10
School went by in a flash, an unprecedented phenomenon.
Mike and El were hoping to talk to each other after school- seeing as the dance was in five hours- but both were pulled in separate directions by their friends.
`El, we need to get you a dress,' Max said firmly.
`But I-'
`There's no point talking to Wheeler. If you don't get something to wear in the next five hours you can't show up to the dance at all.'
El couldn't argue with the truth in that. She let herself be pulled along by Max towards the shops in the centre of Chicago.
`Wait!' She said, stopping dead. `What about money?'
Max fished a few notes out of her pocket. `Got it covered. Me and the others came fully prepared today. Lucas brought some money for Mike and I got this for you.'
El was touched. `You didn't need to do that!'
`Consider it redemption for starting a betting pool.'
`What?'
`Doesn't matter, come on!' Max grabbed El's hand and pulled her into the swanky department store.
First, they went to the prom section of the shop. El blinked at all the dresses. Some of them were slim and tasteful, whilst others would undoubtedly make the wearer look like a puffball mushroom.
`Wow.' El unsteadily walked through the rails and mannequins, taking in the colours, the satin material. If there was a goth dress somewhere in this section, it would be perfect.
Unfortunately, that seemed unlikely.
First minutes, then hours passed as El waded through the rails, occasionally holding a dress up for inspection. Max would either give it a thumbs up if she thought it had potential, or make a gagging noise.
She ended up gagging quite a bit.
As El discarded another pink taffeta-explosion, she twisted around to look at Max, who had slumped back in her chair.
`Bored,' Max groaned at El, in an elongated zombie voice.
`Why not come up here? You've not looked through anything.'
`Yeah… I think I'm gonna skip the dance.' Max started to chew one of her chipped nails like she hadn't said something that was a pretty big deal.
`You can't skip!' El gasped, way louder than she'd intended. `You said you'd dance with Lucas.'
`Can you imagine me wearing any of this stuff?' Max gestured to the sea of net and tulle around her ankles. `No way. I'm gonna stay at home and eat cheese in my pajamas.'
El was about to start arguing when something caught her eye. Right at the back of one of the rails was a blot of black in amongst the pink and white. Intrigued, El reached through all the dresses for it and pulled it out.
She gasped.
It was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen.
It had no sleeves and was the same shade as a countryside night sky. Tiny, midnight roses were stitched along the neckline, it gathered at the waist, the hem would just brush her knees.
`Oh, my God. Wear that and Wheeler's heart'll explode.'
Before she got too excited- although that ship had well and truly sailed- El checked the price tag. She blinked with surprise. It couldn't be that cheap.
`They must have put it on the wrong rail,' Max shrugged when El showed her the tag. `Now go try it on.' She shooed El into the changing rooms, then looked around the department store.
Yeah, as if she would wear a pink puffball dress.
Then again, it would be a shame to miss out on the end-of-year dance. Whilst El changed behind a curtain, Max wandered off into the boy's section. Plenty of suits there. Maybe that could be an option.
Max ran her hand over the clothes, the hangers clicking together noisily.
She stopped at a light grey suit. A black tie was draped next to it. Max considered it for a moment, picturing herself.
Then grabbed it off the rail and held it up to her chin.
Max smiled at her reflection. Damn, she looked good. Max half ran back to the changing rooms, then stopped dead at the sight of El.
`How do I look?' She asked nervously, twirling experimentally. The black skirt flared out. Max grinned.
`You look amazing.'
`Have you finished yet?'
`No!' Mike yelled back, wriggling into the painfully tight blazer. `Are you sure you got the right size?'
`Well- I could have misread a zero for a nine.'
Mike yanked back the curtain and stepped out of the changing cubicle, barely able to breathe. He felt like a large, rubber sleeve was squeezing him around the middle. `Yeah, no shit.'
Dustin sheepishly handed Mike a correctly-sized suit. Mike went back into the cubicle and started to struggle out of the jacket. Unwelcome thoughts began jockeying for his attention.
Would he and El kiss?
If so, how would he know? Would she give him some sort of signal? Oh, God. What if he was a bad kisser?
What if he somehow screwed it all up?
Mike managed to wrench off the jacket, threw it in the corner, and groaned.
The night would either go really well, or really, really badly.
In the other cubicles, Lucas and Will were trying on their own dance clothes. Lucas was admiring himself in a dashing white suit, and rehearsing what he'd say to Max to ask her to dance. Maybe he wouldn't even say a thing and simply whirl her off her feet.
