Disclaimer: I don't own Stranger Things or any of the characters in this story.
Chapter 10: Do I Have to Say the Words?
Without batting an eye, El innocently replied, "We were talking about sex."
Mike spewed his mouthful of shake into the air, as Max practically choked on her bite of burger.
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah," El continued, nonplussed, "We were talking about how you don't have to wait until you want to have kids – that you can have it for fun, too."
Mike looked like he was about to throw up – he was white as a sheet. The usually sarcastic Max was uncharacteristically frozen in her seat.
El continued. "My body's also ready to have sex, but I have to be ready, too. Mike, are you ready to have sex," she asked seriously.
"I think I'll give you two some privacy," Max mumbled before bolting out of the kitchen and into El's bedroom.
Mike and El stood in silence for a moment before she spoke again. "Are you okay," she asked her very pale boyfriend.
He nodded very unconvincingly. "Doyouwanttositdown," he asked in a rush.
El squinted at him. "What?"
"Sorry," Mike replied. He very deliberately made sure he spoke slower. "Do you want to sit down?"
"Yes."
After sitting at the kitchen table, Mike took a deep breath before beginning. "El, I haven't known you for very long, but I like you…a lot."
She smiled. "I like you, too."
"I've never had a girlfriend before, so this is all new to me."
"Have you ever had sex?"
"God, no," Mike replied, slightly louder than usual. "Sorry…I'm nervous."
El understood. This was all new to her, too.
"None of the girls at school have really interested me. I've always been sort of oblivious to that kind of thing…until you, of course."
"What does that mean? 'Oblivious?'"
"It means that you're not really aware of something," Mike explained. "I've been totally happy hanging out with the guys playing D & D, stuff with the band, A/V Club. But with you? I want more," he said candidly.
"Sex?"
Mike laughed. "What's got you thinking about sex so much?"
"Since we kissed this morning," El began. "When you were between my legs, I felt something achy. Max told me that my body was ready to have sex. She also said you were 'spanking a monkey' in the bathroom," she said carefully, trying to remember the phrase.
Mike couldn't help but feel a mix of things. On the one hand, he felt incredibly embarrassed that El knew he was wanking off. He hoped she didn't think he was some sort of pervert. On the other hand, he felt more than a little turned on hearing how El was feeling during their kiss.
"Um, yeah…I was," Mike answered cautiously. "Is that okay?"
El nodded. "Yeah. Max said it can feel as good as when you're having sex. I want you to feel good."
"I want YOU to feel good, too," he replied, his cheeks reddening. "Promise me something?"
"What is it?"
"Please always tell me what's on your mind. We're not going to have sex until YOU'RE ready, okay?"
"But what about you," El asked with a frown. The way she saw it, he should be happy, too.
"What about me?"
"Don't you want to have sex?"
Mike shrugged. "Sure, someday. To be honest, I don't know if I'm ready yet. But I definitely won't be ready until you say you are. It's your call." He reached out and took her hand. "Remember, I like you so much. I'm not going to do anything you don't feel comfortable with."
El was suddenly bashful, and looked down shyly. "Thank you," she replied.
Mike leaned down and caught her gaze, smiling as he made eye contact with her. "You're welcome."
In that moment, El wanted nothing more than to show Mike how much she appreciated him. So she did.
She stood up and walked the few paces around the kitchen table. Cupping her hands around his cheeks, she leaned down and kissed him softly. Mike eagerly reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her waist. He gently pulled her onto his lap, and began trailing kisses up and down her neck, goosebumps appearing as he went. She closed her eyes and marveled at how good it felt.
Unfortunately, they'd forgotten that someone else was in the house. El's eyes popped open when she heard a floorboard creak, and she quickly jumped off Mike's lap as Max came around the corner.
"Well hey, don't stop on my account," Max said with a sly grin. "But all jokes aside, I should probably get going."
