Hopper opens the door and is greeted by an older man in a wheelchair with salt and pepper hair surrounded by various government agents. The man in the wheelchair introduces himself as Doctor Owens, he's funny, Steve'll give him that. Charming as hell, too, putting everyone at ease like he's putting on the show. He went around the room and introduced himself to everybody.

Owens greeted Nancy and Jonathan with a 'nice to see you again'. Steve didn't know how Nancy knew him. Guess he didn't know a lot of things about her. Maybe that's why they broke up. He greeted Dustin and Lucas, complimenting their nerdy t-shirts instantly winning them over. He tried the same trick with Max, complimenting her for being the only girl their age in the group, but it didn't work. Max remained unimpressed with a raised eyebrow like it was a trap. Clever girl. He rolled over to Joyce, Will, and Mike, saying he was happy to see they were safe after the attack in the lab. Owens checked on Will like a doctor checking in on his patient, which makes sense because he is Will's doctor. He is amazed at how fast Will's recovery is going. Who knew the cure for possession is fire?

"Christ, kid. You look like you lost a fight with a meat hammer. You must be the most beat up after me," Owens says shaking Steve's hand, and motioning toward his wheelchair. All things considered, Owens was lucky he made it out in a wheelchair and not in a body bag. The man lifts Steve's head and tilted it at various angles like a medical examination, "Looks like it's healing along nicely, girls will be falling for that pretty face in no time. Would love to hear how you got those scars."

"Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine," Steve answers back playing it cool.

"I'd take you up on that," Owen says back flashing him a thousand-dollar smile.

Owen claps his hands, getting everybody's attention, and spun around to face everyone before talking, "Right, I'm Dr. Owens and these lovely people are part of Hawkins Lab. It's just your standard debrief, I've read everybody's file, and this should be no different than what you had to do last year."

"The team is made up of various agents some staying outside to blend in, some staying inside for security. We also have some hardworking lawyers, stenographers, and transcribers to ensure everything is recorded and is on the up and up. Any questions? No? Good. Where can we setup?"

"You can use my room and Jonathan's. It's the two bedrooms next to each other on the left. The one on the right is Will's. We'll be staying there," Joyce says.

Owens nods at the people behind him and they headed towards the hallway. Some of the agents posted themselves towards the wall of the living room. Max wonders if they're like the guards from England that don't move.

"Can I talk to you in the kitchen?" Hopper asks Owens.

"Sure thing, Jim," Owen agrees rolling himself towards the kitchen before Hopper takes the reins and pushes his chair. Hopper throws a look at Steve and Max motioning them to follow.

"We have a problem," Hopper says as he parks the doctor behind the kitchen table facing the hallway. Hopper sits down opposite him while Max and Steve stood by the door.

"What problem?" Owens asks curiously eyeing the two teenagers following the chief.

"It's me. Hi, I'm the problem. It's me," Max says to the doctor with a wave.

"Yeah, the kid can't stay long. Her parents were already suspicious when she went home at an ungodly hour covered in dirt and grime, I don't think we can push them more. Plus, we wouldn't want her brother showing up again," Hopper says.

Owens look confused at that last statement.

"Step-brother," Max corrects the chief.

Hopper waves off Owens' confusion and Max's correction, "You'll see when you talk to the kids. It's what happened to Harrington's face. Anyway, we're hoping she could go first so she can get home early and we avoid any surprise drop-bys from her family."

Owen nods, digesting the information. "Okay, is that the same with the other kid too? His parents getting suspicious? I can't imagine you could explain away those bruises."

Steve chuckles, "You'd be surprised what I can explain away. They'd probably assume I got into another fight but, no, they'd have to be home to be suspicious."

What does that mean? Max wonders.

"No, Harrington's the driver. He'll take Mayfield home after, so we're hoping he can do the debrief with Mayfield," Hopper says.

Owens frowns looking at the two teenagers and then at Hopper, "I'm sorry, Jim, it's out of my hands. There's protocol in place and there are a dozen witnesses present if I break it, not to mention it'll be transcribed on paper. Tell you what, we do both kids at the same time so they're the first ones to leave. Does that sound good?"