Then again, if that was the method he chose there was a two in three chance she'd punch him.
In the third cubicle, Will tugged the hem of his jacket. He didn't like it much.
`Dustin, can you pass me the waistcoat?'
Dustin rolled his eyes, grabbed the waistcoat next to him and threw it over the top of the cubicle. Will's hand shot upwards and caught it.
`Thanks!' Will discarded the jacket and put on the waistcoat, and smiled at his reflection.
Will didn't have a date as such, but that probably wouldn't matter. Neither did Dustin, even though his suit had been planned for months. They could probably chat about X-Men or something in the corner.
Simultaneously, Mike, Lucas and Will all stepped out of the changing rooms, looking at each other.
`Ladies, watch out,' Lucas said smugly, tugging at his cuffs. `The AV Club is coming tonight.' (With some difficulty, Dustin managed to restrain himself from saying all the wisecracks that popped into his head with that sentence.)
Will was in a waistcoat with two pockets, and couldn't stop admiring the pale blue bow tie. He'd managed to knot it after Mike yelled instructions to him from the other cubicle.
Lucas was in a white suit and polished black shoes.
Mike was in a black suit that set off his dark hair magnificently. He looked in the mirror, and a small flame of pride sparked in his chest. He actually looked- good.
What would El be wearing?
And with that the panic came whooshing back.
`Dustin, why can't we see your outfit yet?' Will asked curiously. Dustin grinned, and tapped the side of his nose.
Half an hour to go.
Nervous energy burned through El as she dragged the straighteners through another lock of hair.
`Why are you doing that?' Max asked as she adjusted the tie on her suit.
`I've always wanted to straighten my hair,' El replied determinedly, yanking at the tongs. `Might as well do it tonight.' Another yank, a soft oof. `But I'm not sure if it's worth the struggle. Maybe it would be easier to iron it.'
Max sat down on the bed next to El. `Give it to me, you've missed loads round the back.' She took the hot irons out of El's hands and started to pull them through the hair at the back.
`Max, what if Mike kisses me?'
`Keep your voice down! Hopper'll have a stroke if he hears you.'
`Okay, but what if?'
Max sighed. `Do you want Mike to kiss you?' She asked simply.
`Yeah!' El realised that came out a little too enthusiastic. `I mean, sure. No biggie.' Oh, God, that was worse.
`If you want Mike to kiss you, it'll be fine. Or you know what, break tradition and kiss him. Just stop panicking, you'll sweat through your dress. Is my tie okay?'
El twisted round to look. `Your tie's fine.' And then El spontaneously hugged her friend, who made a small oh! noise. `Thank you,' she whispered into Max's auburn hair. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being here. Thank you so, so much.
`Shut up, you'll make me cry.' But Max hugged El back, before picking up the straighteners and resumed sorting out El's hair.
A knock sounded on the door. `Come in,' Max and El said in unison. Hopper looked around the door.
`Are you ready yet?'
`Hang on-' Max yanked sharply downwards.
`Ow!'
`Yeah, we're done.'
`Thanks,' El gasped, eyes watering. Strands of hair gently tickled her exposed shoulders.
Hopper jiggled his car keys. `So we can go?' El exchanged a look with Max. Then suddenly jumped up off the bed.
`Can I talk to you?' Without waiting for an answer, El pulled Hopper out of the room and into the kitchen. All over the walls, there were grey pencil marks, each made on El's birthday. How could they leave the beautiful apartment behind? The cigarette burns, regular mice invasions and Unidentified Stains gave it character. Hopper and most visitors didn't see it that way, but El knew otherwise.
She took a deep breath. `Dad, why do we still have to move? Troy and Dallas aren't around anymore. We're safe. It doesn't make sense to travel three hours away when there's no threat anymore here.' El tightened her already clasped hands. `There's more chance of us dying on the car trip than dying in Chicago.'
Hopper sighed, and leaned against the fridge, and pulled his hand over his scruff of beard. `You wouldn't understand,' he said.
`Then explain it to me.'
Hopper couldn't bring himself to look at his daughter's determined, pale face.
What could he say?
She was right.
`I'll check the contract,' he eventually muttered. `I'll check the contract, then we'll see.'
El's face lit up.
`I said we'll see. That wasn't a yes.'
The words went straight over El's head. Beaming, she hugged him tightly round the middle, then skipped back into her room.
