Last chapter's title was "A Rehash of Crazy Friends" named by the amazing Squashie (phieillydinyia), which, for those who think it was a recap, it really wasn't, lmao. Obviously, yes, we had El's reaction to Hopper being gone, with a little extra, and the Byers and El moving, which was after what happened in the actual show. Everything else is just what happened in the three months. I didn't want to start another story just for the three months ya know.

So names of the chapters are actually pretty long, so I'ma just put the title in the actual chapter cause i'm not renaming the shits I put a LOT of thought in them xD The longest title has nine (9) words in it!

Ao3 & FF- After this chapter, the story begins, with eight long, long chapters of craziness :D

And if you still think I hate Max by the end of this chapter, idk what to tell you 'cause I don't.

Luis Rodriguez played by Marcel Ruiz


Chapter Two: Happy Holidays and In Between!

Thursday, October 31, 1985

Hawkins, Indiana

"It's so weird not going trick-or-treating this year," Dustin said to Lucas as they greeted Mrs. Wheeler, going straight to the basement.

"I know. As tall as Mike's getting, they'd probably not give him any candy 'cause he looks too old."

"I can buy my own candy, thank you very much," Mike called, his face mushed in a pillow on the couch. "Screw them."

"Someone isn't a happy camper!" Dustin smacked Mike on the ass with a pillow, so Mike grabbed the pillow his face was in, and smacked Dustin's legs so fast and surprisingly hard he hit the ground, arms flailing. "You ass!" Dustin shrieked, he and Lucas both falling into peels of laughter. Mike rolled his eyes and sat up, sitting Indian style on the couch. The two finally calmed down and sat in their respective spots.

"Where are you getting money, anyways?" Lucas asked.

"Helping mom out more. She slips me an extra five or ten every week. And when we're not hanging out I've been raking leaves for the neighbors."

"You haven't raked our leaves," Lucas said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, because you can do it." Mike replied, giving him a look. "And everyone else in this neighborhood is old as hell and can't do it."

"Awe look, Mikey boy's heart is softening."

"Keep it up or no pizza for you, Dustybun." Mike mocked. Dustin flipped him off.

They didn't talk much as Mike got a movie set up on the TV and started it.

A quarter of the way through it, Mike couldn't even remember the name of it. He couldn't help noticing the empty space next to him, where Will would sit. He let out a sigh- louder than he meant- but the other teens didn't notice, too focused on the movie. They haven't been gone a week, and he misses them like crazy. He can just imagine what it would feel like in a month, a year… it sucked. He knows he'll still get to see his best friend and his girlfriend, but Mike has seen his best friend or talked to him at least once a day- besides that week in '83, of course- since they were five years old. They'd been friends for almost ten years now.

Nine years in a row, they went trick-or-treating together, eventually adding Lucas and Dustin into the group, and then Max last year. After last year, they planned on not going trick-or-treating, to instead watch movies at the Wheeler's, in Mike's basement. But Will isn't there, he wouldn't be coming late. He wasn't even in the state anymore.

And El, well… the two got to see each other every single day for almost a year. Now, if they're lucky, they'll get to see each other twice a month. Sure, they've talked at least once a day for what feels like hours, thanks to Cerebro, as Joyce hadn't set up the phone yet. El has never experienced Halloween, not even with Hopper, and Mike thought they'd all give her the experience she deserves this year, but that thought was so completely wrong it made him feel like an idiot.


Elgin, Illinois

El sighed, resting her chin on her hand as she listened to some kid Halloween movie that was playing, but she wasn't paying attention. She thinks it was called E.T. Will told her that Dustin thought she was like their E.T., but she wasn't an alien, so she didn't really react to it when he told her.

She, Joyce, Will and Jonathan sat on the couch, squished together, but she didn't mind. She felt better, safer, feeling the warmth around her. It didn't stop her from missing Mike, though. They talked today, using cerebro, and he sounded so sad that she wasn't there. He always did, but today especially. She was sad too, but she couldn't do anything about it. No one could.

The only good thing about today was that the candy was good. And Joyce bought a bunch of it, and the teens damn near ate all of it by the time the night was over.