"Not like we have a choice but okay. Thanks, Owens," Hopper says.

"I do what I can, chief. Is that all?" Owens asks.

Max steps forward from the doorway and walks towards Owens. She slams her hands on the table and glares at Owens, "Don't shoot Steve."

Hopper facepalms behind her and Steve blushes embarrassed, looking anywhere but the kitchen table.

Owens laughs uncomfortably and tries to appease the girl, "We don't plan on shooting anyone."

"Good. Keep it that way. Don't lock him up either!" Max says with fingers pointed accusingly at the doctor.

"Jim, what have you been telling these kids?" Owens asks Hopper and the chief grimaces an apology.

Owens holds out his hands to Max in surrender, "I promise you, we're not shooting or locking up anybody. We just wanted to get the full picture of what happened that night."

"I'd rather you shoot me now," Steve grumbles to himself leaning at the doorway.

"That's not funny," Max says angrily after joining Steve at the doorway.

"Maybe not funny haha but definitely funny weird," Steve says with a smile at Max. The younger teenager gives him an eyeroll in his direction.

Owens knew the file of everybody involved from front to back. If he didn't, he might have mistaken Steve Harrington for Maxine Mayfield's stepbrother instead of the only child that he is. Owens tells the three that if that's all they should relax and that an agent would come and get them once the debrief is about to begin.

Hopper nods at Owens and led the two teenagers back to Will's room.

"They're not shooting, Steve!" Max announces as soon as she entered the room, "They're also not locking him up. I asked."

The kids jumped out of their seats at Max's announcement. They became loud and animated, and an air of relief hangs over the room. Everything is visibly lighter. Even Hopper had to admit, he was worried but he was glad Mayfield asked the Doc that question. He actually believed Owens when he said he wouldn't hurt the kid. Meanwhile, it's Steve's turn to palm his face but he is surprised that people cared about him being shot or locked up. It was weird. But nice.

It wasn't long before somebody knocked on the door to signal the debriefing to begin. Hopper goes out to open the door and heads out to the hallway, closing the door behind him. After a beat, the door opens and a woman in a sharp suit and curly black hair opens the door. They see Hopper enter the room right across Will's, closing the door behind him.

"Maxine Mayfield?" the agent says towards the room.

"It's Max," Max says standing up from her seat next to Lucas.

The agent nods in acknowledgment and then calls out, "Steve Harrington?"

"Here," Steve raises his hands like it's first period.

"It's not school, Steve," Dustin remarks. The kids chuckle and even Joyce cracks a smile.

"I know that," Steve says defensively, holding in a smile. He also stands up and gives Max a look before nodding at her. They approach the agent together with Steve leading the way like how he did with Hopper in the living room earlier, putting himself in between the agent and Max. The agent closes the door behind them as they get to the hallway, giving the others privacy and the two teenagers separation anxiety. Is that a thing they do? Keep closing doors to get everybody to feel separated?

"Mayfield, in the room right across. Harrington, the one next to it, the one nearer the kitchen," the agent says calmly.

Anxiety crept out of nowhere and Steve felt stuck on the floor. Oh, screw you, brain! It's just a chat in a closed room with a trained government killer. Wait, holy shit, that means Max is gonna be in a room with a— Steve's racing thoughts get cut off by a light grip pulling down on his jacket sleeves. Max is holding it again.

"You'll be fine, " Max says with a smile.

Christ, now the kid's comforting you. Good job, Harrington! Steve thinks before returning the smile and replying with an unconvinced voice, "Yeah, I know."

"See you on the other side, Harrington," Max says letting go of his sleeves and stepping forward towards the door.

"See you on the other side, Mayfield," Steve says missing the familiar weight on his sleeves.

The agent watches the exchange amused. She opens the door for Max and follows her inside. The agent closes the door behind them.

He can do this, C'mon, Harrington, take a breath and take it one step at a time.

