around and hugged everyone.

"Kiddo, you should be thanking Mike. All I did was show up, he our this whole thing together." Hopper let go of his daughter.

She walked over to Mike and threw her arms around his neck. The joy she was feeling was unexplainable. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Mike laughed. "You're welcome, El." He together his arms around her. "But I'm sorry for lying about my nana. I just had to make sure you didn't see what we were doing!"

"It's okay," El laughed it off, but she felt a pang of guilt. "Something good came out of it. This.. this is amazing." El had never had something like this happen for her. The joy she was feeling was unexplainable. And when Hopper wasn't looking at them, she stood up on her tip toes and kissed Mike on the cheek. She whispered, "Thank you." And then let go of the boy.

El turned around and looked at Max and Lucas. They were holding hands! Max gave her a thumbs up, and then slyly pointed to Mike. She looked at him. He was standing there looking at Lucas, smiling and holding his cheek. Lucas mouthed something and he nodded.

All the sudden, the chatter in the room was interrupted by Will turning off the lights. "Happy birthday to you," He started.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Eleven," Eveyone sang, "Happy birthday to you!"

El blew out the candles on the humongous Eggo Extravaganza happily. "Thank you guys so much!"

Hoppers radio buzzed. A voice came through, saying Hopper was needed down at the station. "Well, I gotta god. You kids have fun. I'll see you at home El." He came over and hugged his daughter once more. "Happy birthday sweetheart." And he left.

Everyone got some of the Eggo extravaganza. I guess Mike really did know how close her dad was to her heart. Max told her he even went and asked him to come to the birthday in person! Along with that statement, however, she also said that Mike and El were meant to be.

Time had passed quickly at the birthday party. Now the group was sitting in the basement, playing truth or dare.

"Okay..." Lucas rubbed his hands together and smirked. "Mike.. what's the most embarrassing moment you've had on tour?"

Mike groaned, "Do I have to answer?"

"Yes!" Everyone chorused.

"Well, I tripped over my own guitar chord, while I was on stage. I face planted, and then tried to get up again. Once again, I tripped over the same damn guitar cord." Everyone started laughing at this point. "Then I rolled off the stage and broke my ankle."

"Poor- poor Mike!" El said in between fits of laughter.

Mike laughed too. "Well, now I get to do someone." He smirked. "Hmm.. Max. Truth. Or. Dare."

"Truth." Max was playing it safe.

She knew what Mike was going to ask before he asked it. "Do you like Lucas?"

She sighed in faux annoyance. "Did you not hear me shout it to the world earlier?" Everyone laughed. "Well actually, I did it so El would tell me something. Soo... El. Truth or dare."

"Dare." Where this newfound confidence came from, El had no idea.

"I dare you to tell me the answer to the question I asked you earlier."

El didn't even have to think about it. After what Mike did for her today? There was no doubt in her mind that she was definitely catching feelings for this boy. "Yes. Yes I definitely do."

"Aw come on," Dustin threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "You gotta tell us what the question was. You gotta!"

"No can do." Max said. Everyone laughed at Dustin's annoyance.

El snuck a glance at Mike. Thanks to him, this had been the best birthday party she had ever had.

In her few years of actually living, of course. Oh, when would she tell Mike about her life before Hopper? Finding out that she had telekinesis could send him running for the hills.