"Well," Will said as the two brushed their teeth together, "At least you'll have the annual November first stomach ache." El looked at him, stopping her brushing and made a face at him. He spit the toothpaste into the sink and wiped his mouth with a washcloth. "When you eat a lot of candy like we did tonight, you get a stomach ache, and the only time me or the Party actually ate so much candy was Halloween, so we just started calling it that."

"Oh." she smiled a little. "Annual is… every year, right?" Will nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't know if you knew it or not." he apologized.

"It's okay." she spit in the sink and rinsed her mouth out and Will rinsed the sink out. "If I don't know something, I'll ask. Or look in the dictionary."

"Don't hesitate to ask." Will told her. She nodded and gave him a smile.

"Thank you. Goodnight, Will. Have a good day at school tomorrow."

"I'll try. Goodnight, El."


Friday, November 1, 1985

"Hello," a voice interrupted Will's thought and he flinched, looking up at the source of the voice, "can I sit with you?" the boy asked.

"Um…" Will has gone to this school for three whole days, and this is the first time anyone- other than the teachers- have spoken to him. "Sure." The boy sat on the other side of the table, emptying his lunch bags contents out in front of him without a second thought.

"How you doing?" he asked, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Uh, good?"

"Good, good. So, you're new."

"I am."

"You're not very talkative, are you?" Will just shrugged. "Do you want to be friends? I don't have any either."

"I have friends. Just… not here. But sure." Will smiled a little.

"Awesome! I don't have any friends because I'm a nerd and I talk too much sometimes. Do you like science?" he asked, excited. Will laughed.

"I'm a nerd too. I love science, my friends and I won the science fair a few times."

"That's cool! I've never participated."

"Do they still do those in high school, though?" the boy shrugged.

"I don't know. But if they do, maybe we can do something together?"

"Yeah, definitely. Uh, what's your name?" Will asked.

"Oh! My apologies, my name is Luis Rodriguez. Nice to meet ya!" he held out a hand for Will to shake. He did, chuckling.

"Will Byers. It's nice to meet you too."


"Mom!" Will yelled as he walked in the house.

"In here!" she called. She and El were sitting at the kitchen table, working on El's school work.

"Guess what." he said, grinning, practically bouncing up and down. Joyce raised her eyebrows, surprised. She hadn't seen her son look this happy or excited since before July.

"What?" she asked, smiling at him.

"I made a new friend today."

"Really? That's awesome Sweetie! What's his name?"

"Luis Rodriguez. He said he's a Latino or something I think." he said, dropping his bag on the ground and sitting next to El. "I was just eating lunch and he walked up to the table and asked if he could sit with me and I was like yeah and he sat down and just dumped all of his stuff out of his lunch bag and started talking and talking. He asked if I wanted to be friends and looked happy when I told him I did. He said he didn't have any either."

"Wow, he seemed excited! You're a lovable person, I don't know how you don't have more friends."

"It's because I'm a nerd." he shrugged. "And besides, I don't want a bunch of friends. I'm fine with a small group. It's less of a betrayal if they hang out without you."

"You've watched too many soaps." Joyce chuckled. "Becoming a little dramatic, are we?"

"Don't blame the soaps, blame Mike."

"Mike watched soaps with me." El said, grinning. "He quotes them on Cerebro sometimes, and he told me he accidentally said one to his mom."

"Was it but I love her mother?" Will asked. She giggled and shrugged.

"He wouldn't tell me."

"I bet it was something like that." Will snickered.

"Mike is a bit dramatic, with repeating the same sentence in less than ten seconds." Joyce said.

"When him and Nancy come to visit, I'm totally gonna tease him." Will grinned.


Tuesday, November 26, 1985

Hawkins, Indiana

Today is the last day of school before Thanksgiving break, meaning it was a half day, and students are let out right before lunch, and Mike was a twitchy little shit, according to Dustin.

"All I've felt is your desk shaking next to mine. Would you quit it!" Dustin hissed. They weren't doing anything in class, just waiting for the bell to ring, and Mike's leg shaking was moving the desks around him. "You twitchy little shit." he muttered.

"Sorry." Mike mumbled. "I'm nervous and excited, okay? Me and Nance are leaving at twelve thirty."