Steve takes a deep breath and heads toward the other room. He opens the door expecting the worst and he's greeted by a toiler. It's the bathroom. It's possible he overshot it and landed in the wrong room. No big deal, at least no one saw.

"Other door!" he hears from the living room.

Curious, he checks it out. He sees two agents, one white with a mustache, and the other dark-skinned with curly hair, watching TV. Do they seriously get paid to watch TV? Sweet gig. I wonder how'd they react if somebody shot up the place while they were relaxing.

"Other door, kid," the unknown mustache agent man says without looking.

Steve opens his mouth to reply but decided against talking back. He heads to the door next to the bathroom, right next to the room Max entered. How the hell did he miss that?

He stands in front of the door and takes another deep breath. It'll be fine. It has to be. Who else is gonna give Max a ride?

You know what? It did go fine. It was long and tedious, but Hopper prepared Steve well. Hell, Hopper was tougher than the person doing the interview. Steve did stumble his words a bit but he didn't give anything away that he shouldn't have and he's leaving Jonathan's room with his heart still beating so he'll call that a win. They did, however, blind him with a white flash of a camera after he's signed. They didn't take a photo last time, they should have given a heads-up.

Owens weaved in and out of the room as the interview when on, presumably splitting his time between the two rooms. When his interview ended, Owens clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly and told him that Max is almost done with the debriefing. He headed into the bathroom, intentionally, this time washing his face and trying to shake off the camera flash-induced headache he received. Ugh, he's still hard to look at. It's been a hell of a day.

He decides to go back to Will's room to wait for Max. As he exits the bathroom, he catches Joyce heading toward the room he just left. Joyce offers him a wide smile as she saw him, and Steve gives her a small wave. She enters the room and closes the door behind her. Huh. That makes sense, Joyce is being treated the same as him. It's trippy to think about. If he's an adult like Joyce Byers, why the hell doesn't he have his shit together like her?

Before having an existential crisis, the sound of a door opening from the end of the hall catches his attention. Max exits from, what he assumes to be Joyce's room, followed by Hopper and then Owens. Owens says something to Hopper and Max before rolling himself toward Jonathan's room. Hopper gives Steve a nod before saying something to Max and entering Will's room. Whatever Hopper said, it must've been at least partially about him because Max's head whipped around towards Steve at the other end of the hallway, her eyes widened at the sight of him, and the girl nearly knocked into him when she ran over to him.

"Did they shoot you?" Max asks Steve.

"Only my good side," Steve says offhandedly, "How about you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. It took so long, I think my leg fell asleep. It felt way longer than it really is," Max says

"You know the old saying, 'time slows down when you're being interrogated'," Steve quips.

"I think it's 'time flies when you're having fun'," Max says with her nose scrunched.

"I've heard it both ways, " Steve says with a shrug before checking the time on his wrist.

"It's almost 6. Your folks gonna be okay with that?" Steve asks.

"Just about," Max says.

Steve nods in acknowledgment, "This is weird. Do we just take off? Wait, we can't take off. Where are your things? Did you leave it in the car?"

"No, Hopper says to stay out here in the hallway and he'll get my things from inside. We're apparently not allowed back in," Max says.

Hopper chose this moment to exit Will's room with Max's backpack and skateboard. Dustin follows from behind Hopper. He notices Steve and Max, flashing both of them a big toothy smile and a wave. They both wave back to Dustin before Hopper motions to Dustin to stay put and headed toward them. Guess, Dustin's up next.

"Here," Hopper says handing Steve Max's things. Steve takes them clearly surprised while Max rolls her eyes, she has arms she can carry her own things.

"Can we say goodbye to the others? It seems rude to leave without saying goodbye," Steve asks.

"Technically, yes, it's not like there's an armed guard by the door but I don't think that's a good idea," Hopper says matter-of-factly, "If they catch you coming out of the room, they might call it witness tampering and debrief you again. Also, you're on the clock, kid, I think it's best if you go now. I've told everybody goodbye for you two. They understand,"

"Well, if you're sure," Steve nods at Hopper, "C'mon, Max"

Max follows Steve reluctantly, she wanted to say goodbye but it's understandable from what Hopper said. It's okay, she'll see them tomorrow.