"What? Why," El asked, concerned. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine, mom," Max replied with her trademark sarcasm. "I just wanted to give you guys some time alone. I feel bad for crashing your time together earlier."
Mike frowned. "Max, you were upset. I'm glad you came over, and I'm glad El was able to help."
"Thanks, Wheeler. I'm glad, too. But I've overstayed my welcome. We'll hang out another time, I promise."
Max walked over to El and gave her a tight hug. "You've got a good guy, El," she said. "I'm happy for you. Just try to have a little more filter next time, okay? I almost choked on my food when you started talking about your body being ready for sex."
El and Mike's faces reddened at the memory. But their embarrassment was forgotten as the secret knock soundly loudly on the door. El opened it to reveal a very out-of-breath Hopper, and he quickly came inside. His expression was worrisome.
"We've got a problem."
"Five people?"
"You heard me."
"But no one ever disappears in Hawkins."
"Yeah, it's way too fucking quiet here."
"Language!"
"I mean, you want to talk about disappearing, go to Indianapolis."
"It's probably five people a DAY that disappear there."
"QUIET!"
Hopper's shout broke up the mayhem that followed the news he brought home. There were now five disappearances. Five total people that either didn't come home last night or vanished in the early morning hours. The likes of this had never been seen in Hawkins before.
He continued, his voice eerily calm. "I need you to be quiet so I can think. I didn't know what to do, so I came home. I wanted to make sure you guys were okay."
"We're fine, Hopp," replied El, still seemingly unsure as to what was actually happening.
"I don't think you understand," Hopper began, raising his voice slightly. "Ever since I got into work this morning, I've had about one family per hour coming in to report someone missing."
"Who else is missing," Mike asked.
"Well, in addition to Larry, there's Heather Holloway, Bruce Lowe, Doris Driscoll, and Adam King."
Max's eyes widened. "Adam? He's only a couple of grades behind us in school. And Heather…" her voice shook a bit, "Heather was a lifeguard at the pool with Billy," she finished quietly.
Mike was silent for a moment before speaking. "Chief, do you think all these disappearances are connected to each other."
"Yeah kid, I do. Under no other circumstances would all these people just disappear at once. I've never seen anything like it here."
"Do you think the people are connected in any way," Max asked.
Hopper shook his head. "I don't think so. Bruce is a journalist at the Hawkins Post. And Doris? I've hardly seen her in recent years. As she's gotten older, she hasn't really gotten out much."
Mike frowned. "So why would she be out last night? If she doesn't go out, how could she disappear?"
"Jesus, I don't know. People do have to venture out occasionally," Hopper said in exasperation. "Like groceries, for example. Everyone's got to eat."
Just then, a faint voice sounded from outside. They all paused for a moment and listened. Realizing it was the radio in his car, Hopper bolted out the door. The three teens walked slowly to the open door and listened to the conversation that followed.
"Hopper? Come in Hopper."
"Yeah, Flo. What's going on?"
"We've got another one."
Hopper groaned and banged his head against the steering wheel, letting out an expletive before replying. "Who is it now?"
"Monica Davis. She's a college student home for the summer."
"When did it happen?"
"Her parents are thinking last night or early this morning, like the others. She's a waitress at the Hideway."
"And when did her parents discover she was missing?"
"This morning. She usually works until closing time and comes home in the middle of the night. They checked her room after they woke up, and that's when they saw she was gone. Her car was gone, too."
"Okay." Hopper let out a big sigh and paused. "What's happening, Flo," he asked lowly. "Because I've got to admit, I'm scared out of my damn mind."
"I'm scared, too. But we've got to be strong and help these folks. They need us right now."
"I know they do."
"We've got to stay positive. Something will come to light."
"Alright. I'll be back in soon."
Putting the mouthpiece down on his dashboard, Hopper let all his emotions come out. His shoulders shook as he cried. Half of the missing were no more than 20 years old. Any missing person was a concern, but these were just kids. He couldn't help but think of his Sara. But Flo was right – he needed to be strong right now, especially for his new daughter. He couldn't let her down.