"I know, I know, you and El are gonna make out the whole time you're there." Dustin rolled his eyes. "How about remember Will is there and he's your best friend, so don't ignore him over El."

"I wouldn't do that!" Mike retorted, narrowing his eyes at Dustin. Dustin raised his eyebrows and he poked Mike's shoulder.

"You did that all summer, over the rest of us. You can't tell me you wouldn't do that, Mike."

"I… I know, I'm sorry." Mike mumbled. "I'm not gonna ignore Will, I promise. I do, Dustin, I promise I won't."

"You better not, because you know damn well Lucas and I will be checking in now that they have a phone and you won't be able to hog it to talk to El." Dustin grinned at him now. Mike rolled his eyes at that and flipped his friend off, and Dustin laughed.

Not long after, the bell finally rang, and Mike damn near sprinted like a bat out of hell out the door, the first one out of the classroom and the door leading to the bike racks.

"Jesus Christ." Dustin muttered, running after him to catch up. Dustin was the last there, Lucas having been close behind Mike even though his class was closer to the door.

"Dude, slow down. You have thirty minutes or more before you leave. Just ride with us like normal man, we won't see each other until Monday back at this hell hole." Lucas huffed. Mike sighed and sat on his bike as he waited for them.

"I'm sorry, I'm excited okay. I miss them and I wanna see who this Louie kid is that Will is friends with."

"His name is Luis and you, Michael Ronald Wheeler, are jealous as all hell.' Dustin pointed at him.

"First off, that is not my middle name and you know it, and second, I am not jealous!"

Dustin and Lucas looked at each other and said in unison, "He's jealous."

"I'm not!" Mike crossed his arms, glaring at them.

"Mike, the more defensive you get, and look, the more you're making a fool of yourself. We're not idiots." Dustin said.

"It's because he's Latino, isn't it?" Lucas asked. "Because all Latino's are apparently hot, I wonder if he has a sister." Lucas rubbed his stubbly chin.

"As if you would date her if he did." Mike scoffed. Lucas shrugged.

"You never know."

"I do know. And I'm not jealous. I just don't want him to be screwing with Will and faking being his friend, you know?" Mike said as the three took off down the street, finally.

"Will can make friends, you know." Dustin said. "They don't always have to suck."

"I know he can and I'm glad he has a friend, but you know how people can be. People are all just giant assholes."

"Speak for yourself, Frogface." Troy shoved Mike off his bike as he and James rode past them, and Mike hit the asphalt with a huff, a loud bang, and a swear.

"Goddammit, see what I mean!" he exclaimed, kicking his bike away from him. Dustin and Lucas stopped quickly and got off their own bikes to help him up, and he brushed them off.

"How hard did you hit your face, dude?" Lucas asked. "Your cheek is bleeding." he poked the spot he was talking about and Mike hissed, smacking his hand away. Lucas wiped the little bit of blood he got on his finger in Mike's sweater. Mike stared at him for a second.

"Hard. I'm fine, let's go." he picked up his bike and they were off again, Mike not speaking as much as before. He and Lucas said goodbye to Dustin as they passed his house, and headed to their own.

"Are you okay, man?" Lucas asked, as they stopped in his driveway. Mike nodded.

"I will be. I'm not gonna let those assholes ruin this for me."

"Good." Lucas said, and held out a hand. They did their little handshake. "I'll see you on Monday. Don't forget that we're gonna call, and you gotta call us." Lucas gave him a pointed look and Mike chuckled, nodding.

"I will. See you Monday." Mike got off his bike and walked it the rest of the way, putting it in the garage and going in the house.

"Michael! I made you and Nancy lunch before you leave!" Karen called the second he walked in the door. He could have sworn her heard someone whisper "hey" as he walked into the kitchen, but shrugged it off. "Oh my- what happened to your cheek?" she asked immediately, rushing over with a wet rag.

"I'm fine, mom." he tried to fight her off but she kept at it, poking and wiping at the blood on his cheek.

"I don't think it needs stitches, just a bandaid." she opened a cabinet and grabbed a box of them, taking one out.

It's literally just a scrape, mom, jeez.

"What happened, Mike?" she asked.