"Oh, Mayfield, your drawing book. Wouldn't want to forget this," Hopper hands Max a sketch pad.

"Uh, thanks," Max says with gratefulness to cover up her confusion. She doesn't have a drawing book. Why is Hopper giving her this?

They make their way through the sea of agents in the living room, on the porch, and just outside the house. Hopper was right, with the number of people watching the house, there's no way they would've been able to sneak back inside to say goodbye.

They both enter the car, Steve places her backpack and skateboard in the back while Max held the sketch pad Hopper gave her in the front seat. As they leave and make their way down through Mirkwood, Steve notices Max is staring at the sketchbook intently.

"I didn't know you draw," Steve says making conversation.

"We met three days ago, Steve. Of course, you didn't know," Max says rolling her eyes before continuing, "But, no, I don't draw,"

"Then what's with the pad?" Steve asks curiously.

"I don't know… Hopper handed it to me and said it was mine. I don't know, I feel like he knows it isn't mine but handed it to me anyway so I took it. It's like he wanted me to have it," Max says while examining the sketchpad. She tilts the sketch pad in her hands and looks at it from different angles.

Not finding anything, Max flipped open the sketch pad. Oh, it's Will's, that makes sense. Looking through the contents, there's nothing but Will's drawings. Some sketches of superheroes and movie characters are in there. There's also a slew of things she assumes are from Dungeons and Dragons and not the Upside Down. If there are more monsters out there, Max does not want to know.

She gets to the last page of drawings and she's found... Nothing. She flicks thru the other pages quickly just to check and — wait, there's something in there. A drawing or something wedged between blank pages in the middle of the sketchpad. She flicks through it again and stops when she sees the black of the ink.

"Steve?" Max says looking at the page.

"Huh?" Steve glances at her confused.

"I think I found something," Max says, in a voice usually reserved as exposition for action movies. Saving the world and passing secret messages under the government's nose? It makes her feel cool, she's a teenager, sue her.

She shows Steve the page she found in the sketch pad and the older teen tilts his head before starting to slow down the car and park it on the side of the road.

Steve looks over at what Max is showing him. On the top of the page is a group of dots '.. . ..', below it is a picture of a sickle and below that is a drawing of a tree with a sign that says ' - 5 mi. away'.

Steve thinks it over before giving up, "I don't get it,"

Max looks down and sighs before pointing to the tree, "I think the chief wants us to go here,"

"Where is here?" Steve asks.

"I think his cabin? Where they took Will," Max offers.

"His cabin? How the hell did you get that?" Steve asks confused.

Max rolls her eyes at Steve, "Were you even listening earlier? We went over our story like three times before Owens showed up."

"They took Will to a cabin near an oak tree," Max points towards the tree.

"Oh, right. A few minutes away from an oak tree," Steve says.

"I'm guessing 5 minutes if the sign is any indication. I don't remember which street though," Max says.

Steve snaps his finger and points at Max, "Denfield. I remember that. Okay, what about this hook?"

"It's a sickle," Max says like it explains everything.

"What?" Steve asks lost again.

"It's a gardening tool," Max says smiling, messing with Steve.

"Oh, very helpful, Maxine," Steve says sarcastically, emphasizing the last syllable.

"Well, Steven," Max says also emphasizing the last syllable, "It's a sickle. A sick-le. A sick El," Max says slowing down the word each time she repeated it. God, this would be way easier if she wrote it down for him.

"That's very Batman '66 logic but okay. What about these dots?" Steve asks, impressed with the girl. She's fast, thorough, and sharp as a tack.

"I think it's morse code," Max demonstrates on Steve's dashboard, knocking for each dot and stopping for each space.

"I don't think Hopper expects us to translate that. I think it's a knock," Steve says nodding, and Max agrees, mostly because she doesn't know where to get a Morse Code book at this hour.