Hopper shook his head after her, then opened a drawer. Inside was a sheaf of smarmy, official-looking papers. He lifted them out, and began to read.
Five minutes later Max and El were getting into Hopper's car. Max kept on undoing her tie and then knotting it up again. The seventh time she did this El confiscated the tie by sitting on it.
`Calm down,' El instructed Max, who was looking extremely pale. `You'll be fine.'
`Do you think I should have asked Lucas sooner?'
`Well, maybe. But it won't matter. Whenever he's around you he looks like Bambi on cocaine.'
Max snorted, and started to look a little better. El returned the tie once Hopper pulled up in front of the school. They were late, so music was already blaring inside the hall.
Hopper twisted round in his seat to look at Max and El.
`Stay safe, say no if someone offers you drugs-'
`Dad, we're going to a school dance-'
`And if Wheeler does anything you're not comfortable with you have full jurisdiction to punch him in the face.'
El hid a smile. `I'll bear that in mind.' She hopped out of the car, closely followed by Max.
They faced the door, where a few bored-looking teachers were handing out wristbands.
And then Max and El walked in.
Michael Jackson blared from the speakers so loudly it was giving Mike a headache. Next to him, Lucas was obsessively scrubbing at a tiny smear of dirt on his white trousers.
`Lucas, stop panicking,' Will said. `It's barely noticeable.'
`Shut up, I'm concentrating…'
The dance had started twenty minutes ago.
Where was El and Max and Dustin? All of them were missing.
Students swarmed about the room in patterns and established rhythms. They were dancing, loading up plates with cupcakes, sipping at fruit punch or the soft drinks provided. At the edge of the dance floor, even Jess Landey bobbed about to the rhythm from the waist up, sitting in her wheelchair. Every once in a while she took a bite out of the cookie she was holding. She had two crimson hairclips keeping her soot-black hair out of her eyes.
Mike turned round to Lucas. `Have you seen Dustin?'
`No, I-' Will and Lucas suddenly went very, very pale.
`What?'
`Found him,' Will said in an extremely small voice.
With sinking feeling, Mike looked back in the right direction. In an electric blue suit, Dustin swaggered to their table, and his hair…
`Holy shit, what happened to you?'
Dustin smoothed back his hair. It looked like a bird's nest. A bird's nest for an extremely restless eagle. `You like it? Farrah Fawcett spray. Steve Harrington told me.'
`That guy who used to date my sister?'
`Yep. I phoned him and asked him how he did his hair before he went to college. Turns out the trick is using four puffs of Farrah Fawcett spray when it's damp.'
Luckily, before anyone could say anything more two latecomers walked in.
Mike's breath involuntarily hitched, and he stood up.
El looked nervously around the hall, picking at her hangnail. One of the red wristbands they were giving out at the entrance was tied around her slim wrist.
Mike and El caught each other's eyes across the crowded room.
Skirt swinging from side to side, El made her way to Mike, dodging around the dancers. Her ankles wobbled slightly in the short heels she wore.
`Hello,' she whispered, so only Mike could hear her. `You look really good.'
`You look beautiful.' Mike wondered if he'd drunk his cup of Coke too fast; bubbles were popping in his stomach.
Unfortunately, the moment was somewhat ruined by Dustin jumping on El screaming `Oh my God you can't do that to Mike! His little heart will explode!'
El laughed giddily, thinking of Max's almost identical comment as Dustin gave her a quick twirl.
`Shouldn't have let Dustin near the cupcakes,' Max smiled, looking on the scene.
`Hey, Madmax,' Lucas said confidently, despite the sheen of nervous sweat on his forehead. `Nice suit.'
`Same to you, Sinclair.' She was looking particularly dashing in a light grey suit. A silver scrunchie held her hair in a high ponytail.
The Michael Jackson song finished. The record squealed slightly as the DJ took it out, then replaced it with something else.
A stomp stomp clap echoed out across the hall. El let out a gasp of delight, grabbed Mike's hand (like it didn't make electricity jolt straight up his arm) and pulled him onto the dance floor, closely followed by the others. They stood in a line.
`I've always wanted to do this,' Will said gleefully.
A lot of different people were staring at them.
Not one of them cared.
Dustin was stamping and clapping so enthusiastically a little of his elaborate hairstyle collapsed.
`Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noise, playin' in the street, gonna be a big man some day, you got mud on yo' face, big dis-grace, kicking your can all over the place!' They sang, clapping loudly on the last syllable.