"Troy shoved me off my bike." he replied, shrugging. "I'm fine, though. I don't really feel it."

That was a bold face lie. The scrape on his cheek stung like a bitch and the area around it ached, and he knew there would be a bruise in a few hours, but he was fine. He was going to see his girlfriend and best friend. "I'm not gonna let that asshole ruin today for me." Karen sighed, placing the bandage on his cheek.

"I wish you'd stop that in front of Holly."

"Sorry." he muttered.

"Hi Mikey!" Holly waved at him from her spot in front of the fridge, where she was playing around with some letter magnets. He waved back at her and gave her a smile.

"Where's Nancy?" Mike asked, sitting at the table where his mom put his food, Nancy's plate next to his.

"Making sure she's got everything." Karen told her son, who nodded. He'd already packed over the weekend, so he knew everything he needed was there. Things he wanted to take to Will and El alike, clothes, magazines, old books, games, etc.

He ate his food and watched Holly play with her magnets.

"Come look Mikey, I spelled your name!" she said happily, running over and looking up at him. She held a hand out to him and with a chuckle, he took it and let her drag him over to the fridge.

Well… she wasn't wrong. It was his name, but spelled like "Mykie".


An hour into the drive, Mike couldn't help but stare at his sister like she was insane. She was blasting "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and dancing in her seat.

"What?" she asked, looking over at him, laughing at the look on his face.

"You're weird."

"As if you wouldn't be dancing to your favorite song like that." she rolled her eyes.

"No?" he shook his head.

"Sure. What do you want to listen to?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I don't care." he said.

"So if I play a Christmas tape you won't care?" she asked. He shook his head. "Okay then." she grinned and looked through her tapes while at a stop light, and started a mixed tape of Christmas songs Jonathan made for her.

That's how the rest of the ride went, Nancy dancing to her music and trying to get Mike to dance with her, but to no avail. They stopped once to use the bathroom and get a few snacks, and were on the road again.

They arrived a few minutes after five o'clock, later than they should have, but Thanksgiving traffic is a bitch. The siblings were both giddy, just about shaking with anticipation as Mike directed them into the neighborhood where the Byers and El lived now. Three figures were sitting on the front porch of a two story house, huddled together with a thick comforter wrapped around them to shield them from the cold. As Nancy came to a stop, Jonathan, Will and El jumped up, rushing towards the car. The two siblings inside it looked at each other and nearly fell out of the car they got out so fast. Jonathan picked Nancy up and spun her around, both of them laughing, and Will hugged Mike so tight he could hardly breathe, and vice versa. El let them hug first, rocking on her heels for her turn with her boyfriend.

With a sniff, Will let Mike go and Mike immediately pulled El into a kiss, having to lean down more than usual to reach her. She put her hands on either side of his face and kissed back, giving Will and Nancy the best opportunity to gag. Mike pulled away, looking at them in his peripheral because El's hands were still on his face.

"Shut up." he said, turning back to El, who smiled at him. Her hair was a little longer, a little more tamed, and she still hadn't actually gotten taller and he loved it. Still as beautiful as ever.

As for Mike, El noticed, his hair was longer- why doesn't my hair grow that fast?- he was definitely taller than when she last saw him, but the main thing she noticed was the bandage on his cheek, slightly bruised and eye starting to bruise. She ran her thumb over the bandage.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I fell off my bike earlier." he told her. It wasn't a total lie. "Smacked my face on the road."

"Ouch." he chuckled at the response and hugged her. She hugged back, smiling into his jacket, smiling wider when he pulled Will into the hug.

"Jesus Christ, Mike! You've gotten taller!" Joyce exclaimed, walking out to join them, hugging Nancy first, and then Mike, once the pair let him go. "Oh Lord, what happened?" she asked, gently holding his cheek.

"He fell off his bike." Will quipped. "He can't walk straight with those long spider legs, let alone ride a bike." he grinned at Mike, who raised his eyebrows.

"William."

"Michael."

"I'm gonna beat your ass." Mike ducked under Joyce's arm and ran at Will, who shrieked and took off running around the house.

"Mike runs so weird." Nancy sighed.

"You've gotta admit, he is getting tall and lanky-er." Jonathan said. "He's taller than me!"