"I don't know…" Steve says with an air of skepticism, "I mean, sure, life is a little weird right now but this is crazy right? Secret codes in sketch pads? How the hell did Hopper expect I figure that out?"

"First off, he gave me the book, not you. He expects me to figure it out, not you. Secondly, let's put it this way: worst case scenario, we visit a sick girl."

"No, worst case scenario is we lead the government agents to a sick girl. I don't think my bat and your driving is a match for them," Steve says.

"You'll let me drive?" Max's ears perk up.

"That's what you get from that?" Steve asks, annoyed.

"It's fine. Hopper wouldn't have given it to us if he thought it was a trap. Now, are you in or out?" Max asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Ugh," Steve grunts before doing a U-Turn on the road and going the opposite way they were driving in, "Did I just lose an argument with a twelve-year-old girl?"

"I'm thirteen, dick, " Max says rolling her eyes, "Fourteen in a few months."

"Thirteen dick, is that a middle name?" Steve asks teasingly.

"Shut up, Harrington," Max replies back in a sing-song tone.

They were driving their way back to where they came from but instead of taking a left to get to the Byers, Steve takes a right.

"Is this the way to Denfield?" Max asks excitedly.

"No," Steve says, "this is the way to my house."

"Your house?" Max asks confused.

"If this is a trap, we'll check if anyone's following us, plus, deniability in case they are. Also, I have some leftover soup from yesterday when I was feeling shitty and some baked goods from Lucas' mom. I think the kid might like it," Steve says.

"How come Eleven gets soup and pastry?" Max asks in a joking bratty tone. She's kidding. Okay, half-kidding. Eleven already hates her, she doesn't know why but she wouldn't even shake her hand the other day.

It's stupid but what if Steve likes Eleven more than her? What if Eleven shows Steve what Billy and Neil see? That girls aren't supposed to be loud or they're not supposed to talk back, or they're not supposed to ride around in skateboards, doing flips and scratching their elbows. What if Eleven shows Steve how broken Max is?

Her mom's all right on good days but Billy sucks and Neil sucks. Eleven already has a Hopper, can't she have a Steve?

Steve rolls his eyes at her.

I don't think you're supposed to do that while you're driving. And he dares complain about my driving, Max thinks.

"Maybe because she hasn't insulted me or kicked me in the shins?" Steve asks rhetorically.

"She hasn't insulted you or kicked you in the shins yet," Max says brightly.

"And I'd like to keep it that way, hence, the treats," Steve says.

"What about those who have insulted you and kicked you on the shins, what do they get?" Max asks.

"Red hair and a bad attitude," Steve says without missing a beat.

"Steven, that could be the title of my autobiography," Max counters, "But I'm looking for treats."

"Fair enough, Maxine," Steve says chuckling, "But you're not eating them in the car. Wouldn't want to spoil your dinner."

"Okay, mom," Max teasingly.

"I don't like where that's headed," Steve mutters to himself at the nickname. That nickname better not stick.

Steve pulls up to the front of the house. Max wasn't really sure what to expect but he didn't expect this. Steve was loaded. Of course, he is! What kind of teenager drives a BMW? Aren't rich kids supposed to be dicks? Wait, is that why King Steve's an asshole?

"You wanna come inside?" Steve asks, "We'll be quick. I just want to know if anyone's been following us,"

You're about to enter a mansion, Mayfield. Play it cool, Max shrugs in a noncommittal matter. Nailed it.

"You're parents gonna be okay with that?" Max asks worry lightly seeping into her tone.

"Probably not but who cares what they think," Steve quips but, seeing Max look hesitant, he continues, "I'm just joking, Mayfield. They haven't been home in months. No body, no problem."

Max nods in acknowledgment, He's been alone in this huge house for months? That sucks. Rich people suck.

"No body, no problem? Again, that's very serial killer-y of you, Steve. Starting to get concerned about the rope, shovel, and trunk in your trunk," Max teases.

"Well come inside, the big empty house, and find out. Mwahahaha!" Steve says while waving his fingers trying to be spooky before exiting the car.