He pulled himself together and slowly got out of the truck, wiping his eyes. Just on the other side of the door, the teens were looking at each other wordlessly. They didn't speak until Hopper walked through the door.
"Dad…" El began.
He held up his hand. "No, not now. You three are not to go anywhere for the rest of the afternoon. Mike and Max, I'll call your parents and let them know you're here. I don't know what the hell is happening, but I'll be damned if anything happens to you on my watch."
"But what about the others," Mike asked.
Hopper frowned. "Kid, what are you talking about?"
"Our other friends," Mike replied. "Dustin, Lucas, and Will. What if they're not safe? Shouldn't we invite them over?"
"No, you cannot invite them over! They need stay where they are, WHEREVER they are."
"But…"
"No buts," Hopper demanded. He patted his pockets to make sure he had his keys, then moved to head out the door again. "Remember, stay here. I'll give you an update as soon as I can." He walked briskly outside and started the car. With a squeal of the tires, he took off.
Back inside, they listened as he drove away. No sooner had the roar of the engine faded into the air than Mike spoke up.
"Well no offense, but fuck that."
El's mouth popped open in shock. "Mike."
He glanced ruefully at her. "I don't want to insult Hopper here, but in this situation, I don't think he's thinking clearly. There's strength in numbers. And anyway, I can't just sit here wondering if the guys are okay."
The gears began turning in El's head, something that did not go unnoticed by Max.
"What are you thinking about, El?"
"Well, we don't have to wonder if they're okay," she began. "I could check on them."
"El no," Mike said worriedly. "I don't want you to risk getting hurt. I'll go check on them."
She shook her head. "No, not like that. I could visit them…in my head."
"Really," he asked in surprise. "I thought you could only move things telekinetically. That's amazing."
El blushed. "You don't think it's weird?"
"Of course not. You're like a friggen superhero."
That was the last thing El felt like, especially after what she saw in the void that day in the lab. The incident had scared her so badly, and she'd only attempted going back into the void a handful of times after.
"No, I'm just El," she said with a shrug.
Max smiled and slung her arm around her shoulder. "I don't think you give yourself enough credit. We think you're awesome."
El smiled back in return and reached for Mike's hand. She suddenly felt extremely grateful to have such supportive people in her life, and she was willing to revisit the void for her friends.
Looking between Max and Mike, El's resolve strengthened and she nodded. "Okay, let's do it."
El sat cross-legged in front of the sofa, the TV filling the air with its static white noise sound. A scarf was in her lap. She stared straight ahead, giving herself a mental pep talk.
Mike kneeled down in front of her, planting a kiss on her cheek. "You are so brave," he said softly. "Thank you so much for doing this. You really are a superhero."
She smiled at him and shrugged. "They're my friends, too. I want them to be okay."
"I want YOU to be okay, too," Mike replied earnestly. "Please don't push yourself too hard."
"We trust you, El," Max jumped in. "More importantly, you've got to trust yourself."
El nodded. "I'll be fine," she said confidently. "Nothing will hurt me."
She made eye contact with Mike once more, and he smiled encouragingly at her. Taking that as her cue, she tied the scarf over her eyes. And it wasn't long before she found herself in the void.
Taking a breath to steady herself, she began looking cautiously around, trying to absorb the blackness surrounding her.
"Turn around…"
El gasped and looked in the direction of the voice, cracking a grin when she saw it was only Dustin. As she edged closer to him, he grabbed a hairbrush off his dresser and began singing loudly into it.
"Make believe I'm everywhere, given in the light…"
She began to laugh, both in the void and sitting with Mike and Max. The two looked at each other in amusement.
"What is it," Max asked her.
"Dustin," replied El. "Singing with a hairbrush."
"What's he singing?"
The radio in the cabin suddenly roared with static, though it cleared in a couple of seconds. Soon enough, they were able to hear Dustin singing the lyrics to "Never Ending Story."