"He is not." Nancy rolled her eyes.

"You just refuse to believe he's taller than you."

"He puts his chin on top of my head daily, I couldn't refuse to believe it if I wanted to." Jonathan laughed and tickled her sides, and she let out a shriek similar to Will's and scrambled away from her boyfriend, and he chased her into his house.

Joyce and El looked at each other and laughed, linking arms and walking onto the porch, waiting for Mike and Will to come back around. When they did, Mike just about keeled over, bending over with his hands on his knees, breathing hard. He looked up at the two as Will laughed, squinting at them because of the sun.

"I'm not fit for this shit."

True to his word, Dustin called to make sure Mike wasn't just spending all his time with El and ignoring Will, whereas El confirmed, telling him about the chase the day he and Nancy arrived.

Over the next four days- they had to leave Sunday afternoon to get back to Hawkins- the Party called and had many chats together over the phone, fighting over who held it, but over all that alone was fun. Mike met the famous Luis the day after Thanksgiving, the boy bright eyed and jittery, reminding him a bit of Dustin.

Of course, at first, he was jealous of how much he made El laugh, but every time El came back over to him and hugged him, just for the hell of it. They hugged a lot those four days, as did Mike and Will.

By Sunday morning, Mike could pretty much call Luis a member of the Party, had he played DnD, but they were definitely friends. Mike did have a bit of an off feeling about him, he couldn't put his finger on it, but he seemed like a nice, genuine guy so he was happy Will had made a friend, and by extension, El a new friend.

There were a lot of tears and hugs before and after the Wheeler siblings left, promising to call over and over again. El and Will hardly let Mike go, and had it not been for Joyce, would have one hundred percent went back to Hawkins with them. The two didn't listen to a single song on their way home, both silent in their seats, tears falling and sniffles filling the real silence.


Thursday, December 19, 1985

Max sighed as she sat on the curb in front of the Wheeler's. Yes, the Wheeler's. She didn't have anywhere else to go- Lucas and Dustin were still pissed at her, even though she apologized to them countless times. She figured Mike would at least let her sit on his porch, under the circumstances. It seemed as though he was the only one that cared about the situation with Neil. At least, he did if that night at the hospital was worth anything.

Everything had been going… okay, all things considered. She had been grounded- by Neil- for who knows how long, blaming her for her step-brothers death. Her mom went along with it, but what else is new? She had to go to school and straight home, every single day, on her bike.

Once she was kicked out of the party, she started getting up impossibly early to get to school before they did, as she'd rather not ride her bike near them.

She was late getting home today. For the first time, and Neil was waiting, her mom out buying groceries. She talked back to him, couldn't even remember what was said. All she could remember was the loud SLAP and the stinging pain on her left cheek. She ran out before he could say or do anything else. So, she went straight to the Wheeler's, where there were no cars in the driveway and no bike thrown in the front yard. Meaning no one was home, and it was snowing and freezing cold.

It's been nearly two months since the Byers and El moved, and she's only seen them once, when Jonathan brought the two out for a visit while they were on Thanksgiving break. Mike and Nancy drove to Elgin the day before Thanksgiving, and left the day after. El was being officially home schooled with the help of the three Byers, and a tutor from the school that Will had become quick friends with. The Party- and Max, since she wasn't apart of it anymore- had all hung out that weekend they came home. El and Will were about the only ones who talked to her, really talked to her, though the three stubborn boys said a few words to her. She tried, she really did, but God boys were such idiots. She can't help the way she acts- well she can, but she doesn't know how. All she really knows is Neil and Billy, and they definitely aren't good role models. Max thinks Billy could have been a good one, had it not been for his father.

From what El told them, Billy had an amazing relationship with his mother. When El told him the memory of he and his mother on the beach, that's what stopped him from killing her. It's what brought him back, and saved them all. But she left because of Neil, and Neil was all Billy knew. He didn't have a good father growing up, never had a good one, and according to the books she's read, a child who only knows abuse and anger, usually turns out the same.

She didn't want to be like that. She didn't want to be like Neil, hell she didn't want to be like her mother. She loved her mom, the only good thing in her life right now, but her mom was weak, too scared to stand up to her husband. Max knew she would never do it, even if she saw him slap her own daughter. She'd seen Neil hit his own son too many times, and just looked away.