Dork, Max thinks before stepping out of the car and staring at the house.

The house had a gray wooden exterior with dark tiles on the roof. It's a house that screams old money. There are four large windows on the second level while there's a row of smaller windows to the left of the imposing brown wooden door. At the door's feet, is a dark welcome mat lying on top of a brick stoop that's one step tall like a short platform to opulence.

Steve opens the door with his keys and headed inside. There's another mat on the other side of the door atop the classic brown wooden floor of the house. The interior of the house is white, pristine, and clean. There's a houseplant to her left, she's surprised Steve kept that alive. Then again, Steve has a knack for taking care of things and not letting them die.

There are elegant paintings hung on the wall. Max can't tell what they're supposed to be. It's one of those rich people painting where it's all lines, shapes, and squigglies. She asked her mom about it once and she said it's not supposed to be anything. It's supposed to draw a feeling, not an actual thing. Max doesn't get it, maybe when she's older she'll understand.

No family photos? Max noticed after looking at the paintings. She frowns a bit and wonders what's worse: a family you don't want or a family that doesn't want you? From the welcome mat, she can see stairs leading to the second floor in front of her. From where she's standing, the wooden ceiling up there seems as high as the dusky sky outside. Not wanting to linger, she closes the door behind her and follows Steve to the kitchen.

"Your parents haven't really haven't been home for months?" Max asks frowning slightly as she settles on one of the chairs in the kitchen.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. No big deal, they've been going on business trips like these for years," Steve says as he pulls out a couple of plastic containers from the fridge and places them on the table.

Max scrunches her nose, still frowning, "Do you have a pen and paper? I left my backpack in the car."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Here," Steve picks up a nearby pen and pad and places it on the table right by Max.

Max picks up the pen and looks at the pad next to it. Huh, it's a shopping list. Looks organized too. He really has been doing this 'living on your own' thing for a while. She writes down 'Candy – for the kids' at the end of the shopping list before smirking to herself before flipping over to the next page. She writes down her home phone number in the middle of the page and writes 'MADMAX' at the top inside of an explosion like it was a 'POW!' from a comic book.

"There," she says before flipping the pad over to show it to Steve, "now you have my number. If you get bored or lonely here all alone, you can give me a call. Maybe, I'll pick up."

Steve smiles warmly. It looks good on him, Max thinks. It's easy to forget he's just about 4 years older than the rest of them. Just a lonely kid in an empty house.

"Maybe you'll pick up? I get a maybe? What the hell? When I gave you my number I said I'll pick up. No maybes," Steve says still smiling pretending to be exasperated.

"I have arcade games to crush and a skateboard to ride. I'm a busy girl, Steve, I can't guarantee I'll pick up," Max says sarcastically.

Steve pulls out a plastic bag from a nearby cupboard and starts filling it up with baked goods from one of the plastic containers he got from the fridge.

"Might be too busy for some treats then," Steve says challengingly, dangling the plastic bag from his fingers and showing it to Max.

"Did you just pull them out of the fridge?" Max asks eyeing the desserts she's pretty sure is dry as a desert now.

"They last longer if they're in the fridge. Plus, you can always heat them up," Steve says shrugging, "Do you want it or not, Mayfield?"

"Yes, please," Max says smiling. Ask and ye shall receive.

"Seriously though, you might get Neil or Billy if you call so keep that in mind," Max says sheepishly.

Steve made a face like he also forgot but his face softens before answering, "Yeah, kid, I understand. I really do appreciate it. Thanks."

He closes the plastic container, stacks it up with the other container, and places the plastic bag on top.

"Okay, I think we're good. Just have to check if we were followed," Steve says before staring at the hallway leading to the front door, thinking things over.

"You can't see through doors, Steve. We have to check the window," Max says.

"Right," Steve says picking up the stack of food and headed toward the living room. Max follows him, both stopping at the window that's looking out to the front of the house. Steve puts down the food he's carrying in a nearby table.

"I don't see anything," Max says squinting through the window.

"Well, they are secret agents," Steve says, "maybe they're hiding."

