Author's Note: I hope everyone is enjoying the fic, this one took longer to write because I've been using my phone to write it, yet it's way shorter. That does not add up. The next chapter is where things REALLY heat up so stay tuned! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: The Symptoms

Friday, May 14, 1985

Hawkins Middle School

Max got up knowing for a fact something was wrong.

She felt a soreness in the back of her throat that she just couldn't ignore, and her sinuses felt so congested she could barely breathe.

Normally she would just stay home, but her mom and Neil left at 2:00 A.M. that morning, and she was not about to spend 2 weeks sick and alone with Billy, not with the opportunity of staying with Steve instead.

So despite the little common sense she still had, Max dragged herself out of bed to get ready for the day.

The thought of breakfast made Max's stomach churn, and Billy was still asleep, so she decided to just wait for Steve on the front porch.

Hawkins was going through a major heat wave, despite it only being the middle of May. But while the temperatures reached the nineties, almost hundreds, Max felt like it was below zero degrees outside.

She was beyond happy when Steve's car came to a stop in her driveway. Dustin was in shotgun, so Max took a seat next to Will, who was sitting in between her and Mike.

"Where's Lucas?" was the first thing out of Max's mouth. "And good morning to you too, Max," Steve replied. Max felt like she was thinking through fog, so she didn't pick up the annoyed, maybe even slightly agitated, tone in Steve's voice. She just rolled her eyes and continued to look out the window.

Will didn't know Max very well, other than the fact she's Lucas's girlfriend and the newest party member, but he could tell something was definitely off. He was about to comment before Dustin decided to answer her question. "Lucas's sister caught that nasty cold that's been going around. He says she has a fever and his parents don't want him going to school and 'potentially spreading it'"

Max just nodded without removing her focus from the window. Now Mike was getting suspicious. Max was never, ever, ever, this quiet. He also noticed the flush in her unusually pale cheeks, as well as the glazed over look in her eyes. Similar to the one Will had when he was stuck in bed with a cold a few days ago.

Mike remembered how Will acted when he tried to go to school while sick, so he already knew how it was gonna go down.

On one hand, he didn't want Max to be miserable, even more so did he not want her to spread her germs. But on the other hand, he and Max still haven't really warmed up to each other, and he felt like if he questioned her, she would just deny his concerns and tell him to mind his own beeswax.

Will was having a similar argument with himself at the time, and he once he saw Mike had the same confused, maybe even slightly concerned, look on his face, he caught his attention by waving his hand in front of Mike's face and nodded, giving him a look that said "We'll talk later"

After what felt like hours, Steve pulled into the Hawkins Middle School parking lot.

As the kids said their goodbyes to Steve, Max's mind was finally coherent enough to realize the fact that Steve was getting a little snippy with Dustin.

"They had a fight," Mike said, pulling Max out of her trance.

"What?"

Will spoke this time. "When we picked up Dustin, we saw Steve had a black eye, and Dustin freaked out. He and Steve had a huge fight, and Steve told Dustin he should stop being so nosy and personal and he should just mind his own business,"

Will and Mike knew something was wrong now. Dustin was apologizing to Steve through his window, so those two were completely oblivious. Max's observation skills were impeccable, so the fact she hadn't picked up on Steve's agitation and Dustin's uncharacteristic silence and gloom was concerning.

Steve pulled out of the parking lot as the kids headed inside. Mike and Will made sure they were out of Max's hearing range before they discussed the matter at hand.

"So what should we do? If we let her stay at school, she could get worse and spread her germs, but if we confront her, she'll get angry and tell us to mind our own beeswax!" Mike was panicking a little bit, unsure of what to do, when Will stopped him.

"Mike, we can't help Max if we don't get a hold of ourselves. How about if at lunch, she's in the same state or worse, we'll take her to the nurse and if worse comes to worst we'll call Steve. Deal?"

Mike thought for a moment before shaking Will's hand.

"Deal," Mike said before thinking. This is gonna be a long day.