But damn if she wasn't headed down the same path as Billy had. Maybe she wasn't out partying and doing shit she shouldn't do, maybe she wasn't being abusive, but she felt like she was out trying to ruin other people's lives and relationships, being mean to people, all because her life sucked, and she wanted to change it. That's what she was gonna tell Mike, she was gonna explain herself, and he was gonna give her an explanation, and El one too, when they come home for Christmas. She only hoped that he'd listen, because he had the great ability not to.

She sighed, gently rubbing the side of her face with a freezing hand. She wondered if it was still red, or if it had already begun bruising. He'd hit her so hard, she wondered what it was she said to him. She got lost in her head again for a while, only coming out of it when she heard a hoarse yell and the sound of metal clattering on the asphalt. She jumped up and saw Mike down the street, laying in the middle of it, his bike half on top of him. No one was with him, as they'd already dispersed, Lucas going in his house before Mike had left this driveway. Max left her bag where it was and took off towards him, almost wanting to laugh as he swore to himself, kicking the bike away from him.

"Mike, are you okay?" she asked, reaching him. He looked up at her and laid flat on his back.

"Did I hit my head?" he groaned. "I could have sworn you were nowhere near me." she rolled her eyes and held her hands out to him. With a huff, he let her pull him up.

"Do you ever eat? You're so skinny. The wind is gonna blow you away one day." he glared at her, shaking his hair out of his face.

"Yes, I eat. I could eat a whole large pizza if my mom would let me."

"She needs to let you, then."

"Tell her that." he said, picking his bike up, glaring at the godforsaken thing.

"So, uh, what happened?"

"A tire blew." he replied. "This is the third time in two months. I'm gonna have to walk to school now."

"Maybe you are too heavy for it, then." he huffed and rolled his eyes. "Uh, you can ride with me, if you want." she offered, cringing at herself. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uh, maybe. If my parents don't get it fixed." she nodded, biting her lip. "Why were you around here, anyways? Aren't you supposed to go home?" So he did pay attention.

"Yeah, I was kinda sitting on the curb in front of your house. Waiting for you to get home."

"Who's the stalker now." he muttered. "Why?"

"Um." she hesitated and pointed at her cheek. He stared at her for a solid minute.

"Are you serious?" he demanded, voice low and dark, startling her slightly. "He hit you?"

"I got home a few minutes late because I couldn't find the key to my lock on my bike, so I had to pick it. I talked back to him, he slapped me." she rubbed her cheek again, looking away from him. "I came here because I hoped you'd at least let me sit in front of your house rather than make me go home. Lucas and Dustin sure wouldn't, they wouldn't hear me out for shit."

"They have a good reason not to, Max." he replied. "And you're insane. I know I'm an asshole but damn, I'm not that cruel. I let a mysterious girl live with me for a week when I was twelve, why wouldn't I let you come in?"

"So you're saying your friends are kinda cruel?" she asked.

"No." he hissed. "Just stubborn as the devil."

"And because of how I've acted." she replied to his question then, shrugging.

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly act right for a while either. Come on." she nodded and followed him, grabbing her things and putting them in the garage with his, and followed him into the house.

"Dustin didn't really say much to me, but the day I got kicked out, Lucas said some not so nice things to me too." she said as Mike dug through his fridge, tossing a small bag of peas to her.

"Like what?" he asked.

"He called me controlling. He said that I hurt him over and over when I'd break up with him, because of little things, and that I was absolute shit to you, and that I never thanked you." she sighed as she placed the peas on her cheek. Mike opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it, "and he's right. I guess I can be controlling, and I know that I hurt him, and I want to change that. If he'd listen to me, I could explain myself. And I did treat you like shit, and I'm sorry. I should have thanked you for standing up for me like you did. So, thank you for standing up for me like you did." he chuckled a little at the repeated phrase, and shrugged. "Stop laughing and shrugging at me, Wheeler, this is hard for me to do." she said, half serious, half joking. He rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Max. Yeah, you treated me like shit, and turned El against me. Pretty much made her break up with me. I know I lied to her, and I apologized for it." he scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks, I guess? For apologizing and… you're welcome for attempting to stand up for you."