"Great, either they didn't follow us or we can't see them. Awesome," Max complains.

"I have an idea," Steve says, "Max scream."

"What?" Max asks confused.

"Scream like a demodog burst through here," Steve says again.

Max shrugs, she trusts Steve. Without warning, she unleashed an ear-piercing wail.

"Jesus Christ!" Steve says, covering his ears.

"You said scream!" Max says defensively.

"Yeah, I know. I just didn't expect it to get so banshee in here," Steve says still tending to his ears.

"Pfft. Whatever," Max says dismissively, "What was the screaming for?"

"If there were government agents following us, then that would be their cue to bust in so…" Steve says before looking out the window again.

"Next time, if you're baiting government agents, let me know in advance," Max says before taking a minute to look out the window, "I think we're good. No government spooks came running in."

"All right, c'mon, let's go," Steve says convinced. He picks up the stack of containers and led the way back to the car. He placed the plastic containers in the trunk while he places the bag of treats for Max in the backseat, right next to her skateboard and backpack.

They drive back down the road they came from, Steve driving a bit quicker to make up for lost time. And if Max is paying extra attention to the roads they're taking to remember where Steve's house is, no one has to know but her.

"You okay?" Max asks Steve after a few minutes of driving, "You've been weirdly quiet."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Steve says obviously lying.

Max raises an eyebrow at the older teen with an expression that screams 'I don't believe you'. Steve looks over at Max and immediately folds.

"Okay, maybe a little… not worried. Concerned? I don't know how to talk to kids," Steve confesses with a frown.

"You literally just hung out with 5 middle schoolers," Max says pointing out the obvious.

"That's different. Boys are easy to hang out with, but girls are different. And I sort of knew them already a little bit from Nancy," Steve says.

"I'm a girl too, dumbass. And you didn't know me before everything went down too," Max says slightly insulted and wanting to kick Steve in the knees again if only he weren't driving.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just… different," Steve settles, unsurely.

"How is it different?" Max challenges.

"I don't know. Stockholm syndrome? It just is okay," Steve offers, clearly unable to come up with a reason.

"Idiot," Max says unamused.

"Look, I'm sorry, I guess it's not that different. Maybe it's the repeatedly almost dying together or maybe it's the arson but it's easier with you guys," Steve says apologetically, "I guess I'm just intimidated by the whole psychic teenager thing."

"Don't be. You're kind, funny, and a bit of a dumbass but you won over the boys pretty quickly. I'm sure you'll win her over too," Max says reassuringly.

"I only won over the boys then? Nobody else?" Steve asks teasingly.

"Not sure there's anyone left to win over," Max says evasively.

"Not even someone with red hair and a bad attitude?" Steve says smirking.

"No one likes it when somebody fishes for a compliment, Steve," Max says rolling her eyes but stifling a laugh.

"Worth a shot," Steve replies back also holding in a laugh.

"Did you meet Eleven last year?" Max asks.

"Nope, I just whacked a demogorgon and got pulled into this whole madness. Nance told me about her afterward and about how she died but, you know… Reports of her death were greatly exaggerated," Steve says.

"I think she hates me," Max confesses.

"What? She doesn't hate you. Why would you think that?" Steve asks confused.

"At the house, I introduced myself and tried to shake her hand and she just walked right past me like I was invisible," Max says, masking the hurt in her voice but Steve could hear it.

"I'm sorry, kid. Maybe she just needs a while to warm up to people. She has been stuck in that lab for a while and now she's stuck in the cabin," Steve says trying to make Max feel better," You know I tried talking to her too and she just stared at me so I panicked and handed her a tissue for her nose."

Max laughs at the mental image of Steve panicking and just throwing a tissue at Eleven's face, that's not how it happened but it's funnier in her head.

"Doesn't matter, I'll make it up to her once we get to the cabin. We're both cool, and we have the same friends. We should be able to get along," Max says with conviction.

Steve frowns slightly, She thinks she's coming to the cabin. Time to burst that little bubble.