The teenagers roared with laughter. "Dustin's using a hairbrush mic for THAT song," Mike gasped out. "Priceless."
After they'd quieted a bit, El moved onto the next friend. Soon enough, she discovered Lucas sitting on his bed with his wrist rocket, his gaze trained ahead of him on his dresser. A small pile of rocks was next to him.
Wordlessly, he picked up a rock and pulled it back in the wrist rocket. El could now see that Lucas was focusing on several white figurines positioned on the dresser.
"Daaaa-daaaa, da-da-da, daaaaaah-da, da-da-da, daaaaaaa da, da-da-da-daaaaaaaaa," he hummed as he took out the figurines one by one.
Back in the Hopper cabin, the teens were laughing once again.
"What the hell is going on today with these guys," Max asked. "First Dustin, now Lucas and 'Star Wars.'"
At this, Mike stopped laughing and looked at Max as though she'd kicked his dog. "What's the matter with 'Star Wars?' I'll have you know that it's the greatest space opera of all time."
El sat up a little straighter, her blindfold still tight around her eyes. "What's 'Star Wars?'"
Mike gasped. "Oh my god…okay, we have GOT to watch it. El, you're going to love it. Maybe we can all watch it together."
Max snorted at that. "Hell no. I'm not a nerd."
"I think it could be fun," El replied. She'd take any opportunity she could to hang out with Mike. Maybe she would actually like the movie…the cherry on top. "Have you ever seen it, Max?"
"Well, no…but…"
"So how can you not like it," Mike pressed. "That settles it. We're going to have a movie night at my house. Be ready!"
El smiled at the thought of sitting in a dark room with Mike. Sure, she wanted to see the movie. But she also wanted to kiss the crap out of him. She shifted around at the thought, the ache between her legs coming back…
"You okay, El," she heard Max ask. "Your face is all pink."
Shit.
"Yes, I'm fine," she covered smoothly. "Ready to check on Will?"
Mike took her hand and gently squeezed it. "Go for it," he encouraged her.
Soon enough, El found herself back in the void, walking toward what looked like Will seated at his kitchen table. He had his boxes of colored pencils and crayons out, and was drawing. Coming up behind him, El looked over his shoulder. She smiled when she saw that he was drawing what looked like a fairy tale forest.
"Drawing," she said out loud to Mike and Max. "Will is drawing."
"He's super talented," Mike said. "His drawings are awesome."
El agreed. She could see the greens, blues, and purples in the picture, and thought she'd never seen anything more magical.
Suddenly, a loud bang startled them all. Will – who had a dark blue crayon in his hand at the time – jumped and left a long, dark mark on his page. He let out a muttered curse, and flung the crayon across the table. Standing up, he began to investigate the source of the noise.
It didn't take long before he figured out what was wrong.
Peering out his back window, Will saw the toolshed door wide open – a large pile of metal on the ground already. He opened the back door and yelled out, "HEY," thinking it was some punk kid messing around. He wasn't prepared for who it actually was.
Two figures walked casually out of the shed – a tall, thin man flanked by a woman. They looked extremely unwell. Both were deathly pale, their hair was scraggly, and it looked like their clothes had seen better days.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the man sneered, "We didn't realize anyone was home."
At that moment in the Hopper cabin, both Max and El gasped – El, because she recognized the face and Max, because she recognized the voice.
Billy.
Hi everyone! It's been awhile…about a month. We're just finishing getting settled into our new house, so I'm hoping the next chapter will come quicker. In the meantime, I'd love to know what you thought of this one. Please leave me a review.
Have any of you watched "I Am Not Okay with This" on Netflix? It's quirky and adorable, and I watched it twice in two days. I may watch it a third time this week. In my opinion, we could all use a friend like Stanley Barber in our lives. Kind of makes me want to mix up a martini and dance to the "King of Rock and Roll." But maybe tomorrow, as I am very sleepy. Have a great night, and please remember to review!