"Why did you lie to her?" Max asked. He bit his lip, sighing.

"Hopper told us something happened with Nana." he started. "And by the time he dropped me off, he forced me to go along with the lie. He threatened me. I don't know what I did wrong, Max, because he was totally fine with me being over there for the first few months. Hell, El even took a picture of me and him, and he actually smiled! But he just snapped, and started watching us like a hawk like we were gonna do anything but kiss." he rolled his eyes at that. "And I know that I was a giant, sarcastic asshole to him the last month or two, so I guess that's what I did wrong. Anyways, that's not the point. On the way home, he pretty much told me that if I kept coming over every single day, he wouldn't let us see each other ever again. And the man is- was- terrifying. I felt like an ant next to him." she snorted at that. "So, the next day, when El called me, I told her that Nana was sick and I couldn't come over. I'm sure she told you all of what I said on the phone." Max nodded.

"But at the mall, you should have told her the truth."

"Don't talk to me about truth, Max." he said, but it was harsh. She nodded her head as if saying "good point." "But I shouldn't have continued the lie, I know. We were at the mall so I could buy her something and apologize for it, and there was this gold teddy bear at a jewelry store and it was three hundred dollars."

"That's ridiculous!" she exclaimed. He nodded in agreement.

"And it wasn't even that big! Honestly, I don't know what it was for, because it was too big to go on a necklace, but I figured she'd like it. And I only had three dollars and-"

"Fifty cents, yes, I was there." he glared at her and she grinned. "But I lied, and I apologized. No, I haven't told her the exact reason why, and that's because she folds in on herself anytime Hopper is mentioned, and won't talk for hours." His expression and tone of voice turned darker as he continued, "Boyfriends don't always lie. Girlfriends don't always lie. Friends don't lie was made because when we were kids, the only thing we had to lie about was accidentally stealing a pencil from someone else." Max couldn't help but snort at that, and he rolled his eyes. "Sometimes we have to lie to protect the ones we love. I think El understands that now. So let's get off the topic of lying, and onto the topic of controlling and manipulating."

"I was waiting for that."

"I'm sorry, Max, but you need to know that what you did with El wasn't okay. You manipulated her into thinking it was okay to spy on us, that boyfriends always lie, that it's okay to break the rules and make your own rules. Depending on what it is, making your own rules is fine, I don't care, but she wasn't supposed to be in public yet and that alone was a big no no for Hopper, and all I cared about- other than the obvious- was her being safe and without the government on our backs, looking for her. And by taking her to the mall, you risked her freedom, and maybe even her life."

Mike stopped his rant when he heard her sniffle, looking at her. He'd seen Max cry twice, maybe three times in the year he's known her, and for some one as strong as her to cry, hurt his heart a little.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you cry-"

"Well you did!" she huffed, wiping at her eyes. "And you're right. You're right about it all, and if you were gonna say anything about me and Lucas'- now nonexistent- relationship, you're right. I could have ruined El and in extension, everyone's lives by taking her out. But I hated that she was stuck in that cabin by herself most days, when you'd already left and Hopper was at work. And I know we didn't actually become friends until July, but I love El like she's my sister, okay, and she came to me for advice about you, and I didn't know any better. I thought that what I was telling her was a normal thing, because it's all I've ever known. My mom has never talked to me about anything like this, when it comes to boys. Most of what I know comes from stupid magazines and my own real life experiences. Men lie and do stupid things to hurt women. And good God that bullshit with Nancy and Jonathan at The Hawkins Post? Jonathan was doing the good stuff, and all Nancy was needed for was food, when she was a much better reporter than all those dickheaded men in there." Mike chuckled at the end, and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, she'd come home pissed off a lot, talking about how men sucked. And they do, I agree. But I don't want to be like that, I want everyone to be equal, you know? Men and women can do the same damn thing, and women even better most of the time."

"That was the smartest thing I've ever heard you say."

"And I know that's all you know. I can tell, you didn't have to tell me that. I'm sorry but your family is actual shit." she nodded. "Do what I'm trying to do, and learn from your parents' mistakes. Watch and learn, take in what they do to their husband or wife, or friends, and do the exact damn opposite."