`We will, we will rock you!' Mike's head nodded to the beat. `We will, we will rock you!'
When the song ended El was certain the `weirdo' status they all carried had been updated to `crazy'.
This thought was expelled when the next song came on.
`Twist and Shout!' Lucas yelled excitedly. `Just like in the diner!'
The second the lyrics began their careful choreography completely collapsed. Lucas and Max were half dancing together, half not, occasionally turning away to dance with the others. They were all doing that; dancing with one partner for a few seconds, then whirling away to a new one. It was like an elaborate, ever-evolving web.
Mike danced/ jumped to the rhythm with Will, arms and legs going everywhere. He was so out of breath he stopped for a second. Everyone around the group had moved away two feet, just to avoid injury.
El was dancing wildly, swaying and spinning on the spot, head tilted back and eyes laughing.
Mike was suddenly taken over by a reckless flush of courage.
As the song came close to ending, he caught El mid-spin, managed to keep her still, bent his head and kissed her full on the mouth.
It was rather like being plunged into a warm bath; El didn't react for a second, completely shocked. Then she tilted herself up on tiptoe to return the kiss. Her hands rested on his shoulders. His mouth was so warm…
John Lennon's rusty vocals faded away, and the record stopped.
El and Mike broke apart, staring at each other.
No one was watching them. Their friends were still dancing with each other. So El pulled Mike in the direction of the exit, and the two of them ran out into the dark corridor. They were completely alone.
This time she kissed him. It was no less dizzying.
`Do you want to go outside?' Mike whispered. El nodded, wondering where they were going.
There was just something about school at night. White moonlight shone off the linoleum, such a change from the usual harsh sun.
Mike pushed open a fire exit and El realised where they were headed; the hill at the back of the school.
They were out of breath by the time they'd run up to it's summit.
El kicked off her heels. Even thought they were only three centimetres high they were rubbing her ankles raw. She curled her bare feet into the grass. The ground throbbed with the rhythm of the distant music.
To a parent standing in the car park, waiting for their child, Mike and El would have been nothing more than two silhouettes in profile. Two black figures against a midnight backdrop.
Mike looked down at El, holding her gaze, her breathless face. He held her waist, and she brought her hands up to the back of his neck. Shivers erupted down his spine.
`I like your freckles,' El whispered to him, brushing her thumb along his cheekbone.
This time Mike didn't kiss her mouth, he kissed the tip of her round nose, and her forehead and her closed eyelids. He finally got his wish and ran his fingers through her hair, over and over again.
El made a quiet, happy little sigh, placed her warm hands on either side of his face, and pressed her mouth to his.
Now that was three kisses. She'd taken three kisses from Mike and he'd taken three from her, and neither of them thought they could ever get tired of it.
They stood swaying, intertwined, on the hilltop for an impossibly long time.
Eventually, they had to break apart, both dizzy from either love or lack of oxygen. El's face was flushed. She looked up at Mike.
`We should get back before they start writing steamy fanfiction about us.'
Mike burst out laughing. `Good idea.' El retrieved her shoes. They dangled from her fingertips as her and Mike made their way back down to the school. Above them, the stars smiled.
`Wait-' El put her hand on Mike's arm to stop him. `Who's that?'
Two figures ran out of the school, and then came to a stop in the car park.
`Is that-'
`Oh my God, it is.'
Max and Lucas were kissing against a stranger's Fiat Panda. Neither of them had noticed Mike and El, who were now clamping their hands over their mouths to stifle the giggles.
They returned to the hall.
`Hey. Will, right?' Will jumped. A little fruit punch spilled from his pressed-together lips onto his bow tie. He turned around, and Jess Landey was watching him, her eyebrows peaked.
Him and Dustin were sat at a table, paper plates of food in front of them. Their other friends were currently AWOL. Dustin looked at Will, who was clearly so surprised at an actual girl acknowledging him he'd temporarily forgotten how to speak.
Jess gave an angry huff and started to wheel away.
Dustin kicked Will sharply on the shin. He snapped out of it.
`Wait!' Will called. Jess stopped. `I'm Will Byers. D-Did you want to dance?'
Jess looked him up and down. `Sure.' She held out her hand. Will took it, and looked behind him. Dustin gave him a massive thumbs up.
That was when El and Mike returned.
`Where've you two been?' Dustin demanded. Immediately the two of them went shifty and started blushing. `Ugh! Never mind.'