"Max, you know I have to take you home, right? You can't go to the cabin." Steve says cautiously.

"What!? That's bullshit!?" Max yells angrily. She sees Steve wince. She wasn't that harsh was she?

That's not fair! Hopper gave me the sketch pad and I figured out most of it. I should be able to come! It's –, Max was thinking to herself before getting cut off.

"I know it's not fair," Steve says calmly like he's reading her mind, "but we're already behind because of the pit stop to my house. And the reason you're going home early is so your parents or Billy don't go looking for you again."

"We don't want them showing up at the Byers while all those agents are there or at the cabin with a sick kid. I wouldn't put it past Billy showing up there, I still don't know how he found us the first time. I swear to God, I think he's half poodle," Steve says hoping the joke would make Max smile. It didn't.

Max ignores Steve's statement sulking with her arms crossed over her chest. She knows he's right, she knows it's the smart thing to do and she knows it's not his fault but she's still angry. Also, Billy isn't a poodle. That's an insult to poodles everywhere.

"Max?" Steve asks cautiously. As if one wrong word and he would get his head bitten off. Not an entirely inaccurate scenario if you think it over.

Max sighs deeply, "Yeah, I understand. We have to keep the others safe."

"This sucks," Max says dejectedly.

"Yeah, it does, kid," Steve says sympathizing with the girl.

In hindsight, she should have noticed where they were going. The roads they were taking are starting to get increasingly familiar. It wasn't long before they get to her house. There are two cards parked out front of her house, Billy's and Neil's. Steve parks his car just behind Billy's. Neil must've been waiting for her because he came out of the house and started to glare at Steve's car.

"Judging by your stepdad's face, I'm guessing I brought you home too late," Steve says looking at his watch to double-check.

"Yeah, probably but don't worry that's just his regular face. He has Resting Dick Face," Max quips, and Steve chuckles.

"He doesn't like me does he?" Steve says looking at the way Neil is glaring at the car.

"No, but don't take it personally. I don't think he likes anyone," Max says trying to gauge how angry Neil is from the car.

"Thanks for the ride," Max says as she gathers her things from the backseat. Her backpack, her skateboard, and the bag of treats from Steve's house.

"Don't worry about it," Steve says.

Before Max can open the car door Steve speaks, "Hey, Max? I'm sorry you couldn't come to the cabin. I would've loved for you to be there and not just to use you as a buffer between me and a psychic teenager. Well, maybe a 60/40 split."

Max nods understandingly and laughs at the joke, "That's okay. You made the right call, I think Neil's just about ready to go looking for me with the way he readily came out of the house,"

"I'll tell you all about the cabin tomorrow once I pick you up," Steve says flashing Max a smile.

Max couldn't help but return it back. She can't believe someone wants to take her to school. She's not a task handed to at threat of violence like for Billy or a chore like for her mom or even like an obligation to her real dad. She's just her. Sure, she has to share the ride with Dustin, but she'll take what she can get. Someone finally chose her. It's almost too good to be true.

"You promise you'll pick me up, right? This isn't a stupid prank or anything?" Max asks in a voice filled with rehearsed indifference. Like she doesn't care what the answer is.

"Max, if this is a prank then it's a very elaborate one that involves me getting my ass nearly kicked daily," Steve says, "Besides, do you think I'd make it through the day if you tell those boys I tricked you into walking to school? They'd tell Hopper and Joyce and then no one would find my body."

Max laughs at that. She thanks Steve again and says her goodbyes before exiting his car. Neil enters the house as soon as he sees her come out. She is definitely going to get a talking-to once she gets home. As she gets to the front door, she turns around to check, Steve's car is still there waiting for her to enter the house. She gives Steve a wave before entering the house. She hears the car's engine drive off only when she closes the door.

Of course, it's not a prank. It's Steve. He's not cruel like Billy. He's not a dick like Neil. He won't forget her like her mom sometimes does. Steve wouldn't do that to her. Never.

She holds onto that thought in her mind as she prepares herself for Neil's sermon. That thought is more than enough to get her through it.