"I want to, but it's hard. I don't want to be weak like my mom, and I don't want to be a whole ass dick like Neil, but I'm both. Maybe not as bad as Neil, but I'm turning out like him. Manipulating and horrible."

"Hold on." Mike held up a hand. "First off, you're not weak. You're a badass. And you're not even close to being like Neil. You don't just toss people around, hitting them and saying horrible things to them."

"I've said some horrible things in my life, Mike."

"Okay, and? So have I. No one's perfect, certainly not in this shitty little town." he went to the freezer and opened it again, digging around until he came out with a large frozen pizza. "I don't know how or why I've been given a second chance and forgiven for how I acted last year, but if I deserve a second chance, then so do you. How about I put this in the oven, we go to the basement and set up the TV with Ghostbusters and bribe Dustin and Lucas to come over so we can all talk?"

"Bribe them with pizza or Ghostbusters?" she asked.

"Both," he replied, turning the oven on and digging a pan out of a cabinet. "There's drinks in the fridge if you want something." he told her, and made his way down to the basement to call Dustin and Lucas.

Twenty minutes later, the two friends just waltzed right into the Wheeler's house, Dustin yelling, "Who's the code mustard?"

"Did you really just call it code mustard?" Lucas asked, making a face. Dustin nodded.

"Yes. Mustard is yellow. Code yellow is mustard."

"Okay. Mike?" Lucas called.

"Basement!" Mike yelled.

"I smell the pizza." Dustin grinned and ran towards the basement door. Lucas rolled his eyes and followed. "What the hell?" Dustin asked, stopping at the bottom and looking at Max. Lucas stopped behind him and did the same thing.

"Nope." he turned around and started back up the stairs but Mike reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back down. "Where the hell did you just come from?"

"Beside the stairs." Mike replied. "You two, sit. And be nice."

With matching groans, the two sat on the couch. Max was sitting in an armchair, hands in her lap and staring at the blank TV.

"You're code mustard?" Dustin asked after a few seconds. Mike plopped down on the couch between he and Lucas and rolled his eyes.

"You called it code mustard?" Max asked Mike, who shook his head.

"Dustin's just an idiot. Ignore him. Code yellow is pretty much a step down from code red. Someone's gotten hurt."

"Oh."

"You're hurt?" Lucas asked. She shrugged at that.

"Do you want me to tell them or do you?" Mike asked her. Max shrugged again. He sighed and glanced at his two friends. "Max was late getting home from school. Words were said, and Neil slapped her."

"WHAT?" Lucas shrieked and Max flinched. "I swear to God I'm gonna beat the shit out of that no good, crackhead looking ass bitch with my bare hands-"

"He doesn't look like a crackhead though?" Dustin said.

"Just let him be." Mike said, shaking his head.

"You can not and will not go back in that house, I won't let you. I'll chain you in Mike's basement before I let you go back around that abusive asshole."

"Kinky." Max muttered. "Sorry."

"When my mom gets home, I'll try and explain what happened and see if we can figure something out."


Sorry Thanksgiving ended so quickly, I wanted to hurry up and get the chapter out because I'm very excited to start the next one! There's gonna be lots of flashback type of scenes, fast forwards, shit like that, the timeline is gonna be very weird compared to my usual stuff, but it needs to be done. You'll see what I mean. Different POV's as well.

I was going to write Christmas too, but because it's taken me so long just to get this out, I'm gonna skip over it, but here's a few lil details

The Byers and El come back to Hawkins and stay at Steve's house because, of course, his parents won't be home.

The Party is officially reunited, all six together and friends after what happened with Max and all.

Mike finished a campaign and it took like three days to finish it

El makes her first Gingerbread house and it's better than everyone except Will's, it's pretty equal for the two

Mileven kiss under every single mistletoe they can find- it's a LOT

They all just spend a lot of time together and the Byers and El spent half the day with the Wheeler's on Christmas day, the other half just the Party watching Christmas movies, eating sweets and drinking hot chocolate in Mike's basement

All around it's a good time and is very emotional when it's time to go back to Elgin