`Screw you,' El answered playfully, stealing a cupcake from his plate. She was too happy to be actually mad at anyone. `Haven't you danced with anyone yet?'
`Nope. But I don't mind.' Dustin took a large gulp of soda to cover up the fact he actually did mind quite a bit.
Within seconds, El was pulling him out of his seat. `Come on,' she smiled, tugging his hand. Then she paused and glanced back at the table. `Mike?'
Mike blinked when he realised she was asking permission. `Go ahead!' He motioned towards the dance floor. `You don't need to ask.'
El beamed at him in such a way Mike was certain he experienced a minor cardiac arrest. Then she and Dustin were absorbed into the crowd.
Mike smiled after them, then helped himself to Will's loaded plate. The cookies were actually pretty good.
`Hi.' Max pulled back a chair and collapsed into it. `Where's El?'
`Dancing with Dustin.' Mike eyed her. She was extremely flushed, and her hair had come out of it's ponytail. It was now suspiciously messy. He smirked down at the cookie.
Revenge.
`Where's Lucas?' He asked innocently.
Max shrugged. `How should I know? Probably went to the restroom.'
`Probably.' They lapsed back into silence. Mike waited a little before speaking again. `You seem pretty flushed. You feeling okay?'
`I feel fine.'
`Your hair came down.'
`I can do it up again.'
`Me and El saw you and Lucas in the car park.'
`Screw you, now and forever.' All self-control flew out of the window and Mike burst out laughing. He dropped the cookie and wheezed uncontrollably, collapsed on the table. `So,' he eventually choked, `can we expect a wedding invitation?'
A death look fell over Max's face, and she lobbed a rainbow-sprinkled cupcake at Mike. It sailed over his head and was immediately crushed underfoot by the dancers.
`What was that for?' El smiled, returning to the table with Dustin. After Mike relayed all events leading up to the cupcake, a mischievous grin crossed El's face.
`Do I need to have the talk with you?'
`Not you too!' Max thumped her head on the table in despair.
`It's just, I'd feel responsible if you produced a mini-Lucas.' El ducked as the entire plate was thrown at her head, still cackling with evil laughter.
Meanwhile, Will and Jess spun round in a circle. Their method of dancing involved Jess spinning her wheelchair whilst holding Will's hand, and both of them bobbing about to the music. The music happened to be Should I Stay or Should I Go, which only enhanced Will's good mood.
Jess Landey was actually quite nice- and extremely pretty.
At midnight, the six of them waited outside, shivering. Mike's jacket was draped over El's shoulders like a cape.
Silence. Then- `So, you and Jess?' Max craned her neck to look at Will's reaction. That reaction was quite blushy.
`Don't feel embarrassed,' Mike told him, trying to counteract Max. `I think it's nice.'
`You do?'
`Yeah!' Lucas supplied. `And she blatantly had a crush on you from the beginning of the year. Didn't you notice all those just because presents she was giving you?'
`No!' Will answered honestly, looking completely blank. Their laughter fluttered up over the racket of cars pulling in and students bidding goodbye to their friends.
`Sometimes, your total obliviousness just blows my mind.'
Seconds later, Hopper arrived to pick up the girls. He stuck his head out of the window and beckoned them over. And when that didn't work, laid a heavy hand on the horn.
Max drew away from Lucas and El reluctantly handed back Mike's jacket. She squeezed his hand.
`Dad's watching,' she whispered. Hopefully Mike would correctly decode this as I really do want to kiss you but my dad would either skin you alive, or have an aneurysm.
He did. Mike nodded, and gave her hand a quick squeeze back. `Will we ever be able to do anything whilst your dad's watching?'
`Probably not.'
Max and El climbed into the back of Hopper's car.
Hopper drove away, drinking from a thermos of coffee.
Over the course of four hours, Max and El had stuffed themselves silly on cupcakes, biscuits and alcohol free punch. All that sugar and caffeine had kept them awake at the dance- but they hit the sugar crash in the back of Hopper's car.
The next time he looked back, Hopper saw Max and El snoring peacefully, collapsed against each other like two playing cards.
With a small shake of his head, and a slight smile, Hopper pressed down on the gas and accelerated.
He'd tell El whether they were moving or not in the morning.
Back in the high school car park, Mike watched as Hopper's taillights got smaller, and smaller, and smaller.
Until finally, they vanished.
